This year, the biggest project for Dunn Films isn't one of Marvel's flicks—it's the Harry Potter series, helmed by David Heyman!
After over four months of casting, David's pretty much locked in the crew, especially the young actors. The top picks? The boy who'll play Harry Potter and the girl set to be Hermione Granger.
Right now, these kids are in acting boot camp, gearing up for the summer shoot.
As the series' big-shot producer, Dunn planned this trip ages ago and hopped a flight to London.
Penelope Cruz is busy training for The Dark Knight with some fight moves, and Charlize Theron's back on the grind, hyping up The Unsinkable before its release.
So Rose Byrne's back in the spotlight as Dunn's go-to girl, tagging along to the UK.
Besides the usual staff, there's an extra passenger—Julia Roberts.
Rose didn't get the memo about Julia joining, but when she sees herself parked on Dunn's left and Julia on his right, it clicks. She's secretly thrilled and relieved.
Oscar winner or not, Julia's still just another woman by Dunn's side, right?
Hollywood actresses—big or small, they're all the same!
On the plane, Rose snuggles up to Dunn. The seats are plush like a giant bed, the space is roomy, the decor's fancy, and there's a table with high-end red wine. It feels amazing—like she's hit the peak of life.
Dunn, though? His focus is all on Julia Roberts.
A sneaky hand brushes her thigh, an arm "accidentally" grazes her chest, lips steal a quick peck on her cheek…
The whole flight, Dunn's little moves don't stop.
Julia's a mix of nervous and shy.
Rose is right there watching!
And if that's not enough, there's a bunch of Dunn Films staff and bodyguards in the back. If they catch Dunn getting handsy, it'd be mortifying.
But Dunn doesn't care. LA to London's a full-day flight—gotta find some fun or it's just boring.
An hour in, he's already copped a feel all over Julia.
Two hours? He's got her in a steamy French kiss.
Three hours, and his hands are roaming under her clothes, no hesitation, exploring every inch.
By hour four, he's got both women—one on each arm—kissing left, kissing right, totally at ease.
That's when Dunn lets out a weak sigh.
If this plane wasn't a Gulfstream V but a Boeing 747, now that'd be something!
He could drag both girls to a bedroom for an epic mid-air showdown—how wild would that be?
Take Bill Gates, the richest guy around—he's got three private planes: a zippy Bombardier Global Express for quick trips, plus a Boeing 757 and an Airbus A380 for luxury.
Dunn dropped $40 million on this Gulfstream V last year—not a huge splurge. But a fully tricked-out Boeing 747? That's at least $200 million!
Even with Dunn's cash, it's a tough call.
This awkward setup, though, seals it for him.
Once the "9/11" chaos hits and he cashes in big on the futures market this year, he's buying a deluxe private jet, no question!
Like right now—Julia's basically his, just one step from the finish line, and there's nowhere to go!
The bathroom? Come on.
That'd be a joke.
…
They land in London at 9 p.m.
The kids are still at it, training at a school near Queen Mary's College.
Julia—maybe wiped out, maybe dodging rumors—heads straight to the hotel to crash. Rose, though? She's all smiles, no worries, clinging to Dunn's arm like it's nothing.
"This happy, huh?" Dunn chuckles, glancing at her.
Rose grins. "Yeah, just happy!"
"What's up?"
"I just feel like… an Oscar winner's not such a big deal."
"Why's that?"
Rose's face lights up with smug pride as she hugs his arm tighter, whispering, "I can tell—even if she's an Oscar queen, you like me more!"
Dunn laughs, shaking his head. "What's there to compare? She's over 30—just a fling, once or twice, and that's it. You're different."
Rose's smile gets even brighter. "See? Oscar or not, she's got nothing on me!"
Dunn just smirks and lets it go.
At the training center, it's packed—mostly parents of the kids.
David Heyman comes over, gives Rose a quick once-over (she's a stunner), then shifts focus with a grin. "Coming this late? I figured you'd head straight to the hotel."
Dunn waves it off. "How's it going? Looks like a lot of parents. Training this late—no complaints?"
David laughs. "When we cast the kids, we took your advice—interviewed the parents too. We weeded out the weird ones. Plus, Harry Potter's huge here. Kids and parents alike are dying to be in the movie."
Dunn nods, pleased. "Good work. You've been busting your ass."
Hands behind his back, he strolls toward the training hall. Through the glass door, he spots about twenty kids inside, getting pointers from acting coaches.
David fills him in slowly. "For Harry, we've got three finalists. Same for Hermione. Their costumes have tags—you can see."
The Harry Potter casting was the biggest open call in British film history—5,000 kids auditioned.
After a dozen rounds, they narrowed it to three candidates per main role, then put them through three months of training.
When filming starts, the director, producer, and coaches will pick the best of the three for the lead spots.
The ones who don't make it? They're not out—they just slide into smaller roles. It's a fair trade for three months of work.
Dunn stands quietly at the door, watching for a while.
Among the three "Harry" hopefuls, he spots a familiar face—Daniel Radcliffe, the original Harry from another timeline.
But the three "Hermione" candidates? No familiar shadow there. Just as he figured, Emma Watson didn't make the final cut.
This version of Harry Potter is a year behind the one from his past life.
Emma Watson's 11 now. Girls grow faster than boys, and a year's delay doesn't hit a boy hard—but for a girl, it's a big shift.
Dunn sighs, wondering how Emma's path might twist now.
No doubt, Emma Watson's a standout—like Natalie Portman, a rare Hollywood gem with brains and beauty.
Dunn might even admire her more than Natalie!
Natalie wasn't rich growing up, but she never struggled. Emma? Dirt poor—couldn't even afford school fees. She worked child jobs, juggling gigs and studies.
After Harry Potter made her a star, she still hit the books hard—10-hour workdays, then every spare minute learning.
In 2006, she filmed three movies and missed over 90% of her classes. Still, she aced her exams—8 A's, 2 A+'s—and got into Cambridge, Oxford, and Yale!
It's like she mirrored Natalie's miracle run.
Talent draws haters, though. When Natalie became the first '80s-born Best Actress, the rumors flew—Wikipedia had to step in, but the clueless masses ate up conspiracy crap. The pressure pushed her to France, away from Hollywood.
Emma, though? She faced the noise head-on, firing back hard!
Like when she turned down a princess gig and tweeted, "You don't need to marry a prince to be a princess!"
Elite women pop up in other fields, but in acting? Rare as hell.
Dunn feels a pang—cinema's losing a star like her. After a long pause, he blurts out, "David, check something for me. Was there an Emma Watson in the Hermione auditions?"
"Huh?"
David freezes, face dropping, thinking Dunn's already picked someone for Hermione.
Dunn waves it off with a laugh. "Don't overthink it. I just… got an email. Look into it—see what Emma Watson's up to."
David nods. "Sure."
Dunn shifts his gaze to the three Hermione hopefuls, watching a bit longer. Then he spots something familiar in one of them.
"Hmm?" He points at a cute, doll-like girl. "What's her name?"
"Olivia Cooke. She's only 8—a year younger than we wanted—but she doesn't look it. Plus, she's got stage experience. Best performer of the bunch."
David clearly knows his stuff.
"Olivia Cooke…"
Dunn's eyes narrow slightly. He nods. "I've got a good feeling about her!"