The thunderous applause sent a rush of excitement through the room, calming everyone's nerves.
The crew stepped onto the stage, and George Lucas, with a warm smile, handed the mic to Dunn. It was clear that compared to the old man, Dunn was the crowd's favorite by a mile.
"Thanks, thank you all!" Dunn started, grinning at the hundreds of faces in front of him. "Hearing your applause puts me at ease. You've probably noticed my take on *Star Wars*—the storytelling, the pacing—it's a bit different from the original trilogy. Glad you're into it, or George here would never let me live it down!"
He pointed at Lucas with a playful jab, and the theater erupted in friendly laughter.
Dunn's expression turned serious. "Making this film wasn't easy. Liam Neeson and Ben Affleck pushed themselves hard for those action scenes—pulled muscles and all. I'm so grateful for their dedication, and I've got mad respect for everyone behind the scenes too.
"This is a special effects flick, and to make it as epic and real as possible, our tech team poured their hearts into it for 300 straight days. Their hard work paid off—your cheers are the best reward they could ask for."
"Oh, one more thing!" he added. "I owe you all an apology. My girlfriend, Natalie Portman—you know her—she's still in high school, grinding for her finals. Super important stuff! So she couldn't make it to the premiere today. I'd love it if you'd join me in wishing her straight A's and a smooth ride into college!"
The crowd chuckled again, and down below, Cameron shook his head. "This guy's shameless as ever!" he muttered with a smirk.
But… Cameron soon realized he'd underestimated just *how* shameless Dunn could be.
"Next up, I've got a little treat for you—a global first look! Last year, I made a wedding rom-com, *My Big Fat Greek Wedding*, and the fans loved it. To give back, I've whipped up another one called *Wedding Crashers*. Here's the trailer—hope you enjoy it!"
Except for a few insiders, everyone froze. A new movie? *Wedding Crashers*?
*Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace* had just premiered, and he was already hyping a new project? Wasn't that a bit… rushed?
Seeing the confused looks, George Lucas shrugged, playing innocent. Both films were distributed by 20th Century Fox, and with Dunn's cozy ties to the studio, slipping in a plug for *Wedding Crashers* was no big deal.
Rumor had it Dunn was deep in talks with Fox's president, Tom Rothman—everything from *Wedding Crashers* distribution to Marvel hero rights. Rothman was even hustling to secure loans for Dunn to kickstart a *Spider-Man* movie.
Lucas knew Dunn was tight with Bill Mechanic, but hitting it off with Rothman too? These young guns were something else!
Lucas couldn't figure him out, but James Cameron? He'd long gotten used to it. Dunn's wild card moves *were* his normal.
Back at the hotel, Cameron got a private call from Jessica Alba.
"Hey, Jessica! Met Dunn yet?"
"Y-Yeah… I have."
"Why're you whispering?" Cameron raised an eyebrow. "Where are you?"
Jessica's voice trembled a bit. "I'm in the bathroom of a coffee shop in Manhattan."
Cameron paused, piecing it together. "With Dunn?"
"Yeah."
He sighed quietly. "He made some demands, huh?"
"Uh-huh. He… he…" Jessica hesitated, biting her lip. "He invited me back to his hotel."
Cameron kept his tone steady. "What're you thinking?"
"I… I don't know."
She was still a wide-eyed newbie, totally thrown by this. If it were anyone else, she'd have bolted in a panic. But this was Dunn Walker—*the* Dunn Walker, hooked up through Cameron's connections. She had to tread carefully.
Cameron went quiet for a sec. "Dunn's a bit of a player, but he's not a bad guy at heart."
"Yeah, I talked to him for half an hour. I could tell," she said softly.
"It's your call," Cameron said with a light sigh. "Dunn's word is gold—if he promises something, he'll deliver. You can trust that."
"But… what if I say no?" Her voice cracked a little. "James, I'm sorry, my head's a mess. I've never dealt with anything like this—I don't know what to do."
"Turning him down won't ruin you," Cameron said coolly. "He just won't go out of his way for you. He'll hold auditions, pick the best fit for the lead."
"Oh… this is a big deal for me, right?" Jessica's smarts weren't exactly her strong suit—she totally missed that Cameron didn't want to meddle too much.
He gave up fighting it. "Look, call Eli. He's your agent—he's better at this stuff than I am."
Jessica stared at the phone as it went silent, thrown off by Cameron hanging up. After a beat, she dialed Eli Emmanuel's private line. "Eli, it's Jessica."
"What's up?"
He didn't bother with niceties—small fry like her didn't warrant it.
She stumbled through the story—meeting Dunn for coffee, the *Spider-Man* lead coming up.
Eli's groggy voice snapped to life. "Did you say yes?"
"Huh?"
"Did you *agree*?" he pressed, sharper this time.
"I'm still thinking," she mumbled.
"Stupid! Stupid! Beyond stupid!"
Eli wanted to chew her out. "Jessica, what's in your head? Do you even know who he is? Dunn Walker—the hottest director in Hollywood!"
"But he wants me to sleep with him…"
"Enough!"
Eli was so mad he could barely speak.
He hated rookies for this exact reason—too many starry-eyed dreams about Hollywood, needing endless hand-holding. If Endeavor wasn't short on big-name actresses and Dunn hadn't taken a shine to her, he'd have ignored this clueless kid.
"Jessica, face reality. You're a nobody who just started out. He's a big-shot director—you don't *get* to say no! There are thousands of girls in Hollywood prettier and curvier than you. Opportunity's dropping in your lap, and you're *thinking it over*? Are you drunk or something?"
He was fuming—pure "hate to see it" vibes.
"You just saw his new movie, right? Guess the box office. Eight hundred million worldwide, minimum! *Spider-Man*'s budget is even bigger—he's pouring everything into it. Do you get what the lead role means for you?"
"I'd get famous?"
"Just famous?" Eli scoffed. "I've got a hundred ways to make you famous! Dunn's offering more than fame—he's handing you *status*. He bought Marvel—get it? *Spider-Man* will have sequels. Nail this, and you're a top-tier actress overnight!"
"A-list?"
Jessica's jaw dropped.
"Jessica," Eli said, dead serious, "I've sunk a lot into this role for you. Don't let me down."
She took a deep breath. "Eli, I get it."
"Good. This is your shot—grab it," he said, finally relaxing.
Jessica clenched her fist. "Don't worry—I won't let it slip!"