The richest actor in Hollywood.

Before the second weekend of *Iron Man's* North American release, Matthew received a script and project proposal personally delivered by someone from Charles Roven's team. From these, it was clear that Warner Bros. and DC Comics were also trying to emulate Marvel's *Avengers* plan by bringing the *Justice League*—which debuted earlier in comics—onto the big screen. And they had already decided on the first film: *Green Lantern*.

Charles Roven soon called Matthew to tell him to go through the script and project proposal first, and that they would discuss everything else when he returned from New York next week.

"It's pretty obvious that Warner Bros. wants you to play the Green Lantern."

In the office of Angel Agency, Helen Herman skimmed through the script, placed it on the desk, and said to Matthew, who was sitting opposite her, "What do you think?"

Matthew shrugged slightly. "If I'm not taking *Iron Man,* I'm certainly not taking *Green Lantern.*" He thought for a moment and added, "I'm not interested in starring in superhero movies."

"Do you want to invest?" Helen Herman asked.

Matthew shook his head directly. "Marvel Comics is already preparing to work on *Iron Man 2,* and I don't have extra funds on hand. Besides, why would I pass up investing in a successful sequel to invest in DC's superhero series, which has an uncertain future?"

This reasoning was sound. If Helen Herman were making the choice, she would also pick *Iron Man 2* over *Green Lantern.*

The past weekend, *Iron Man* grossed another $55.6 million in North America, bringing its total to nearly $200 million after just four weekdays.

"Charles has a meeting with me later," Matthew added. "I'll politely decline."

Helen Herman nodded. "Alright. Do you need me to go with you?"

Matthew shook his head slowly. "No, that won't be necessary."

"Warner Bros. and DC Comics have fallen behind," Helen Herman remarked as she handed the script back to Matthew. "They seem a bit anxious."

Matthew wasn't surprised. "DC superhero films have always overshadowed Marvel's, but since the start of the new century, the situation has completely reversed. DC fell behind with every step, and now they're trailing by a large margin."

He glanced at his watch, picked up the script, and stood up. "It's about time. I'll be heading out now."

After leaving Angel Agency, Matthew got into his car and instructed the driver to take him to the Warner Bros. building. He took out the script and project proposal and flipped through them again.

He had gone through the script more than once, and it was very similar to the *Green Lantern* film he had seen before.

"There's a group in the universe known as the 'Green Lantern Corps,' responsible for maintaining order throughout the cosmos. Each member is equipped with a magical ring that allows them to create anything they desire or achieve any goal, but the ring needs to be regularly recharged from a green lantern, which draws its energy from the center of the universe, the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps—Planet OA."

"Hal Jordan was originally a test pilot but was summoned by the ring of a dying Green Lantern who had crashed on Earth to become the new 'Green Lantern,' responsible for protecting Earth and the Milky Way."

It was a very traditional, formulaic Hollywood superhero movie plot—also the kind of plot that seemed the safest.

Matthew lightly patted the script and project proposal and sighed.

He didn't know how the box office for *Green Lantern* would turn out, but he knew it wouldn't be great. And one movie related to this one left a lasting impression on him.

In the R-rated superhero movie *Deadpool,* there were many lines where Deadpool mocked *Green Lantern,* supposedly because the actor who played Deadpool was the same one who played Green Lantern, and the failure of *Green Lantern* nearly ruined that actor's career.

Moreover, he remembered reading somewhere in an entertainment report or a comment section that DC Comics and Warner Bros. hadn't originally planned for *Man of Steel* to be the start of the DC Universe; it was only because *Green Lantern* failed miserably that they had to force Superman and Batman into a clash.

The result was that everything felt rushed—the pace, the plot…

From the information he recalled, it wasn't hard to judge that *Green Lantern* was almost certainly going to be a flop.

That being said, even if it weren't a flop, Matthew wouldn't take the role. Although he turned down Marvel Comics' offer to play Iron Man mainly due to the significant pay gap, if he were interested in playing a superhero, Iron Man would have been one of the best choices.

The main reason he was meeting Charles Roven today was for other considerations.

These considerations were related to those who had plotted against him in the past.

After the "racism" incident years ago, Spike Lee had developed severe drug and alcohol addictions, rendering him almost entirely out of the picture, with no chance of a comeback. He might even die from an overdose one day.

Naomie Harris had long since left Hollywood, quitting acting altogether, and no one knew where she had gone.

Francis Lawrence and Paula Patton were two small players whose *Alien vs. Predator: Requiem* had grossed less than $20 million in North America, ensuring that they would never make it big in Hollywood.

All of these people had their fates altered because of him, and they had been punished.

But one person still lived freely: Will Smith.

Although Matthew had taken the lead roles in *I Am Legend* and *Hancock* from Will Smith, Smith had still managed to secure roles in other films over the past two years, which, while not enough to maintain his former status as a superstar, still kept him in the spotlight as a top-tier actor.

Matthew had been looking for an opportunity to set a trap for Will Smith, but such opportunities were hard to come by.

When he received the script and project proposal from Charles Roven, he suddenly thought he might give it a try. Whether it worked or not, he had nothing to lose.

Arriving at the Warner Bros. building, Matthew entered the meeting room where he had agreed to meet Charles Roven, who was already waiting.

After greeting each other and sitting on the adjacent sofas, Charles Roven said, "I wanted to talk to you last week, but we had some funding issues with the project, so I had to make a trip to New York."

Matthew knew the economic crisis was affecting North America, and Hollywood was tightening its purse strings, so he quickly asked, "Did you resolve it?"

"Successfully," Charles Roven said with deliberate emphasis. "Thanks to my efforts, Warner Bros. has allocated a $250 million production budget for *Green Lantern!*"

"That's a huge commitment," Matthew said in admiration.

Amidst the current economic crisis, such a significant investment showed that Warner Bros. was indeed one of the most successful companies in Hollywood.

Charles Roven smiled and continued, "Warner Bros. and DC Comics are placing a lot of importance on this film. They've specifically requested that I find a heavyweight actor worthy of the investment to play Hal Jordan."

Hearing this, Matthew didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "So, you're interested in having me play the lead in *Green Lantern*?"

"Yes," Charles Roven said simply and clearly. "Warner Bros. is very keen on continuing our collaboration."

Matthew nodded slightly. "I'm also interested in continuing to work with Warner Bros.," he said, but then his tone shifted, "but not in a superhero movie."

Charles Roven looked puzzled. "Why? Are you concerned about Marvel Comics?"

He knew Matthew had invested in *Iron Man,* which wasn't a secret in the industry—many people had been talking about it.

Before Matthew could answer, Charles Roven added, "You don't need to worry about that. While DC and Marvel are competitors, they're also closely connected, so it won't be an issue."

"It's not about that," Matthew said as he opened his briefcase, placed the *Green Lantern* script and project proposal on the coffee table between them, and added, "It's simply that I'm not interested in starring in superhero movies."

Charles Roven didn't give up easily and said, "Matthew, could you reconsider?"

Matthew shook his head with a smile. "Charles, I don't want to interfere with your casting process, so there's no need to reconsider."

"Is it about the salary?" Charles Roven asked, testing the waters. "Warner Bros. is willing to offer a very generous figure."

Matthew quickly said, "It's not about the salary." He briefly explained, "If I were interested in doing superhero movies, Robert Downey Jr. wouldn't be playing Iron Man right now. It's not about the money; it's purely a matter of personal preference."

Seeing that Matthew was firm in his stance, Charles Roven didn't push further. With stars of Matthew's caliber, forcing the issue wouldn't yield the desired results.

He retrieved the script and project proposal and suddenly thought of Matthew's recent successful investment in a film. He couldn't help but ask, "Matthew, you've read the script and proposal—could you offer any suggestions?"

Matthew had been looking for the right moment to bring something up, and now he knew the opportunity had arrived. However, he didn't state his real intention directly but instead mixed it with other remarks.

"To be frank," Matthew said very seriously, "Charles, I don't understand why, given that Warner Bros. and DC Comics intend to bring the entire *Justice League* series to the big screen, they would choose *Green Lantern* as the critical first step. Why not start with Superman

 or Batman? I feel like Wonder Woman is even more famous than Green Lantern."

Charles Roven gave a somewhat resigned smile. "Superman and Batman aren't suitable for the moment. The painful failure of *Superman Returns* was just a few years ago. As for Batman... Christopher Nolan is filming his realistic *Batman* trilogy, so doing another version isn't feasible. As for Wonder Woman…"

He shook his head. "We already have a failed experience with a female superhero as the absolute lead." Charles Roven then added seriously, "In terms of comic book fame, Green Lantern is no less popular than Iron Man—perhaps even more so."

Matthew nodded and added, "Honestly, I'd love to see a live-action *Wonder Woman* movie, but unfortunately, in today's social climate, women's rights haven't progressed enough. If feminism were to develop as the civil rights movement did…"

At this point, a thought seemed to strike him. "Charles, given the current social climate, have you considered a Black Green Lantern?"

_________________________

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