A black Chrysler sedan turned off California State Route 1 and into the widened four-lane entrance of Malibu Daenerys Studios. It followed a U-shaped asphalt drive up to the studio gates halfway up the hillside. After the guard stepped forward to check, he waved them through.
Once inside the grounds, the main road opened first onto a broad parking lot on the left, stretching all the way to the southern cliff edge.
The studio had been officially up and running for less than a week, yet the lot was already packed wall to wall with cars. It was a clear sign of how busy things were inside.
Their destination was the top-tier administrative district. The Chrysler passed through the bustling soundstage area, and inside the car, Hollywood actress Joanna Cassidy looked around with open curiosity. By her reckoning, at least since she debuted in the late sixties, Hollywood had not seen a major studio complex built on this scale. Instead, many of the old legacy lots had been sold off and repurposed.
Just that alone was something no one could easily surpass, not when it had all been created by one young man in only a few short years.
Thinking of Simon Westeros, Joanna Cassidy drew her mind back and began weighing the audition ahead.
She was here for the role of Queen Hippolyta, Diana Prince's mother in Wonder Woman.
Casting for the DC film universe had become one of the hottest topics in Hollywood.
According to recent media reports, Daenerys Entertainment had first approached Sigourney Weaver for the part.
Weaver had just had a baby and planned to take a year off. That, by itself, wasn't a huge problem. Wonder Woman was slated for 1992, and it would not start filming until next year. But Weaver refused to sign a multi-film contract and demanded a high salary along with other conditions, so Daenerys Entertainment walked away without hesitation.
Joanna Cassidy had been in the business for twenty years and wasn't short on sources. She knew Sigourney Weaver actually wanted the role.
Weaver, a six-foot-tall actress, had firmly entered the A-list on the strength of the Alien and Ghostbusters series, but her height also narrowed her lane. Most of the time she could only land supporting roles, and her pay had never been especially high. Even a few years ago, when Aliens 2 crossed one hundred million worldwide largely on her shoulders, she had only taken home a one-million-dollar salary.
Wonder Woman needed tall actresses. Daenerys Entertainment's minimum height standard for Amazon warriors was five foot nine, 175 centimeters. It could not have suited Sigourney Weaver better.
And the blockbuster success of Batman, along with the sheer scale of the DC film universe, was enough to guarantee that even supporting roles across the franchise could explode in popularity.
If she landed Queen Hippolyta, Weaver would not only secure her standing in Hollywood for years, she would also keep newer, similar-type actresses from overtaking her.
Yet compared to the old reality where an A-lister merely hinted they were interested and studios would bend over backward, Daenerys Entertainment's casting stance for the DC film universe was even more forceful than during the era of the big studios.
Sigourney Weaver refused to budge on key terms like a long-term contract, and Daenerys Entertainment dropped her cleanly.
Joanna Cassidy could understand why.
In Hollywood, many famous sequels died because contracts could not be finalized. Others launched late, only for the delay to bleed away all the momentum, and the sequel failed. A massive multi-film plan like the DC film universe could not afford to be held hostage by one actor's contract demands. If a sequel got delayed, the entire universe would suffer.
That was how the opportunity fell into the hands of second-tier actresses like Joanna Cassidy.
She was forty-five this year. She had debuted in the late sixties and had appeared in dozens of films and TV projects across genres, but she had never hit the right moment to break out. Her most famous role was still the snake dancer Zhora in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, and even there, her screen time was under five minutes.
Her agent told her the reason she had gotten this audition for Queen Hippolyta was simple: a certain young man appreciated her performance in Blade Runner, especially the part where she beat up Harrison Ford.
Yes, that was what the Wonder Woman casting director, Linda Vargas, had said when speaking with her agent.
Linda Vargas had once been a nobody in Hollywood, but she was lucky enough to work on Simon Westeros's first film, Run Lola Run, as casting director. After that, she earned his trust, became the go-to casting director for many Westeros projects, and was now one of the most sought-after people in town.
Still, as flawless as Linda Vargas was in dealing with people, she was fiercely loyal to Simon Westeros. Anyone trying to use her as a backdoor had basically failed.
That was probably exactly why she had become his go-to casting director.
Joanna Cassidy thought that if it were her, she would do the same.
The longer you survived in Hollywood, the more deeply you understood how hard it was to climb. Most people never got even one real shot in their entire lives. Cassidy herself was a textbook example. Linda Vargas was clearly the kind of person who found an opening and clutched it with both hands.
But the fact remained that Westeros admired her for beating up Harrison Ford in Blade Runner.
This...
Is that some kind of hint?
Everyone in Hollywood knew what the young man's tastes were.
Without realizing it, her thoughts drifted, and somewhere deep inside, a flicker of anticipation stirred. After her first marriage in the seventies, she had remained single ever since. If she could really end up involved with that small young man who made countless Hollywood women burn with envy, it would be a temptation almost impossible to resist.
As she thought that, the Chrysler passed through the second-tier office district and soon reached the top administrative level.
She got out in the parking lot. Looking around, she saw several minimalist office buildings arranged with clean order, their exteriors wrapped in glass curtain walls. The buildings varied in height, but the overall layout felt calm, deliberate, and pleasing.
Used to the low bungalows and small buildings of traditional studios, this modern, sleek complex felt strikingly fresh.
Joanna Cassidy walked to the five-story building on the far north side, entered the lobby, spoke briefly with reception, and was quickly led to the third floor. Linda Vargas was already waiting, and two other actresses who would also be auditioning had arrived earlier.
They exchanged warm greetings on the surface, then were taken to the makeup room to get ready and change.
For an important supporting role like Queen Hippolyta, the audition pool was small. The three of them were the final three candidates, and they all needed to audition in costume and makeup.
Joanna Cassidy arrived at the studio at nine in the morning. After an hour of preparation, she and the other two actresses were dressed and ready. The confirmed director of Wonder Woman, Martin Campbell, had arrived as well, along with several other key creatives.
Then they spent another half hour taking photos. Finally, the group moved to the door of an audition room downstairs where a blue screen had been set up.
After a short wait, at exactly eleven, Simon Westeros finally appeared. He stepped forward to exchange a few polite words with the three actresses, then immediately began.
The three candidates had been carefully selected, and their basic acting skills were beyond question. In addition to meeting them personally and making the final call, Simon also wanted to see how they performed in a virtual environment.
The DC film universe would use extensive virtual production. To refine the tech, the studio had even designated one soundstage for Daenerys Visual Effects to run real-time virtual shooting experiments of all kinds.
Twenty minutes each. Joanna Cassidy was scheduled last.
When she entered the audition room, the spacious space contained only the blue screen and a few simple chairs. Westeros and the others stood politely.
Joanna Cassidy stepped forward, shook the young man's hand, exchanged greetings, and the others sat back down.
Simon held a notebook. There were no fussy self-introductions. He went straight to the point. "Ms. Cassidy, here's the scene. Steppenwolf invades Paradise Island to seize the Mother Box guarded by the Amazons. Queen Hippolyta confronts him, loses quickly after a brief clash, and then questions why he's here. Note that this is a virtual shoot performance. Steppenwolf is ten feet tall. We'll be using a combination of CG and motion capture. No one will be acting opposite you. Okay. Start your performance."
Acting completely to empty air.
Joanna Cassidy had no attention to spare for the faintly mischievous edge in his last line. She gathered herself fast, drew the sword at her waist, slashed toward her right a few times, then instantly looked as if she had been struck by a crushing blow. She fell backward to the floor, braced herself with the sword, and demanded, "Who are you?"
Normally, an audition had someone reading opposite lines.
This time, no one replied.
Only the people in the room, and the camera recording her, watched.
Joanna Cassidy was not lacking in adaptability. Remembering Simon's setup, she supplied Steppenwolf's lines in her own mind. After a brief pause, she let realization flicker across her face, then forced calm into her expression and said, "Steppenwolf. Why have you come to Paradise Island?"
Silence.
"Whatever you're looking for, it isn't here."
Silence.
Aside from that one bit of playful "start your performance," Simon remained professional, watching Joanna Cassidy closely. From time to time he wrote a few notes.
When her free-form segment ended, Simon had her try several other shots.
Twenty minutes passed in a blink, and the time hit noon.
Simon closed his notebook, stood again, and shook Joanna Cassidy's hand. "Thank you for taking the time to come, Ms. Cassidy. Also, it's already noon. If you don't have anything urgent, you're welcome to stay for lunch before you go."
Hearing Simon's "invitation," Joanna Cassidy smiled as if it were nothing and nodded. "Of course. Thank you."
A staff member led her to remove her makeup. It was simple this time. Twenty minutes later, Joanna Cassidy arrived at a small cafeteria in another office building.
She had thought it might be a private invitation from the young man, but she found the other two actresses were still there as well. Not only Westeros, but also Martin Campbell, Linda Vargas, and others were present. So lunch became a working meal, with the conversation still revolving around Wonder Woman.
Watching one of the other actresses, almost blatantly, repeatedly steer the conversation toward the young man at the center of everyone's attention, her words filled with obvious teasing, Joanna Cassidy realized she might be too reserved.
Maybe she should be more proactive.
But since someone else had already taken the initiative, even though Campbell and the others acted as if they saw nothing, Joanna Cassidy still could not muster the nerve.
She had started as a model, and she knew her upkeep over the years had been remarkably successful.
Even so, flattering a young man who was young enough to be her son still felt difficult to adjust to.
Thinking that way, she found herself envying Hollywood men. Or more precisely, Hollywood men who held power. No matter what kid of women they liked, the outside world treated it as natural.
Women did not have that privilege.
Today was already Wednesday, May 16.
Even though he really had said he appreciated Joanna Cassidy beating up Harrison Ford in Blade Runner, Simon had no interest in her beyond the role. His entire day was packed. He had no time for chasing women, and whether the people around him were "available" or not, he basically did not let his mind wander in a work setting like this.
After lunch, the three actresses left. Simon stayed and discussed the morning's audition results with Martin Campbell and the others.
Of the three final contenders, Joanna Cassidy had originally ranked last because she was the shortest. She had only just met Simon's minimum Amazon warrior height requirement of 175 centimeters. The other two actresses were both taller.
But Joanna Cassidy's acting experience was clearly richer. Even though she had never truly broken out, twenty years of grinding in Hollywood had given her polish. Even a piece of wood would have learned something after that long.
So when they reviewed the costume photos and recorded footage from that morning, including Simon himself, everyone agreed that Joanna Cassidy suited the role better.
As for height, high heels could cover it.
After discussing other casting plans and hearing some of Martin Campbell's thoughts on the film, three o'clock arrived, bringing another audition. This time it was for another Wonder Woman character, Hippolyta's sister Antiope, a role played by Robin Wright in the original version.
This time, Simon had already set his sights on Linda Hamilton.
Linda Hamilton's tough, battle-hardened image in Terminator 2, tank top, long pants, combat boots, gun in one hand and a cigarette in the other, was iconic.
Of course, Terminator 2 was still in final preparation and would not begin filming until the second half of the year.
Wonder Woman was planned to shoot next year, and Hamilton's schedule would not conflict.
Still, the team did not place all its bets on Linda Hamilton. Three people would audition as well, so that if anything unexpected happened, they could quickly choose a backup.
In fact, the Queen Hippolyta role was handled the same way.
Wonder Woman would involve many horseback combat scenes. The crew would do everything possible to ensure safety, but if an accident occurred like the one Simon remembered, when Sean Young broke her arm falling off a horse and had to leave the Batman production, the crew would still have a second plan ready.
In the end, all of it served one goal.
To ensure the DC film universe could move forward without obstacles.