At Warner Studios, on a soundstage not far from Stage 11—ho to the 300 production—a new film crew had moved in last month. Their presence was minimal, however, as the project was clearly in its nascent stages, a long way from serious planning. Filming, of course, was even further down the road.
As the new week began, Matthew arrived at the training facility used by the cast of 300. He had just finished changing and was stepping onto the training floor when he spotted the superstar Will Smith arriving at Warner Studios.
Matthew knew, of course, that the soundstage for the I Am Legend production was just a hundred yards or so from his own.
Will Smith had arrived early that morning to audition for the male lead in I Am Legend.
He walked over to the weapons rack and had just picked up his usual Spartan short sword when two figures approached him—Jas McAvoy and Michael Fassbender.
Both n were far more muscular than before, their physiques clearly defined after two months of intensive training.
"Matthew." Michael picked up a prop short sword and leaned in, his voice low. "Is Will Smith trying to steal your role?"
Jas raised an eyebrow. "I've had a good look around the Warner lot. The facilities are ancient, not a single surveillance cara anywhere. We've got all these weapons right here... maybe we grab our Spartan helts and..."
"Don't even joke about that," Matthew hastily interjected. "That's Will Smith."
He added, "Don't worry. The studio is just putting pressure on Helen and
to lower our cut of the profits."
Such negotiation tactics were commonplace in the business world, and especially in Hollywood, so Jas and Michael quickly understood the situation.
Still, before the training session began, Matthew called Bella Anderson and asked her to keep an eye on what was happening over at the I Am Legend production.
After two months of foundational fitness conditioning, all the actors playing Spartan warriors had moved on to basic training in swordsmanship and combat choreography.
Even with stunt doubles available, many action sequences required the actors to perform the stunts themselves, making ticulous pre-production training and rehearsals essential.
Even for soone as physically gifted as Matthew, this kind of work was more laborious and exhausting than shooting a drama and locking himself in a room to analyze a character.
"Hold it, Matthew," the action director called out, stopping Matthew mid-motion. He walked over. "Your technique is wrong."
He took the prop spear from Matthew's hands and demonstrated the proper form. "You're throwing this at an enemy from short to dium range. Don't arc it high into the air. Keep the trajectory flat."
Matthew nodded. "Got it."
The training, of course, incorporated many modern elents and more visually appealing moves for the audience; this was a film, after all.
After an hour of training, the director gathered all the Spartan warriors, including Matthew, to practice moving in formation. While there weren't actually 300 of them—only thirty or so, with the rest to be added later with CGI—getting even that many n to move in perfect unison like a disciplined army, rather than a disorganized mob, was no small feat.
It required a great deal of practice.
At ten in the morning, the practice session ca to an end, and it was ti for a break. Matthew had just reached the rest area when Bella approached him.
"Will Smith left Warner Studios fifteen minutes ago," Bella whispered to Matthew. "Francis Lawrence, the director of I Am Legend, walked him to the studio gate."
Matthew nodded. "I see."
Bella added, "I overheard a studio maintenance worker saying that Francis was talking about how he would definitely support Will Smith for the lead role."
Matthew fell silent for a mont, then said, "Keep monitoring what's happening on the I Am Legend set."
Bella gave a slight nod.
"Goldsman and the producers scheduled Will Smith's audition for today," Matthew mused, shaking his head. "It's a play to force
into making concessions."
Bella had realized that as well. "A new round of negotiations between Helen and the team starts this afternoon. It's obvious what they're trying to do."
She had previously wondered why Will Smith was eting with Goldsman and the key people from the I Am Legend production, but now it was easy to see that he was planning to take the lead role.
"When is Helen getting here?" Matthew asked.
"At noon." Bella pulled out her phone and checked it. "I contacted her half an hour ago. She said she needed to get all the details before coming over."
The training session resud shortly after. Matthew pushed Will Smith's audition to the back of his mind and focused on his work. He and several stunt doubles had to rehearse action sequences for the film, and without total concentration, his strength and speed could easily cause an injury.
The training ended at noon, and before heading to lunch, Matthew t with Helen, who had just arrived.
"Will Smith passed the initial audition."
In a restaurant near Warner Studios, Helen told Matthew as he ate his lunch, "The person running the audition was the director, Francis, and the attendees were Goldsman, David Heyman, and the cinematographer."
She folded her arms on the table. "Imdiately after the audition, Francis strongly recomnded to Goldsman that they cast Will Smith in the lead role."
Matthew looked at Helen across the table. She sighed and continued, "Having Francis as the director is a big problem for us. I made so inquiries with the agents for the Black Eyed Peas and Avril Lavigne, who've both worked with him. Francis is a true leftist; he's sympathetic to black people and gives them preferential treatnt in casting."
Matthew wasn't too surprised by Helen's words. Hollywood-style political correctness wouldn't have beco what it is today without the genuine support of people like him.
Still, Matthew was objective enough to recognize that, in the grand sche of things, Will Smith was the top black actor in the country right now.
Helen added, "I pulled so strings at CAA and did so digging these past two days. Francis backing Will Smith for I Am Legend was part of a deal he struck with CAA. In exchange, Kevin, a major agent there, got Francis to agree to support Paula Patton for a supporting role in the film."
"What?" Matthew frowned. "I was already planning to recomnd an acquaintance of mine for that part."
Helen, who had learned of Matthew's intentions a few days ago, imdiately cautioned, "Let's lock in the male lead first. Then you can proceed with your plans."
Matthew put down his knife and fork. "A director can have a huge amount of influence on the set."
Helen nodded cautiously. "Francis is clearly on Will Smith's side and wants his girlfriend to play the supporting female role. Even if we sign the contract and beat out Smith, Francis will still be the director."
Matthew rubbed his eyebrow. He wasn't a novice and had enough experience on set to know. "So if Francis wanted to target
during filming, it would be all too easy."
A director holds a natural advantage over actors who don't have any production rights.
Lightly tapping his fingers on the table, Matthew frowned in thought for a mont before saying, "Helen, I'm going to get this role, and I need to get a producer credit."
In reality, it would be better to just get Francis fired, but on a project like this, it's difficult—if not impossible—for an actor to oust the director.
But if he could be listed as a producer, that would be enough to keep Francis in check.
Of course, he would still prefer to get Francis fired if the right opportunity arose.
Matthew shared his thoughts with Helen, who was very receptive.
****
In another restaurant near Warner Studios, Goldsman and Francis were sitting at a table, enjoying their lunch.
"I think Will Smith is a better fit for this project than Matthew Horner," Francis offered. "Smith has always been popular with white audiences, and he has an inherent advantage with minority audiences that Horner can't match."
Goldsman didn't speak, lost in thought.
Francis added, "And in terms of acting, Smith is far better than Matthew Horner. This is a one-man show, and I have serious doubts about Horner's acting abilities, given his past style of playing cool, emotionless tough guys. Can he really carry a project like this?"
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