'Finally,' Owen thought, slipping his phone into his pocket as he started walking toward the bedroom.
"I'm coming in," he announced, placing a hand on the doorknob and opening the door.
The master bedroom of the suite was just as spectacular as the living room.
It featured a massive king-sized bed with dark sheets, walls covered in elegant textured wallpaper, and warm lighting. At the far end, near the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city, stood a modern vanity illuminated by LED lights.
There, Jenna was already standing, as if she had been calculating the exact moment of his arrival. She slowly turned toward him, holding his gaze with a playful spark in her eyes. "How do I look?" she asked.
Owen approached, this time with shorter steps, and stopped right in front of her to carefully look her up and down.
Jenna was wearing a black off-the-shoulder long-sleeved dress made of smooth, fitted fabric that hugged her torso before flaring slightly into a short skirt.
The straight neckline left her shoulders and collarbones completely exposed. As accessories, she wore a delicate silver necklace around her neck and long earrings.
She completed the outfit with a pair of black high heels secured around the ankle with a thin strap.
Several seconds passed in silence.
Noticing that he wasn't reacting, Jenna smirked confidently. She took another step forward, closing the distance, and gently placed her hands on Owen's cheeks to make him look directly at her. "Did I leave you speechless?" she asked in an amused tone.
"Yeah," Owen finally admitted, sliding his hands to her waist and looking her over once more. "You look... great."
Jenna was smiling, clearly satisfied that she had managed to short-circuit his ability to come up with quick adjectives. However, the moment she heard the word "great" at the end of the sentence, her brow furrowed slightly and she narrowed her eyes.
Owen held back a smile, having expected exactly that reaction. He already knew Jenna disliked the word "great" when it came to complimenting her.
She always said that was the kind of word you used for a friend, not for your girlfriend after she had spent a considerable amount of time in front of the mirror trying to look pretty before an important date.
"I'm just kidding, don't get mad. You look beautiful," Owen immediately corrected himself, chuckling softly as he leaned in and kissed her.
"Better," Jenna murmured against his lips, accepting the kiss without resistance. A small curve appeared at the corner of her mouth, revealing that she wasn't upset at all.
When they pulled apart, Owen said, "See? We don't need an entire entourage running around the room to achieve this."
Jenna nodded, though she took a moment to defend the profession. "Well, yeah... But professional work is always much better."
Owen neither denied nor agreed.
As far as he was concerned, it wasn't like he needed to go through such a formal process involving stylists and makeup artists just to attend a red carpet event.
For a film shoot, he completely understood and respected it, but for social events or premieres, he didn't see it as particularly necessary considering all the extra time it took.
Like this, exactly as they were, managing their own schedules, was infinitely better.
Jenna slipped her arm through Owen's and used it for support as they walked, and together they left the master bedroom.
"Are they comfortable?" Owen asked, glancing down at the heels for a second. They looked pretty tall.
"Not even a little," Jenna admitted, tightening her grip on Owen's arm as they took short steps. "They're three-inch heels, some of the tallest ones I own. And on top of that, they're new. I haven't broken them in yet."
Owen nodded sympathetically. The truth was, he didn't know much about women's footwear, but he knew that three inches already fell into the higher category. Then there were medium and low heels, which were much shorter and more comfortable to walk in.
Jenna stopped when they reached the living room, right beside the couch where Owen had been earlier, and looked ahead. There stood a tripod holding a compact yet professional handheld camera.
"Were you making content for the vlog?" she asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.
Owen nodded. "I had so much free time that I took the opportunity to share some fun facts about Oppenheimer, and I also talked a bit about the origin of the term Barbenheimer."
By that point, they had already recorded a decent amount of material for the channel with Jenna, though not an excessive amount.
There wasn't much room to stretch the video out. After all, they were only there for two days, and they wouldn't even spend both days entirely in the city since they would be boarding their flight back to Los Angeles tomorrow afternoon.
Owen estimated that after editing, the final vlog would end up being somewhere between eight and twelve minutes long.
"So much time..." Jenna repeated, narrowing her eyes, knowing he was referring to how long she had taken to get ready. "I suppose you complained to your subscribers about all the waiting."
"Of course," Owen admitted without a shred of guilt. "I had to make a few jokes for the video. But afterward, I added that it was completely worth waiting however long it took to see you looking this beautiful."
Jenna couldn't help rolling her eyes. "How cheesy," she said, knowing Owen was exaggerating, though she was still pleased by the compliment.
"Just the right amount," Owen replied.
Then he stepped toward the tripod and picked up the camera. "Now, let's show off your outfit. I need more content for the channel."
Jenna let out a soft laugh and happily agreed, standing up straight in front of the lens.
Owen started recording. He had already shown off his own suit a few minutes earlier, but with her, he decided to make the presentation far more formal, showering her with compliments.
Once Owen turned off the camera, they were finally ready to head to the red carpet.
Or at least, that's what he thought.
Just as he took a step toward the exit, Jenna firmly grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks.
"We still need photos," Jenna said, staring at him. "I didn't spend hours getting ready like this just to not take a single picture with you. You're not getting out of this."
"Whatever you say, ma'am," Owen replied with a teasing smile.
He had to react quickly to dodge the subtle elbow Jenna immediately threw his way, clearly not appreciating the term "ma'am."
Chuckling softly, they walked over to the largest full-length mirror in the suite. They found the perfect lighting and took several pictures with their phones, alternating between serious poses and more playful ones.
Once that was done, they finally left the room. They rode the elevator down to the hotel's luxurious lobby, where a private car with tinted windows was already waiting at the main entrance, ready to take them directly to AMC Lincoln Square.
The drive through the streets of Manhattan didn't take long.
This theater was one of the most famous and largest cinemas in the entire country, widely known for housing the largest commercial IMAX screen on the East Coast.
As the vehicle made its way down Broadway and approached the venue, Owen noticed that the area was completely barricaded and overwhelmed by an impressive sea of people. Hundreds of fans were packed against the security barriers, eager to catch any glimpse of movement.
'Here we go...' Owen thought.
He leaned forward slightly and narrowed his eyes to look through the side window.
The dark tint significantly reduced visibility outside, but the flashes from the press and the fans' signs that could already be seen in the distance made it clear that the event was going to be a complete media frenzy.
...
Thus, the short vacation in New York came to an end.
On Tuesday afternoon, just before boarding the flight back to Los Angeles, Owen decided to upload a new post to his Instagram account.
His profile was already quite large; he had only recently crossed the impressive milestone of 18 million followers.
The post consisted of a classic six-photo carousel that summarized part of the trip.
The first image was a photo in front of the large full-length mirror, capturing him and Jenna minutes before heading to the red carpet.
The second was a casual selfie Owen had taken of Jenna in the middle of a Manhattan street. She was wearing one of Owen's oversized jackets, a cap, and holding a stray cat in her arms that had approached them and been remarkably friendly, coming over to ask for attention and pets. Near the edge of the image, written with the app's text tool, was a question:
"Should we take him home?"
The third image was a landscape shot: New York's towering skyscrapers against a sky painted by the sunset.
The fourth photo was a selfie Owen had taken. They were sitting at the table in their hotel room, ready for dinner, but instead of a gourmet hotel meal, they were sharing several McDonald's combos with soft drinks. Jenna was smiling with a half-eaten nugget in her hand.
The fifth photo was an unexpected surprise for followers scrolling through the carousel.
It was a picture taken inside a reception hall.
There was Owen, wearing the same suit from the first image, engaged in a firm handshake with none other than Robert Downey Jr.
Both were staring directly at the camera with exaggeratedly serious expressions, as if they were sealing a top-secret government pact.
The sixth and final photo, taken only seconds after the previous one, completely shattered the seriousness of the moment: Owen and Robert were raising their hands together, perfectly recreating the famous internet meme, "This is cinema."
In the caption, Owen wrote a short and direct description:
@owenashford: New York trip and Oppenheimer premiere 🎬🗽 New vlog in a few days 👀
The impact was immediate. Instagram's algorithm didn't take long to fire up the engines of the global feed:
❤️ Liked by jennaortega, MattRogers, tomholland2013, TylerKline and 1,104,832 others (within the first 4 hours)
💬 COMMENTS (+15,000)
@jennaortega:
i'm the best photographer
@TylerKline (replying to @jennaortega):
hope i'm not getting replaced ;v
@owenashford (replying to @TylerKline):
Don't worry, Jenna's hands aren't as steady as yours
@albeblays2:
Owen, tell us you're going to include your Oppenheimer review in the vlog. Good Will Hunting was a masterpiece, I need to know what you think about what Nolan did.
@shmas2:
THE FIRST PHOTO 😭! You two look amazing together, the real Hollywood power couple 🖤
@blackpink302:
Please tell me you adopted the New York kitty, I'm begging you! 🐱❤️
@clara_smith22:
YES NEW VLOG! I already need it to come out so I can see all the behind-the-scenes footage from this trip and the premiere!
@A10KS:
You go from an aesthetic sunset skyscraper photo to a junk food dinner and end with Tony Stark lmao
@tomwoel2:
Ultra-serious handshake in photo 5 and then little kid faces in the next one. Robert is the best. Are we getting a future project between Second Take Films and Team Downey? 👀
@florencepugh:
What a great night yesterday was! I'm so glad you were able to attend the event ✨
@robertdowneyjr:
Pleasure meeting you, man! It was definitely cinema 🤝🔥
@tomholland2013:
I need the context behind those last two photos 😂
@ortega_news_global:
The photo with the kitten is the cutest thing ever! Jenna looks gorgeous wearing Owen's giant jacket ❤️
@mcdonalds_us:
Formalwear and our menu at the same table. That's a whole new level of elegance 🍟✨
...
For her part, Jenna also shared her own perspective of the trip and the premiere on social media. She uploaded more than four images, all different from the ones Owen had posted, and they caused an immediate impact among her followers.
Her account, which had nearly twice as many followers as Owen's, didn't take long to ignite the algorithm. In just the first four hours, the post collected a little over two million likes.
In the caption, Jenna jokingly added that this trip would mark her official debut as a guest camerawoman for Owen's YouTube channel.
That small comment alone was enough to send the hype soaring to stratospheric levels.
In the comment sections, everyone assumed the video would focus on this New York getaway and the behind-the-scenes look at one of the most anticipated premieres of the decade.
The impact wasn't limited to social media alone. Between Monday and Tuesday, the major entertainment outlets and Hollywood trade publications released a flood of articles and press coverage, detailing every aspect of the gala while placing significant emphasis on Owen and Jenna's presence at the event.
Most of the attention, however, was focused on Owen.
On the red carpet, after posing for the usual barrage of flashes from professional photographers, he found himself standing before a line of microphones hungry for comments.
Although these quick interviews are usually reserved for members of the main cast, reporters are always willing to bend protocol when it comes to high-profile VIP guests.
And Owen, riding the massive momentum of Good Will Hunting surpassing $260 million at the global box office, was the perfect target.
Every journalist wanted to extract exclusive information about his next moves or hidden details regarding productions such as Lights Out and Black Mirror.
Far from avoiding the microphones, Owen handled himself with enviable ease. His answers, measured but extremely revealing, left the media more than satisfied, planting a new wave of speculation that quickly turned into major headlines.
It didn't take long for this to spill over onto Twitter (X), the go-to platform for following events in real time.
@PopCrave - 7:15 PM - Jul 17, 2023
The power couple of the summer has arrived in NYC! Owen Ashford and Jenna Ortega looking flawless at the #Oppenheimer premiere at the AMC Lincoln Square Theater.
Both are taking Hollywood by storm right now! #Barbenheimer
...
The tweet was accompanied by one of the official photographs taken by the event photographers on the red carpet, capturing the two of them posing together.
However, beyond the still images, which quickly found their way onto the profiles of the couple's fans, what truly ignited global trends and captured the attention of the film industry were the clips from the quick interviews.
One of them, a video less than a minute long, went viral and became heavily discussed due to an unexpected revelation.
@THR • 6:05 PM - Jul 17, 2023
Owen Ashford shares details about his highly anticipated television debut at the #Oppenheimer premiere. His series is much closer than any of us thought. 👀📺
🎬 CLIP — THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER (48s)
Interviewer: Owen, congratulations on the historic success of Good Will Hunting. The box office numbers just keep climbing. That has only increased expectations for your television debut with Black Mirror. You previously mentioned that the first episode is already completely finished. What about the others? Do you have a confirmed episode count and an approximate release date?
Owen (adjusting his jacket calmly and leaning slightly toward the microphone): There will be three episodes in total. That's what my current budget allows, since it's quite expensive to finance a project of this scale completely independently. The financial risk would increase too much if I tried to structure a typical six- or eight-episode season.
The honest and straightforward comment drew a slight smile from the reporter. Owen continued naturally.
Owen: Since it's an anthology series, I think three strong stories are more than enough for a first season. As for the date? I don't have the exact day yet, but roughly speaking, I'd say it'll arrive sometime between November and December.
Interviewer (blinking in confusion): Of... of next year?
Owen (shaking his head with a subtle smile): No, this year. If everything goes well.
The interviewer's eyes widened in complete surprise.
Interviewer: This year? But didn't you say last month on Jimmy Kimmel Live that it would premiere in a year or a year and a half?
The math simply wasn't adding up in the reporter's mind. After that late-night appearance, everyone had expected the release to happen sometime in mid or late 2024.
Owen (smiling lightly as he gave a small shrug): I know, but fortunately everything went smoothly. I managed to move through the scripts very quickly and didn't suffer any kind of creative block. In fact, we're officially starting production on the two remaining episodes next week.
Interviewer (visibly surprised, moving the microphone even closer): Wow! I knew there were strong rumors that you were in pre-production, but you're moving at an incredible pace. Are you telling me that this year, on top of breaking box office records with Good Will Hunting and releasing Lights Out on Halloween, you're also premiering your own television series before Christmas?
The approximate release window for Lights Out was already public knowledge. Owen had confirmed that the horror film would arrive during the Halloween season, with an exclusive premiere at a film festival shortly beforehand.
Owen (in the same relaxed tone someone might use to talk about the weather): Yeah, something like that.
The interviewer fell completely silent for a second, processing the weight of those words. His mind was trying to understand how a twenty-one-year-old could possibly release three major projects, two feature films and a television series, in the span of a single year.
One of them was already an undeniable historic success, both commercially and critically; another was a psychological horror film whose trailer had accumulated millions of views and was already sparking behind-the-scenes bidding wars among distributors. And now, to top it all off, a premium anthology series set to premiere months earlier than anyone in the industry would have realistically imagined.
The clip's comment section quickly filled with discussion threads, theories, and reactions from both film enthusiasts and the general public, all in complete shock.
💬 Comments:
@bardon7110:
Two movies and a television series in a single year? Owen Ashford's work ethic is from another planet. The guy literally can't sleep, there's no other explanation.
@ozimandi-s:
The interviewer going completely speechless at the end of the clip represents all of us. Hollywood usually moves at a snail's pace during pre-production, and this kid just announced he's filming next week and premiering in four months.
@Lukasrewiers1999:
I just remembered that Owen is in the upcoming Hunger Games movie. That was filmed in 2022 and won't even be released until November 2023... It's insane to think that during that same time span, Owen will have already written, financed, and released three of his own films, and on top of that, he's now launching Black Mirror this November/December. 💀 WTF!?
@wansSmith:
Normally I'd say it's arrogant and risky to finance your own television series and expect it to succeed, but after the success of Good Will Hunting and Paranormal Activity, he'll probably pull it off...
@floridadevin:
Owen Ashford says "Yeah, something like that" with the same level of concern I use when deciding what to have for lunch. The true king of being unbothered lol.
@annyamrks:
I love how Jenna is listening to the interview and looking at Owen like she's completely used to these kinds of answers.
@leovillant:
After seeing the level of writing in GWH, I'm already willing to bet that Black Mirror will be a success. The battle between Netflix, HBO, and the other platforms for the distribution rights is going to be a bloodbath. Whoever gets it will own the winter.
...
As that Hollywood Reporter clip continued spreading across the internet, the team from Collider, positioned only a few yards away on the red carpet, reacted immediately to secure their own exclusive.
They managed to intercept Owen at the exact moment he was stepping away from the previous microphone, obtaining a statement that completely upended industry expectations.
@Collider • 6:18 PM - Jul 17, 2023
Owen Ashford never stops! Just moments after teasing his surprising television schedule, the Oscar and Cannes winner hints that he already has the idea for his next film: a superhero story! 🤯🦸♂️ #Oppenheimer #Barbenheimer
🎬 CLIP — COLLIDER (32s)
Interviewer (quickly approaching with a microphone in hand as Owen turns around): Owen! Owen, one minute please. We caught what you just revealed about Black Mirror. But I have to ask... With Good Will Hunting breaking box office records, Lights Out set for Halloween, and this series arriving by Christmas... do you already have your next film project in mind? What's next for you in cinema once you wrap up this trilogy of releases in 2023?
Owen (letting out a light laugh at the speed and persistence of the question): Yeah. Superheroes.
Interviewer (eyes widening completely at such a direct, no-nonsense answer): Superheroes? A movie?
Owen (nodding calmly): Yes. Nothing as expensive as what Marvel or DC does. I obviously don't have two hundred million dollars to spend. I'm a fan of the genre, and this would be a different, deconstructed take on superheroes, an idea I came up with recently.
Interviewer (her mind racing as she tries to process the exclusive in the middle of the red-carpet chaos): Do you already have a title? A script, or anything you can tell us?
Owen: No, at the moment it's barely more than an idea with a few pages written. All I can say is that I'll be working with Matt again as director once he finishes post-production on Lights Out and I wrap up my commitments with Black Mirror.
Owen didn't provide any further details. The clip ended abruptly with him saying goodbye through a subtle wave.
If the television series announcement had already caused a stir, this new statement completely overwhelmed Twitter (X)'s global trends.
The idea that the breakout actor and screenwriter of the year was planning to tackle the worn-out superhero genre through a low-budget independent production immediately unleashed a wave of comments and debate.
💬 Comments:
@StuartIV102:
Owen Ashford and Matt Rogers teaming up again? Take all my money right now! The golden duo strikes again.
@angelahyle291:
Hopefully Owen revives the genre, and please act in the movie too, I want to see you with superpowers!
@Mrdaturks:
Is the Ashford Universe coming? DC and Marvel better start shaking... okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but coming from him, it's probably going to be genius.
@bryan-s6ot:
Alright, let's analyze this: Owen announces on the red carpet that he has an idea for a superhero movie. The very next day, he posts a photo with Robert Downey Jr. that looks like they're closing a business deal. Is anyone else thinking about a collaboration between Second Take Films and Team Downey (Robert's production company)!? I'm going to have a meltdown.
@calvinsquesthim (replying to @bryan-s6ot):
Dude, you're making up an entire movie in your head. Owen posted that photo as a meme. If he's paying Robert a salary, it stops being an indie film.
@moshban_d (replying to @calvinsquesthim):
Maybe RDJ funds the project or something. Considering how much money Owen's projects have been making, it wouldn't be weird if he wanted to collaborate with him. I know it's a crazy theory, but it's nice to dream.
...
Owen was quite satisfied with having planted the seed of his next film in the public's mind.
Starting to shape the marketing organically from an early stage was ideal.
He would begin focusing on the film once filming for San Junipero wrapped up, at which point he would be able to delegate the episodes' post-production to the director and editor in charge.
His schedule would free up considerably then, leaving him with plenty of available hours.
And by that time, Matt would have long since completed the post-production process for Lights Out.
The timing fit together perfectly, allowing them to formally begin pre-production on Chronicle during the final quarter of the year, or even earlier, ensuring that filming could begin smoothly during the first months of 2024.
On Tuesday afternoon, now back in Los Angeles, Owen decided to spend the rest of the day taking a much-needed break at home, immersing himself in editing the New York vlog without setting foot in the Second Take Films offices.
The following day, Wednesday, he finished exporting the video around noon and headed to the offices.
His plan was to publish the vlog on Friday night, strategically timing it to coincide with the worldwide release of Oppenheimer.
When he walked through the office doors, it felt as though an eternity had passed since the last time he had been there, even though in reality he had only been gone for four days.
With three projects running simultaneously, and considering that each episode of Black Mirror required separate auditions, directors, and production crews, on top of Lights Out, the place always felt bursting with life.
Owen arrived right around the time everyone was finishing lunch. He greeted the receptionist, who jokingly told him that all it took was one weekend away for him to trigger a media meltdown across the internet.
Owen laughed, shot back a quick comment in the same playful spirit, and continued down the hallway to greet Matt and the others.
Today was the day they would begin formal rehearsals with Sadie Sink, though he already knew she had been coming in on Monday and Tuesday to work with the director.
When he reached the recreation area, his steps came to an abrupt halt.
A large crowd completely surrounded the ping-pong table.
At one end of the table, gripping her paddle firmly, stood the redhead.
Sadie moved with impressive speed and excellent reflexes, returning every shot that came her way.
At the opposite end stood Eric, who was visibly sweating buckets after discovering an unexpectedly worthy rival in her.
The spectators surrounding them cheered and applauded every point as if they were watching the Olympic finals.
Owen stopped several feet away, observing the scene with a puzzled expression and a subtly raised eyebrow.
Suddenly, Sadie executed a flawless and deadly cross-court smash that Eric never even saw coming.
The little ball bounced off beyond the limits of the table.
"Eleven to nine! The redheaded Texan wins!" Matt exclaimed, raising an arm as if he were the official referee of the tournament.
"Yes!" Tyler and Caleb shouted in unison, stepping forward to high-five Sadie, who was celebrating with a competitive grin.
"Shit..." Gaten muttered under his breath, his shoulders slumping in complete resignation.
"Pay, man," Joe said with a teasing smile, patting him on the back.
Gaten grumbled, slowly pulled his wallet from his back pocket, and handed Joe a twenty-dollar bill.
'What the hell...?' Owen thought, completely frozen in place as a massive number of questions began forming in his mind.
...
A/N: A small clarification regarding the timeline of the story.
In our reality, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA strikes took place during July 2023, impacting Hollywood.
As a result, events such as the Oppenheimer premiere were held without the presence of its cast, and numerous projects suffered delays ranging from several months to even years.
However, in this story, I have decided that those strikes do not occur. Keeping them would alter the chronology of the narrative too much, delay multiple productions, and likely require major time skips.
As a consequence, several projects that were delayed by the strikes in our reality, such as Wednesday, Superman, and others, will be able to move forward according to their original schedules or even premiere earlier than they did in the real world.