The party was still going strong when Cassius slipped out of the ballroom for some air.
His phone had been blowing up all week. Rob called multiple times a day, always starting the same way:
"Any word from Nolan yet?"
"Still nothing," Cassius answered every time.
If the audition had gone well, the offer would've landed in his work email by now—Rob would see it the second it arrived. The constant check-ins were pure nerves. Nobody wanted to walk away from a lead role in a Nolan sci-fi blockbuster.
"Nolan's really taking his time," Rob muttered on the latest call. "I asked around. McConaughey and Fassbender haven't heard anything either. Everyone's just waiting."
Cassius wasn't sweating it.
He'd done everything he could. He'd even spent $800,000 on that dream instance to live Cooper's entire life. The rest was up to the director and producers.
He occasionally checked Twitter and Weibo. The Fast 5 conversation was still red-hot. Box-office numbers updated every day. North America had crossed $330 million. China was even crazier—ten days in and racing toward a billion RMB.
Universal's executives were probably waking up grinning every morning.
His panel showed [Cultural Influence] climbing another five points on its own, from 70 to 75. That was the industry buzz from the movie's runaway success.
The growth was slowing, though.
That afternoon, while scrolling Weibo, Cassius noticed something funny.
#Wang Feng Announces World Tour# had just hit the trending list.
But almost no one was talking about the actual tour. The comments were all tagging him.
"Wang Feng, did you get Cassius's permission before trending?"
"Stay low-key, or your topic might disappear again."
"Cassius, someone's trying to steal your spot!"
Cassius couldn't help laughing. When had he and Wang Feng become permanently linked?
His phone buzzed.
"Hello, is this Mr. Cassius Cass?"
A professional female voice. "This is Syncopy Productions, Christopher Nolan's office. Please hold—Director Nolan would like to speak with you."
Cassius sat up straight.
A few seconds later, Christopher Nolan's calm, precise voice came through.
"Cass."
"Director Nolan."
"We've made our decision."
Cassius's heart gave a solid thump.
A call at this hour could only mean one thing.
Sure enough, Nolan didn't waste time. "After reviewing everything, Jonathan, Emma, and I all agree—you are the best choice for Cooper."
The stone that had been sitting in Cassius's chest finally dropped.
Nolan kept going, direct as always. "Your audition, especially the way you understood the emotional core of the character, convinced us. The age gap can be handled with makeup and performance, but lived-in experience can't be faked."
"Thank you. I won't let you down."
Even though he'd hoped for this, the confirmation still hit hard.
"Details will be sent to your agent shortly. Shooting schedule is six months. We start in January. Locations include Iceland, Canada, and parts of California. Before principal photography you'll go through specialized training—basic astronaut zero-gravity work, plus practical farming. You'll need to learn how to drive a tractor."
Cassius smiled. "No problem. I learn fast."
He had inherited all of Cooper's skills from the dream instance. That part would be second nature.
"On the publicity side," Nolan added, "we've discussed it with Warner. We're not releasing the full plot or final title yet. The official announcement will call the project Future World and describe it as a story about time, space, and human emotion. The fact that you are the first Asian actor to lead one of my films will be highlighted."
Cassius understood. They wanted to use his background and the historic angle to generate buzz. Classic Hollywood marketing.
"I'll cooperate fully with whatever you need."
"Good. Your agent will handle the rest. Welcome aboard, Cass."
The call ended.
Less than ten minutes later, Rob called, voice shaking with excitement.
"Syncopy just sent the contract! Fifteen million base plus backend points!"
"Warner's PR team already has the press release ready. They're dropping it tonight. We need to coordinate your social media announcement!"
Cassius could feel Rob's energy through the phone.
He felt it too.
Starring in a Nolan film meant he had officially entered the absolute top tier of Hollywood. It wasn't just money—it was industry respect.
That same night at eight o'clock, Cassius posted simultaneously on Twitter and Weibo.
The image was simple: black background, white handwritten text that read "The future is coming," with smaller text underneath: "Christopher Nolan's next film is on the way," and his signature at the bottom.
Caption: "Honored to join Christopher Nolan's team. A journey beyond time and space begins. #FutureWorld#"
Nolan's official account posted at the exact same moment—a matching black image.
"Thrilled to announce that Cassius Cass will star in my next film. A story about love, time, and what lies ahead. #FutureWorld#"
Jonathan Nolan retweeted it immediately, adding: "We found our Cooper."
The internet exploded.
The project had been in development for years—script rewrites, director changes, endless casting rumors. Now it was finally real.
And the lead was a Chinese actor.
Entertainment outlets reacted within minutes.
The Hollywood Reporter: "Christopher Nolan's new film Future World locks in Cassius Cass as lead—the first Asian actor to headline a Nolan movie."
Variety: "Cassius Cass beats out Matthew McConaughey and others for Nolan's secretive sci-fi project. Plot and final title still under wraps."
Deadline focused on the bigger picture: "Cassius Cass meteoric rise—from TV sitcom breakout to Green Lantern and The Hunger Games, and now Nolan's lead—marks a breakthrough moment for Asian actors in mainstream Hollywood blockbusters. This could open new doors in casting."
Twitter and Weibo went into overdrive.
#FutureWorld and #CassiusNolan shot straight to the top of trending lists worldwide.
Netizens had a million opinions:
"Cassius? The guy from Fast 5? He's doing a Nolan movie? What?"
"Nolan never picks wrong. Just wait."
"So the Interstellar rumors were true? Cassius as an astronaut?"
"First Chinese actor to lead a Nolan film!"
"His age for a father role? A little skeptical, but Nolan knows what he's doing."
Weibo was even louder.
Three of the top five trending topics belonged to him:
#CassiusJoinsNolanFilm
#FutureWorld
#ChineseActorLeadsNolanMovie
Comments flooded in:
"Cass-ge is unstoppable! Straight to Nolan!"
"Nolan! The guy who made The Dark Knight Rises! Billion-dollar director!"
"So he's on the same level as Bale, Hardy, and Anne Hathaway now?"
"Who was calling him a traffic star again? Face slapped."
"This is real cultural export!"
In a quiet corner of the trending list, Wang Feng's newly announced world tour—which had just clawed its way to #10—quietly vanished.
[Lead Role in Nolan Sci-Fi Film Confirmed]
[Industry Status Significantly Elevated]
[Cultural Influence +25 — Current: 100]
[Your Cultural Influence has upgraded. You now receive Cultural Resonance bonus. As the male lead of a major film, your resonance power increased by 100%.]
Cassius stared at the glowing text in front of him.
His phone started ringing again.
It was Rob.
"Cass—you see the box-office numbers yet?"
Cassius had been half-asleep. He sat up. "What's going on? I thought growth had slowed."
"It did—until now!" Rob sounded like he'd just run a marathon. "Ever since Nolan announced you as his lead, Fast 5's numbers completely flipped!"
Cassius opened the tracking site.
North America's daily figure had just updated.
Yesterday: $8.2 million.
"Wait—weren't they predicting only $1.5 million?"
"The data's correct. And today's presales are already 200% higher than yesterday!"
Rob was talking so fast he was almost out of breath. "Theater chains are saying tons of people are buying tickets specifically because they heard you're doing Nolan's next movie."
"China is even crazier! Yesterday's single-day haul jumped back to 120 million RMB! Weibo is full of people buying extra tickets to help push Fast 5 to a billion!"
Cassius refreshed the global numbers.
The worldwide total, which had been stuck around $890 million, had jumped to $910 million.
Two days. Twenty million dollars.
"Universal went into emergency meetings at four in the morning," Rob said. "Marketing is throwing more money at it—new posters, new trailers, everything focused on your role. They're even pushing the hashtag #HelpFast5HitABillion worldwide."
Cassius laughed quietly.
He had expected some lift, but not this much.
Director Justin Lin called him later that day, voice full of laughter.
"Cass, you see the numbers? You're about to drag this movie into the billion-dollar club!"
"It's the movie's quality," Cassius said. "I just got lucky with the timing."
"Don't be modest!" Justin laughed. "Universal's CEO called me personally this morning. They're increasing the Fast 6 budget by twenty percent because you proved the franchise still has huge upside. He also wants to send you a personal bonus—two hundred thousand dollars after tax—as thanks for the extra revenue you brought in."
Cassius was genuinely surprised. Two hundred thousand after tax wasn't pocket change, even for Hollywood.
"Vin and Paul called too," Justin added, still chuckling. "They said thanks for helping them join the billion-dollar club. Vin even joked he wants 'co-starring with Cassius' written into his next contract as a bonus clause."
Cassius could hear the pure joy in Justin's voice.
There was nothing better than seeing your own film succeed beyond everyone's expectations.
Seven days after the announcement, Fast 5 crossed $970 million worldwide.
Only thirty million left to hit a billion.
Universal pushed harder—more special screenings, discounted tickets, limited posters.
China went even bigger with a "Countdown to a Billion" campaign. Every million tickets sold updated a giant countdown online.
Fans checked in daily:
"Two more tickets today—getting us closer to a billion!"
"Brought the whole family. My parents want you as a son-in-law now!"
"Five-time viewer at this point. I basically know the lines by heart. You owe us dinner when you get back!"
"Told five coworkers in the US to go see it—they all said they didn't expect it to be that good."
Rob called three times a day now, each update more excited than the last.
"Nine hundred and eighty million!"
"Nine hundred and eighty-five!"
"Nine hundred and ninety! Only ten million left!"
The final ten million took four full days to grind through.
By then the movie had already left most theaters, playing in only a handful of locations.
But those last scattered screenings were still packed—fans and curious newcomers filling every seat.
Fifteen days after the Nolan announcement, at two o'clock in the morning, Cassius's phone woke him up.
It was Rob. For once, he didn't speak right away—just heavy breathing.
"Rob?" Cassius sat up. "What happened?"
"We did it!"
Rob's voice cracked with emotion.
"Final updated number—global box office just hit $1.001 billion!"