Amaan S.
patreon
45. Wildcard
🕑 Added 2026-01-23 13:32:19 +0000 UTCThe silence in the Miller Studios office was a stark, jarring contrast to the cacophony of the last two months. There were no phones ringing off the hook—Elena had intercepted them all. There were no panicked VFX supervisors knocking on the door—the render farm was finally cool. There was just the low hum of the air conditioning and the golden afternoon light of Burbank filtering through the blinds.
Daniel Miller sat behind his desk, a tumbler of water in front of him, staring at the final aggregate report on his tablet.
STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE - THEATRICAL RUN COMPLETE
GLOBAL BOX OFFICE: $1.24 BILLION
It was a number that didn't feel real. It was the GDP of a small island nation. It was a statistical anomaly that had rewritten every rule in the Hollywood playbook. He had done it. He had taken a gamble that should have ended his career and turned it into the foundation of an empire.
But as Daniel sat there, the sense of triumph was quickly replaced by the familiar, ethereal chime of the System.
The golden interface flickered into existence, hovering over the mahogany desk. It pulsed with a different energy today—deeper, more resonant. It wanted him to acknowledge the notifications he had ignored.
[MAIN QUEST COMPLETED: THE BIRTH OF A SAGA]
[OBJECTIVE: RELEASE 'STAR WARS' AND ACHIEVE BLOCKBUSTER STATUS ($500M+)]
[RESULT: CRITICAL SUCCESS ($1B+)]
[REWARDS GRANTED:]
1. REPUTATION POINTS (RP): 4,750
(Base Reward + "Phenomenon" Multiplier)
2. SYSTEM UPGRADE: TIER 2 UNLOCKED
[SYSTEM EVOLUTION IN PROGRESS...]
Daniel leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. He had expected the RP—a massive war chest to fund the next phase of his plans. But the upgrade was what he was mostly waiting for.
The golden light of the interface shifted, expanding outward. The simple, text-based menus he had grown accustomed to fractured and reorganized into something far more intricate.
[SYSTEM TIER 2 ACTIVE]
[FEATURE UPDATE: THE GACHA]
* Tier 1 Gacha (Removed): The cheap, randomized pulls for basic skills and small vouchers are gone.
* Tier 2 Gacha (Active):
* Cost: 200 RP per pull.
* Probability: 50% Success Rate (Item/Skill Guaranteed).
* Pool: High-Level Skills (Permanent), Specialized Vouchers (Industry/Tech), Passive Buffs.
Daniel nodded slowly. It was a steep price hike—200 RP was a fortune in the old system—but the 50% success rate and the removal of "junk" items made it a strategic resource rather than a slot machine. What system called “junk” was already massively beneficial to him, he was looking forward to the upgraded versions.
But it was the next notification that made him sit up straight.
[FEATURE UPDATE: THE GRAND LIBRARY]
* Previous Status: Media Repository (Films + Basic Metadata).
* New Status: THE GRAND LIBRARY OF THE WORLD (EARTH-199).
* Description: Access granted to the cultural, historical, and technological context of the source world. User can now query historical timelines, industry trends, technological evolution, and biographical data of key figures from Earth-199.
Daniel tapped the icon for the Library. Previously, it had been a simple list of movies he could watch in the mental theater. Now, it was a search engine.
He searched in “1990s Independent Cinema Boom.”
Instantly, pages of text, articles, and box office analytics from Earth-199 flooded his mind. He saw the rise of Miramax, the marketing strategies of the Weinstein brothers (before the fall), the specific festival circuits that launched careers.
He searched in “Smartphone Evolution.”
He saw the keynote speeches of Steve Jobs, the patent wars, the user interface shifts that defined a generation.
Daniel sat back, his breath hitching. This... this was the real treasure. Before, he had the product—the movies. He could watch them, study them, and deconstruct them. But he lacked the context. He didn't know why a movie had resonated in 1999 versus 2005. He didn't know the cultural zeitgeist that had paved the way for certain stars.
Now, he had the blueprint of an entire world’s history. He wasn't just importing art; he could import the wisdom of a parallel century.
"Useful," Daniel whispered, closing the interface. "Very useful."
He checked his RP balance. It was sitting at a staggering 6220. He could burn through the T2 Gacha right now, fish for more vouchers or skills.
But he held back. The tools were there, but tools needed a project.
He stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. The lot below was busy—couriers running packages for the Marvel division, construction crews expanding the parking for the VFX team.
The industry was watching him. They were waiting for the other shoe to drop. 12 Angry Men was a courtroom drama. Juno was a quirky teen comedy. Star Wars was a space opera.
The narrative in the trades wasn't "Normalism" anymore. It was "Chaos." It was "The Wildcard." No one knew what Daniel Miller was going to do next, and that unpredictability was the most valuable currency in Hollywood. If he did a sequel now, he became a franchise director. If he did another indie, he became niche.
He needed something that bridged the gap. Something that had the prestige of cinema but the scope of a novel.
He went back to the desk and opened the Grand Library. He searched in a name that had been floating in the back of his mind.
“Matthew McConaughey.”
The entry from Earth-199 populated. Daniel read through the biography, his eyes scanning the section labeled "The McConaissance." He read about the rom-com slump, the rebranding, the pivot to gritty drama that culminated in an Oscar.
Then he searched “Woody Harrelson.” He read about the transition from sitcom bartender to dramatic powerhouse.
In Daniel's world, these two men existed, but they were currently adrift. Matthew was stuck in a cycle of mid-budget romantic comedies that were making money but eroding his soul. Woody was doing consistent character work, but he hadn't had a lead role that bit back in years.
They were ripe for a reinvention. And Daniel needed them. Not just for now, but for the future.
He searched in “Interstellar.” A sci-fi masterpiece that required a lead actor with a specific kind of rugged, American sorrow. Matthew was the only choice.
He searched in “Zombieland.” A horror-comedy that required a manic, twinkie-loving redneck. Woody was the archetype.
But he couldn't just call them up and pitch those movies yet. He needed to earn their tRustin. He needed a project that would strip them down to the studs and remind the world—and themselves—of what they were capable of.
Daniel navigated the Library to the television section. He pulled up a specific file.
TITLE: TRUE DETECTIVE (SEASON 1)
FORMAT: ANTHOLOGY SERIES
GENRE: SOUTHERN GOTHIC / NEO-NOIR
DIRECTOR (EARTH-199): CARY JOJI FUKUNAGA (ALL 8 EPISODES)
Daniel watched the pilot episode in his mind. The heat of Louisiana, the philosophical rambling of Rustin Cohle, the grounded rage of Martin Hart. It wasn't just TV. It was an eight-hour movie cut into chapters.
"This is it," Daniel murmured.
It was the perfect buffer. It didn't require the massive pre-production of a VFX-heavy film, allowing The Distribution Mill time to stabilize. It would position Miller Studios as a player in the premium television space, setting the stage for the streaming wars. And most importantly, it would lock in Matthew and Woody.
He told Elena he’d be busy for a while as he began to watch the rest of the first season like a child who has just found his new toy.
---
Hawaii – The Four Seasons Lanai
Three thousand miles away, Tom Wiley was sitting on a lounge chair, staring at a turquoise ocean that looked too perfect to be real. He held a Mai Tai in one hand, the condensation dripping onto his chest. He was wearing a floral shirt that he ironically hated but felt compelled to wear because, well, he was in Hawaii.
His phone buzzed on the small table next to him.
He looked at the caller ID. The Architect.
Tom let out a long, dramatic sigh, but he picked it up on the second ring.
"I thought we had a deal," Tom said, not bothering with a hello. "I go to an island, I drink rum, and you don't call me unless the studio is on fire."
"The studio is fine, Tom," Daniel’s voice came through, crisp and clear. "How’s the surf?"
"Loud. Wet. Relentless," Tom deadpanned. "I tried to take a surfing lesson yesterday. The instructor told me I have the balance of a 'drunk giraffe.' I tipped him extra for the honesty."
"Sounds relaxing."
"It’s terrible, Dan," Tom admitted, his voice dropping the act. "I’ve been here four days. I’ve read three books. I’ve eaten my body weight in poke. And I’m bored out of my mind."
Daniel chuckled. "Withdrawals?"
"It’s sick, isn't it?" Tom said, taking a sip of his drink. "I’m sitting in paradise, and all I can think about is that the Harry Potter rewrite from Joanne came in this morning and I want to read it. I miss the speed. I miss the chaos. You’ve corrupted me, Dan. You turned a perfectly lazy writer into a workaholic."
"Well, I have good news and bad news," Daniel said.
"Give me the bad news first. I need to feel something."
"The bad news is that your vacation is officially over if you want it to be. The good news is that I have the next project."
Tom sat up, the Mai Tai forgotten. "You have a script? Already? I thought we were taking six months off."
"I’m not shooting a movie, Tom. I’m shooting a show."
"TV?" Tom asked, skepticism leaking into his tone. "Dan, you just made a billion dollars in theaters. TV is a step down. It’s where movie stars go to retire."
"Not this TV," Daniel said. "It’s an anthology. Eight episodes. One writer, one director—me. It’s called True Detective."
There was a pause on the line. Tom stared at the ocean, his brain already shifting gears from 'vacation mode' to 'production mode.'
"Genre?"
"Southern Gothic Noir. Louisiana swamps. Occult murders. Philosophical pessimism. It’s dark, Tom. Darker than 12 Angry Men."
"Cast?"
"I’m going after Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey."
Tom let out a low whistle. "The rom-com guy and the bartender? That’s... certainly a choice. That’s very 'Miller.' Everyone wants you to cast A-listers, so you cast the guys everyone forgot were A-listers."
"They have the range," Daniel said confidently. "They just need the material. And Tom? I need you to write the adaptation. I have the source material in my head, but I need you to nail the dialogue. Rustin Cohle speaks in riddles. It needs to sound profound, not high."
"Rustin Cohle," Tom tested the name. "Sounds like a guy who needs a drink."
"He needs a lot of drinks."
"I can write that," Tom said. He looked at the pristine beach, then at his half-empty suitcase in the room behind him. "I can be on the red-eye tonight. I’ll be in Burbank by morning."
"Take another week, Tom," Daniel said. "Seriously. I have to handle the network meetings first. I need to set up a bidding war between HBO and Netflix. You don't need to be here for the suits."
"Nah," Tom stood up, pouring the rest of his Mai Tai into the sand. "If I stay here another day, I’m going to start rewriting the room service menu. I need to work. Send me the outline."
"Sent. See you in the War Room."
---
Miller Studios – The Following Morning
Daniel walked through the studio lot, holding a fresh coffee. The energy in the building had shifted. With the Marvel division humming along—he had seen the proofs for the Iron Man #1 reprint, the colors vibrant and modern—and the Harry Potter manuscript nearing completion in London, the studio felt like a well-oiled machine.
But Daniel thrived on the build, not the maintenance.
He walked into his office, where Elena was already waiting. She had reorganized his bookshelf by genre and color, because apparently, she had spare time between running a multi-national corporation's logistics.
"Good morning, Elena," Daniel said as he handed her the show’s rough outline. "Clear my schedule for the afternoon. And get me the contact info for the Head of Programming at HBO, the Chief Content Officer at Netflix, and, just to make them nervous, the President of Showtime."
Elena didn't blink. "You're shopping a series?"
"I'm creating a market," Daniel corrected. "I want them all in a room—or at least aware that the others are in the room—by Friday."
"HBO will be the hardest sell for the budget you usually demand," Elena noted as she saw the genre of the new series, tapping on her tablet. "But they have the prestige. Netflix has the cash, but their algorithm might flag a slow-burn noir as 'high risk.'"
"The algorithm flagged 12 Angry Men as high risk too," Daniel said, sitting down. "I don't care about their data. I care about their platform. I want True Detective to be the show that starts the next era of television. No censorship. No ad breaks. Pure cinema."
He pulled up the character bios for Rustin Cohle and Martin Hart on his screen. The dynamic was electric. The stoic, hypocritical family man vs. the nihilistic, brilliant loner. It was a masterclass in character study.
And it was the perfect trap.
He checked the Grand Library again, pulling up the specific contractual details of how Earth-199's HBO had handled the rights. He needed to make sure Miller Studios retained the IP. He wasn't going to be a work-for-hire director for a network. He was licensing his show to their platform.
"Oh, and Elena?"
"Yes, Mr. Miller?"
"Reach out to Matthew McConaughey’s agent. Tell them Daniel Miller wants to have a conversation. Not an audition. A conversation. Tell him to meet me at that dive bar on 3rd Street—The Broken Shaker. Tonight at 10."
Elena raised an eyebrow. "A dive bar? For a meeting with a movie star?"
"For this movie star," Daniel said, thinking of the rugged, unpolished energy he needed to extract from Matthew, "a boardroom is the wrong vibe. I need him to be comfortable. I need to see the guy behind the rom-coms."
"I'll set it up,” Elena said as she read the other lead’s prospective actor, “Woody Harrelson?"
"Tomorrow. Lunch. Somewhere vegan."
Daniel turned to his printer. It whirred to life, spitting out the title page of the script he had formatted the night before.
TRUE DETECTIVE
EPISODE 1: "THE LONG BRIGHT DARK"
STORY BY DANIEL MILLER
WRITTEN BY TOM WILEY
SCREENPLAY BY TOM WILEY
DIRECTED BY DANIEL MILLER
He picked up the page, the paper still warm.
He placed the script in his bag. The stars were conquered. Now, it was time to drag Hollywood into the swamp.
"Let's get messy," Daniel whispered.
He walked out of the office, leaving the galaxy behind for the grit of the real world. The "Miller Wildcard" was about to play its next hand.
----------------------------
A/N: Also I've a shitty idea which might not be so shitty? I want opinions. Should I make Harry Potter a TV series or keep it as a movie series? Thoughts?
P.S. Either way, it's still a long while away from now, just wanted opinions.
Comments
IsekaiMeInTVD
serie, burk just movie bro
Mark
Nah the movies are good, although for me the original actors represented the characters the best.
Zen Ferox
Thank you for reading. I shall see where things take us xD
Tibokas
Thanks for the chapter. I think a tv show could be interesting, with the caveat that it could perhaps drag out in the end. Personally, i would want to read it. I think you could write it so it's interesting, especially because your dialogue is really good, and it would give you more freedom to change stuff if you want to.
Zen Ferox
Daniel wouldn’t limit himself to just the show business. I think I’ve mentioned in the past but he’ll be a part of the ‘entertainment industry’ and by some leap in logic, anime and games come in the same :)
Elle
Once Miller Studios have the ability to handle huge investments, have Dan obtain Pokemon. It's the biggest cash cow that Dan could exploit to help him with future huge-budget projects. It has surpassed even the likes of Disney and Star Wars. The income from Pokemon merchandise alone would be astronomical. You gotta please!🥺🙏💛
Zen Ferox
Yeah that’s my thought process right now too. We shall see I guess!
Zen Ferox
Again, I consider patreon people my councillors. I like talking with you guys and getting advice on which direction certain parts of the story should follow. It’ll still take a long time for the book to gain the following that it has on earth, so I’ll use that time to confirm whether it’s going to be a cinematic release or a TV series. Thanks for the input though!
Phil Meyering
It depends on which actors you cast. Also you have to decide how long you want it to be front and center for your story. Honestly I think you should go the movie route for proper story engagement. Maybe wait and see how your descriptions of this 8 part series come across. Also didn't you say that the books are going to marinate a following before even considering a cinematic release?
spencer wells-jackson
I like the idea could show more of the books that way.
