TRL Note: The title of this chapter was unconsciously inspired from a film I saw a few years back and was thoroughly entertained by called R.R.R.
[Chapter 35: Remembered. Renowned. Revered.]
Last Time on Chapter 034 of [From Shadows To The Spotlight] —
"And by returning home, I meant he showed up at his old army unit a month later."
"A month?" Alex asked again.
"A month." Daniel confirmed as a smirk slowly crept onto his face.
They both chuckled good-natured as they shared a sly smirk.
Now Continuing —
"You know the funny thing?"
Alex shook his head, indulging him in his retelling.
"Well, after taking care of his priorities, he then shows up at his old unit like nothing happened. But the best part?"
"When his commanding officer sees him, he's like, 'Léo, you do know that the war's almost over, right? What are you even doing here?' And Léo just smirks and says, 'Exactly. Why do you think I'm in such a hurry?'"
"Hold on." Alex leaned forward, his elbows resting on the desk. "They just let him back in? Shouldn't there be some sort of punishment for going missing or something."
"Well, typical, the army isn't quite of their soldiers going AWOL, but you have got to respect the man's chutzpah [1], at least his commanding officer did."
{[1] Chutz·pah: Used to describe someone with extreme self-confidence or audacity. Example: "Love him or hate him, you have to admire Leo's chutzpah".}
"The guy sent our favorite one-eyed sniper scout on a new mission with his best friend Willy. Remember Willy? The one who was in the hospital?"
Alex nodded, and Daniel continued, "So the two get tasked with a recon mission in this Dutch city called Zwolle. At the time, it had a population of about 50,000."
"Their job was to figure out how many Germans were stationed there and coordinate with the Dutch Resistance to get everything ready for their army to come in and wreck hell on the Nazis that had taken over."
"Simple enough, right?"
"Except when they get to the outskirts of the city, they take one look at it and think, 'Man, this place is way too charming to get bombarded.'"
Alex tilted his head, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "So, what? They call off the mission?"
"Not exactly," Daniel said, his voice tinged with excitement.
"They decide to take matters into their own hands. He then changed the tone of his and tried to do a Canadian accent with moderate success."
"Willy says, 'Alright, I'll take the north side. You take the west.' And they split up. But before Léo can make it very far, Willy gets spotted and killed by a German patrol."
Alex's smirk vanished. "Damn."
"Yeah," Daniel said, his tone softening for a moment. "Willy was his best friend—practically his brother. So, now Léo's not just on a mission. It's personal. He hunts down the shooter and takes him out."
"Now he had to make a choice.. to either give up on the mission or carry it on his own."
"Alex, you know, while trying to piece together this incredible story. I came across a veteran soldier that taught me something.. something which I hope to pass onto Emily one day."
"Please." Alex said politely, gesturing for him to speak freely.
"4 or 5 times. In our lives, those are the amount of times we'll be faced with decisions that will truly change our lives.. Make us great.. Someone worth honoring."
"Many.. no, most people turn away from these decisions or take the easy way out." Daniel said, looking at Alex, knowing full well that his boss and friend didn't take the easy way out.
"What do you think Leo did?"
Alex already had the answer, but the mulled through it, giving it proper thought. "Well.. he has a street named after him, and you did mention this feat earlier."
"So, no matter how crazy it sounds, I will say he actually tries to take on the entire Nazi camp stationed in Zwolle and free the city."
"Bingo! The madman swears to carry it out solo, no matter what; like I said before, it has become personal now."
"Oh, and he doesn't try, Alex," Daniel said, his grin returning. "He does. First, he captures a German soldier and gets the guy to drive him straight to his commanding officer."
"He waltzes into the commander's office, gun drawn, and tells him, 'Hey, just so you know, the Canadian artillery is going to start raining hellfire on this city at dawn.'"
"That was a lie?" Alex didn't mean it as a question, though, as by now he was somewhat familiar with Leo's balls of steel.
"Yup, he bluffed," Daniel replied, laughing. "The Canadian artillery was still waiting for Léo to come back with intel."
"But the commander didn't know that. In a stroke of mad genius, Léo even gave the guy his gun back and let him go so he could warn the rest of the Germans."
"And that's exactly when things get wild."
Alex leaned forward again, fully engrossed now. "Define 'wild.'"
"Léo goes on an absolute rampage," Daniel said, his hands gesturing dramatically.
"He starts running around the city like a man possessed—firing machine guns, chucking grenades, making as much noise as humanly possible."
"He wanted the Germans to think the attack had already started, and he wrecked so much havoc that it worked. The Nazis were so freaked out, they thought they were under siege already."
"Wait," Alex said, raising a hand. "The whole time he was doing all this alone? He didn't get any backup during his crazy one-man rampage?"
"Completely alone," Daniel confirmed. "And in between all the chaos, he somehow even found time to capture more soldiers."
"Every time he ran into a group of Germans, he'd hold them at gunpoint, shoot the ones who'd fight back, round up the survivors, and keep moving."
"And this went on for over four freaking hours."
Alex stared at him, equal parts incredulous and impressed. "Over four hours? Damn."
"By the end of it, the entire German garrison had evacuated the city," Daniel said, spreading his arms for emphasis. "When Léo finally made contact with the Dutch Resistance, he told them, 'It's done. The city's yours.'"
Alex let out a low whistle, leaning back in his chair. "And that's how he earned the medal?"
"His first medal," Daniel corrected. "See, Léo didn't stop there. Fast-forward to 1951, and the guy's in Korea, fighting in another war."
"Long story short, the Chinese army had taken control of this hill that the Canadian forces really needed. Guess who gets sent to take it back?"
Alex smirked. "Léo Major."
"Bingo," Daniel said, pointing at him. "But this time, he's not alone. He's got a team of scouts and snipers with him."
"Still, the plan's pure Léo: they sneak onto the hill in the dead of night and open fire right in the middle of the Chinese camp. Total chaos ensues."
"The Chinese launch a counterattack, and Léo has no way to retreat. So, what does he do? Calls in an artillery strike on his own position."
"You're kidding," Alex said, his eyes widening.
"Not at all," Daniel said, grinning. "And it worked. The Canadians took the hill, and Léo walked away with yet another medal."
For a moment, the room fell silent. Alex stared at Daniel, clearly trying to process everything he'd just heard.
"This guy sounds like a myth," Alex finally said.
"Oh, he's real, alright," Daniel said, tapping the folder he'd brought in. "And I've got the research to prove it. So, what do you think? Is this a movie or what?"
Alex didn't answer immediately. He sat back, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he stared at the ceiling.
"I think…" he began, a slow smile spreading across his face. "I think we might have something here."
Alex leaned forward as he searched through the scattered mess of pitch scripts or concept ideas for movies and TV. "Found it!"
"Here." Alex said as he passed the found script over to him. He tentatively took it from him and looked at the title; it read: Wolverine-Past Lives.
"It's the concept idea for a TV show based on the past lives that Logan had lived." Alex said, explaining what kinds of lives Logan or Wolverine would be shown going through on screen.
"And you want Leo's story to be used as a foundation to be the base one of those lives on?" Daniel guessed what Alex's intent was behind bringing up the near-immortal Canadian mutant.
"Yes. But it is just one of the treatments I thought for Mr. Major's story."
Alex fell silent again, his mind clearly working overtime.
After a moment, he turned back to Daniel, his expression serious as he heard his question. "You really believe this could be a good movie?"
Alex nodded without hesitation. "I do. This is the kind of story people need to hear. It's inspiring, but it's also grounded. It reminds you that even just one single person really can make a difference."
Alex rose from his chair, pacing behind his desk. The wheels in his mind were turning now, and Daniel could tell the story had hooked him.
"Let's think about it," Alex began, his tone slower as he pieced his thoughts together. "Léo Major wasn't just some hotheaded, reckless hotshot."
"He was methodical, right? He saw opportunities where most people wouldn't, and he acted on them without hesitation."
Daniel nodded, watching Alex carefully. "Exactly. The guy had guts, sure, but he was also smart. He didn't win through brute force; he outmaneuvered his enemies. That's what makes him so compelling."
Alex stopped pacing and turned toward Daniel, his eyes narrowing slightly as he zeroed in on the heart of the matter.
"But why? What drove him? You don't just throw yourself into the fire like that unless there's something deeper pushing you."
Daniel grinned. He'd been waiting for this moment.
"That's what I've been digging into," he said, reaching into the folder and pulling out a black-and-white photo.
He handed it to Alex, who studied it intently.
The photo showed a young man in uniform, his expression stern but his eyes alight with a spark of defiance.
He stood tall, shoulders squared, like he could take on the entire world and win.
"From what I've found, Léo's father was a World War I veteran," Daniel said, his tone quieter now, more reflective.
"By all accounts, the guy was tough as nails but also pretty cold. Léo grew up in a strict household, constantly trying to prove himself. But when he was just a kid, his mother died, and that flipped a switch in him."
"He started acting out—skipping school, getting into fights, breaking the rules any way he could. That rebellious streak stayed with him his whole life."
"Wait.. how do you know this? Is this first-hand or reported?"
"From sources, and no, I haven't met with the man yet. Though I've already reached out and sent them what I have gathered and requested for a visit to hear the story from him firsthand."
"Good. We need to get all the facts straight if we are going to pursue this story."
"Now, let's get back to, Mr. Major." Alex said as he studied the photo for a moment longer before placing it carefully on his desk.
He felt that Leo's character seemed to resonate with his own; it would certainly explain his crazy drive.
"Do you think he had something to prove?" He asked, more to himself than to Daniel. "To his father, to the world… and maybe even to himself."
"I think so," Daniel nodded as he said. "But I think that's what makes him relatable, you know? He wasn't just a war hero; he was a flawed, complicated guy trying to make sense of his place in the world."
Alex crossed his arms, his mind clearly racing with ideas. "And that's where the story lives," he said, his voice firm now. "It's not just about the action or the heroics—it's about the why. Why does he keep going when most people would stop? Why does he risk everything over and over again?"
"I agree, while the action might be what sells the tickets and gets the audience inside the theater. It is the "why," the emotions and intentions behind the actions of the hero that make for a truly memorable experience."
The two shared a nod at that, as they couldn't agree more. It was why Daniel liked working with Alex, as he was someone who saw eye to eye with him and shared similar ideologies.
Daniel leaned forward, his excitement bubbling to the surface. "That's what I'm saying, Alex. This guy isn't just another war story. He's an action hero-type character, sure. But he's got depth, contradictions.. a real arc. We could build something truly special around him."
Alex nodded slowly, his gaze distant as he began to sketch the outline of the movie in his mind. "We'd need to start with his childhood," he said, his voice thoughtful. "Set up his relationship with his father, his mother's death, that rebellious streak you mentioned. Show the audience what made him the way he was. Or save those and show 'em in critical moments through flashbacks."
"Right," Daniel said, jumping in. "And then we transition to his first mission—make it clear from the start that he's not your typical soldier. He's resourceful, daring, a little reckless, but always with a purpose."
Alex's eyes lit up as the pieces started to fall into place. "We could structure it around the three big moments: him single-handedly capturing 93 POWs, freeing the city of Zwolle in World War II, and capturing that hill in Korea."
"I feel like those are the anchor points. But in between, we've got to weave in his personal struggles, his friendships, and the losses that shaped him."
"And the humor," Daniel added quickly. "We can't forget that. From what I've heard, the guy had this incredible wit. Even in the middle of a war zone, he'd crack a joke or flash that cocky grin. It's part of what made people love him."
Alex smiled faintly, nodding. "Yeah. Humor, but balanced. We don't want to turn him into a clown or some invincible action hero. He's got to feel real."
"Exactly, kind of like what you did with Keanu's new film. I was present at the internal screening, and man, I can't wait to show it to my friends; they'll go crazy over this new realistic action choreography that you've adopted." Daniel said excitedly, giddy with joy, that Alex had accepted the story for adaptation.
"Also, Alex, I think that could be something that might set this apart. It's not just another war movie. It's a character study, a deep dive into what it means to be human in the face of impossible odds."
Alex considered him for a long moment before a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Alright," he said, his tone decisive. "Let's do it."
"But if we're going to tell this story, we're going all in. I want the best writers, the best researchers, the best everything. This isn't just another project, Daniel. This is going to be something special."
Daniel's grin widened, his excitement barely contained. "You won't regret it, Alex. I promise. What do you have in mind?"
Alex held up a hand, cutting him off. "One step at a time, my friend. First, I want a full treatment on my desk by the end of the week. Dive into his psychology, his relationships, his motivations. Flesh him out completely. If we're doing this, we're doing it right."
"You got it," Daniel said, already pulling out his phone to make notes.
As Alex sat back down at his desk, the energy in the room shifted. This wasn't just a meeting anymore—it was the beginning of something big. Both men could feel it, that electric sense of possibility that came with starting a new story.
Alex was busy thinking about how this could actually be spun off into a cinematic franchise of its own with its own movies, TV shows, and who knows.. maybe even video games.
But unlike the interconnected MCU, this one would be an anthological franchise where each project would be a standalone with very minimal to no crossover between its two projects. It would tell the story of a person whose deeds should have made them something more unlike their forgotten selves.
They should've been—Remembered. Renowned. Revered.
— To be Continued...
{2,641 words}
{TRL: And here we see the re-appearance of an old Named Character into the story. I hope you guys liked Daniel Castillo. He will serve a friend and loyal employee to Alex in this story and he has a nose for great stories/IPs/books that will help Alex out in creating a cinematic empire.
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