Matt was leaving the Warner Bros. offices with Jonas. They both seemed really happy. Although there wasn't a clear answer yet, everything was very promising.
"Matt, everything went well, right? Now we just have to wait."
"Yeah, yeah, we'll have to wait for your answer, but in my case, I have to start filming right away."
"Oh? Will you tell me what movie it is? It must be Superman, right?" Jonas asked with the obvious excitement of a little boy. The man was a real fan of the DC heroes.
"I can't say anything; it's a secret for now," Matt replied, amused, and almost laughed out loud at Jonas's expression.
"Secret? Come on, man, we're friends. At least I gave a hint." Jonas seemed genuinely upset by the refusal.
Matt just smiled but didn't say a word while Jonas followed him to the parking lot, asking questions like a curious and frustrated child.
His black Mustang Shelby GT 500 with a pair of thick white stripes entered his field of vision. Matt was a classic car lover, no doubt about it.
"Enough, Jonas, I have to go," he finally said, taking out his keys to open the door.
Jonas gave Matt room to get into the car and gave him time to settle in, but he wouldn't leave the matter at that.
"Please, Matt, just a small detail at least, an actor at least," Jonas leaned against the window without hesitation, unwilling to let him go.
Matt looked at him in silence for a second, ignored him, and lit a cigarette before starting the car; he was ready to leave. Jonas stalked off, frustrated, but just as he was about to give up...
"I'll just say it's Gotham." With those words, Matt accelerated and drove off, leaving a bewildered Jonas behind, covered in smoke.
"Gotham? It's Batman, isn't it?" he asked, but there was no one to answer.
"Yeah, it has to be Batman. It's not like this guy's going to make a Joker movie out of you."
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Matt arrived at the Los Angeles airport and parked in the designated short-stay spot. As soon as he got out of the car, he saw Jessica, his beloved redheaded wife.
"Looks like I'm almost late," he thought as he recalled the heated debate in the Warner Bros. conference room.
She was standing on the sidewalk, leaning casually against one of the columns. She looked as confident and attractive as ever, dressed in her classic white button-down shirt, skinny jeans, knee-high boots, and that signature almost natural lipstick that, despite being simple, could stop traffic.
Matt looked around and saw the bodyguards surrounding the place, hiding in plain sight, perfect for escorting without attracting attention.
Jessica's eyes fixed on him from a distance as he approached her, a wide smile spreading across her face when she saw her husband. She wanted to say hello first, but before she had a chance to take a full step forward, Matt was already grabbing her by the waist and kissing her. Matt picked her up by the waist and wrapped his arms around her.
"Honey!" she whispered, wrapping her arms and legs around him like a loving koala.
"Someone's going to see us," she scolded, but without moving far from her lips.
"You can be sure they're watching us," Matt said, moving away from her slightly and waving at a car, which they claimed was undercover, with two paparazzi taking pictures.
"Come on, get me out quickly," she ordered, a little embarrassed but amused at the same time. She really loved this calculating yet casual guy.
"I missed you so much," he said as he placed her on the floor, but his hands never left her body. On the contrary, with his left hand, he grabbed Jessica's suitcase, but with his right, he went straight from her waist to her butt, gently squeezing it.
If there was one thing Matt had, it was his total unashamedness in showing affection for those he loved or cared about, even if they were both "media people" and almost always had a camera nearby.
Jessica didn't even blush or get upset anymore; after so many years of marriage, she'd gotten used to it. It stood to reason it didn't bother her at all, otherwise, she wouldn't have married him in the first place.
The two of them walked together through the parking lot like a couple of teenagers, ignoring everything else.
"You know, I'm starving," she said without losing her smile.
"Okay, let's go to our usual restaurant and you tell me how the trip was," Matt replied, but she had other plans.
"No, let's go home and you tell me how it was here. I'll tell you everything over the phone, but you can act mysterious with me," she added, half amused and half in sincere reproach.
"Whatever Queen Chastain says first," Matt replied as he packed the lunch and they both got into the car.
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At the Goldman Villa, they had dinner together, more relaxed in the comfort of their home.
"Was it really necessary for you and the guy who copied my name to go to the same countries for promotion?" Matt asked, raising an eyebrow in annoyance, clearly referring to Matthew McConaughey.
The two shared a name, and while Interstellar had the investment and Dark Film's influence, the only reason he put up with it was because Nolan specifically wanted him as the lead actor. Matt is very good friends with Leonardo and was honestly very upset that he didn't get the Oscar even though he did everything in his power to make sure Leo won it right away.
"You do know he's older than you, right?" Jessica, far from responding, countered with a smile and mimicking his raised eyebrow.
"Hmm, who cares, I'm clearly much better than him." There was some quarrel hidden there.
"Hahaha, whatever you say, you're the most handsome," she laughed amusedly and kissed her husband's cheek affectionately.
Matt felt her lips on his cheek and his thoughts calmed greatly. He would never regret his decision. Initially, Matt had planned to be a playboy and chaser of models and actresses like any good reincarnated soul, and in part, he was. But he never thought that upon meeting this woman, Jessica Chastain, whom he wasn't even a big fan of in his past life, he would be completely smitten, even to the point of marrying for true love in a "world" like Hollywood.
"So, are you going to tell me what you're up to now, or do I have to force it out of you?" The smile disappeared, and this time he spoke seriously.
"What do you mean?" He already knew, but he liked to play the clueless with his sensual wife, his face straight.
"Come on, Matt, you're late. You're never late when it's about me." She cut straight to the chase; she knew him like the palm of her hand.
Matt was silent for a few seconds until he decided to speak. Perhaps it was a mistake to keep the project a secret for the next 15 years of his life.
"Well, I was in a meeting with executives from almost every branch of Warner," he said, putting his food aside and moving closer to her on the sofa.
"Executives from every branch of Warner. Why every branch?" Her curiosity was more than evident.
"You know I bought DC and finally fulfilled that dream of mine, right?" he asked, to which Jessica responded with a nod and a brief smile, remembering that her husband had achieved one of his dreams.
"Well, the thing is..."
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"I already mentioned that I loved the perfume you sent me," Matt said with a somewhat forced smile as he sat on the edge of the tub, massaging Jessica's feet.
"Just shut up and get on with it." She was relaxing in the tub with one of her legs propped up on her husband's lap.
Her face didn't exactly show signs of being very happy.
"Come on, woman, you can't be angry all night just because of that," he complained, even though he knew deep down he wasn't right.
Hearing this, she opened her eyes and glared at him with murderous intent.
"I can't be angry about that, are you saying?" She sat up, removing her foot from her husband's grasp.
"Planning 10 or more years of work and not telling your wife seems like a small thing to you," she reprimanded harshly.
Matt remained silent. He wanted to retort, but his words caught in his throat when he saw that her anger was real.
He didn't think it would affect him so much, but he forgot the detail that his wife didn't let certain things go easily.
"Sorry, okay."
"I should have told you everything before, but it was just a project until a week ago."
"I promise I won't just focus on work like the last time I had an idea like this."
During the time he created the John Wick saga, he had become a bit obsessed and ended up going almost two whole weeks without contacting anyone who wasn't involved in planning or script adjustments.
It's worth noting that he wasn't at the company or at home; he rented a villa so he could work in peace.
After those two weeks, his mother came to him after threatening a couple of employees close to him, and almost hit him in front of everyone when she saw his dark circles and messy appearance. For a fashion scholar like his mother, that was almost like sinning in a church.
She was so worried about her son that she even thought he'd run away with another woman and left everything behind to live on a deserted island.
Anyway.
Jessica watched him silently; from his tone, she knew he was telling the truth, but she still didn't say anything.
Matt, seeing that there were no results, had to play the trump card: a surprise that would have to be brought forward.
"It's just... I didn't tell you anything either because I wanted to give you a special surprise," he said, feigning shyness like a scolded teenager.
"This project is huge, and since you've been very interested in producing lately, I also wanted to leave a couple of projects under your care as a producer," he finally commented, hoping she'd forgive him once and for all.
Hearing this, Jessica's eyelids fluttered. She wanted to respond quickly, but knowing her manipulative bastard of a husband and being a true "angry wife," she held back her urge.
"Really? And what projects would these be exactly, if I may ask?" she questioned, trying to be as nonchalant as possible.
"Bingo," in his mind, Matt knew he had won this game.
Jessica was well known for advocating for the role of women in the entertainment industry; she was a woman committed to the cause when things were done right. She was a woman with a strong social conscience who didn't mince words when it came to criticizing and giving her opinions, while remaining elegant and polite.
"In this universe I'm creating, there are a couple of female characters who are vitally important to attracting the audience."
"Strong and independent women, but still feminine and beautiful."
With each of her words, Matt could see a small trace of sparkle in her eyes.
"Forgive me for manipulating this topic. I'll start later," he thought before continuing.
"Superman and Batman, those two are DC's two great heroes, but... there's a third to complete the Trinity of heroes that lead the publisher."
"Wonder Woman... Yes... Matt... You?..."
"Exactly, honey. The first superhero movie starring a woman, Wonder Woman will be one of the first films to be released from this project." Given his wife's suspicions, Matt decided to say it directly.
Jessica approached Matt and kissed him immediately.
"You're not forgiven yet, but..." She couldn't finish speaking because Matt was already kissing her again.
He lifted her into his arms, and as they kissed passionately, he walked toward the bedroom to make up for the weeks they'd spent apart.
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In the early morning, they both lay naked between white sheets, Matt half-sitting on the headboard and Jessica lying on his chest while he caressed his abs.
"I've missed this," he whispered against her skin, placing a kiss on her chest.
"Yes, you're the best thing in this world, my love," Matt replied, gently squeezing one of her breasts.
"So... how busy will you be from now on?" she asked, raising her face to look into his eyes.
"We'll be there, my love, we'll both be there," he corrected before continuing.
"In the next 10 years, at least 20 film projects are planned on paper, not to mention the series that help expand, continue, or bring some stories to a close."
"It won't be easy, but you know... I'm the one directing everything... everything will be perfect," he concluded, managing to elicit a smile from his wife, who leaned a little higher to kiss him on the lips.
In this world, Matt had an important advantage in creating DC: total control and a significant time margin between the latest projects brought to the screen and these. This meant it would be a character-centric vision, and there wouldn't be the constant comparisons from his original world about whether that director's version was better or whether that actor brought out the character's greatest potential.
The advantages were clear, but even so, Matt couldn't let himself go and leave everything in just anyone's hands. And who better than his wife to oversee some of these projects, with him directly as a guide?
"It's incredible that you planned something like this on your own. I suppose with inspiration from other similar situations, but this would be the biggest project in the history of modern cinema." As his wife, she supported him wholeheartedly and was very optimistic about the project, with complete confidence in her husband's talent.
"Yes, but I can't take too long. I think Marvel is already cooking up something like that too," he said as they separated to stand up and shower again.
"Are you sure about that?" Jessica, without bothering to cover herself, sat down on the bed while admiring the rear view of her beloved.
"Yes, I have people investigating, and my own calculations show that there is something like that."
"That's why I already have my first project in progress. If all goes well, it will be in theaters in December." Hearing this, Jessica's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wait... did you say December?" She couldn't believe it.
"Yes, December," he confirmed, turning around and slowly walking back to bed.
Jessica couldn't help but gulp at her husband's imposing figure: 6'4" of muscle and a perfect face. For a second, she felt a little smaller than she was beneath his shadow.
It was at that moment, as she contemplated his body, that she remembered something, and her face fell slightly.
"He has a perfect body for someone his age. They're both in their early 40s, but still..."
"What happened?" He interrupted her thoughts.
"Nothing, I was just thinking, tell me what this first big project is that excites you so much," she asked as she slid to the edge of the bed, her face dangerously close to "certain parts" of Matt.
"That's an easy question. I've been talking a lot with Joaquín. At first, this wasn't going to be our first. It was just a script of mine, but after many conversations, we decided to go ahead with it with a few small changes," he began, looking down into his wife's blue eyes.
"The Magnificent Clown will be our first major masterpiece," he replied with a big smile that even gave Jessica a little chills.
"Will you start your universe with a villain?"
"Yes, dear."
"You're really crazy, Matthew Goldman," she said helplessly.
"Thank you for the compliment. Now... tell me what you were really thinking." Taking her chin with his right hand, he made her look up while he brought his body a step closer.
"No... It's nothing... I..." she tried to change the subject, but Matt's hypnotic blue eyes made her find the courage to confess.
"My love, we're both 37, and 10 or 15 more years of work are on the way. I... I think it's time we started a real family," she finally confessed.
Matt opened his eyes in surprise. Yes, sometimes he forgot he was almost 40, but the biggest surprise was when he correctly interpreted that request.
Two lives, 50 years lived plus 20 additional memories, and he'd never had a family beyond his wife and mother in this life. If he thought about it carefully, yes, she was right, and it would be a lie to say he didn't want it too.
Hardening his resolve and looking into his wife's clear eyes, plus the memory of his mother's constant pleas, Matt had no reason to hesitate.
"We start now, darling," he replied, his voice thick with desire and emotion.
Hearing this, Jessica's eyes almost filled with tears, but she guessed she held them back and was quickly caught up in her husband's emotions.
With one last glance into his eyes, she lowered her gaze and found herself directly staring at Matt's crotch at eye level.
His hands quickly ventured to the back of her thighs to pull him closer, and he began with a couple of kisses on her lower abs, slowly moving down.
'The Joker can wait a couple more days,' Matt thought, seeing and sensing the direction things were heading.
...
Note: Joker as the first DCU film, what do you think?
Note: For now, this is as far as I'll go regarding nudity.
If you want me to be more explicit, just put it in the comments. Personally, I would like to write these scenes too, but there are readers who don't like it, and this type of content would be interspersed throughout the chapters depending on the situation and the moment, not a chapter dedicated entirely to it that can be skipped and nothing would happen. Anyway, the decision is yours.
Note: Jessica Chastain? Yes, for many she won't be more beautiful than Scarlett or Margot, but well, all I can say is: strong personal tastes. Based on appearance and personality, she was the one I chose as my 'wife,' that doesn't mean there won't be other women, of course. This is fan fiction, after all.