Rewind With A Superstar System

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Clout by Offset, Cardi B>

...

(Los Angeles, California — The Grand Beverly Hotel)

The world outside was completely paralyzed by the H-19 pandemic, but inside the Grand Beverly Hotel, a different kind of lockdown was taking place.

Leviathan had spared absolutely no expense. To beat Damian West and corner the empty movie market, he had rented out the entire luxury hotel, effectively transforming it into an isolated fortress.

Private security guards stood at every entrance. Medical staff roamed the hallways in full protective gear, ready to enforce the strict Bubble Filming protocols.

The hotel’s massive Grand Ballroom, a place that usually hosted lavish celebrity galas, had been completely stripped down.

The expensive round tables and velvet chairs were gone. In their place, a long, simple folding table sat at the far end of the vast room, surrounded by camera equipment, ring lights, and bottles of hand sanitizer.

This was their casting hub.

Leviathan was currently lounging on a plush leather sofa near the corner of the room. The billionaire rap mogul was dressed in comfortable sweatpants and a designer hoodie, casually playing a racing game on his phone.

Beside him, a Bluetooth speaker was blasting a dramatic, classical Flythoven symphony, filling the empty ballroom with heavy strings and piano notes.

At the long table on the other side of the room sat Marcus.

Marcus wasn’t just Leviathan’s co-producer; he was the official Director of Perfect Ruins. He was a veteran powerhouse in the Hollywood industry, known for directing critically acclaimed dramas.

He was also one of Leviathan’s closest friends, which was the only reason he had agreed to helm a movie produced by a first-time studio head.

Marcus was currently resting a silver laptop on his legs, his reading glasses pushed down the bridge of his nose as he aggressively typed notes.

"I think we’ve gotten them," Marcus finally announced, his voice echoing across the large room.

Leviathan paused his mobile game and looked up. He reached over and turned the classical music down. "You’re done reviewing all the auditions?"

"Yup," Marcus sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes. "I’ve made my final picks from the Zoom auditions. The supporting cast is officially ready to be flown in for quarantine."

Marcus closed his laptop with a sharp click. He looked across the room at his friend, his expression turning serious. "But we’re running out of time, Levy. Weren’t the actors for the lead roles meant to arrive today to start their isolation protocols?"

Leviathan shifted uncomfortably on the couch. He scratched his bearded chin and let out a heavy sigh.

"Sorry, man," he confessed, refusing to make eye contact. "I shifted their arrival date to two days further."

Marcus froze. "You did what? Why?"

"I’m still waiting to hear from Von," Leviathan said simply.

An angry, flushed expression instantly took over Marcus’s face hearing his co-producer’s words. He pushed his chair back.

"I can’t believe this," Marcus groaned, throwing his hands in the air. "I cannot believe you are intentionally delaying a multimillion-dollar production because of a kid who has never acted in a movie before!"

Leviathan stood up, raising his hands defensively. "But you saw the music video he dropped a few weeks ago! Man, that shit really made me scared. It was unbelievable."

Marcus stormed over, grabbing a printed copy of the Perfect Ruins script from the table and slamming it hard against Leviathan’s chest.

"We are not casting for a horror movie, Levy!" Marcus yelled, his patience completely depleted. They had discussed this multiple times, but the rapper just wouldn’t let it go.

"How many times do I have to tell you? A four-minute music video is so far away from a two-hour feature film! You need to open your mind if you want to survive in this new industry!"

"Marcus, I’m telling you, the kid has it—"

"No, you listen to me," Marcus interrupted fiercely. "He doesn’t have the experience! You don’t just hand a lead role to a rookie for his Hollywood debut. If you want him in the movie so badly because you like his music, fine! Let him audition for a supporting character. Let him play the funny best friend or the guy at the coffee shop. But the Male Lead? Absolutely not!"

Leviathan shook his head, holding the script. "But they did that video completely on their own, Marcus. Without any crew, and look at the results! His popularity is off the charts right now. The song has been number one for weeks, and actors are literally tweeting about how good his performance was. Don’t you think that kind of hype will help our movie?"

It was a valid point, and both men knew it.

Leviathan was fighting an uphill battle. Damian West had subtly threatened a lot of major talent agencies to keep their actors away from Leviathan’s debut movie.

Combine that Hollywood politics with the terrifying reality of the H-19 pandemic, and many established actors had flat-out rejected the idea of starring in Perfect Ruins.

They weren’t willing to risk their health to shoot a movie inside a locked-down hotel for an unproven producer.

They desperately needed a wildcard. A draw that would guarantee box office success regardless of the boycott.

Marcus let out a long, slow breath, his anger suddenly melting into a confident, veteran smile.

"Well," Marcus said smoothly, crossing his arms. "I actually have that covered. Sammy finally answered my calls."

Leviathan’s eyes widened in genuine shock. He took a step forward. "Wait... Sammy? You mean A-list actor, Sammy Howkins?!"

Marcus grinned, clearly proud of his massive industry pull. "Yeah. The one and only. I sent him the script in secret a few days ago, and he absolutely loved the dark tone of it. He’s ready to come down tomorrow to audition."

Leviathan slowly sat back down on the couch, his mind racing.

Sammy Howkins was an absolute monster in the acting world. He was young, incredibly handsome, and had just come off a massive, billion-dollar sci-fi franchise.

Having Sammy attached to the movie would instantly legitimize Leviathan’s production studio. It would be a massive middle finger to Damian West.

"He’ll audition for the male lead," Marcus continued. "So you see, Levy... we don’t need the Varley kid anymore. Sammy Howkins is miles better than a pop star trying to cross over. He’s a guaranteed blockbuster."

Leviathan stared at the floor. He understood exactly what an A-list actor meant for their budget and their prestige. It was the safest, most logical choice in the world.

But Leviathan hadn’t become a billionaire by playing it safe.

His gut instincts, the exact same instincts that had helped him discover platinum-selling artists before they were famous, were screaming at him that Von was the key. He couldn’t ignore the terrifying presence he had seen in that music video.

Leviathan looked up, meeting Marcus’s gaze. "Can Von audition, at least?"

Marcus scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Levy, are you even listening to me? I just handed you Sammy Howkins on a silver platter."

"I know," Leviathan said with a serious tone. "And you want the absolute best for this movie, right? You want a performance that will make Damian West choke on his cigar."

"Of course."

"Then how about we test him and find out if he qualifies," Leviathan reasoned firmly. "It’s an audition, isn’t it? Let Von and Sammy read for the exact same part in front of us. Let them both do the chemistry read with Chloe. If Sammy destroys him, I’ll sign the contract tomorrow. But you have to give the kid a shot."

Marcus stared at his friend. He wanted to reject the idea entirely. It felt like an insult to make an A-list actor like Sammy wait in the same room as a musician.

But looking at Leviathan’s honest, unwavering expression, and remembering that Leviathan was the one personally funding most of the budget out of his own pocket, Marcus knew he couldn’t push back any further.

Marcus let out a defeated sigh. "Alright. Fine. You get your shootout."

Leviathan smiled, but Marcus quickly raised a strict finger.

"But listen to me closely, Levy," Marcus warned, his tone leaving absolutely zero room for negotiation.

"I don’t care if he’s unavailable. I don’t care if he’s busy recording an album. He has to give us a definitive response, and he has to physically be here in Los Angeles by tomorrow afternoon if there’s any chance of him auditioning. I am not keeping Sammy Howkins waiting in a hotel room for a rookie."

Leviathan nodded, accepting the strict ultimatum. It was the absolute best deal he could get, considering they were already drastically behind schedule.

"Okay," Leviathan agreed. "I’ll inform his agent right away. We’ll get him on a jet."

"You better," Marcus muttered, turning around to walk back to his laptop.

As Marcus walked away, Leviathan quickly pulled out his phone and opened his contacts, searching for Emily’s number.

Inwardly, he prayed for Von to be done with whatever hiatus he was currently on. If Von missed this flight, the door to Hollywood would be permanently shut.