The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 632

Before *Iron Man* entered its second weekend at the North American box office, Matthew received a script and a project proposal from Charles Roven. The materials made one thing perfectly clear: Warner Bros. and DC Comics were eager to follow Marvel’s blueprint for superhero films and bring the Justice League—a team that predated The Avengers in the comics—to the big screen.

Charles then called him personally, urging Matthew to read the script and proposal but to hold off on any decisions until he returned from New York the following week.

“It looks like Warner Bros. is interested in you for *Green Lantern*.”

Back at the Angel Acting Agency, Helen glanced through the script, then set it on her desk. Looking at Matthew across from her, she asked, “What are your thoughts?”

Matthew gave a slight shrug. “If I passed on *Iron Man*, there's no way I'm doing *Green Lantern*.”

He paused, then added, “I don’t want to be in a superhero movie at all.”

“Just invest?”

Matthew shook his head firmly. “Marvel is already gearing up for *Iron Man 2*. Why would I invest in a DC series with an uncertain future when I could put my money into a proven blockbuster sequel?”

It was sound logic. If Helen had to choose, she would have picked *Iron Man 2* over *Green Lantern* without a second thought.

Just this past weekend, *Iron Man* had grossed another $55.6 million in North America. Adding in the weekday totals, its domestic box office was rapidly closing in on the $200 million mark.“I have a meeting with Charles later,” Matthew added. “I’ll turn him down politely.”

Helen nodded. “Do you want me to come with you?”

Matthew shook his head. “No.”

“Warner Bros. and DC Comics are a step behind,” Helen remarked, handing the script back to Matthew. “It seems like they’re rushing things.”

Matthew wasn't surprised. “DC used to set the standard for superhero films, but since the turn of the century, the situation has completely flipped. Now they're lagging behind Marvel.”

He glanced at his watch, picked up the script, and rose to his feet. “It’s time. I’m heading out.”

---

After leaving the Angel Agency, Matthew settled into his car and instructed the driver to head for the Warner building. He pulled out the script and proposal, flipping through the pages once more.

The script was all too familiar, closely matching the plot of the *Green Lantern* movie he remembered seeing once before.

“There is a group known as the Green Lantern Corps, guardians who protect the universe. Each member of the Corps is equipped with a magic ring that allows them to manifest anything they can imagine, but every ring must be regularly recharged by a green lantern, which draws its energy from the center of the universe and the Corps’ headquarters.”

“Hal Jordan was an ordinary test pilot before being summoned by the ring of a Green Lantern whose ship crashed on Earth. He becomes the new Green Lantern, responsible for maintaining order on Earth and in his galactic sector...”

It was the traditional, cookie-cutter plot of a Hollywood superhero movie—the safest, most predictable formula imaginable.

Matthew tapped a finger against the script and sighed.

He couldn’t predict exactly how this *Green Lantern* film would perform at the box office, but he knew one thing for certain: it wasn’t good. The movie he remembered had left no lasting impression on him whatsoever.

In that huge superhero movie, *Deadpool*, there were countless jokes at *Green Lantern's* expense. He presumed it was because the guy who played Deadpool and the guy who played Green Lantern were the same actor, and the *Green Lantern* flop had been so catastrophic it nearly destroyed the man’s career.

He also recalled reading in some entertainment article or comment section that DC and Warner Bros. hadn't originally planned to kick off their cinematic universe with a Superman film. It was only because *Green Lantern*, their intended starting point, failed so spectacularly that they were forced to pivot and have Superman and Batman go to war.

As a result, everything felt rushed, the schedule was thrown together, and the plot...

From what little he could recall, it wasn't hard to conclude that *Green Lantern* was 99% guaranteed to be a colossal failure.

Although his negotiations with Marvel for the role of Iron Man had fallen through primarily due to the massive pay gap between their offers, the fact remained that if he were ever going to play a superhero, Iron Man was undoubtedly one of the best options.

The real reason he was meeting with Charles today, however, had to do with other considerations.

Considerations that involved certain people who had once written him off as a failure.

After the “racism” incident, Spike Lee had spiraled so deep into drugs and alcohol that he was a dead man walking, with no chance of ever making a comeback. He would probably die of an overdose one day.

Naomi Harris had long since fled Hollywood, abandoning her acting career entirely. She was nowhere to be found.

As for Francis Lawrence and Paula Patton—two minor players whose *Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem* had grossed less than $20 million domestically—they were doomed to obscurity in Hollywood.

Each of them had paid a price, their lives changed because of him.

But one person had walked away unscathed: Will Smith.

Although Matthew had managed to snatch the lead roles in *I Am Legend* and *Hancock* right out from under him, Will Smith had starred in two other reasonably successful films over the past couple of years. He had maintained his position as an A-list star, even if he no longer had the same superstar aura he once did.

Matthew had been looking for a chance to trip up Will Smith, but opportunities like that were hard to come by.

This time, however, as he received the script and proposal from Charles, an idea began to form. He could give it a shot. Whether it worked or not, he had nothing to lose.

---

When he arrived at Warner and entered the conference room where he was scheduled to meet Charles, Matthew saw that Charles was already waiting inside.

They exchanged greetings and settled onto the sofas opposite each other. “I originally wanted to talk to you last week,” Charles said, “but I ran into a small issue with the project's financing and had to make a trip to New York.”

Matthew knew North America was in the grip of an economic crisis and that Hollywood was tightening its purse strings. “Did you get it resolved?” he asked with concern.

“It went well.” Charles declared with deliberate calm, “Thanks to my efforts, Warner has offered a production budget of up to $250 million for *Green Lantern*.”

“That's a massive investment!” Matthew exclaimed.

To have the courage to invest such a large sum amid the current economic crisis—Warner Bros. truly lived up to its reputation as Hollywood's most successful studio.

Charles smiled and continued, “Both Warner Bros. and DC Comics are taking this film very seriously. They’ve specifically asked me to find a heavyweight actor for the role of Hal Jordan, someone who can justify that kind of investment.”

Hearing this, Matthew didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, “So, you're interested in me for the male lead in *Green Lantern*?”

“Yes.” Charles’s reply was just as concise. “Warner Bros. wants to continue working with you.”

Matthew nodded slightly. “I want to continue working with Warner Bros. too.”

Then his tone shifted. “Just not on a superhero film.”

Charles was puzzled. “Why? Are you worried about the Marvel Comics side of things?”

He knew Matthew had invested in *Iron Man*; it wasn't a secret in their circles, and rumors had been circulating for a long time.

Before Matthew could answer, Charles added, “You don’t have to worry. DC and Marvel are competitors, but there's a good relationship between them. It won't be an issue.”

“No.” Matthew opened the briefcase he was carrying, placed the *Green Lantern* script and proposal on the coffee table between them, and said, “It's simple. I'm just not interested in starring in a superhero film.”

Charles wasn’t giving up that easily. “Matthew, would you be willing to give it some more thought?”

Matthew smiled. “Charles, I don't want to hold up your casting process. There's no need for me to reconsider.”

“Is it about the salary?” Charles pressed. “Warner Bros. is prepared to make you a very generous offer.”

Matthew answered quickly, “If I wanted to do a superhero movie, the lead in *Iron Man* wouldn't be Robert Downey Jr., it would be me. It's not about the money, it's just a personal preference.”

Charles saw that Matthew’s mind was made up and didn’t push any further, knowing it would be fruitless.

He picked up the script and proposal, suddenly recalling the highly successful film project Matthew had invested in. He couldn't help but ask, “Matthew, since you've read the script and the plan, do you have any suggestions?”

Matthew had been waiting for an opening, and hearing this, he knew his chance had arrived.

“Please, forgive my bluntness.” Matthew’s demeanor was unmistakably serious. “Charles, I don't understand. If Warner Bros. and DC are serious about bringing the entire *Justice League* to the big screen, why is this crucial first step being given to Green Lantern? Why not Superman or Batman? It seems to me that even Wonder Woman is a bigger name than Green Lantern, right?”

Charles gave a rather perplexed smile. “Neither Superman nor Batman is suitable right now. Hasn’t it only been a few years since the disastrous failure of *Superman Returns*? As for Batman... Christopher Nolan is working on his written trilogy, so another version is unrealistic. And Wonder Woman...”

He shook his head. “We've already had one failure with a female superhero as the absolute lead. In terms of comic book fame, Green Lantern is in no way inferior to Iron Man, if not more famous.”

Matthew nodded and added, “I'd love to see a Wonder Woman movie most of all, but unfortunately, given the current social climate, I guess the industry isn't ready for that yet...”

As he spoke, he seemed to be struck by a thought. “Charles, since you have to consider the social climate, have you considered the option of a Black Green Lantern?”