Actor selection did not involve the screenwriters much. In fact, after the script was handed over to the director and producer George Lucas, scriptwriters basically had no role other than adapting changes that are required by either certain scenes, actor’s, or other involved parties. Still that was an incredibly small aspect and it would require the whole 6 member scriptwriter team to be on set.

However, the script was not entirely finished yet, with a lot of the dialogue still requiring a decent amount of work, which would take a few weeks at least, about the same time it would take in finding the necessary actors.

“But having us as permanent paid employees with full benefits, rather than one-time disposable scriptwriters is an odd decision. Sure, the payment per month was less that what he would have to pay if he hired us only for the duration of the scriptwriting, but considering we are going to be staying with the company for a while even during filming would make us a lot more expensive than the previous option,” Dan, who was sitting next to Silvia and Mark mused commented as they ate lunch.

“Perhaps he thinks he can finish the movie shooting very quickly? Or perhaps he thinks there will be lots of revisions which will be important enough to require our presence?” Silvia commented.

However, Mark had a different thought process, “Perhaps, he knows there will be a lot of changes to the script, but more importantly, he wants to keep the same scriptwriters from the first movie, for its sequel… or perhaps trilogy?!”

Silvia and Dan looked at Mark as though he was an alien. Currently, the only successful movie franchise was the James Bond series. Most other attempts could not maintain the charms of their first movies. But Mark was saying that not only did George Lucas want more than one movie for this, but he also had planned for it before even beginning production on the first movie!

“That sounds incredibly fantastical…” Dan noted with a hint of hesitation about Mark’s imagination.

“Yeah…” Silvia was also stunned for a while, but soon recovered and smacked the back of Mark’s head playfully, “Come on, why are you being so serious. We still need to eat and get back to work within the next 15 minutes!”

And with that, the trio returned to silently gobbling up their food before heading back to work.

…

Time gradually passed, and the script was completed. Meanwhile, somewhat known actors like Alec Guinness, Peter Cushing, and Mark Hamill already had their auditions completed, and their agents were performing negotiations for higher wages for the movie.

On the other hand, many unknown actors were already cast for other roles, like Harrison Ford, having already signed contracts for the same.

Though, Mark was not involved in any of this, and instead put most of his off-hours writing Solo Levelling, and portions of the Green Mile. At work, they did not have much to do, and instead just spent most of their time helping the other departments in their works. Mark was most interested by the visual effects department.

Currently, it did not have a separate identity, but Mark knew in about a year, George would split the visual effects company into the Industrial Lights and Magic, which would undertake most of the visual effects in Star Wars.

As such, understanding how it worked, even if just an overview, would be beneficial in understanding how far the visual effects of this alternate world really were. Perhaps he was wrong about the timeline, and the visual effects were many years ahead of what he assumed they were, and they could actually produce movies like the Matrix.

And thus, Mark spent a lot of time in that particular department, familiarising himself with the staff who worked there, and also slowly learning a thing or two about the software and hardware they used, and how they did so.

Meanwhile, he was reaching the end of Solo Levelling, as it had been a few months since pre-production of ‘Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope’ began.

[“I… didn’t expect this… It shouldn’t even be possible. The amount of energy needed to connect our two worlds would be impossible to hide. There was no gate here before… So how is it that the Ruler’s army is here?” The Dragon Monarch; Antares, the first and most powerful Monarch, watched the world around him, a long wound originating from his nose-bridge all the way down to his chest, unable to heal by Jason’s powers. The wound was not simple, as blazing red energy was turned into ominous black energy as it constantly spewed from it, the skin around the wound having cracked like glass rather than deforming like skin would. And yet, Jason, the person in question lay on the ground, defeated.]

[Around him, hundreds of thousands of angels with wings made of glowing white energy, and silver-white armour that seemed to be made from otherworldly materials, descended with growing fervour to eliminate their eternal enemies, the Monarchs.]

[“Were you aiming for this from the start? To distort Space and Time to bring your allies to Earth? To distract our armies, and instead use the energy from our unrestrained clashed to make the equivalent of a dungeon gate? And here I thought all you wanted was an undisturbed fight… But, there is no way you could have communicated with the rulers,” the Dragon Monarch was still confused at the current situation and turned to look down at the kneeling Jason, whose clothes had been blown into nothingness, leaving only bits of his shadow-armour in place.]

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[“Oh, but there was… the National-ranked hunters, above S-Rank. Those who had the power equivalent to a nation, who were the vessels of the Rulers. Those vessels are still on Earth…”]

[“I see. So you used the vessels to create a gate to this place. Even if you lost the battle, you would have won the war… Huh… It’s my loss for only looking at the battle,” the Dragon Monarch sighed, resigned to his fate.]

[“It was you right? The one who ordered the other Monarchs to betray their newly fallen comrade and try to kill him?” Jason asked with laboured breaths.]

[“Was it the Monarch of White flame who told you?” The Dragon Monarch raised an eyebrow at the question.]

[Jason simply grinned as he raised his hand, then extended his middle finger, “Ashbourne. Ashbourne told me to send you his regards.”]

[“You b*stard!” Before he could move or say anything further, multiple spears containing powers beyond human comprehension pierced into the Dragon Monarch from all sides.]

[“You ended our war. I don’t know how I could ever show my appreciation.” The Brightest Fragment of the Light, one of the Rulers spoke while approaching Jason from a few inches above the ground, its golden armour and white halo above its head clearly giving away its identity.]

[“I don’t know if this could be called showing your appreciation, but I do have a request. This is something only you can do for me.”]

[“I will do everything within my powers to aid you,” it replied to Jason.]

[“Just once more. Could I use the Cup of Reincarnation just once more?” Jason asked, still kneeling on the ground.]

[“Did you just ask whether you could use the ‘Cup of Reincarnation’ to turn back time?” A flash of light went of from between the four Rulers as they rapidly assessed the request.]

[“That’s right.”]

[“Even if you were to turn back time, the consciousness of the higher beings will still remain. Your’d still do it, even though the deceased Monarchs would come back to life, with their memories from this life still intact?” It asked]

[“That’s right, and once you turn back time, I want you not to send anyone to Earth. No Vessels, not dungeons, no monsters, no awakened, and no mana. I will take care of the Monarchs and their armies by myself in the dimensional gap”]

[“You are willingly taking on the entire war all by yourself… What is your reason for doing this? We’ve used the Cup of Reincarnation many time, but this is by far the best result we have achieved.”]

[Jason stabbed his black dagger with purple inlay into the ground in frustration, “I lost too many people in this battle. And I want to bring them all back.”]

[“The durability of the Cup of Reincarnation has almost been exhausted. If you fail… we won’t be able to turn back time again,” the Ruler said with warning.]

[At this moment, another Ruler spoke up. “If you were to stop now, you would be remembered as the hero who stopped the invasion of the Monarchs. You would be eternalised by the people.”]

[The third Ruler added in warning, “However, no one will remember the fight you are getting into now. If you are to lose, we will be there to continue our fight but the result may not be acceptable to humanity. Even if you are to win, no one will be there to congratulate you.”]

[The first Ruler, the brightest Fragment of light asked once again, “And you still wish to turn back time?”]

[Jason looked down in contemplation, before smiling as though he came to a decision that greatly pleased him. He recalled his mother, his sister, the S-Ranked hunter; Angelina, the hunter of asian descent from the Hunter’s association; Woo Jun-Chul, his best friend; Max, and many others, “I will go back in time.”]

[“So you want to save not just a portion of the world, but the entire world, with your own hands. You will cary on everything by yourself… Reminds me of Ashbourne… your predecessor. I understand your conviction. I wish you the best of luck.”]

[“May your courage save the world and its people”]

‘Haha! Finally done! Now all that is left are the few side-stories, but perhaps it’s best If I don’t make them for the time being. Before I think of releasing the story, perhaps I will think of adding in the side-stories then,’ Mark dropped the pencil, pulled off his spectacles, and stretched out on his chair.

‘Let’s see,’ he then lifted the wristwatch his father had handed down to him as a family tradition, having been his father’s before as well, and noticed it was past 8 pm.

‘Elise should be free by now right? Hmm… let’s wait an hour before calling just in case she is out for dinner,’ Mark nodded as his thought process and returned to his desk, picked up the four notebooks each with around 45 chapters, and put them in the book-shelf that was also part of the rented apartment.

After all, the previous renter was an author, and ended up buying some furniture for the place in exchange for a lower rent. Now that he had shifted, he left the stuff behind for Mark to make full use of.

Then, he took out the half finished script for ‘The Green Mile’ and continued writing it out.

…

December arrived, and Mark got off the bus in the light snow of Christmas. He looked at the sky and smiled as soft flakes of snow fell on his cheeks, causing them and nose to gradually turn red from the cold outside the bus.

Mark patted down his thick coat to make sure he had his wallet, and the gifts for Elise and Eddie before making his way through the cold evening air.

His destination was his old apartment.

‘I got 2 days off from work, but Mom and Dad are still in Phoenix, which is like double the distance from work. So, I’ll be going there next year by plane once I’ve saved up enough monies,’ Mark huffed the air in his lungs to grate up his hands, forming a faint cloud of steam in the process.

Then, he trudged towards Eddie’s home.

‘Hmm, everything is planned out. Tomorrow I am going to meet up with Elise, before returning. Alright, I have $20 to spend here. I suppose I can spend it with Eddie, since the gift for Elise should do. After all, I will only be going to her rented apartment for a few hours, just to spend some time together. Hmm, on second thought, I should keep $10 with me just in case,’ Mark mused while walking on the snowy streets.