Chapter 440: Months Of Sequels
....
The pre-sale tickets had already crashed through three different cinema chain servers.
"The global marketing machine is fully operational." Simon confirmed. "The Japanese market, the UK, Europe, Latin America, and every quadrant is tracking for historic openings. We’ve secured the largest theatrical footprint in cinematic history for the opening weekend."
"Keep the cast protected." Regal warned. "Daniel, Rupert, and Lily are veterans now, but the pressure scales up with every film. Make sure they have room to breathe during the press junkets."
Regal set his coffee mug down on the table.
The sharp clack of ceramic against glass drew every eye in the room back to him. The preliminary updates were out of the way.
It was time for the real reason he had called the executive core together.
"We have successfully established the foundational pillars of this LIE studio." Regal began, his voice dropping into the steady, absolute register that commanded millions of dollars and thousands of careers.
To everyone in the room, it sounded like a straightforward assessment, but to outsiders, it would have been anything but.
If executives like Brad Carter or the owner Richard Bethell of Pixy Studios had heard those words, they would have been apoplectic.
Because what Regal casually dismissed as merely a foundation represented everything they and the generations before them had spent decades building.
Production infrastructure, distribution networks, talent pipelines, technology, and industry influence.
It had taken them a lifetime to assemble.
Regal had accomplished the same feat in only a few years, and he still referred to it as nothing more than a starting point.
To veterans of the industry, that wasn’t confidence.
It was the kind of statement that felt like an insult to every empire painstakingly built before his.
"With Harry Potter, we captured wonder, and John Wick and The Matrix established us as a force in action cinema. Most importantly, we successfully launched the MDCU and proved that superhero storytelling isn’t a genre, but it is medium capable of supporting every kind of story, while our standalone films continued to thrive alongside it."
He pressed a button on a remote, and the digital screens shifted.
The Harry Potter logos vanished, replaced by the twin, parallel timelines of the MarvelDC Cinematic Universe.
The blue blocks of Earth-616 (Marvel) and the red blocks of Earth-1 (DC).
"The audience has met Iron Man, Spider-Man, Superman, the Hulk, and Deadpool. They’ve seen where these heroes came from and what kind of people they are. But origin stories are only the beginning. A sequel is where you prove the universe has the depth to keep growing."
He turned back to face his team, a razor-sharp smirk crossing his face.
"The next eighteen months will define the second Chapter of LIE Studios. It’s time to greenlight the next wave of the MDCU, and we’re doing it all at once."
The executives in the room exchanged wide-eyed glances.
Greenlighting a single $200 million blockbuster was already a monumental undertaking. Launching an entire slate of interconnected films simultaneously was the kind of logistical challenge that most studios wouldn’t even attempt.
But this was Regal Seraphsail. What everyone else considered reckless ambition was simply his normal pace.
"Here’s the rollout." Regal continued, gesturing toward the timeline on the screen. "We will close out the year with Iron Man 2. The script will be locked within the next few days, and Robert Downey Jr. is already on board. Contact his team today and tell them to begin pre-production preparations."
Simon nodded, already drafting the email to Christopher Bennett at Iconique Talent Agency.
"Next year is where the slate truly expands." Regal continued, his pace quickening as the timeline advanced. "Spider-Man moves into full production, so send Andrew a training schedule. I want him to perform even more of his own practical stunt work this time."
"Done." Samantha said.
"Then comes Superman. In Man of Tomorrow, we established Clark Kent as the world’s moral compass. The sequel asks what happens when that same world begins to fear him. Reach out to Henry Cavill’s representatives and let them know it’s time to wear the cape again."
"And the R-rated corner?" Pete Harty, the creative director, asked from the far end of the table.
"Ryan Reynolds has been texting me at three in the morning for the better part of six months asking when I’d greenlight Deadpool 2," Regal said with a dry chuckle. "Go ahead and give him the news. Tell Ryan and Shawn Levy they’ve got their budget, but I want the script sharper, more subversive, and with even more heart than the first one."
A faint grin crossed his face.
"And remind Ryan to start stretching now. He’s going to hate the stunt team even more this time."
Claire, the CFO, adjusted her glasses. "Regal, financing four major sequels within an eighteen-month release window is... ambitious. We have the capital, so that’s not the issue. My concern is audience fatigue. If all we offer are sequels, people may start feeling the universe is turning inward."
A faint smile crossed Regal’s face.
"Which is exactly why this plan isn’t built on sequels alone."
He pressed the remote again, and several empty spaces across the timeline instantly populated with new titles, drawing a collective intake of breath from everyone around the table.
"The sequels maintain momentum. The new films expand the universe." Regal let the words settle before continuing. "On the Marvel side, we’re officially opening casting for [Captain America]. This isn’t another conventional superhero movie. It’s a grounded World War II story with a superhero at its center. After that comes [Thor]. I want Shakespearean family drama wrapped inside cosmic fantasy. We need actors who can embrace that scale without ever making it feel theatrical."
His laser pointer shifted to the red Earth-1 timeline.
"For DC, the search begins for Diana Prince. [Wonder Woman], the daughter of Themyscira will establish the mythological heart of this universe. Alongside it comes [Aquaman], a film that has to prove DC’s world extends far beyond cities and capes. I want both films to feel like modern epics inspired by Greek mythology."
The atmosphere in the room had completely changed.
Every new title appearing on the timeline made the scale of the undertaking feel even more real. This was no longer a discussion about the next few films. It was the blueprint for an entire era of blockbuster filmmaking.
"Samantha." Regal continued. "Start drafting the casting breakdowns, including directors and department heads, not just actors. Send them to every major agency in Los Angeles, London, and New York. I want established stars, complete unknowns, and everyone in between. Make one thing absolutely clear. They aren’t auditioning for a single film, but auditioning to help build this universe for the next decade."
Simon let out a low whistle.
"The agencies are going to lose their minds. The moment those breakdowns go out, every actor between twenty and forty is going to be chasing a role."
Regal nodded without hesitation.
"That’s good isn’t it? So let them compete. When it’s over, the people still standing will be the ones worthy of carrying these characters."
Regal walked back to the head of the table and leaned over it, resting his knuckles on the polished surface.
He looked at each of his department heads and the people who had helped him turn a $500,000 indie dream into a multi-billion-dollar reality.
"We’re not just building two cinematic universes." Regal said, his voice calm yet carrying unmistakable authority. "Laying the foundation for the greatest crossover event fiction has ever seen, and the next eighteen months will decide whether the MDCU becomes a passing phenomenon or a permanent part of global culture. Don’t compromise on quality, don’t let the scale intimidate you, and treat every film as though it’s the one people will remember us for. Understood?"
A unanimous chorus of agreement filled the room.
Checking his watch, Regal reached for his jacket. "Simon, Samantha, begin issuing the greenlights and release the casting calls. I want every major trade leading tomorrow’s headlines with the MDCU sequel slate. We own the narrative before the leaks do."
Simon finally looked up from the pages of notes he had been furiously scribbling.
"Where are you headed?"
A faint smile crossed Regal’s face as he opened the conference room door.
"Back to my favourite place. The director chair."
He just turned and walked out of the war room, leaving the executives to coordinate the massive, sprawling expansion of his empire.
As the heavy glass doors sealed behind him, Regal’s posture shifted.
The corporate architect, the billionaire studio head who orchestrated marketing timelines and budget allocations, slowly faded away with every step he took toward the elevator.
By the time the elevator doors opened on the subterranean levels of LIE Studios, Regal Seraphsail was entirely gone.
Only the Director remained.
....
[LIE Studios | Sub-Level Soundstage 4 - The Batcave]
The atmosphere in the subterranean levels was vastly different from the sunlit executive suites above.
It was dark, industrial, and heavy with the scent of ozone, hot metal, and theatrical fog.
Fede Álvarez had done his job flawlessly.
For the past few months, the Uruguayan director had dragged Christian Isaac through the grueling, intensely physical first half of [The Dark Knight].
He had forged the myth, and Bruce Wayne had been broken down and rebuilt into Batman, a tactical, terrifying savior of Gotham.
But a savior is only as compelling as the threat that forces him to act.
Regal walked onto the sprawling, meticulously constructed set of a Gotham City interrogation room.
The lighting was harsh, stark, and unforgiving.
Christian Isaac was already there, clad in the heavy, matte-black tactical armor of the Batman.
He looked massive, imposing, and completely dialed in, then he gave Regal a sharp, respectful nod as he approached.
"Fede handed off the dailies." Regal said, stepping up to the monitor village. "You look like a nightmare on camera, Christian. The origin is locked."
"Thank you, Regal." Christian’s voice was gravelly, the remnants of the Batman persona still lingering in his throat. "Are you ready to test the wall we built?"
"I already did actually, and it was rock solid." Regal murmured.
He turned his head as a heavy door at the far end of the soundstage groaned open.
The silence that fell over the crew was absolute and instantaneous.
Grips stopped moving, the lighting technicians froze, and even Christian Isaac stiffened slightly.
Darren Hayes walked onto the set as Joker.
The line producer, the pragmatic, numbers-driven friend Regal had known since university, was entirely gone.
In his place was a jagged, twitching, chaotic entity.
His greasy green hair hung in his face. His posture was hunched, yet thrumming with a predatory, unpredictable energy.
The scarred, horrific makeup extended his mouth into a permanent, horrifying grin, the white face paint cracking and flaking over his hollowed cheeks.
He let out a low, breathy, wet smack of his lips that sent a genuine shiver down the spines of the camera operators nearby.
Regal watched the Joker take his seat at the metal interrogation table.
The absolute void in his eyes was staggering.
Darren had plunged so deeply into the psychological abyss of the character that there was no trace of humanity left on the surface.
Christian Isaac stepped into the room, standing opposite the table, the towering silhouette of justice casting a long shadow over the agent of anarchy.
Regal settled into his director’s chair, as he looked at the monitors, at the two titans he had orchestrated to collide in this claustrophobic room.
The culmination of months of planning, isolating, and writing had all led to this singular, explosive confrontation.
He raised his radio, his voice echoing cleanly across the dead-silent set.
"Cameras set." Regal commanded, the electric thrill of creation racing through his blood. "Sound speed."
He took a slow, steady breath.
"Action."
This is obvious, but Regal realised something again.
He does belong here....
.
....
[To be continued...]
●──────●◎●──────●
Author Note:
Visit Patreon to instantly access +1 Chapter for free, available for Free Members as well.
For additional content please do support me and gain access to +15 more Chapters.
--> [email protected]/OrgoWriters
Comments