Drew picked up a newspaper and started reading.
At that moment, a stunning beauty with a fiery figure came down the stairs.
Scarlett turned her head and glanced over, surprised. "Megan, you stayed here last night too?"
The beauty descending the stairs was none other than Megan Fox.
She nodded. "I came over after wrapping up filming yesterday."
Since getting together with Martin, Megan Fox's acting gigs had been nonstop. She was currently shooting The Maze Runner, a Meyers Films investment—a solid "dystopian society" flick.
"Congrats, Scarlett. Your performance in Get Out was amazing."
Scarlett smiled. "Thanks."
Then Megan walked over to Martin, and the two shared a kiss. Bijou brought over her breakfast.
That's when Drew spoke up. "Hey, Megan, you remember that Shia LaBeouf from Transformers?"
"Of course—that guy's a jerk. If it weren't for you and Martin back then, I wouldn't have known how to shake him off." Then she asked, "What's up with him?"
Drew grinned and pointed to an article in the paper, whispering, "This guy's been pulling weird stunts ever since he showed up at the Berlin Film Festival in February with a paper bag over his head as 'performance art.'" [TL/N: Check the paragraph for the picture>]
"First off, in June this year, he got high on drugs right in the middle of a Broadway show and disrupted the performance, ending up in cuffs. Then in November, he claimed that as part of his performance art, he was 'assaulted' by two burly female fans—hahaha, is he for real?"
"Oh, and according to a crew member from Fury, during filming, the guy gave himself a facial scar and kept picking at it to stop it from healing. Plus, he yanked out one of his own teeth. Is this dude nuts?"
"No, not nuts—just not famous anymore," Martin said, revealing the truth.
"So he's doing all this to try and get back in the spotlight?" Megan asked, baffled. "Does that even work?"
"Of course not. Sure, the media reports on his antics, and it seems like people are paying attention again. But what he doesn't get is that the reason he can't land big roles isn't his popularity—or lack of it. He got dropped from Transformers at the height of his fame; he should know by now that what he really needs to change is his rotten attitude," Drew said.
Scarlett scoffed. "The guy's an idiot. Even with Spielberg as his godfather, no one's saving him."
Then she sneakily elbowed Drew. "Just like a certain woman."
(A/N;Drew's godfather was also Spielberg.)
Drew didn't get mad at all; she just smiled sweetly. "I have to thank Martin for saving me. Too bad Shia LaBeouf isn't a hot chick—otherwise, he might've had a shot too."
Martin shuddered. "Forget it. With his temper, even if he were a woman, it'd be useless."
"Whoa, check this out—Batman's official look is here." Drew flipped the page and pointed to a full-spread photo, exclaiming in surprise.
Martin curiously leaned over for a look.
The photo was in black and white: Ben Affleck in Batman armor, head bowed, gazing at the ground, with a high-tech Batmobile beside him.
Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had been greenlit and was in pre-production. Batman was still Ben Affleck, Superman was Henry Cavill, and Wonder Woman was Gal Gadot.
No different from the original timeline.
This project was a big deal for Zack Snyder.
Though no one had ever said it outright, he still saw his film as a rival to Martin's Suicide Squad—he wanted to settle the score.
"Martin, when's your Suicide Squad getting greenlit?" Scarlett asked.
"Soon—probably January."
"Any auditions for Harley Quinn?" Scarlett asked again.
Martin glanced at her. "You wanna play her?"
Scarlett shook her head. "Nah, it's a friend of mine who's interested."
"I know all your friends. Who're you talking about?"
Scarlett hesitated for a second, then spilled it. "Fine—it's Blake."
"Blake Lively?!" Martin exclaimed, then chuckled. "Leonardo would never go for it. He saw the concept art I drew for the character. Harley's outfit shows off every curve—super revealing. Not to mention the nude scenes. This time, I'm not using a body double."
"So you need an actress who's bold enough to bare it all on camera?" Drew asked.
"Yep, and with a killer body. This film's whole marketing hinges on Harley," Martin said with a grin.
Drew thought for a moment. "In that case, I could recommend someone."
"Who?" Martin asked curiously.
"Margot Robbie. That girl's a perfect fit for what you're looking for."
Martin was stunned. What a coincidence—that was the actress who played Harley in his previous life.
Just then, Martin's phone buzzed.
It was Leonardo calling.
Martin answered.
"Hey, Leo, what's up?"
"Martin, my good buddy—Blake wants to play Harley Quinn."
Leonardo's words left Martin dumbfounded.
"What do you mean? You're recommending her to me? You know my requirements for Harley—I think I mentioned them?"
"No, no, no—I'm not recommending her. Of course I don't want her to do it, but I don't wanna be the petty boyfriend who ruins it for her."
"So..."
"So I came up with a plan. You've gotta help me turn her down."
"Fuck! Making me the bad guy? That's your brilliant idea?"
"Come on, help a guy out—we're friends!"
"Thank God for a friend like you."
Martin grumbled.
On the other end, Leonardo said, "Actually, I do have a solid plan that'll let you turn her down without it feeling forced."
Martin: "Spill it!"
"I'm recommending someone to you—she's a total match for Harley Quinn. Just cast her, and you've got a perfect excuse to pass on Blake!" Leonardo said smugly.
Martin: "Whoa, you're a real genius. I suspect you're just using Blake as an excuse to push this other person."
"No way—we're buds." Leonardo denied it quickly, but his tone was a bit awkward.
"Fine, who are you recommending?" Martin asked, a little curious.
"Uh, an actress named Margot Robbie. Let me tell you, her skills are top-notch—I worked with her on The Wolf of Wall Street."
"You mean the one who hooked up with you both on and off screen?!"
"Uh, yeah!"
"Alright."
"Martin, she's really a great actress—wait, what did you say?"
"I said okay."
"Ah, you're the best buddy ever—I love you to death!"
"Fuck you!"