The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 584

The next day, Matthew was up early, as was his habit. Nina, apparently exhausted, was still fast asleep.

Matthew didn't wake her. He slipped into the bathroom, then called down for breakfast. While he waited, he took a moment to look around Nina's hotel room. It was an upscale suite, the kind that cost at least five hundred dollars a night. From that alone, it was clear Nina wasn't hurting for money.

He didn't know much about professional sports in North America, other than the fact that less popular sports tended to rely heavily on the university system. Since Nina hadn't made a name for herself in the Canadian entertainment industry, he assumed she must have earned a respectable income during her time as a professional athlete.

Or perhaps her family was simply well-off.

Breakfast was still an hour away, and Nina showed no signs of waking. Bored, he settled onto the sofa in the bedroom, pulling out his cell phone. A quick check confirmed no one had called or messaged him last night. He placed it on the small, round table beside him.

As he set it down, his eyes fell upon a book lying there. It wasn't particularly thick—a novel, it seemed. A stark black cover was interrupted by a single red ribbon, its frayed end looking as if it might unravel at any moment.

He leaned in for a closer look and saw the title etched across the cover: "Eclipse."

Matthew picked up the book, found the bookmark, and read the page it was holding. Then, intrigued, he flipped back to the very beginning.

After about half an hour of reading, he lowered the book. It was clearly not a novel written for men like him, centered as it was on the romance between its heroine, Isabella Swan, and the hero, Edward Cullen.

However, while the premise wasn't entirely original, the story was undeniably interesting. It was woven with compelling supernatural elements, featuring creatures like vampires and werewolves.Matthew closed the book, a thought suddenly striking him. Vampires and werewolves, wrapped up in a love story...

He examined the front and back covers again, finding a line of text that confirmed "Eclipse" was the third novel in a series.

"Twilight."

"Good morning," Nina's voice drifted across the room. "You're up so early."

"Good morning," Matthew replied, turning his head.

Nina seemed about to sit up, but her gaze settled on the novel he was holding.

"I had nothing to do," Matthew explained with a small smile.

He was about to get up and walk over to her, but he froze, his eyes dropping to the book in his hands and then lifting back to Nina. The gears in his mind began to turn.

How many "Twilight" books were out by now? Judging by the copy of "Eclipse" in his hands, there were at least three. Were the film rights still available? Or had some Hollywood studio already snapped them up?

After all his years in Hollywood, Matthew knew that the rights to bestselling books were often acquired by studios at the earliest opportunity. Sometimes a film would be made years, or even a decade, later.

Of course, there were also novels whose rights were only purchased shortly before a project was greenlit.

He thought of "300," the film he had starred in, and "Sin City," directed by Robert Rodriguez. Then there was "The Golden Compass," which was currently in production at New Line Cinema.

He made an instant decision. He had to contact Helen and Bella and find out the status of the rights. If they were still available, his new film studio would have its next major project.

As he thought this, Matthew couldn't help but frown. His memories of the hit movies he had either seen or heard about were frustratingly superficial, just faint impressions that were difficult to recall without a specific trigger.

Were there any other adaptations of popular novels he'd seen, something released around 2010 or even later, that hadn't left much of an impact on him at the time?

Matthew frowned, digging through his memories. He watched movies purely for entertainment, rarely paying attention to what went on behind the scenes, unless it was something as monumental as the Wachowski brothers suddenly becoming the Wachowski sisters.

As his mind churned, a vague recollection began to surface, gradually sharpening into the image of an actress.

He was almost certain her last name was the same as the director Francis Lawrence, but her first name eluded him for a moment.

She had starred in a film series where the heroine was a master archer. That, too, he recalled, was based on a novel.

'I remember reading about her falling on the Oscar red carpet,' he thought, the pieces clicking into place. 'She was in the "X-Men" franchise, and she was also in... "The Hunger Games"!'

Suddenly feeling an overwhelming sense of urgency, he had no desire to linger. He looked up at Nina and said directly, "Something urgent has come up. I'll call you this afternoon. By the way, I've already passed your request for a role in 'Fast & Furious 4' to the director and the crew. It's not a huge part, but getting it approved might take a little time."

Nina smiled. "That's fine."

Matthew then picked up her copy of "Eclipse" and stood. "I'm going to borrow this. I'll bring it back when you come over this afternoon."

"Okay, it's yours," Nina said with a casual shrug.

Matthew gathered his things, tucked the novel under his arm, and headed for the door. "I ordered breakfast for you from the hotel," he said just before leaving.

Nina nodded, watching him go with a faint, unreadable sigh.

***

The moment he stepped out of the hotel, Matthew dialed Helen's number. "I just came across a novel called 'Twilight.' Can you check if anyone has purchased the film rights?"

"One moment. That name sounds familiar," Helen said after a brief pause. "Yes, I remember now. The last time Paramount Pictures approached us about the distribution rights for 'Fast & Furious 4,' I saw a copy of that novel and its adapted screenplay on the desk of Paramount's Director of Production and Distribution."