….
"Do I have a choice?" Regal rubbed his face–
"I am already months behind. They started pre-production without a locked script because of Iron Man."
"They have the book—"
"The book's not a screenplay, Gwen. I need to actually write the thing."
She crossed her arms, that stubborn set to her jaw he knew too well. "You are going to burn out."
"I will be fine—"
"You won't be. You are already running on fumes."
"Then I will run on fumes and spite." He grinned up at her tiredly. "It's worked so far."
Gwendolyn didn't smile back.
Instead, she crouched down so they were eye-level, her hand moving to cup his jaw, a gesture that was equal parts affectionate and threatening. "Listen to me. I will physically remove your laptop if you push yourself too hard. Understood?"
The proximity, the way her thumb brushed his cheekbone, the fierce protectiveness in her eyes - it cut through the exhaustion like caffeine.
"You are very intimidating right now." he said softly.
"Good. I mean it."
"I know you do." He caught her wrist gently, keeping her hand there for just a moment longer. "Thank you. For caring."
Her expression softened. "Cant you just behave for yourself once?."
"That's why I keep you around."
"Is it now?" She stood, but her hand trailed down his arm as she moved away. "I thought it was my sparkling personality and exceptional organizational skills."
"Those too." Regal hauled himself to his feet, every muscle protesting. "Though mostly it's the way you threaten me. Very motivating."
"Shut up and help me pack." But she was smiling now, that private smile she only gave him. "You have got exactly six hours before we leave for Boston. If you're not asleep in the next thirty minutes, I am confiscating your phone."
"You are a tyrant."
"And you are a walking disaster." She handed him his jacket. "Come on, disaster. Let's get you to bed before you fall over."
"Such sweet talk."
"Save it. You're delirious." But her hand found his as they headed toward the exit, fingers lacing together in the empty bookstore.
Outside, the February cold bit at them immediately. The street was finally empty, the crowds long dispersed.
"Two million copies." Regal said quietly, looking at the space where the line had been.
"Two million." Gwendolyn confirmed, squeezing his hand. "And counting."
"That's a really fascinating number to achieve."
"It is… I guess." She tugged him toward the waiting car. "Now sleep. Before I make good on my threats."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Don't 'ma'am' me. I am twenty-six."
"My apologies, my lady."
….
Next Day - 2:47 PM
Regal sat in the back of a town car, laptop balanced on his knees, video call connected to Chris Columbus's home office in Los Angeles.
"You look like hell." Chris observed, not unkindly.
"Yeah I have already been over that topic, the signing sessions were a bit brutal. Right now I am somewhere on I-95." Regal pulled up a document on his screen. "But I have got structural notes on POA. The time-turner sequence - we need to figure this out now."
Chris rubbed his temples. "You know what? I am not even surprised anymore. Let's hear it."
"We shoot it twice, same scenes, two perspectives. Every single element has to match - lighting, movement, background actors, props. If we're off by even a frame, the whole thing falls apart."
"That's going to eat our budget alive."
"I know. But there is no other way around, the audience needs to watch those scenes the first time without knowing what they are really seeing, then watch them again and realize the truth was right there all along."
Chris leaned forward, interest overtaking his concern. "Hidden in plain sight."
"The execution scene is our anchor. Harry and Hermione experience it, run back in time, then we see the same moments from across the lake. Except now we know Buckbeak never died - they saved him while their past selves thought they were too late."
"So we are banking everything on the audience not catching on too early."
"We give them clues without making it obvious. A sound here, a shadow there. Things that feel slightly off but not enough to break the narrative flow." Regal was typing as he spoke, the car swaying beneath him. "When we loop back, those details click into place."
Chris grabbed his notepad, already sketching blocking diagrams. "We will need a continuity supervisor who is absolutely obsessive. I am talking frame-by-frame matching."
"I already have someone in mind from the second film. She is meticulous to the point of being scary."
"What about the Dementors?"
Regal glanced out at the grey highway stretching ahead. "Keep them mostly obscured. Sound design does most of the work, that rattling breath, the cold seeping into every shot. We show enough to be frightening but not so much that we remove the mystery."
"Until the lake scene."
"That's where we reveal what they really are, and why Harry's so terrified. It justifies everything that came before."
Chris scribbled faster. "We are asking a lot of Daniel here. He is what, fifteen? And we need him to carry the entire emotional arc, the fear, the anger at Sirius, the betrayal when he learns the truth."
"He can do it. I have seen his audition tapes for other projects. He is growing into the role." Regal pulled up another document. "Besides, we are giving him better material to work with. Less exposition, more subtext. Trust the performance."
"Easy for you to say. You won't be the one directing him through forty takes."
"You will be fine. You have already gotten one film out of him."
The car hit a rough patch of road. Regal's laptop nearly slid off his knees. He caught it, adjusted his position, and kept typing.
"Where are you again?" Chris asked.
"Jersey Turnpike, maybe? I stopped paying attention an hour ago."
"You are writing a screenplay in the back of a moving car."
"For now, we are planning a screenplay. I will do the actual writing later when I can't sleep."
"That's not reassuring."
"It wasn't meant to be." Regal rubbed his eyes. "What about Lupin's transformation? I want practical effects wherever possible. CG only for enhancement."
They continued working through the structure, with Regal typing rapidly while Chris made notes on his end. The car rolled through New England highways, but Regal barely noticed the passing scenery.
"Alright, I am convinced. When do we start the actual draft?"
"Next week, after the tour wraps. But I want to split the workload, you handle scene descriptions and technical blocking since you are directing. I will focus on dialogue and character beats."
Chris nodded. "That could work. Send me the outline when it's done and I will start breaking down my approach for each sequence. What's our deadline?"
"Red Studio wants it by May 1st. Ten weeks."
"Huh. That's almost... generous to you."
"I am directing Superman this summer and producing Deadpool. I can't pretend I have unlimited time anymore."
Chris gave him a look through the camera. "The fact that juggling three major projects counts as being realistic for you is terrifying."
The car pulled up to the Philadelphia bookstore.
Through the window, Regal could see the crowd already forming despite the event being hours away.
"I have to go." Regal said. "I will have the full outline for you by Friday. We will set up regular sessions after the tour."
"Works for me. And Regal?"
"Yeah?"
"I read the advance copy of Phoenix. It's your strongest work."
Regal felt a flicker of warmth cut through the exhaustion. "Thanks, Chris. Talk soon."
The call ended.
….
One Week Later, February 20, 2014.
Regal's Residence, Beverly Hills - 11:23 PM.
….
The book tour had finally ended.
Seven cities, fourteen signing events, thousands of readers, and millions of copies sold. Order of the Phoenix had broken every publishing record that existed and created a few new ones.
Now Regal sat at his desk, the POA outline document open, adding final structural notes before sending it to Chris.
The house was quiet around him, Gwendolyn was still at the office finishing the final tour reports.
His phone rang, her name lit up the screen.
He answered immediately. "Hey."
["Hey yourself."] Her voice was warm, tired. ["Still working?"]
"Just finishing up the outline. You're almost done there?"
["Wrapping up now, final numbers just came in."] He heard papers shuffling on her end. ["Order of the Phoenix: 5.7 million copies worldwide in the first twenty-four hours."]
Regal set down his pen. "5.7 million."
["You just made publishing history. Again."]
He was quiet for a moment, trying to process it. "That's..."
["Incredible? Unprecedented? Completely ridiculous?"]
"All of the above."
["I am proud of you."] Her voice softened in that way it only did when they were alone.
["It's our fifth baby together…"] Gwendolyn interrupted, affection clear in her tone.
"Fifth baby?" Regal smiled despite his exhaustion.
["Yeah, Philosopher's Stone, Chamber, Prisoner, Goblet, and now Phoenix. Five books, five launches, five times you have worked yourself half to death while I kept you standing."]
"When you put it that way, it sounds almost romantic."
["Oh, it's deeply romantic. Nothing says love like watching your partner survive on coffee and sheer stubbornness for weeks."] But he could hear the smile in her voice. ["Speaking of which - please tell me you are planning to actually rest now."]
Regal glanced at his computer screen. "Define 'rest.'"
["Regal."]
"I have to finish the Superman script, and Chris and I start collaborating on POA next week."
["Of course you do."] She sighed, but it was fond rather than frustrated. ["I am stopping for Thai food on the way, actual food, not the sad sandwich you probably had for dinner, and when I walk through that door, you are closing the laptop."]
Regal felt something warm settle in his chest. "You are bringing Thai?"
["From that place you like. The one with the basil chicken you always order."] Her voice softened. ["And then maybe, if you are very good and actually eat like a human being, I will help you finish the POA outline so you can send it to Chris on time."]
He was grinning now, exhaustion temporarily forgotten. "How long till you are home?"
["Twenty minutes.] He heard her gathering her things.
Her voice dropped, intimate. ["I will see you soon, love."]
"Drive safe."
["Always do."]
The call ended, but the warmth in his chest remained.
Regal looked at the screen, at the outline taking shape.
He had maybe twenty minutes before Gwendolyn got home. He pulled up the section labeled 'CORE THEMES' and started typing:
POA is about confronting the past. Understanding that we can't change what happened, but we can see it differently and make better choices moving forward. Harry learns his parents weren't perfect heroes, they were complicated people who made mistakes and loved fiercely anyway.
Visual language: light and shadow throughout. Dementors drain light from every scene. Patronuses restore it. Sirius exists in the grey space between - neither villain nor saint, just someone trapped by circumstances.
The time-turner isn't just mechanics. It's thematic—
He heard the front door open.
["I am home!"] Gwendolyn's voice carried through the house. ["And I brought enough food to actually feed you properly for once!"]
Regal saved the document and stood, his body reminding him exactly how tired he was, while he made his way to the kitchen.
Gwendolyn was already setting down bags of takeout - still in her work clothes but somehow managing to look put-together despite the late hour.
She crossed to him, reaching up to brush his hair back from his forehead. "Hi."
"Hi." He leaned into her touch. "I missed you."
"I was only gone for half a day."
"Yeah that's enough to make a person feel someone, or maybe I am just being ridiculous."
"You have always been ridiculous. That's part of your charm." She kissed him quickly, then pulled back. "Now sit. Eat. Then maybe I will help you finish your outline together."
Outside, Los Angeles slept.
Inside, they worked together - eating Thai food, debating time-turner logistics, building the next chapter of a story they had been telling for years.
And for the first time in weeks, Regal felt like he could actually breathe.
Tomorrow, he will start collaborating with Chris on Prisoner of Azkaban.
Next week, he needs to get his team to sit on [Superman] framing, before he begins the script.
Then after he needs to allot some time Ryan Reynolds, who should probably have the final draft of [Deadpool] script prepared.
And, by March, Superman pre-production would begin in earnest.
.
….
[To be continued…]
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