Sunday
"Mr. Adler, we're glad to have you on board," said the fifth Universal exec I'd come across.
"Yes, very excited to begin writing," I said with a polite smile. "Can't really throw away an opportunity to work with the great Guillermo del Toro, can I?"
The exec laughed a fake, polite laugh these people had perfected. "Yes, yes," he said, nodding enthusiastically. We shared some more small talk before he moved on.
Margot, who was standing beside me, leaned in and whispered, "This is worse than the time we went to that Disney lunch." She was referring to the sycophancy in the room directed at me.
I chuckled as we continued walking, mingling with everyone in the room.
Margot and I were at the special screening of the first movie in the Dark Universe: The Werewulf. I was excited to see it. These films were new to me. There were other movies in this world too, like that Tarantino film Grant had just acted in, but this one was special. I'd always loved Universal Monsters, and I knew Julian was going to make this universe produce quality movies.
As we moved through the crowd, people approached us. Some congratulated Margot on her performance in Birdman, which was set to premiere in Venice by the end of August. There had already been early screenings for the film, and the buzz was overwhelmingly positive—both around the movie and around Margot specifically.
A few execs subtly asked if Margot would like to be part of the Dark Universe. She seemed to like the idea—I'd joked that she could be part of the movie I was writing—but I doubted it would happen. Her plate was full at the time with DCU projects and other commitments.
Finally, I found Julian, who was with his wife, Heidi.
While this movie wasn't directed by Julian, he was going to direct The Last Voyage of the Demeter, which would come out next year. The movie I was working on—and planned to write—was Frankenstein, which would be directed by del Toro and come out in 2018.
"Julian! Heidi!" I said, walking over with Margot.
"Daniel! Margot!" Julian greeted warmly, pulling me into a hug. Heidi hugged Margot.
"So, are you tired of being ass-kissed by everyone here?" he asked.
We all shared a laugh.
"It's practically slobbering now," I replied.
Julian then spotted someone behind me and smiled. I turned and saw Guillermo del Toro approaching with a wide grin.
"Mr. Adler! Ms. Robbie! Julian! Heidi!" Del Toro greeted, his voice warm and booming.
"Del Toro," I said, shaking his hand. "Looking forward to working with you."
"I am too," he said enthusiastically. "When do we start?"
"I think we can finish the script by the end of the year," I said confidently.
Del Toro laughed, eyes twinkling. "Such confidence! Let's see what you've got, Mr. Adler."
We all talked for a while, mostly about The Thing, which Julian had directed and which was coming out in a few weeks. Del Toro was very much looking forward to seeing it, and I invited him to a special screening next week.
"You'll love it," I said.
Del Toro nodded eagerly. "I cannot wait."
After some time, we all walked into the screening room, found our seats, and settled in.
The lights dimmed.
The movie began.
The movie was quite something, all right.
The Werewulf was scary—genuinely scary. A good take on the classic monster, blending practical effects with atmospheric tension. The transformation scenes were brutal and visceral, and the werewolf itself was terrifying.
But then came one scene.
The werewolf, in its transformed form, was having sex with a woman. The female lead watched, transfixed and horrified, unable to look away.
"Ahhhh… ohhh… ahhh…" The woman's moans filled the room, accompanied by growling and heavy breathing. The OST swelled ominously beneath it all, adding a layer of unsettling eroticism to the whole thing.
I leaned over to Julian and whispered, "Well, you've already got the women's audience locked in. And the furries, I suppose."
Julian began laughing quietly at first, then harder. I joined him.
Margot elbowed me sharply in the ribs.
I glanced at her. She looked transfixed by what was happening on screen, her eyes wide, her expression somewhere between shock and fascination.
Damn, I thought.
The movie ended with a standing ovation.
It was a really good movie. I could see the execs practically salivating, already calculating box office numbers in their heads.
It might be a bit affected by The Batman Pt. 3, which was going to come out three weeks after this was released, but I was sure it was going to make good money. The Universal Monsters had a built-in fanbase, and if they kept the quality up like this, the Dark Universe was going to be a success.
After a round of congratulations to Julian and also to the execs and everyone else involved Margot and I walked out of the screening room with plans to go to dinner with Julian and his wife.
As we walked down the hall, Margot mentioned casually, "Maybe I should consider being in one of these movies."
I looked at her, grinning. "It was the werewolf sex, wasn't it?"
Margot shot me a look. "What does that have to do with it? I just like the tone of the—"
"Right," I said, unable to keep the smirk off my face.
"It has nothing to do with it," she insisted.
"Okay."
"It doesn't."
"Sure."
She elbowed me in the side.
I laughed, throwing my arm around her hips as we continued walking.
.
.
.
Monday
[0:00–0:06]
SOUND: Distorted radio static crackles.
DISTRESS CALL (heavily distorted): "...hvis du kan høre dette... hvis noen kan høre dette..."
MIDAS PRODUCTIONS logo fades in (gold lettering glittering).
Static intensifies.
STARDUST STUDIOS logo appears (stars twinkling).
DISTRESS CALL continues: "... det er ikke en av oss..."
Static cuts to silence.
[0:06–0:15]
FADE IN:
EXT. ANTARCTIC WASTELAND – DAY
Endless white. Howling wind. A helicopter flies over frozen mountains.
INT. HELICOPTER
MACREADY (Wyatt Russell), bearded and hardened, pilots. He exchanges a look with CHILDS (Winston Duke), who sits beside him.
MACREADY (voice-over, calm but tense): "What do you think happened?"
EXT. NORWEGIAN RESEARCH STATION – DAY
The helicopter lands. The team disembarks; others are shown back at base.
They approach the station: charred remains, blood in the snow, bullet casings everywhere.
CHILDS (nervous laugh): "What the hell happened here?"
INT. NORWEGIAN STATION – HALLWAY – DAY
Flashlights cut through darkness. Frozen bodies. Equipment destroyed.
FUCHS (examining a body): "This man... he burned himself alive."
COPPER (grim): "Why would he do that?"
MacReady finds something: a block of ice empty, melted from the inside.
[0:16–0:30]
Palmer smokes, staring out a window.
Windows at the radio, trying to reach the outside world: "No signal. Still no signal."
Blair examines ice core samples under a microscope.
Clark tends to sled dogs in the kennel.
INT. KENNEL – NIGHT
The dogs growl and snarl. Suddenly, they attack each other vicious, unnatural.
Clark stumbles back. One dog's face splits open.
[0:31–0:45]
SUPERIMPOSE TEXT: TRUST IS THE FIRST THING IT KILLS.
The entire team gathers—tense, suspicious.
MACREADY (standing, addressing them): "I know I'm human. And some of you are still human."
He looks around the room, at every face.
MACREADY: "This thing doesn't want to show itself. It wants to hide. But it will fight if it has to."
QUICK CUTS :
Childs and Palmer stare each other down.
Blair sweats, hands shaking.
Windows backs away from Norris.
Bennings alone in a dark corridor, breathing heavily.
FUCHS (panicked, to MacReady): "If it's imitating us... how do we know who's real?"
NORRIS (calm): "We don't."
[0:46–1:00]
Eerie music begins.
SUPERIMPOSE TEXT (Gold, bold): FROM THREE-TIME ACADEMY AWARD WINNER
SMASH CUT — RAPID-FIRE IMAGES:
Norris convulses on a table. Copper tries to revive him with a defibrillator.
Norris's chest opens—rows of teeth, a gaping maw.
COPPER (screaming): "Jesus Christ!"
The chest-mouth bites off Copper's arms.
Palmer's face tears apart—spider legs erupt from his skull, and his body contorts.
WINDOWS (backing away, horrified): "Oh God—oh God—"
EXT. ANTARCTIC STORM – NIGHT
MacReady, Childs, and Nauls run through a blizzard. Something chases them.
Everyone is tied to chairs. MacReady holds a heated wire.
MACREADY: "We're all going to find out who's human. Right now."
SUPERIMPOSE TEXT: "DANIEL ADLER"
[1:01–1:10]
INT. BASE – NIGHT
MacReady and Childs, alone. A fire burns in a barrel. Both are bloodied and exhausted.
They stare at each other in silence.
MACREADY (quietly): "You're not one of them, are you?"
CHILDS (pause): "How would I know if you were?"
Neither moves.
SMASH CUT:
INT. DARK ROOM
A shadow moves. Something inhuman. A wet, gurgling sound.
CUT TO BLACK.
TITLE CARD:
DANIEL ADLER'S THE THING
OCTOBER 2018
[1:19–1:25]
Black screen. Wind howling. Then: a dog barks. It stops abruptly.
MACREADY (voice-over, whisper): "It could be any one of us."
FADE OUT.
======
"This is great," Dave said as I finished watching the final trailer for The Thing.
So far, the marketing had been done somewhat like The Blair Witch Project with an ARG centered around the mystery of a crew lost during the '80s in Antarctica. The campaign had started months ago with cryptic posts on obscure message boards, fake declassified documents from a fictional Antarctic research station, and grainy "found footage" clips uploaded to YouTube by anonymous accounts.
The first two trailers had been short, barely ninety seconds each but with just enough information to catch people's attention: mysterious radio transmissions, snow, isolation, something watching from the darkness. No clear shots of the creature. Just dread.
Then, a few weeks before release, the final trailer dropped.
And it went viral.
Over eight million views in the first day alone. Social media was abuzz people dissecting every frame, theorizing about the monster, praising the practical effects glimpsed in brief flashes. Of course, the general audience had also caught on to the movie because my name was attached. I was now a household name thanks to the DCU and my Oscar wins.
Dave leaned back in his chair, looking at me with a proud smile. "Three-time Academy Award winner Daniel Adler."
I smiled back. "We've both come a long way from the Blair Witch days."
He nodded.
It was Dave, Sam, and Chris who had supported me with Blair Witch. Dave was now the head of DC Studios. Sam was the head of Stardust Studios. Chris had become the CEO of Stardust Entertainment, a company now capable of competing with the other big ones thanks to its merger with Nebula and the DCU's explosive popularity.
Dave reminisced. "I still remember spending time in that forest shooting Blair Witch." He paused, shaking his head with a grin. "And to think you were only fifteen."
"Next year will be the tenth anniversary," I said.
Dave's eyes lit up. "Oh, we have to do something for that." He paused, then added, "Scarlett and the other two wait, what happened to the other two?"
I chuckled. "Well, one became a cult leader, and the other one quit acting."
Dave's eyes widened as the memory came back. "Oh my God, yes! Like, he's on some island now, right?"
I nodded.
"Fuck," Dave muttered. "Can you imagine if something happens? You know, like cults usually implode badly... and there is an island involved…?"
My eyes widened at the implication of islands. "Oh yeah, I can already see the headlines."
Dave shook his head, laughing darkly.
"Well, back to the matter at hand," Dave said, shifting gears. "Will you and Feige iron out the dates issue?"
I nodded.
Marvel and DC Studios had a combined eighteen movies scheduled for release from 2017 to 2019. Of those, two were big event movies: World's Finest for us, and Infinity War for Marvel.
So far, both studios had announced only months for the movies, and neither side was budging. The dates were being coordinated, but it seemed like Kevin and I would need to talk directly about some of the more important releases. The people who were supposed to handle this couldn't come to an agreement.
"We will talk this week," I said. "We'll figure it out."
Dave nodded. "Good. Because we need at least seven weeks between World's Finest and Infinity War, otherwise both will cannibalize each other."
Superman 2 and Wonder Woman 2 would begin pre-production by the end of this year. The script for Superman 2 was almost done written by me and Scott and Wonder Woman 2 was also nearing completion, currently being written by Gail Simone.
Suicide Squad would begin pre-production by the second quarter of 2017, by which time we estimated the script would be finished. We were also planning to finalize the director this week.
Aquaman 2 would begin pre-production by the third quarter of 2017, and World's Finest would also enter pre-production by the end of that same quarter.
Flash 2 and Green Lantern 2 would start pre-production by the first quarter of 2018.
All sequels would retain their original directors. The only films still needing directors were Suicide Squad and World's Finest, and both decisions would be made this week.
Henry would be working a lot—I mean, a lot. And Brad Bird too.
Thinking about all of them, I realized how much the DCU had changed their lives.
Henry, Jensen, Alexandra, Grant, Alan, Damson, and Sterling—all of their careers had been transformed by the DCU.
Henry, Jensen, and Alexandra had become full-fledged A-listers. Grant was following close behind. Alan had gained a massive following after Aquaman, and it would only grow once Justice League released.
Damson was about to make history as the first Black superhero lead in this cinematic universe. Since Blade didn't exist in this world, he was the first period. He was already a major talking point in African American culture across the U.S., and that conversation would explode once the movie came out.
Sterling, too, I was confident he'd become a fan favorite when Justice League released. I knew how we'd written the Martian Manhunter.
Jensen, before being cast as Batman, had mid-tier fame. He was the lead in a popular but waning TV show—Supernatural. He'd tried his hand at film before, but none of those roles really took off.
Post-DCU? The man was a global superstar.
He was Batman.
He was the lead in the best superhero movie ever made…The Dark Knight.
Batman Begins and The Dark Knight had grossed over $3 billion combined, and the next one was projected to make more than $1.5 billion on its own.
While Jensen hadn't taken on any other movie roles since becoming Batman—largely because of the franchise's demanding schedule there was no shortage of offers flooding his way.
His first contract was a six-film deal:
Batman Begins: $500,000
Escalation: $5,000,000 (film 2), $10,000,000 (film 3)
Backend: points starting with film 2
But as soon as the movie became as huge as it did, he wanted to renegotiate which we were more than happy to do.
The deal was extended to eight films:
The Dark Knight: $5,000,000 → $10,000,000 + 3% backend ≈ $48,000,000 total
Batman Pt. 3: $15,000,000 + 5% backend
Producer credit on future Batman films
There was also another renegotiation this year, which I personally handled:
Justice League: $20,000,000 + 3% backend
World's Finest: $20,000,000 + 3% backend
Any future Batman solo: $25,000,000 + 7% backend
Jensen was set for life. And he'd earned every penny.
Then there was Henry
Before the DCU, he had been best known for his role in the series The Tudors. When we first hired him, his initial contract matched Jensen's structure:
A five-film deal:
$1,000,000 for Superman
Increasing amounts for each subsequent film
After the success of the first film, the original deal was completely torn apart and rewritten. I even apologized for the lowball original offer and secured him a percentage of the profits for Superman.
New deal:
Justice League: $20,000,000 + 3% backend
Superman 2: $20,000,000 + 5% backend, with additional upside if it hits $2B like the last one
Extended to seven films total
Producer credit on future Superman movies
I even moved to give Henry a $10,000,000 bonus for the first movie as well.
Superman had made him a global superstar overnight. Unlike Jensen, Henry did do another movie since he had more time between DCU films. It was called The Courier, a Cold War spy thriller that earned critical acclaim and solid box-office returns. Henry was even nominated for a BAFTA for it. Because of that, he was now being considered for Bond after Craig a prospect he was very excited about, since he'd auditioned for the role years ago.
The last of the Trinity, Alexandra, was just as successful as her male counterparts. Before Wonder Woman, she was known for roles in Texas Chainsaw Massacre and True Detective. After Wonder Woman, she was immediately an A-list actress. She gained a strong female following; the character had returned to the cultural zeitgeist after Lynda Carter's celebrated run in the '70s
Her first contract was:
$1,200,000 for the first movie
A five-film deal with standard escalation clauses
After Wonder Woman which grossed $900M, lower than the first two DCU films but still very successful she renegotiated
New deal was,
Justice League: $18,000,000 + 3% backend
Wonder Woman 2: $20,000,000 + 5% backend, with more if it crosses $1.5B
Extended to six films total
Producer credit on future Wonder Woman movies
She led the movement in Hollywood for actresses to receive the same pay as their male co-stars. We also got good PR when Alexandra publicly praised DC for giving her fair pay compared with her male co-stars.
Like Henry, she had a successful film that cemented her A-list status Blood and Sand, a political thriller about a female CIA operative hunting an international arms dealer responsible for arming terrorist cells across the Middle East and North Africa. It was like Sicario meets Zero Dark Thirty. A great movie. She was incredible in it and even received several nominations.
She was also being considered for a Lara Croft movie, which I thought would be fun to see.
Then there were Grant, Alan, Damson, and Sterling.
Grant had just been cast in the next Tarantino movie Kill County. All of them received fair initial contracts thanks to the DCU's popularity at the time.
Grant's Justice League deal: $8M + 2% backend. I had pushed for him to get this everyone else wanted to lowball him.
Alan's Justice League deal: $10M + 2% backend.
Damson's Justice League deal: $8M.
Sterling's Justice League deal: $6M.
I was sure all of them would see career elevation like Jensen, Henry, and Alexandra especially Grant; his big break was right around the corner.
As Dave and I discussed production details for Justice League and the pre-production of Superman 2, I was suddenly reminded of something. Last week we'd had a marketing meeting and they'd told us about their plans for Justice League. I realized there was something they and I had missed.
"Oh my God," I said.
Dave looked up at me. "What?"
"Oreos," I said.
"What?" Dave asked, confused.
"Dave, we have Martian Manhunter as a centerpiece in the Justice League movie, and we forgot about Oreos."
Dave looked confused for a moment, and then it hit him. "Fuck."
"That's a great partnership. And a lot of money," I said.
Martian Manhunter was known for his love of Oreos. I couldn't believe the marketing team had missed this.
Dave shook his head. "I'm going to call Darren."
"You should," I said. "Because I'm doing his job better than him."
Dave chuckled as he took out his phone.
By all accounts, Justice League was going to be the movie of next year far surpassing The Avengers Marvel's team-up considering the hype around it.
That was something DC had an advantage on: it was part of American mythology in a way Marvel wasn't. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman all were deeply tied to American culture and embedded in the national consciousness. Only Spider-Man came close on the Marvel side. Superman was the first superhero. Batman was the dark, brooding vigilante who defined an entire genre. Wonder Woman was an icon of strength, justice, and female empowerment especially after Lynda Carter's series in the '70s.
These weren't just comic-book characters. They were symbols that had been around for decades, inspiring generations. They were woven into the fabric of pop culture in ways that felt almost timeless.
Marvel had built something incredible with the MCU, no question. But DC's long history helped fuel its current success.
Joanna had worn a Wonder Woman costume during her tour which was happening at the time and it broke the internet. Many other celebs often cosplayed DC characters during Halloween or other occasions. It wasn't that Marvel had none, but DC had a stronger cultural hold at that moment.
All of these factors had helped us from day one. That, and the movies being great, was what I was sure would push Justice League to new heights at the box office.
All of this, I was sure, would make Justice League an event like nothing else.