"Man, you're really in a hurry," Mr. Eisen said with a half-smile. "Pirates of the Caribbean is still playing in theaters, and you're already pushing for the sequel?"
"Yeah," Luke replied. "Time waits for no one. I want the second movie out by next year."
"The script isn't even written yet. You can't rush something like that."
"Then assign me a writing assistant. I'll handle the script myself."
He wasn't wrong—no script, no movie. A good screenplay is the foundation of every film, and it takes time—endless revisions, testing ideas against audience tastes, and practical production concerns.
Normally, that process would take forever. But Luke wasn't exactly normal.
"Alright," Eisen said finally. "You come up with a solid script, and I'll handle the rest."
He put special emphasis on the word solid.
"No problem," Luke grinned. "But for the sequel, we'll need to increase our investment share. Otherwise, Disney takes all the profit and we're left with scraps."
"Forty percent, tops," Eisen said after a pause. "Any higher and it gets tricky."
"Then we'll put in a hundred million," Luke calculated.
"What? That high?" Eisen looked stunned.
Doing the math, that meant Pirates of the Caribbean 2 would cost around $250 million to make—nearly double the first film's $140 million budget, which was already considered huge.
By comparison, Luke's earlier projects were much smaller—The Fast and the Furious at $35 million, Hero at $30 million, even Jurassic Park III, one of the biggest productions at the time, had only cost $96 million.
And now, just two years later, those numbers looked tiny.
"If you want real results, you've got to go big," Luke said calmly. "And Pirates 2 really needs that kind of budget."
"Well," Eisen sighed, "you've never lost money on a movie. No matter how much it costs, you always turn a profit. I'll back you."
"Appreciate that." Luke smiled. "Now, about another project—a spy movie."
Eisen flipped through the proposal in Luke's hand. "Budgeted at $150 million? And this time, we're taking the lead ourselves?"
This was Luke's new plan—a spy action blockbuster meant to rival The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Spy thrillers had always been a hit genre, but the market was running dry. The James Bond series, while still successful, was starting to feel repetitive, losing its spark.
The Bourne series, on the other hand, leaned too realistic—smart plots, gritty hand-to-hand fights—but it lacked the stylish, over-the-top flair audiences craved in a big-screen spectacle.
So Luke planned to create his own upgraded version of Mission: Impossible.
At that time, Tom Cruise was busy chasing the Oscars. He wanted more than box office fame—he wanted that little gold statue. He even split with his longtime agent, Pat Kingsley, to take his career in a new direction.
But for a good-looking actor like Cruise, winning the Academy's approval was always tougher than for more "ordinary-looking" actors. Years later, Leonardo DiCaprio would face the same uphill climb—doing everything he could to win that elusive Best Actor award.
Cruise's Oscar ambitions also meant one thing: the Mission: Impossible franchise had gone cold.
In the original timeline, Mission: Impossible 3 came out in 1996, while Mission: Impossible 4 wouldn't arrive until 2011—a 15-year gap.
That left a long dry spell in the spy-action genre, and Luke planned to fill it.
Those jaw-dropping stunts—climbing the Burj Khalifa, hanging off a plane midair—yeah, Luke wanted to get there first.
"Well, if you think it'll work, I'll support it," Eisen said finally. "But seriously, are you trying to take both top-grossing spots of the year?
Pirates 2 might have a shot at beating The Return of the King, but your spy flick? Not likely."
"Don't worry," Luke said confidently. "I've got a backup plan."
Eisen chuckled. "You and your backup plans. Remember your 'three birds with one stone' trick? You've already nailed two—when are you going for the third?"
Luke thought about it—Taylor had been texting him nonstop about the MV shoot.
He smiled. "Right now. I'm heading there."
—
By the time Luke arrived at the music video set, everything was ready to go.
As soon as Taylor saw him, she flashed that signature sweet smile and walked up. "Finally! The big star shows up. Today's the day I get to hold onto your coattails."
"My coattails are yours anytime," Luke joked.
"Go get your makeup done," she said, pushing him toward the dressing room. "Once you're ready, we start filming."
He laughed and sat down in the chair while the makeup artists got to work.
Today, they were shooting the music video for "You Belong With Me."
For many people, that was the first Taylor Swift song they ever heard—either that or "Love Story." Both were massive hits, practically everywhere you turned.
Luke was determined to turn the heat up even more—to push You Belong With Me all the way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, making it Taylor's first-ever #1 single.
Now, about her nickname, "Tay-tay"—that came from fans. At first, it was just a cute way of calling her "pretty girl," since "Tay" sounds like "beautiful" .
But there was another reason. Every time Taylor had a song strong enough to hit #1, some other hit would block her at the last moment. She just couldn't catch a break—so fans started calling her "Tay-tay," meaning "unlucky girl," as both a tease and a term of endearment.
Classic fan logic—when you love someone enough, you start roasting them affectionately.
In the original timeline, Taylor didn't get her first Billboard #1 until Red came out, with "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together."
But in this timeline, Luke wasn't about to let her wait that long.
He'd planned this moment ever since shooting Letters from the Future.
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