Only two hours had passed since his return back to the hotel room from Leicester Square’s Odeon grand opening in London. The lights, the A-list guest celebrities, the velvet red carpet. All of it was becoming a bit of a blur now. But one thing was for sure. That phone would ring any minute now and answers would be demanded. The outcome of this deal negotiated with months of strategic planning in mind and lengthy co-ordinated talks, had thrown them a curveball that no one could have expected.
There was a short, sharp knock. Mr. Whitesell gasped at the abrupt shattered silence, but gathered his thoughts fast before scurrying to open the door. A solemn figure strode in, wearing a blue regular-fit waist jacket and white, pinstriped shirt underneath. A thin, speckled film of stubble layered his lower jaw coupled with his strong, striking frown, heightened the dense ambient discomfort. Ben turned on the ball of his heel to face Patrick who closed the door behind him with a soft click.
”OK, Pat. Don’t bullshit me.” Ben said with a scowl. ”What’s your honest verdict on tonight's wrap-up? And I want the truth this time.”
”Well.” Replied Pat, rubbing two forefingers upon his temple. ”It could have… Gone better I suppose.” This was as good an answer as he could muster, given the fact that the truth was now so blatantly out in the open.
”Can you say that again but this time be a little more dramatic about it please?” Ben’s sarcastic response caused Patrick to wince with displeasure. ”I thought I’d crushed those damn critics ramblings already. I’m telling you, Pat. I know I carried out a damn fine portrayal of the caped crusader. Best one yet, as quoted in some reports. Why then, did the applause at the end get such lacklustre treatment? Was it me? Or was the movie really that dire?”
”Look, Ben. I’ve always been as straight as I can be.” Pat continued. ”I thought this role would be just perfect for you. And to some degree, it was. You silenced your naysayers by being the epitome of that film. You were the real star of the show and everybody knows it. Included Cavill and Gadot.”
Ben shook his head, making his way to a single-seater sofa at the far end of the room. He sank into it and sighed. ”You know the high hopes I had pinned on this, right? I’ve already shown the world I can act, even direct, some of the greatest Hollywood entertainment spectacles out there. I needed this one to work. I mean, when in the whole of my career, was I ever on the receiving end of such a concerted hate campaign. And now, on top of everything else, I’ve gotta do these follow-up interviews talking about how proud I am of this project. It’s just all bullshit.”
”Ben, listen to me.” Pat remarked, shuffling forward. ”You’ve read the early reviews and know what the general consensus is. Even though the movie is dividing opinions, you are considered a stellar part of…”
”Divided options?” Interjected Ben. ”Have you taken a look at that piece of shit movie review site Rotten Tomatoes lately? We’re currently sat at a 41% rating and projected to be around the low thirties when all the critics have finished spitting their collective venom. I don’t care how great people think I am, this was supposed to be a franchise. A nice little money spinner to see me into my twilight acting years. Now what? I’m signed up for several more of these things. I’m a part of this new “DC” universe now. But the way I see it, I was better off as Daredevil. I mean, at least I was on-board with the right branding team. Look at Ryan Reynolds for instance. He started out in our very own “DC” as The Green Lantern which bombed. Then some years later, got the part of Deadpool. Look at the irony in all this. That’s almost a mirror opposite to what’s happening to me at this very moment. Can’t you see that?”
Pat looked at the ground, running a series of logical musings and future prospective solutions in his mind. After a short pause, he spoke. ”We could always try to find an exit strategy from the deal if things don’t improve. It wouldn’t be the first time something like this was arranged. But just see out two more of these movies at least. That’s my advice to you as an agent and your friend. You got The Justice League coming out soon as well as your own standalone movie after that. And don't forget about Marvel's first move advantage. They got such a head start on us that the general public can’t even think "superhero flicks" without conjuring visions of Ironman, Captain America or any one of those other assholes in comic book land. But that's not to say things can't change. Give them time to adapt to this new universe, Ben. It will only get better from here if we make it. Today will be the past soon so no point dwelling too much on it. See where I'm coming from? Let's focus on the positive. That being the character you played in Dawn of Justice tonight.”
Ben pursed his mouth together and stared back at Pat. He looked tired and morose, as though resigned to the words of wisdom from his business partner and associate for over twenty years. He tipped his head in Pat’s direction with a wry smirk on his face. His chiselled cheekbones rose as he exposed a perfect set of pearly white teeth. ”I know, Pat. Or should I say “The Patman”." They both sniggered in unison as the tense atmosphere gave way for a mild reprieve.
