In just two days, Los Angeles welcomed Matt back with his usual mix of chaos and unique presence. Having stepped away from his initial role as director, he was ready to begin his new role as General Manager and Creative Director of an entire cinematic universe.
The sky was clear, but the air had that density that only comes when something important is about to happen.
At the Goldman villa, the silence was comfortable. Jessica walked barefoot through the master bedroom, dressed only in an ivory silk robe, her red hair falling untied down her back. Meanwhile, Matt adjusted his tie in front of the mirror with a relaxed expression.
Looking at his reflection, Matt always felt proud. Even if he was no longer "young," he was still one of the most handsome men in Hollywood. Depending on which woman you asked, he was even the most handsome in the world. It was common knowledge that while his films were considered "men's films" by mainstream media, a large part of his fan base was women, and millions of them had him in mind as the perfect man.
"You know you don't have to wear a tie tonight?" Jessica asked curiously. Matt looked at her reflection in the mirror as she applied the last touch of perfume.
"I know," he initially replied, stopping his gaze and turning around.
"But tonight isn't just any night. It's your night, my dear," he continued as he walked up behind her and kissed her head.
Jessica closed her eyes, enjoying the display of affection with a warm smile. She raised her head to look into his eyes, meeting her husband's smiling expression.
"I'm not the lead, Matt. I'm just part of the cast," she murmured, resting her head on his abdomen.
"You're the best part of the cast," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders.
Jessica cuddled for a moment before standing up, placing her hands on his chest, and kissing him softly on the cheek.
"And you? How's everything going on the Joker set today?" Matt sighed with feigned exhaustion at this question, then flashed a triumphant smile.
"It's going well. Better than I originally expected. Joaquin is into character, and Todd is committed. The first scene they'll send me after I get back was simply brutal," he replied as he sat on the edge of the bed with Jessica on his lap.
"Brutal in what way?" she questioned, clearly curious.
"In the best, most raw and realistic way," Matt replied, resting his head on Jessica's chest.
She looked at him for a second before gently stroking his black hair; she knew from his tone that he was hiding something.
"Are you very worried about Joaquin?" She clearly knew him like the back of her hand.
"I am, but not too worried. The character is demanding, and he's very into it, that's all," Matt replied sincerely, lifting his head and placing a soft kiss on her lips.
The pressure. The rumors. The way the media built a narrative without having a single official line of the script, those points were only minimal details for Matt and Joaquin, if you rush it a little the truth is that he is more concerned about Todd Phillips as a director than Joaquin as a lead actor and his clashes with Robert de Niro, luckily they did not have much interaction.
Jessica reached for her phone, checking the time and briefly scanning for new social media comments. Under Matt's watchful eye, she tried to hide her concern as best she could.
Social Media
@DCFanForever
I can't believe Joker is the first DC movie in so many years! Matt Goldman is crazy and I love it!
#DChope #Joker
@CineCríticoReal
Are we really going to trust a guy who wants to start his universe with a villain? Where's Superman?
#GoldmanGate #DCFail
@JessicaQueen
Jessica is a goddess. If she's behind Interstellar, then she's pure gold.
#InterstellarRelease #ChastainPower
@BatSignal2015
Rumors are that Nolan rejected Matt's Batman script. If that's true, we're in trouble.
#BatmanBad #NolanVsGoldman
@GoldmanCult
Matt Gold never fails. If he said Joker is the comeback, then prepare for a masterpiece.
#DChope #GoldmanGod
@CineLeaks
Leak: Strong disagreements between Joker director and actors, possible cancellation of the project. Matt Gold leaves the project as director, leaving Todd Phillips, already criticized for agreeing to be an assistant director, to carry the entire burden of the project.
#DCfail #MattGoldfail
*@SuperBoy666
Please, someone delete the above. That news was posted by Matthew Goldman himself on his social media.
#DChope #joker
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"You should stop paying attention to social media right now," Matt said, taking the phone from Jessica's hands.
She looked at him as if she wanted to refute and scold her husband, but after a second, she just sighed and nodded.
"At least there's a lot of criticism and supportive comments," she said, finally standing up to continue getting ready.
"'Too much of a psychopath, even for Matthew Goldman,' that headline was overblown, even for the media," she commented angrily, walking toward the closet.
"Who writes that stuff?" she asked, glancing at Matt out of the corner of her eye.
"People who have nothing better to do. People who want me to fail before I even start."
"People who want to attract people bored enough to read the first thing that smacks of blood or disgrace in front of their eyes."
Matt really didn't care in the slightest. If this were his first time, maybe he'd feel something, but he'd already had enough history in Hollywood to lose sleep over things like this.
"And the rumored *Batman* script?" Jessica persisted, and Matt shrugged, dismissively.
"It wasn't leaked by me or my close team, so the only option is an executive at Warner or some branch who disagrees with me." Her first suspicion was Marcus Warner, but Jonas assured her that he had convinced him that this would bring them free benefits and prestige.
For the moment, Marcus Warner remained neutral; he didn't really know all the executives, and at the end of the day, the rumor was and will be nothing more than free promotion and marketing.
"Anyway, it'll be resolved soon, my love," Matt assured her with a smile.
Jessica took her midnight-blue velvet dress out of the closet and placed it on the bed. At this comment from her husband, she wondered what this manipulator was planning now.
"Why do you look at me like my mother when I'm about to do something he doesn't like?" Matt stood up, hugged her waist, and asked, gently biting her jaw.
"Your mother is a very perceptive woman. If it weren't for us, you'd be a rampaging madman who jumps from scandal to controversy."
"Hahaha. I know. Sometimes, even lonely geniuses like me need someone to tell them which way is best."
"The way is right, Matt, it makes sense, and you're not alone." Jessica kissed him, slowly, surely.
Matt deepened the kiss, both of them fighting for dominance with their tongues as the temperature in the room rose. Matt's hands moved down to Jessica's butt and he held it between his large hands, ready to pick her up.
Jessica felt more and more excited. She never tired of kissing him and letting him touch her. It was always magnificent, but right now there were more important things on the agenda.
"Matt... baby... stop... I have to get dressed and go." Between kisses, she finally managed to separate.
"Fine, but... tonight you'll have to please me... completely... with all my favorite parts," Matt whispered in her ear. He smiled as he felt her shudder in excitement in his embrace.
"Whatever you want," she certainly couldn't say no.
Matt finally let her go so she could finish getting ready with a firm spanking when she turned around.
They both remained silent afterward. The clock read 6:45 p.m., and the limo was already waiting for them downstairs.
"Ready to conquer the red carpet?" Matt asked with a smile, and together they walked out the front door of the villa.
The night was just beginning.
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Late at night, the black Rolls-Royce limousine pulled up in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre, where the premiere of *Interstellar* was to take place. The street had already become a sea of flashing lights and screams in front of the red carpet laid out for the parade of stars who had participated in the production or had been specially invited.
Matt adjusted the collar of his jacket for the last time while Jessica, at his side, mentally reviewed the names and faces of the people she couldn't forget to greet and to whom she shouldn't pay special attention, for example, some annoying "journalists" who liked to provoke errors with questions unrelated to the occasion or moment.
"Ready to play?" he asked, taking her hand for a second and exchanging glances.
"Always," she replied with a smile that blended elegance and strategy, as beautiful as ever.
The limo door opened for them. Matt got out first, with his usual charisma, waving a couple of times to the energetic guests. He wore a black suit and a long gray coat, his gaze confident, his smile confident yet careless.
Jessica followed him, taking the hand her husband offered, dazzling in her midnight blue dress that contrasted perfectly with her red hair and semi-pale skin, with an elegant neckline and an attitude that made the flashbulbs multiply by the second.
The cameras clicked on as if the universe was waiting just for them. The fans screamed, and the reporters jostled to take the best or worst photos possible; for them, either way was fine.
"Matt!" Is it true that Nolan rejected your *Batman* script?"
"Matthew, I love you!"
"Jessica, you're beautiful!"
"Jessica! What do you think about the box office success of Interstellar?"
"I'll marry both of you too!"
"Matt! Is Joker your biggest failure?"
The first round of questions and cheers reached their ears as they took their first steps arm in arm.
Matt smiled and, as usual, together with Jessica, greeted the cameras of the media that generally favored them and the fans of their work.
"Jessica, is it true that Matthew exhibits psychopathic behavior?!"
Even in the face of questions and inquiries that were too uncomfortable and sensational for many, Matt and Jess just smiled and said nothing until...
"Mr. Goldman, is it true that they can't have children because of him?" There were always questions with a grain of truth that bothered them more than the elaborate lies.
Both heard this and couldn't help but look in that direction. Jessica couldn't identify who it was, but when she felt Matt tugging at her arm and his darkened eyes fixed on a specific point, her heart skipped a beat. As discreetly as she could, with a forced smile, she forced herself to hold off the 98 kg beast of her husband, who would surely destroy someone if he let go of his grasp.
Matt was a playful and carefree person, but there were always limits to where his dark instinct took control.
On the other side of the fence, the reporters trembled when they felt Matthew Goldman's eyes on one of them and tried to get away from the person asking the question, ready to take cover. And of course, in a better angle for the photos of Matthew Goldman hitting someone directly at the premiere of a film his company was starring in. His wife.
Fortunately, Matt felt Jessica's strong pull and came to his senses. Jessica looked him in the eyes, and they gave everyone present a long kiss that would make the front page of many newspapers.
"Just ignore him like always. I love you so much," Jessica's words finally brought a smile back to Matt's face, and they continued their walk down the red carpet toward the photo op section where authorized media were present.
In the photo op section, they posed together. He with his hand on her waist. She with a bright look and a cheerful smile, dazzling with her red lips and green eyes. A couple who looked like they were straight out of a movie.
"Mrs. Chastain, a few pictures alone, please," said one of the photographers.
Matt smiled mischievously and kissed her temple before walking away and standing to the side where other photographers took advantage of the opportunity to get solo shots of him as well.
"Look, it's Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas (Nolan's wife)," he shouted. Someone from the crowd nearby.
The film's director had finally arrived. Matt and Jessica, who had finished their photos, waited to the side and watched as the other couple walked down the red carpet alongside them.
The moment many media outlets had been waiting for had arrived. Nolan and Matt were reportedly clashing over Matt's alleged Batman script. Many were more interested in this interaction than in the film itself.
The murmurs multiplied. The tension was palpable. Matt and Nolan leaned closer. The media held their breath. Jessica lightly squeezed Matt's arm, as she, too, didn't know much due to Matt's silence on the subject.
The rumors were clear: Nolan had read three pages of the alleged *Batman* script and had rejected it outright. But no one knew if that was true. And certainly no one expected what happened.
"Chris," Matt said, his tone warm.
"Matt," Nolan replied with a genuine smile.
They both smiled at each other. And then, without warning... They hugged in front of the camera flashes, shattering the rumors.
"Hi," Jessica greeted Emma affectionately; the two couples exchanged brief but intimate words.
Matt and Nolan exchanged simple words under the attentive ears of the cameras and reporters.
"I hear you have an interesting Batman script out there," Nolan said, his tone rare and playful.
"Maybe I should read it in person, don't you think?" That sentence put an end to the Batman rumors in their tracks.
"Hahaha," Matt laughed shamelessly in front of everyone.
"Anytime, old friend. But brace yourself... it's darker than Seven, according to our director." Matt's response made everyone's eyes widen.
This guy wasn't just confirming the script rumor, he directly and publicly said he even had a director.
Nolan smiled at his fellow director's move and wanted to help his good friend.
"That's a real marvel then, although I'm a little disappointed. At first I didn't pay attention to Joker because Scorsese liked it, and in the end it ended up in Todd Phillips' hands, and now you're telling me Batman is also busy." When Nolan finished speaking, Emma gently nudged him, as if reminding him that not all secrets are revealed in public.
"Wait a second, Martin Scorsese wanted to direct Joker? And a confirmed Batman movie? What the hell happened here?"
Those were the thoughts of the reporters, who even forgot about the photos for a second.
"Yes, Martin Scorsese didn't have time in the end, but he recommended De Niro for one of the lead roles alongside Joaquin." The nail that closed the coffin of the rumor.
"Is Robert De Niro part of the cast for Joker?"
'Why Matthew Goldman Gave Up the Director's Position Then'
The media who wanted answers would only go home with twice as many unanswered questions.
"Well... Director Nolan, we should go into the theater now," Jessica's voice woke everyone up, and like lightning, they started taking pictures and asking questions.
"Sure, let's go, Emma," Nolan replied without looking back and entered the theater with Matt and Jessica.
"Was that enough to shut up the media?" As they walked down the main aisle, Matt leaned toward her.
"That was a masterpiece, you caught me there," she replied with a smile, but with a hard pinch in Matt's ribs.
Matt smiled. The night had already been a success, except for the small incident, but that wasn't important.
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Inside the TCL Chinese Theatre, the lights came up. The screening of *Interstellar* had ended.
The applause continued to resonate loudly like the echoes of a cosmic symphony.
Matthew, Jessica, Nolan, and the other members of the cast and crew greeted colleagues, directors, actors, family members, and critics.
As soon as everyone left the theater, it was time for the small celebration party for the film's successful premiere in the living room.
While Jessica and the others socialized, sharing, and accepting compliments, Matt noticed two people of interest near a table with drinks.
Matt moved precisely between the people he was greeting and those he wanted to avoid until he found the two figures waiting for him with measured smiles: Jonas Warner and a Time Warner executive in a gray suit and glasses, Eliot Adams.
"Matthew," Jonas greeted first in a warm tone.
"Do you have a minute?" he asked as Matt silently shook Eliot's hand.
"Forever yours, friend," Matt replied, taking a glass of whiskey as he thought the occasion would merit.
The Time Warner executive, with a calculating gaze, wasted no time and continued the conversation, leaving Jonas aside for the moment.
"We've reviewed your proposal in detail. It's risky, but feasible for our subsidiaries if all goes well," he commented, taking a sip of his drink.
"I admit we have our doubts, especially given the rumors surrounding what would be the backbone of the entire project." His words were direct, but when Matt noticed that Jonas's smile hadn't left his face, he dared to be more direct with this old calculator.
"Mr. Adams, allow me to ask directly..."
"What do you want to know?" Matt's words were clear.
Eliot studied the man in front of him and couldn't deny that he was special.
"Mr. Goldman, are the words you and Director Nolan exchanged true?" the executive finally asked, although from his relaxed tone, Matt realized this was all more of a formality disguised as a test or something.
"Absolutely true, Mr. Adams, although I admit Nolan never wanted to direct Joker himself. The rest is," Matt replied with a comfortable and confident smile, then took a sip of his drink.
"I told you, Mr. Adams, it's impossible for Matthew to write a script that isn't profitable," a more excited than usual Jonas couldn't help but comment.
"Yes, that seems to be true, Mr. Warner." Eliot was no more polite or reserved, and despite his apparent age, he seamlessly joined the younger two in the more relaxed conversation.
Matt was curious about this man and after 10 minutes, discovered he was a die-hard DC fan, dating back to the old school comics.
"Matthew, let's be honest, and while I really like your proposal and what you want to do, there are some points that need to be covered in more depth," Eliot added after a moment of casual conversation.
"Don't limit yourself, Mr. Adams," Matt insisted, not really worried.
"You see, Matt, Marcus isn't directly opposed, and Time agrees in the big picture, but before closing the major deal, we want to make a distribution agreement for two initial films. Depending on the outcome, we'll either go in directly or not, as well as Time's approval for HBO to be responsible for the television series." Upon receiving Eliot Adams' nod, Jonas spoke with Matthew. Since their relationship was better, they believed he was the best person to mediate.
Warner, although not yet ready for a full commitment, wanted to be a part of it and test the waters by starting with the distribution of two films.
Joker, of course, and the way things were going, Batman would be next.
Matt nodded. He showed no surprise at this decision to reach an agreement by Warner Bros. and Time Warner; he had anticipated it, but hearing the confirmation made him feel like the tables were turning in his favor.
"I accept. It'll be two initial films then, and the rest will be up to fate," he said firmly but with a smile as he raised his glass, proposing a toast of agreement.
"Happy cooperation, Mr. Goldman," the executive replied with a diplomatic smile, returning the clash with Matt and Jonas.
"I knew you would, and this is just the beginning, man." Jonas patted him on the shoulder as they saw Eliot leave with other important people.
"I guess I should thank you for your little collaboration, right?" Matt joked, returning the gesture to his friend Jonas.
"Yes, kiddo. I almost lost my hair devising strategies and convincing people." The two chatted for another 10 minutes until Matt politely said goodbye.
Jessica was waiting for him near the exit, chatting with Emma Thomas. When he approached, she casually took his arm.
"Is everything okay?" she asked, her eyes on her conversation with Jonas Warner and the other man she hadn't recognized for a while.
"Everything's on track, my love. Joker officially has a distributor and a second film, too." Jessica smiled. She didn't say anything, but her eyes were filled with pride.
"Congratulations on your achievement, Matthew," said Emma 'Nolan,' familiar with the subject but not wanting to add anything.
"Likewise, the movie is wonderful; your level as a producer is constantly improving, Emma," she thanked him and returned the compliment politely.
"Thank you, I hope to see you again soon," she thanked him as she said goodbye afterward.
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The limo was waiting for them both outside. Ignoring the cameras still outside, they hurried to get in and give the driver the go-ahead to leave.
As the car pulled away from the theater, Jessica rested her head on Matt's chest, sitting like a princess on his lap throughout the ride, where he recounted his entire conversation with Jonas and Time Warner executive Eliot Adams.
They arrived home after midnight. The villa was silent. They both took off their shoes, poured themselves a glass of wine, and sat on the couch.
"Do you think we're ready for all this?" Jessica asked, resting her head on his shoulder.
"For the media, the fans, the executives... yes."
"But there's something more important," Matt said in response, lowering his head to look her in the eyes.
"Are you saying that because...?"
"Yes. "For us. For starting a family," Matt said, and Jessica looked at him silently, then smiled when Matt said that.
"So, do we keep trying?" She had already promised him, but not with this in mind.
"We keep trying," Matt leaned in and kissed her tenderly. The night closed in on them, and while the world speculated about scripts, villains, and universes, in that house, two people were writing their own story.
...
Note: I'd also like to apologize if I'm adding too much drama. I can't help it. I guess it's my writing style, but I'll try to keep it short and focus on how important DC is from now on.
Note: If anyone has a suggestion, please don't hesitate to add it. Thanks for reading this story, which started on a whim of mine.