London, Fast & Furious 6 set.
The tank scenes had just wrapped. Cassius was still buzzing, arguing with the stunt crew about the perfect angle on that last powerslide. The guys were fired up. These stunt drivers might not talk much, but they knew their shit.
Stunt Shot Mastery +5
Advanced Driving Technique +8
A string of stunt-related orbs dropped. Cassius absorbed them with a grin.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. Rob.
"Gotta take this," Cassius said, stepping behind a quiet set wall.
Rob's voice came through the line, background noise like he was in a car. "Cass, got a minute? Warner's VP office just called. Interesting conversation."
"Go ahead."
"They're playing nice. Low posture. Said they want to fix the 'misunderstanding' with you."
Cassius leaned against the wall, curious. "What's the fix?"
"Money. They're offering an extra five million dollars on top of your original deal if you come back and finish Cooper in Interstellar."
Cassius raised an eyebrow. That was serious cash. Tempting, even.
"Catch?" he asked.
Rob sighed. "They want you to issue a statement. Say you reconsidered after talking with Nolan and decided to adjust your schedule to return. Make it sound like it was your idea all along. Not that they begged you back."
Cassius let out a short laugh. "So they want to pay me five million to help them spin the story that dumping me was smart and I came crawling back on my own?"
"Pretty much."
Cassius was quiet for a beat, then said, "Tell them no."
"Cass—"
"Rob, hear me out. I like money. I want to do Nolan's movie. But I'm not swallowing this. They kicked me out without a word when they thought I was a risk. Now they want me to smile and say it was all my idea? Fuck that."
Rob stayed silent on the other end.
"I've got plenty of movies," Cassius continued. "Fast 6 is going great. The crew treats me like family. If Warner really wants me back, they can admit they messed up and ask nicely. Not this bullshit."
Another long pause.
Then Rob exhaled. "Alright. I'll pass it along exactly like that. Warner's gonna need blood pressure meds after this one."
"Thanks, Rob."
"Part of the job. I talk deals and I take bullets. But honestly? This hard line might earn you more respect long-term. Or it might piss them off forever. High risk, high reward."
Cassius hung up and walked back to the group.
Warner Bros. Burbank headquarters.
The VP's assistant walked in, hands shaking. He'd stalled outside for five minutes before forcing himself through the door.
He set the tablet gently on the polished mahogany table and slid it toward the VP without a word.
The VP didn't even glance at it. "When does Cassius start shooting?"
He assumed no one would turn down Warner.
The assistant stayed quiet.
The VP finally looked down. His eyes scanned the summary of Rob's reply. His fingers stopped drumming.
He picked up the tablet, read it again, then set it down slowly.
The whole room went dead silent. Even the marketing guy mid-presentation froze.
The VP's voice was low and dangerous. "Warner offered five million extra and the lead in a Nolan film… and a actor turned us down?"
No one answered.
He stood up, hands braced on the table, leaning forward. "Has anyone in this room ever heard of one of the Big Six studios groveling to an actor who's only been in the guild three years and has maybe five lead credits?"
His voice rose. "Anyone? Give me one goddamn example."
A junior producer mumbled, "Maybe he's negotiating for more—"
The VP slammed the table. Coffee cups rattled.
"Turning down every offer and demanding an apology is not negotiating. It's an insult."
He grabbed the tablet like he wanted to throw it, then stopped. "We gave him top-market money. A Nolan lead. We even offered to spin it so he looked like the hero coming back. What the fuck more does he want? Us on our knees?"
The room stayed frozen.
The VP paced, expensive shoes sinking into the carpet. "I see it now. Some people get one hit movie, fans call them 'ge,' and they think they run the show. Arrogant little shit."
He stopped and stared out the window at the soundstages. "Since Cassius thinks his pride is worth more than Warner's offer, we'll show him reality."
He turned back, voice ice-cold. "Tell Nolan we're greenlighting Interstellar at full speed. Compress the schedule fifteen percent. Matthew McConaughey is the only Cooper. Wipe every trace of Cassius from the project. No mentions. No leaks. Nothing."
He smiled, cold and sharp. "And we're going loud. Bump the marketing budget twenty percent. I want the first trailer to own every entertainment headline. Box-office target—"
He looked around the table. "One point two billion dollars."
The distribution head hesitated. "Sir, Inception only did eight hundred million globally—"
"One point two billion," the VP snapped. "I want this movie to crush Fast 6. I want Cassius to watch it happen and understand exactly what he walked away from."
The room stayed silent except for the air conditioning hum.
The VP dropped back into his chair, exhausted and furious. "Make it happen. Meeting's over."
Once most people left, his strategy guy spoke quietly. "From a risk standpoint, targeting one actor could backfire—"
"This isn't targeting," the VP cut in. "This is setting rules. If one actor can flip us off for 'principle,' others will try. We show everyone who's in charge here."
He stared out the window. "A actor thinks he can be this tough? Unbelievable."
Nolan's production office.
Nolan was deep in conversation with the art director about wormhole light refraction when his assistant delivered the news.
Nolan just nodded and kept marking notes on the diagram. "Tell production to lock the new timeline. Confirm McConaughey's deal and training schedule."
The assistant lingered. "Director, the Iceland footage with Cassius was really strong. From a creative standpoint—"
Nolan looked up. He thought about Cassius for a moment, eyes full of quiet regret.
"Cassius brought something fresh in Iceland," he said finally. "Different from Matthew. Raw. Maybe closer to who Cooper really is. It's a shame. Not about right or wrong. Just a good possibility gone."
He turned back to the art director like the moment of disappointment had never happened.
But people who knew Nolan well knew he rarely called a missed casting "a shame."
London, Fast & Furious 6 set, outdoor track.
Cassius climbed out of the shaking platform car after a high-speed interior shot, back of his costume damp with sweat.
"Brake Pad," the bald head stunt coordinator, handed him a water bottle. "That body movement with the shake was perfect. Watching you drive is a pleasure. If you didn't say you were an actor, I'd swear you were one of us."
Cassius twisted the cap off and smiled. "I learned from watching you guys."
His phone buzzed.
Rob again.
"Warner's pissed. They officially announced Matthew McConaughey, sped up the project, and set a one-point-two-billion target. They're coming for Fast 6 hard. Trying to bury you."
Cassius leaned against a tire, unfazed.
Fast 5 had already crossed a billion. Fast 6 hitting one-point-two wasn't impossible. Would be funny if he made it and they didn't.
Rob sounded a little annoyed at the lack of reaction. "They're basically declaring war. The VP's blood pressure is probably through the roof. You know what they're calling you internally?"
"What?"
"That arrogant hard-ass Asian guy."
Rob laughed on the other end. "Feeling the pressure yet?"
Cassius chuckled. "Classic Hollywood. They give you money and think you should kiss their feet. I'm good."
"Attitude's solid," Rob said, then lowered his voice. "Still, watch your back. They play dirty when they're mad. Especially on an action set like this."
Cassius's stomach tightened. He'd almost forgotten where he was.
Accidents happened on sets. Especially car stunts. Capital didn't need much to make one look real.
He'd have to be careful.
"Got it," he said.
He hung up and walked back to the crew.
Justin Lin approached with his walkie. "Warner's coming for us because of you. Twelve-billion-dollar target. Let's make it happen."
He saw everyone's faces tighten and clapped his hands. "No need to panic. We hit our numbers one shot at a time. I believe we can do twelve billion. Do you?"
"Yeah!" the crew shouted back, sudden adrenaline hitting hard.
Cassius felt the same rush.