Illusiveone
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191: Redoing My Life, Other Perspectives I
🕑 Added 2025-04-12 16:27:03 +0000 UTCMore chapters coming soon....
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Julian was surprised when Daniel Adler invited him to a private screening of The Incredibles.
The film—written by Adler himself, as were all of Stardust Animation’s releases over the past seven years—had been generating buzz ever since the trailer dropped, and Julian had been eager to see it.
He was scheduled to meet Daniel anyway that day to finally sign the contract agreeing to direct Daniel’s next movie, The Thing. Getting an invitation to watch The Incredibles was a pleasant surprise, even though Daniel had already been showering him with gifts over the last few months—including a fully paid vacation to France for Julian and his fiancée.
Daniel didn’t really need to do that; Julian had already made up his mind about directing the movie. But he certainly didn’t mind the perks.
He truly wanted to direct this movie. The script Daniel had shared with him was the best Julian had read in years—maybe ever—and it deepened the growing admiration Julian felt for Daniel Adler. Admiration not just for his writing, but for his vision. For the empire he was building right before Julian’s eyes.
Julian had already gone to his new bosses at Universal and laid everything out: Adler would write for them in the Dark universe they decided to call it if Julian directed a movie for Adler. That was the deal. There were some raised eyebrows, some pushback, but for the most part? They wanted Adler. Badly.
Daniel was already the writer behind Fast & Furious 5, and the studio was practically promoting it as a ‘Daniel Adler film’—that’s how powerful his name had become in such a short time. You couldn’t buy that kind of heat. In a year or two, Daniel would be a household name. Maybe even sooner, considering how many projects had his fingerprints on them.
Julian didn’t just want to be along for the ride—he wanted to be in the front seat with Daniel.
On screen, the final scene of The Incredibles played out: a quiet, emotional moment of the Parr family finally sitting down to dinner together after all the chaos. The screen faded to black. Then the credits rolled:
Story by Daniel Adler
Directed by Leo Vance
As the music swelled, applause broke out. Stardust execs, creatives, a few members of the press, producers—everyone clapped, genuinely. Julian joined in, his hands stinging.
“This Vance guy is good,” Daniel said under his breath, leaning toward Julian.
Julian nodded. “Yeah. Really good.”
Leo Vance wasn’t a stranger; Julian had met him briefly at festivals and mixers. An animator at heart, but with the instincts of a filmmaker far beyond his years. His last movie, Arcadia Falling, had been a small-budget miracle: clean visuals, smart writing, emotional depth—all done on less than what most studios spend on catering.
Apparently, Stardust had noticed. And judging by what Julian had just seen, they hadn’t been wrong to trust him. Not at all. Leo Vance was about to become a name people remembered.
Julian’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Daniel laughing. He turned to see Daniel leaning over, chatting with Chris—Stardust’s CEO. The two were clearly cracking each other up. Then Daniel turned back, still grinning.
“So,” he said, “did you notice any… similarities?”
Julian raised an eyebrow. “To what?”
Daniel smirked. “Chris and I were just joking that we might get sued over this. Marvel, maybe. Or would it be Fox? They had the rights at one point, I think.”
Julian blinked—and then it clicked. The family dynamic. The powers. The Incredibles, for all its originality, was undeniably inspired (in more than one way) by The Fantastic Four.
Julian let out a short laugh. “Well, if they do sue, they’re way off. This is its own thing.”
Daniel chuckled. “I kinda wish they would. It’d be good publicity.”
They both laughed as the house lights came up and people started standing, stretching. Executives crowded around Daniel, Chris, and Leo Vance.
“Brilliant work,” one of them said, clapping Leo on the shoulder.
Julian stood off to the side, hands loosely in his pockets, watching it all unfold. The atmosphere wasn’t exactly cold, but it wasn’t friendly either. He felt the sideways glances. The subtle shifts in posture if he stepped too close. Polite smiles with eyes that said, We know who you work for.
He got it. He wasn’t part of their team—he was with Universal, and everyone knew other studios had their eyes on Daniel Adler. Everyone wanted a piece of the golden goose. Daniel had told Julian as much a few weeks ago, mentioning that some folks at Stardust had quietly worried about how much time he spent with big studios.
Julian kept his expression neutral.
“Julian,” Daniel said, suddenly appearing beside him, “you’ve met Leo before, right?”
Julian nodded and held out his hand. “Yeah, we’ve crossed paths. Good to see you again.”
Leo Vance smiled and gave a firm handshake. “Been a while, Cross.”
Daniel grinned. “We should work together more, Vance. I have some animated projects in mind.”
Leo’s eyes lit up. “Mr. Adler, I’d be honored to help bring anything you imagine to life.”
Before long, the crowd began to thin out. People filtered into the hallway, still talking, still buzzing with the afterglow of success. Daniel and Julian walked side by side toward the parking area.
“This movie’s going to be massive,” Daniel said. “Some are projecting a billion, maybe more.”
Julian raised his eyebrows, though he wasn’t entirely surprised—Toy Story 3 had reached that mark, after all.
“Yep,” Daniel said, sliding on his sunglasses as they reached his car.
He offered Julian a ride to Midas to wrap up their deal, promising to drive him back afterward. Julian agreed—mostly because he wanted to ride in Daniel’s Mustang.
“So,” Daniel said, keeping his eyes on the road, “now that you’re completely on board, there’s something I should mention—we’ve already locked in the lead.”
Julian glanced over. “So… Wyatt Russell, then?”
Daniel nodded. “Yep. MacReady is his.”
Julian raised an eyebrow. “Is he good? I mean… I’ve never really seen his work. I just know he’s Kurt Russell’s kid.”
Daniel let out a short laugh. “Wyatt isn’t some talentless nepo baby, I promise you that. He’s got serious chops. You’ll see.”
Julian nodded. “Good. Because—”
“I know, I know,” Daniel cut in, grinning. “I’m not stupid, Julian. I don’t go for talentless people in my movies.”
Julian’s head whipped around, worried he might have offended Daniel. “No, I wasn’t—sorry, I didn’t mean it like that—”
Daniel chuckled. “Relax, man. I’m messing with you. I know what you meant. And yeah, I get the skepticism. But trust me—he’ll crush it.”
After a pause, Julian spoke again. “So, MacReady’s in,” he said. “Last time we talked, you said Childs was almost locked?”
“Yeah. Winston Duke’s the front-runner,” Daniel said. “He’s new…”
Julian nodded, genuinely pleased. He liked how Daniel was giving newer talent a chance. Daniel could easily have stacked the movie with A-listers and sold it on that alone, but he didn’t.
Julian sat back in his seat, thoughtful. “I’ve got some ideas for the rest of the cast.”
“Good,” Daniel said. “You and Serena can work that out. She’s the best—our head of casting. She has that freaky instinct for faces that stick.” He paused, then added, “Oh, and… keep in mind that I kinda want Jensen in the movie, too.”
Julian raised an eyebrow. “Jensen Ackles?”
Daniel nodded. “Yeah.”
Julian knew that Jensen had been the biggest star last year—he was Batman, after all. Having him in the movie would certainly turn some heads. Julian nodded again, mentally filing it away. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The car slowed as they turned into the private drive leading to Midas HQ. Daniel pulled into a reserved spot and cut the engine.
He led Julian through the polished front doors of Midas HQ. The space was massive and luxurious, and it looked very expensive. It was also incredibly busy.
Julian had expected opulence—Daniel was rich, after all. But how rich was he now? Julian wondered as they passed a minimalist sculpture of a phoenix rising from golden embers. Eight hundred million? Nine? It didn’t entirely add up in his head. Yes, Daniel was wildly successful—his movies, shows, and books were everywhere. But this kind of money?
Stocks? Julian thought, recalling that Daniel sat on the board of Netflix, a streaming company whose popularity kept rising. He must have made some great picks—or had an incredible financial advisor.
As they walked down another hallway of glass-walled offices, Julian noticed a sharp-looking woman of East Asian descent waiting for them. She held a sleek folder in one hand and an iPad in the other. The moment Daniel approached, she fell into step beside them.
“File for Revenant,” she said crisply, handing it over. “Budget is rising—again—way past what you expected…”
Julian caught fragments of their conversation—something about going to Comic Con this year, and surprisingly, A Song of Ice and Fire, one of Julian’s favorite book series.
Daniel caught Julian’s inquisitive look and turned with a smirk. “You didn’t hear that last part.”
Julian’s lips curled into a knowing smile. “Right. Of course. Your very badly kept secret is safe with me.”
So it was true. Daniel was the mysterious writer of the famous fantasy series that had exploded in popularity over the last few years. It had been an open secret that he was the author, but it was nice to have confirmation.
Daniel chuckled and kept walking.
They stopped in front of a large door framed in brushed steel and black oak. The assistant, still at Daniel’s side, added, “Also, Tom Cruise’s people have been calling all week. I’m running out of excuses. I told them you’d respond by tomorrow.”
Julian blinked. Tom Cruise? Was Daniel going to be working with Tom Cruise in the future…!!
Daniel sighed. “I’ll deal with that tomorrow,” he muttered, clearly annoyed.
The assistant gave a polite nod and headed down another hallway. Julian turned to Daniel, trying not to sound too intrigued. “Tom Cruise?”
Daniel pushed open the door. “Don’t get me started,” he said with a tired grin, motioning Julian inside.
As soon as he stepped in, his eyes were drawn to the object sitting on the small table in the office, covered by a dark gray cloth. It wasn’t small—it took up most of the tabletop—and its shape, though obscured, was just… strange. Unsettling.
Before Julian could ask, Daniel spotted it and snapped his fingers. “Aha! There it is. Julie forgot to tell me it was here.”
Julian turned to him. “What is it?”
Daniel just smiled. “I’ll show you after we’re done here.”
He gestured Julian over to the main desk. There, resting neatly on the polished walnut surface, were two scripts.
Julian leaned in:
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Daniel Adler
The Usual Suspects by Daniel Adler
His brow furrowed. Were these new films Midas was making? If so—how many projects was Daniel juggling? How many had he written? It was almost surreal.
Julian looked up. “When did you write these?”
Daniel followed Julian’s gaze to the scripts, then shrugged casually. “Oh, those? This year.”
Julian blinked. “Both of them?”
Daniel nodded, nonchalant. “One of them is going to be my directorial debut.”
Julian stared at him. “You’re kidding.”
Daniel grinned. “Hey, I’ve got to start somewhere.”
Julian shook his head, laughing. “Guess I’ve got competition in the director’s game now.”
Daniel laughed along, then slid a leather folder across the table. “Anyway. Let’s make it official.”
Inside the folder was the contract they’d spent months discussing—tweaked, refined, and approved by both of their legal teams. This was just the final formality.
Daniel tapped the signature line. “Put your John Hancock right there, and we’re in business.”
Julian took the pen, shot Daniel one last look, and signed his name. Daniel flipped the folder closed with a soft clap and patted it approvingly.
“And it begins,” he said with a grin, extending his hand.
Julian shook it, firmly. “Now,” he added, glancing back at the mystery on the table, “can I see what’s under that?”
Daniel smirked. “Sure.”
He walked over to the table like he was about to unveil a priceless sculpture.
“Behold—The Thing.”
With a quick motion, he pulled the cloth away. Julian stepped forward—and stopped dead in his tracks.
It was a full-scale practical model. A horrifying, brilliantly executed recreation of the creature described in the Thing script. Multi-limbed, distorted, but disturbingly organic. It boasted wet-looking skin textures, pulsing veins, and fanged mouths emerging from impossible places.
Julian had read the script a dozen times. He knew this creature inside and out. But seeing it in physical form was another level entirely. If this was their approach to the creature design…
They might be in the Oscar conversation.
“Damn,” Julian muttered. “You work fast.”
“Come on,” Daniel said. “I’ve got more to show you.”
Julian followed, feeling more certain than ever that this had been the best decision he’d ever made.
Comments
Samuel Famakinwa
Once upon a time in Hollywood is better as a second dip into directing but the usual suspects is a good first movie
Tyler Karp
Thankyou for the chapter
