"Tell me again, why are we having this meeting?" I asked Benji as he led me toward the conference room in my own mansion, a place I rarely used.
The house was expansive and beautiful, yet I preferred my meetings to be casual, often held in the sunroom or out on the patio. This time, though, my team had insisted the matter was serious enough to warrant the conference room.
I was still in my polo T-shirt and denim shorts. After all, this was my house, and I didn't need to dress to prove I could afford it.
"Because you told Christopher Nolan to his face that you won't appear in the third [Dark Knight] movie," Benji reminded me, his tone half-amused, half-exasperated. "He's called me at least a dozen times since, all while you were touring with MJ, hoping I could somehow convince you to change your mind. When that didn't work, he complained to the Warner bosses, who have now put a hold on our talks about acquiring the streaming rights to their library until they can meet with you directly."
Ah. Of course. That explained it. It had been so long since we'd discussed acquiring the streaming rights to Warner Bros' library that I had almost forgotten about it.
"Anything I need to know before we walk into this meeting?" I asked.
Benji paused, thinking for a moment. "Nothing concrete, but according to Bobby, Jeff Robinov sounded almost giddy about this meeting. I think they've got something planned, something we don't know about yet, and they might use it to pressure us."
I hummed thoughtfully as we reached the conference room. Everyone except Benji and me was already present. My parents sat side by side at the far end of the table, while the Warner Bros delegation that consisted of Jeff Robinov, Jeff Bewkes, and, surprisingly, Dick Parsons, occupied the opposite side.
"Dick!" I greeted the older man with a grin and pulled him into a hug. "How's retirement treating you?"
He chuckled and patted my back. "If I were truly retired, I wouldn't be dragged back here for this meeting, would I? Who should I blame for that? Jeff, you, or maybe Christopher Nolan?"
"Were you still in office full-time, I wouldn't have to leave the studio," I said plainly, ending the hug. "It's like the moment you stepped away, the human element disappeared from the company. Now everything's about image and money. If a studio I've worked with since before my balls dropped can't support me in difficult times, I don't want to work with them anymore."
Dick turned sharply to glare at the two Jeffs. "I don't know or care whose idea it was to alienate our biggest star so blatantly, but I'm massively disappointed in both of you."
Jeff Bewkes stepped forward, his tone defensive. "I had no idea what had happened until it was too late."
"And yet this is the first time any of us has heard that," my father countered. "Until Troy told Chris he wouldn't return for [The Dark Knight] sequel, no one from your side called either of us to give a half-assed apology."
"I'm sorry," Jeff Robinov said finally, his voice quieter than before. "I am truly, deeply apologetic for how this whole thing was handled. No one else is to blame but me. The marketing department spooked me. They said continued exposure to your name could hurt us financially. I did what I thought was best."
"No," I said sharply. "You backstabbed me, my fair-weather friend."
Silence filled the room, heavy and suffocating. No one seemed to know what to say next. The tension lingered until Mum finally took control of the situation.
"Let's all calm down a bit," she said firmly, playing the good cop in the situation.
"We all know Warner made a mistake," she continued, her tone measured. "That said, it's in the past. Let's hear what they have to offer before deciding our next move."
Dick Parsons nodded in agreement and gestured toward Jeff Bewkes. Bewkes reached into a sleek leather bag at his side, pulled out a few documents, and slid them across the table toward me. The papers glided over the surface until I caught them with one hand before they could fall off the edge.
"That," Bewkes said, straightening his tie, "is our proposal for what you've wanted all this while, the non-exclusive streaming rights to all our content, for life. Valued at $2 billion."
I narrowed my eyes. "And what's the catch?"
"You star in [The Dark Knight Rises], for one," he replied without hesitation. "And you honor the deal we made initially. After [The Dark Knight], you'll do at least two more blockbuster-level movies with us, each with a minimum budget of a $100 million, fully produced and distributed by Warner Bros. You also won't receive any profit share from them."
Petty bastards. They had no idea of the true value of what they were offering. The library alone, in the long run, would be worth far more than any profit participation from three movies.
Still, I couldn't help but smirk inwardly. Paramount, Fox, Universal, MGM, Lionsgate—none of them had caught on to the silent streaming monopoly I was building through content acquisition. Only Disney remained hesitant, but without Marvel, they would never rise as high as they did in the original timeline. Eventually, they might even have to sell their content to me. With the sheer scale of what I was assembling, no Disney+ could even think to rival my version of Netflix.
That suddenly gave me an idea that would further make it impossible for Disney to become a powerhouse. But that was something I would discuss with my parents some other time.
I turned to Jeff Bewkes, about to accept the deal, when Jeff Robinov played a card I hadn't expected. And for once, it was a pleasant surprise.
"To sweeten the deal, we've decided to offer you a little peace offering," Robinov said, his tone almost eager. "I know you've been trying to acquire the production rights to Frank Herbert's Dune for quite some time, but without success. We've finally convinced Richard Rubinstein to sell us the TV and movie rights to the franchise, and we're willing to give them to you, for free, if you agree to this deal as proposed."
That sealed it. Even if they had merely offered to produce [Dune] for me, I would have agreed to come on board for [The Dark Knight Rises].
Nonetheless, after years of doing it, I had gotten used to navigating the business landscape. One of the most important rules in business was simple: never let your opponents know what you really feel about the deal.
"Your offer is worth consideration," I said slowly. "But I'll have to discuss this with my team before I give you an answer."
"Understandable," Dick Parsons replied at once, his tone calm and professional.
"Please allow our housekeeper to show you to some refreshments," Mum said, pressing a button on the table that alerted our house help.
The three Warner men stood up and followed our housekeeper out of the conference room. For a few quiet moments, no one in the room spoke. We all waited to be certain that nothing we said could be overheard.
Finally, Dad broke the silence. "Are you sure you want to do another film with Warner? Especially [The Dark Knight]'s sequel?"
Before I could answer, Mum interjected, concern clear in her tone. "Didn't you say [The Dark Knight] was the most difficult role of your life, and that you never wanted to repeat that experience?"
I leaned back in my chair, shrugging lightly. "That was before they agreed to sell us their streaming rights. Most people don't understand the real value of the content they're giving away so freely, not even you guys. I have big plans for Netflix, but it won't be possible if we could have major competitors like Warner. If doing three movies with them gets me that access, I'll do it. And as for the role being difficult, it was only because I completely immersed myself in it. I have no intention of doing that again or cutting off contact with the world. At least not to the extent I did during [The Dark Knight]. Even if it means my performance isn't as intense as it could be."
Mum gave a small nod. "That's reassuring. But didn't you say you wanted to take a break from movies for a while?"
"I will," I said. "I'm shooting a film with Emily for a week or two because she asked, and my role is only a small supporting one. After that, I'll be taking at least a month or two off before even thinking about my next project. Nolan is already busy with his new film, so it'll be a few years before the next Batman movie begins production."
Dad shook his head slowly. "So you'd already made up your mind before you sent them out, hadn't you?"
I laughed quietly. "Of course I had. I just needed to keep them on edge for a bit. But before we let them back in, I have one non-negotiable condition."
(Break)
When Jeff, Jeff, and Dick were let back into the room, Bobby Caron spoke first.
"We accept all your terms," Bobby began, his voice firm and deliberate. "Except one. While we agree not to take a percentage of the profits for the three films you offered Troy, that will only be possible if you agree to pay him $50 million each for all three projects you'll be developing with him, regardless of the films' earnings."
The three Warner executives exchanged quick glances. Jeff Robinov leaned toward Bewkes and Parsons, and the three huddled together in a quiet corner, whispering in hurried tones.
"Why does he even want $50 million?" Robinov asked, keeping his voice low. "If the rumors are true, his net worth already exceeds $50 billion."
"It's not about the money," Dick Parsons explained. "With Troy, or any multi-billionaire, for that matter, money stops mattering after a point. This is about precedent. No one in history has ever been paid $50 million as a fixed salary. The highest so far is half that, with most recently, Will Smith earning $25 million for [Hancock]. Troy wants to show everyone he's beyond that. That he's number one in the industry."
Bewkes groaned. "Bloody billionaires and their egos. This one move will inflate the budget of any film he's in."
"Not necessarily," Parsons countered calmly. "First of all, Troy deserves that much. I personally know a few producers who've offered him that amount just to get him on board, but he turned them down for one reason or another. And if you look at his recent history, his films have made ridiculous amounts of money, even smaller ones with barely anything put into marketing like [Brick] or [Little Miss Sunshine]."
He paused for effect before adding, "Also, we would've agreed to sell them the rights to our library for $1.8 billion. They agreed to $2 billion instead. So technically, we're saving fifty million."
Jeff Robinov snorted. "Essentially, you're just trying to convince yourself that this makes sense."
"That's what all contract negotiations are about," Parsons replied with a wry smile. "If we can't convince ourselves, forget about convincing the shareholders or even the Board of Directors."
"So we accept the deal?" Robinov asked at last.
"We accept the deal," Bewkes confirmed.
(Break)
The moment I stepped onto the set, the chatter around me stopped. Crew members froze mid-action, as if my arrival had pulled them out of a dream. It was a strange feeling, one I'd never quite gotten used to, even after years in the spotlight.
"That didn't happen when we shot [Echoes of You] together," Emily remarked, her voice carrying enough amusement for the nearby crew to hear.
"Of course it didn't," I replied, smiling at her. "For one, the crew back then was my own team. They've worked with me for years, so they don't get starstruck anymore. And secondly," I added, half-serious, "money really does change how people perceive you."
"True," she agreed, nodding. Then she tilted her head. "So, are you prepared for today's shoot?"
I raised an eyebrow. "You roped me into playing the ultimate good guy in a teen rom-com. I don't need to do much preparation for a role like that. I'm basically playing myself."
She laughed. "Very modest. I meant, do you remember your lines?"
"I don't have any lines today." I grinned. "Most of my effort went into making sure I looked good. I've been hitting the gym like a maniac, cut my water intake to make my abs pop out, and most importantly, got my upper body waxed, which was painful as fuck. I seriously don't understand how you girls do that regularly."
It was true. I'd filmed plenty of shirtless scenes before, but this was the first time I'd grown enough hair to actually need waxing. Even on SNL, I had only used a trimmer. This scene, though, needed completely smooth skin because I had to apply paint to my upper body, so for that reason, I endured my first wax in either of my lives. In my previous one, because of the nature of my profession, I'd gone through full-body laser hair removal quite early on, so I never had to get waxed.
She shrugged. "You get used to it."
I shook my head. "I don't think I ever will. Maybe I'll go for laser if this becomes a regular thing in my future roles."
We continued chatting as we walked through the set, talking about anything and everything. I had missed my friend Emily a lot, and now that we were again working together, I wanted to enjoy my time with her as much as I could. Finally, we reached the director, Will Gluck, who was checking the equipment being set up.
"Hey, man," I greeted, shaking Will's hand enthusiastically.
"Hi!" he squeaked before quickly clearing his throat and speaking in a firmer tone. "I mean, nice to meet you, Troy."
It felt a little strange knowing that even the director was starstruck upon meeting me.
"I'm looking forward to working with you," I said calmly. "I saw your film, [Fired Up], and I can confidently say I have high hopes for this one."
"You do?" he asked, genuinely surprised. "Most people hated that movie."
I inclined my head slightly. "I won't deny the script could have been stronger, but your direction was good. That's all that matters for this film, because the script here is solid."
He gave a small nod, a smile tugging at his lips. "So you're saying that because I didn't write this one, it's good?"
I laughed, appreciating his humor. "Comedy is circumstantial. Sometimes it lands, sometimes it doesn't. When I did [Superbad], I honestly thought it would just break even. It wasn't until the previews that we knew for sure that it was a good one."
"I love that film!" he said, grinning. "You and Jonah had incredible chemistry. I was half-expecting you two to make more movies together."
I smiled politely, masking my irritation. I would have, if the guy wasn't such an insecure asshole who had to put others down to feel better about himself.
"I'm very selective about my roles," I said conversationally. "A comedy has to be really good for me to say yes. This one's an exception, and that's only because Emily's a dear friend. She asked me personally, and my scenes wrap up quickly."
I turned toward Emily, who had been listening quietly until now. "While they're setting up the next shot, why don't you introduce me to the rest of the cast?"
Usually, the cast comes together for a table read before filming, but this production had already gone through one when Penn Badgley was attached to play Todd. Due to the delayed production, he'd left to shoot [Gossip Girl], leaving the role open for me.
"Definitely," Emily said, perking up. "Everyone's been dying to meet you."
While it was the first day on set, today's shoot was for one of the last scenes of the film, where Emily's character, Olive, performs a provocative dance number with my character, Todd, helping her out. It was a major sequence, which meant nearly every cast member was present, except for Olive's family, who didn't appear in this scene.
I was about to follow Emily toward the rest of the cast when Benji came rushing up to me, his expression a mixture of excitement and tension. One look at his face told me something big had happened.
"You need to see this," he said urgently, handing me my phone.
I took it from him and scanned the screen. Then I reread the headline to make sure I wasn't imagining things.
Sir Troy Armitage, 20, becomes the youngest actor ever to be knighted by the British crown.
For a brief moment, the world seemed to go still. Then, as the weight of it sank in, I remembered. This was it; the moment I had planned nearly a year ago. Every step had been calculated. Now, all I could do was hope it wouldn't result in any kind of major backlash.
_________________________________
Happy Holidays to all! I hope 2025 was a good year for you. I wanted to thank all of you for being my loyal readers. In the holiday spirit, I wanted to give you all a small gift.
Use code 2026 on my Pat/reon and get a 25% membership discount on all tiers for the first month of membership. It is valid only until New Year's Day, so hurry if you wanna read ahead.
Link: www(dot)pat reon(dot)com/fableweaver