"Oof…cold," I said as I got out of the car into the autumn chill of Kiosk, Ontario. The bite of the air hit my skin immediately, and as I exhaled, a fog of breath rose up and vanished into the gray.
"Have I mentioned I hate the cold?" I muttered, tugging my jacket tighter as I turned to Julie, who had just stepped out of the car behind me.
"Yes, Danny," she said with an annoyed expression. "Since we landed in Canada."
"Right… yeah, I did…," I said, shaking my head as my boots crunched over the damp ground.
The forest stretched all around us dense, towering pines crowding the horizon; bare birches stripped clean by the season, their pale trunks rattling in the wind. The forest floor was a patchwork of fallen leaves, ochres and deep reds pressed into the cold earth. The sky was heavy and gray, almost oppressive. But every now and then, a shaft of light broke through the clouds, sharp and fleeting, gilding the treetops in a brief shimmer before slipping away again.
I stopped for a moment, taking it all in. "This place is perfect."
Julie smiled knowingly. "I know. I helped find it."
"Just goes to show, making you a producer was a great idea," I said.
She winked at me. "Walk carefully the ground's uneven."
I nodded and glanced back at the others climbing out of the second car.
First was Elliot Kane, the cinematographer. Julian had recommended him, and considering Julian was something of an expert in horror, I trusted the choice. Elliot's work had mostly been in indie films, but the moment I saw his footage, I knew he had the eye I wanted. For him, this was a big break.
Next came Raymond Cho, the location manager everyone just called Ray. He had a knack for finding locations that matched any brief.
And finally, there was Haley, whom I'd made the costume designer. What made me pick my ex-girlfriend and Caleb Morrison's apprentice was seeing the work she'd done for a period stage production. Also, Caleb had pushed me to hire her, insisting she'd be great...and she would be since those stageplay costumes were great.
To be honest, I wasn't sure why she was here today. She'd mentioned something about wanting to see how period costumes would look against the natural backdrop, but I didn't know what that was about.
Haley walked over, arms crossed tight against the chill, her face screwed up in mock frustration.
"I am going to kill Caleb for making me come here," she muttered.
I raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Oh, so it was him who made you come? Not because you wanted to see how 'period costumes would look against the natural backdrop' like you said?"
Haley groaned. "That's what he told me to say."
I chuckled. "Well, you're here now."
We pushed deeper into the woods, Julie and Raymond guiding us over the uneven ground. The wind cut sharp through the branches, carrying the smell of damp leaves and earth. Haley let out a dramatic sigh.
"I should be back in L.A., you know. Supporting my boyfriend, who just got, like, the biggest role of his life."
"Hey," I shot back, "The Flash is the biggest role he's gotten."
Haley gave me a look, sharp and unimpressed. "Please. Even a small part in a Tarantino film is bigger than The Flash, Danny."
I couldn't argue with that. Grant had landed a role in Tarantino's upcoming movie something completely new to me, something that didn't exist in my old life. And she was right: it was a big deal. I was just as excited to see what Tarantino was cooking up.
"You know," I said, smirking at her, "the Haley I knew back in high school wouldn't have known things like this."
She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh my God. People change and grow. What a shocker. Daniel Adler just found out." She tossed the sarcasm at me with a grin.
I heard Julie chuckle ahead of me. Haley gave me one last look before hurrying a few steps ahead to chat with her instead.
I shook my head as I slowed my pace, matching Elliot, who was crouched with his camera, snapping photos from different angles.
"What do you think?" I asked.
Elliot didn't look up right away he just shifted his lens, framing a shot through the skeletal branches. Then he finally stood and gestured broadly to the trees around us.
"I think you picked a perfect place," he said, voice steady but tinged with excitement. "Look at this canopy. Half the light gets swallowed before it even touches the ground. That's the atmosphere we're going for."
I nodded, taking in his words as I looked up at the thick branches overhead.
"The feeling we're trying to create," Elliot continued, "it's here. A suffocating environment. Nature pressing down on everything. It's unsettling even now."
"Yeah," I said, exhaling. "We need to shoot in the spring. April, maybe."
"Yes," Elliot agreed immediately. "We shouldn't wait for summer."
The script was already locked. Casting was moving forward. I'd made sure Ralph Ineson was cast; I couldn't imagine doing the movie without him. The rest was still in motion, though. Finding the children was proving difficult. They had to be right, believable, and good enough to carry the movie; they had very important scenes, after all. I trusted Serena, my casting director. She always found the diamonds in the rough.
If all went according to plan, pre-production could wrap by April. The timing would line up, the budget set at six million with another million tucked away for contingencies.
This was my first time directing, so the pressure was on. A month-long shoot maybe a little longer, given my inexperience and then finish and release in time for Sundance Festival.
It was a good plan. A damn good plan.
Soon we reached a clearing, the trees thinning until the land opened into a quiet, almost eerie expanse. This was where the house would be built, the lonely farmhouse at the center of the story with the surrounding fields shaping the sense of isolation.
Ray gestured around, pointing out areas where other sets could be built a makeshift barn here, a pen for animals there, maybe even a small outbuilding off to the side. It wasn't hard to imagine the family huddled here, cut off from the world. Everyone, myself included, was set on picking this place. It was perfect in its bleakness.
Ray also told of how hard it would be to get road access for trucks, permits, or how spring mud could be a nightmare but he assured me that he would get it done.
As we walked, I turned to Haley.
"So, any inspiration?" I asked.
Her eyes were already darting across the clearing. "Oh, yes. Caleb was right I needed to come here. White and gray for the lead, maybe something darker for the men. Shades of brown, gray, and white… muted, worn down…" she muttered.
Guess Caleb was right she did get some inspiration.
"Oh, and the witch she needs a red cloak," I said.
Haley snapped her fingers, smiling wide. "Yes I think I made a sketch for it. I have so many ideas."
"Then I'll let you work," I said, watching as she pulled out her phone and snapped a photo.
"How much time do I have again?" she asked, half-distracted.
"Like three months. Four…" I answered.
"Okay, I can work with that," she said, and wandered a little farther, crouching to get a shot of the ground.
I lingered there, letting my eyes sweep over the clearing one last time.
Bleak and cold.
Exactly what the movie needed.
"Yeah. I can do this. Just needs my complete attention. That's it. Yup…" I muttered.
.
.
.
"Yeah, Vin, I know, I know you love it. You've said that already," I said into the phone, my tone halfway between amused and exasperated.
Vin's voice boomed back through the line. "So when can we get started?"
I rubbed my temple. "Vin, like I told you, I can't do anything right now. Just do it, my friend. The script is all there."
"What do you mean, 'you can't'? Come on, Daniel," he pressed. "You can't just dump the script on me and expect me to make it. You have to be there."
"Yes, I can, Vin," I shot back. "The thing is, I'm directing a movie next year."
There was a pause; when he spoke again, his tone had softened with excitement. "Really? That's great! Then maybe you can direct this one after."
I nearly laughed. "What? No. I'm not skilled enough for that yet. Look, Vin, trust me I'll help when I can, but I seriously think you should start without me. Don't wait."
He sighed. "Okay, okay. So, um… I wanted to ask you something else."
"What?"
"Fast 9?"
"Fuck off, Vin," I snapped, ending the call before he could say another word.
I tossed the phone into my lap and muttered, "And that would be the last time I talk to Vin Diesel this year."
Graves, sitting beside me as the car rolled through the streets back to my apartment, shook her head. "I don't know why you put up with that guy."
"Eh," I shrugged. "I like him. He's useful sometimes, too."
I had finally finished the Riddick script after nearly two years. It wasn't my best work, but it was fine, and Vin loved it which was all that mattered. I'd even given him treatments to wrap up the Fast trilogy neatly with the eighth film. But Vin, being Vin, was dead set on running the franchise until the fans stopped showing up. He'd even pulled up Facebook posts as proof, grinning as he asked me dead serious if Dom could go to space.
I was tempted to go crazy with the Fast franchise, but no eight was where I bowed out. I was done.
"Oh," Graves said beside me as she pulled out her phone. "Message from DC casting. Urgent."
"What is it?" I asked, leaning closer.
She handed me the phone, and I saw the picture on the screen Lance Reddick.
"It's Lance," I said. He was in John Wick, after all. I'd met him before.
"Yes. This is for Martian Manhunter," Graves explained.
I tilted my head, considering it. "Oh… maybe. I don't know."
"There's one more," she said, swiping to another candidate. This time it was Sterling K. Brown.
I couldn't help but grin. "Now that guy… that guy would be a good choice."
"You think so?"
"Yeah," I nodded firmly. "I'd pick him. Way better than what Dave wants."
"Who does Dave want?" she asked, raising a brow.
"Idris Elba," I sighed.
"Ah," she said knowingly. "You think he'd just play himself?"
"Pretty much," I said. "I think Idris would be better in another role."
I motioned to her phone. "Tell them I like Sterling. Put him at the top."
She nodded and started typing.
While she worked and thinking of the DCU my thoughts drifted to the TV series I planned to make in the universe. Constantine was at the top of my list. It had to be mature, gritty. I wanted it to stand apart from the glossy tone of the movies. Then maybe something with Zatanna. Or even something bigger: a full Justice Society show, giving the old guard their due while deepening the lore. The villains of Gotham were fertile ground for series, too.
The possibilities really were endless.
I turned to Graves as the car slowed.
"Why are you coming with me, Graves?" I asked, suspicion creeping into my voice.
She smirked. "Oh, Margot and I are going out for drinks."
"Really? I didn't even know you two were that close."
Graves's grin widened, like she was holding in laughter. "You'd be surprised," she said lightly.
I narrowed my eyes in confusion. Margot had been through a traumatic experience with the whole Cassie situation the nightmare I didn't even want to think about anymore. I still remembered the shock of opening the trailer door and seeing Margot on top of Cassie, punching her until she knocked her out. Before I could press further on where she and Margot were going, we pulled up to my apartment.
As we walked in I was rattling off tomorrow's plans meeting with Alexandra, Bryce, Gail, and the whole Wonder Woman crew and saying I'd need the entire afternoon free.
My head felt heavy, my body exhausted, ready to collapse on the couch the second I stepped inside.
I pushed the door open.
"Surprise!"
The roar of voices nearly knocked me back a step. I froze, blinking as my eyes swept across the room.
Margot stood at the front, a party hat perched jauntily on her head, grinning wide. Beside her were my mom, Nathan, Alice bouncing in excitement, the Dunphys and Pritchetts, John, Joanna, Matt and his girlfriend, Lucy, Paul…
Fuck… is that Jensen? And Henry, too?
"What's this?" I asked, still processing.
Margot skipped forward, pressing a party hat onto my head. "Surprise," she said brightly, kissing me on the cheek. "Happy birthday!"
I blinked. "Wait birthday? That's, like… a week away."
Everyone laughed.
Margot rolled her eyes, leaning closer. "Yes, I threw you one early. To surprise you."
"Ohhh," I said, a smile spreading across my face as warmth replaced shock. "Well, consider me surprised."
I stepped farther inside. My mom wrapped me in a hug; Alice tugged at my arm, begging me to pick her up.
Yeah. This was definitely a surprise.
I greeted everyone—Phil, Claire, Luke, Manny, Jay, Gloria, Alex, Haley, Mitchell, Cameron, Lily everyone was there.
John, Joanna, Lucy, Matt—my dearest, best friends. Even Deborah, Joe Manganiello, and the rest of my celeb D&D gang popped up on a video call since they couldn't make it in person.
I turned, spotting Jensen and Henry, my DCU stars, my Superman and Batman. I'd become good friends with the two of them; that's why they were here with my closest friends and family.
"You, my friend," I said, pointing at Jensen, "are supposed to be in England."
Jensen smirked, jerking a thumb toward Margot. "I couldn't say no. She told me you'd fire me if I didn't come."
Margot just shrugged, feigning innocence. The room erupted with laughter.
"And you," I said to Henry. "Is this why you weren't available yesterday?"
Henry chuckled.
I shook my head, grinning, before asking the important question. "Okay… where's the cake?"
Nathan rolled it out right on cue: a towering two-tier chocolate cake. It looked amazing.
"I thought it would be bigger."
Lucy piped up with a grin, "Don't worry, we've got the bigger cake saved for your other birthday bash."
Ah yes, the real birthday party the one Lucy, Raj, and the rest had bullied me into. A huge Hollywood blowout, every celebrity I knew invited the kind of party I usually avoided but apparently needed to throw at least once a year. Honestly? I wasn't looking forward to that one. This surprise here, with family and friends, was perfect.
I turned to Margot, took the knife from her, and murmured, "Thank you." She just kissed me and winked at me in reply.
"Cut it!" Luke shouted.
I chuckled, holding the knife above the cake. "Before I cut, let's make one thing clear: no one gets cake on my face."
The chorus came back instantly a mischievous mix of cheers and protests. "Yeah, no, not happening!" I heard Jensen and Henry yell, Haley's laughter joining them.
"Oh, fuck," I muttered, bracing myself as I sliced into the cake.
And just like that, I turned 24.
Well, it was a week off, but close enough.