Right Faces. And [The Hangover] Multiverse…?

…..

"Haaha, that was funny!" Regal burst out suddenly, a sharp bark of laughter escaping before anyone had time to brace for it.

Regal let out a loud laugh - sudden and sharp, like it punched out of his chest before anyone had time to react.

"God." He said, still chuckling. "What was that?"

Everyone turned to look at him, blinking like the projection had just exploded.

Samantha didn't even flinch. She just quietly pressed her lips together. She had heard that laugh before - usually right before Regal did something impulsive. Signed someone on the spot. Or tossed the script. Or both.

Regal pointed at the monitor, now frozen on a blurry frame of the red-headed kid mid-jig. "Who is this? What is his name?"

He already knew it. Of course he did. Also, he just liked asking, liked watching people scramble for the answer, liked the sound of the name out loud when he was excited about someone.

Eliot didn't miss a beat. "Rupert Grint a Eleven from Harlow haven't done much except for some school plays and a few local theatre groups. That is about it."

Regal gave a small nod, appreciating the clarity. He liked how Eliot never wasted words. But when he glanced around the room and saw the still-lingering confusion - or worse, doubt - he raised a brow.

"Well?" He said, voice calm but carrying enough weight to cut through the silence. "Thoughts?"

Nobody spoke at first.

Catherine sat back slowly, arms crossed, eyebrows already halfway to the ceiling. "Jesus Christ." She muttered, half-laughing. "That kid's out of his mind."

Beside her, casting director Eliot nodded slowly, lips pursed in a diplomatic squint. "It was… definitely different. Creative. Maybe a bit too creative?"

Regal turned to her, eyes alight. "You saw that! The nerve, the chaos, the completely unnecessary moonwalk - tell me you have ever seen another kid try to audition like that. Just one."

"I haven't." She said flatly. "And I thank every god in every pantheon for it."

"Oh come on." Regal waved a hand. "You don't get Ron Weasley by picking the kid who walks in and recites lines like a BBC drama extra. You get Ron by picking this feral goblin - who turns his mother's bath towel into Hogwarts couture and gives you five characters in under two minutes without flinching."

He turned back to the screen, even though it was black now. Still almost expecting Rupert to pop up one last time with sock puppets or juggling rats.

Regal continued. "Trust me he has got instinct. He knows how to hold attention - even when he doesn't know what the hell he is doing. That is Ron. Ron is not the hero, he is not the genius, he is the awkward one who accidentally steals every scene because he feels real… and that kid right there is the only one who made me feel like that."

Eliot exhaled, shifting in his seat. "I admit… when he said 'She is a nightmare, honestly' - he was Ron. Even the way he flubbed the line felt authentic. Like a kid who meant it, not an actor pretending."

"That is what I am saying." Regal said, now standing. "And look at the courage. He tried everything. Rap, impressions, slapstick, even Shakespeare-by-way-of-bowel-gas. That's a kid who wants it. Badly."

Catherine sighed, finally cracking a reluctant smile. "Or he had too much sugar and no adult supervision."

"Same difference." Regal muttered, pacing. "Do you know how many polished, well-spoken children we have seen this week? All bright-eyed, stage-schooled, and utterly… forgettable."

He stopped and pointed to the dark screen. "I won't forget that."

"But he moonwalked." Catherine muttered.

"Exactly."

"I don't think Ron moonwalks."

"No." Regal said, turning back to her. "But Ron would try to moonwalk if he thought it would impress Hermione and then trip over his own foot and land in a bucket. That's the energy this kid has."

Samantha, still sitting quietly in the corner, finally spoke up. "So… I am guessing you are not open to debate here?"

Regal stopped pacing. "Not even slightly."

Another pause.

Catherine glanced at Eliot. He just raised his eyebrows and went back to flipping through his notes.

Catherine let out a long breath, shook her head, and finally said. "Alright. Fine. Let's bring him in. Just… maybe tell him to skip the rap next time."

"...why though?" Regal grinned. "I kinda want to see what he does next."

Samantha scribbled something in her binder. Eliot started pulling scene sides. Catherine rolled her eyes but didn't bother fighting it anymore.

And somewhere far off in a ginger-colored bedroom, a boy named Rupert Grint was probably tying a second popcorn chain just in case.

The Ron Weasley era had just begun.

…..

Regal had already considered it - of course he had.

The thought of finding and reassembling the original cast of [Harry Potter] in this parallel world had lingered in the back of his mind from the very start.

It wasn't just a nostalgic impulse. It was a strategy. Those actors had, in another universe, embodied the soul of the story so completely that their faces had become inseparable from the magic itself.

Especially the main trio - Harry, Ron, and Hermione's.

But the reality is not so easy.

[Harry Potter] is the debut film for all of the child actors. And the major older characters were also unknowns, or hadn't had a breakthrough yet.

So he gave up on them.

….well of course aside from the two people he was adamant on finding, and had been in search of them for the past one year, even before working on [The Hangover].

He already is in contact with one of them.

A man Regal had quietly and persistently stayed in contact with for months now. The only veteran actor with enough gravity to play the role Regal had envisioned - someone Regal had already sent the script to, whose silence in response was not rejection, but a sign of thoughtful consideration.

And Regal was willing to wait for that, yes.

And the other one?

…that hasn't got anywhere.

Still, outside of those two exceptions, he had no way of finding the others.

So, he had to leave the rest to fate.

Or perhaps, more accurately - leave it to luck.

And already receiving the potential actors for the major roles, he is not very hopeful of that. 

Still, he wasn't to be disappointed by that.

Because, he didn't need the same faces.

He needed the right ones.

…..

[Same Day]

…..

As this was happening - [The Hangover] is nearing the end of its theatrical run.

By now most of the audience had already watched the film, and are even going for their third and fourth rewatch.

And that's when, the insiders thought the film collection would be dropped, a new wave of sections rose from slumber.

The detailing freaks.

And just on time, a thread posted on the second week of the film release went viral with thousands of replies and hundreds of shares.

====

CineCircle.com → Forum Thread

[Thread Title: "Regal's [The Hangover] is hiding something INSANE. Not kidding."]

Started by: @filmnut43 | Posted: August 9, 2012 | 1:21 PM

└ @filmnut43: Okay so I rewatched [The Hangover] for like the third time today with my cousin who hadn't seen it yet. I SWEAR during the casino scene at 1hr27min there is a dude squatting next to a slot machine… barefoot… in a white shirt… eating sugar cubes?? I paused it. I zoomed in. IT'S. L. From [Death Note].

└ @elizabethk33: …You mean the guy from Regal's last film? No way. You sure it's not just a coincidence?

└ @filmnut43: Not just the look. The pose. The blank stare. The way he's completely isolated in the background, like he is not part of the scene. It's the exact same crouch from the scene in [Death Note] when he's analyzing the fake Kira broadcast. Same lighting too, somehow?? Someone PLEASE check it. I'm not crazy.

└ @scriptjunkie89: HOLY. I just popped in my DVD. You're right. That's not even subtle. He is literally crouched next to a slot machine in the middle of Caesar's floor and no one acknowledges him. He is lit differently. The extras walk AROUND him. Like he is not even in their dimension.

└ @MalcolmJ92: This might sound nuts but... go to the 45-minute mark when Stu's yelling on the phone with his girlfriend. In the reflection off the hotel glass behind him - there is a guy in a long black coat, black gloves, and this tired stare… It's the Cobb from the [Following]. Same actor. Same duffel bag. Same f**king walk.

└ @cinemaddict: HAHAHA stopppp. Are you telling me Regal snuck his old characters into [The Hangover] like easter eggs? Is he creating a stealth cinematic universe without even telling the studios??

└ @lightandlies: This might be real. Go to the minibar scene. When Alan opens the fridge and starts rummaging around, look behind the weird Japanese candy bar he picks up - there is a folded paper.

====

There is an image attached to it, where the guy had clicked the photo and somehow enhanced it. And when translated, it says 死神 — "Shinigami" - in kanji.

====

└ @filmnut43: …Regal is TROLLING us. Like, deep trolling. How did nobody catch this? It's been months.

└ @reeltheory: Or he is telling us something. Think about it:

Following = Noir paranoia

Death Note = Supernatural thriller

The Hangover = The reality where both smash together, wrapped in a comedy skin

What if it's a covert trilogy?

└ @celluloidbrain: OKAY, this is the image clicked at 1hr10min, when the guys are driving down the Strip and pass a tiny roadside funeral. There is a man under a black umbrella. It's Watari. Same actor, same hair, glasses, everything.

AND THE PHOTO ON THE CASKET?

It's Cobb again? From [Following]. However, he is wearing Bill's outfit. Guess, he finally got his revenge!! Haahaa!!

└ @MalcolmJ92: You are telling me Regal filmed a funeral for the main character of [Following] in the background of [The Hangover]... while L silently watches from a casino corner… and nobody said a word about it for eight months?

└ @hiddenframefan: Regal shot a comedy and buried ghost echoes of his other films in the corners of every frame.

└ @gabgal7: AND in [Death Note], remember when Light writes in his notebook: "Justice is contagious"? In [The Hangover], the graffiti behind the Vegas chapel reads "Contagious Justice."

It's literally tagged over a poster of a dove in chains.

└ @reeltheory: This isn't a comedy anymore. This is a multiversal leak disguised as slapstick. Regal's [The Hangover] is the aftermath of Kira's world collapsing.

====

└@moderator-notes (admin): This thread is now featured on CineCircle's homepage. We have reached out to Regal's team for comment. No official statement yet. Thread remains open for ongoing investigation.

Carry on, detectives!!

====

[Thread Last Updated: August 13, 2012 – 9:02 PM | Views: 186,432]

Status: Pinned. Trending.

.

….

[To be continued…]

★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★

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