The King of Directors 2000

Chapter 374 A Completely Different Cheng Long
When Lee Shing Yew was watching the score on the beautiful country movie website, there was a long queue in front of a theater in Los Angeles, and the security guard carefully checked the tickets one by one.

There are two tall women in the team, one of them has blond hair, wearing a short down jacket on the upper body, and a pair of light blue golden jeans on the lower body.

Even in winter, she still looks fashionable, with a bulging figure.

At this time, she crossed her arms and chewed gum. She didn't care about the eyes of the men nearby, and even felt a sense of complacency.

"My dear, there are too many people, we might as well go to bed."

The other tall woman has a fair figure, but her appearance is much worse. Her name is Susan, and she is Blake Lively's manager.

Lively shook his head, "Go to bed after watching this movie, there is no work tomorrow anyway."

Although there are many actors in Hollywood, not only the beautiful country, but also actors from other countries.

But overall, the circle is not that big.

Amanda Seyfried joined the cast of "Taken" and then spent almost four months filming, and the word has long been rumored in Hollywood.

Although the movie only cost $2000 million, it's not a big investment in the beautiful country.But considering Amanda's popularity, everyone thinks she is a lucky girl.

Lively auditioned for "Taken," just one of hundreds of auditions she does over the course of a year.

Still, she was impressed.

Probably because the director is from the East.

Lively has never expressed Amanda's luck, but she is actually very envious. This movie is released today, and it will open to [-] museums. She must watch it.

Not long after, the two entered the theater, and Lively bought a large Coke.

Susan glanced at Coke, hesitated to speak, but finally mustered up her courage, and said in a low voice: "Drinking too much Coke makes you gain weight, Lively, you should control this situation."

Lively curled his lips, "There's no new show, and if you control your weight, what's the problem?"

Even if she is a Hollywood child star, her parents are related practitioners, and she still does not have stable resources.

Hollywood is too crowded, and the competitors of young actors come from all over the world, it is difficult for them to get the opportunity to perform.

She then turned her head and stopped talking to the agent.

Movies are coming out soon.

At the beginning, Cheng Long played the leading role of a Luthor. As a veteran who retired from the special department, he had no time or money, and his ex-wife remarried with his daughter.

He didn't even know what he was supposed to do?
At this time, several old friends approached him, hoping that he would become a bodyguard for a female singer.

The job pays well and the hero agrees.

At the beginning of the movie, Cheng Long's dress was more vicissitudes, like an ordinary uncle.

In fact, whether it is "Rush Hour" or "Tuxedo", Cheng Long is the image of young people.

Lively's eyes widen as she realizes for the first time that the hilariously skilled "Jackie" in the movie is in her fifties.

"Oh, Jackie is so old."

Susan nodded, "I watched his CDs when I was a child. Orientals look younger, but he is actually 52 years old."

Lively didn't understand why Cheng Long was so old in this movie. She took a sip of Coke and continued to watch.

The movie continued. The male lead arranged to protect the female singer. In the dressing room of the performance, when the makeup artist, manager, and show organizers nodded and bowed to the female singer, and flattered the female singer, the male lead stood at the door, watching coldly. Some doubts.

His daughter wants to sing and become a singer, but he doesn't think it's a good job.

But for the sake of his daughter, he still wants to ask.

When everyone else left, the actor asked an ordinary amateur what he should do to become a singer.

The female singer was very surprised when she heard the words. She felt that the bodyguard asked her these questions for no reason.

Who is he, does she need to answer?

The female singer sneered a few words, then left.

The male protagonist was somewhat disappointed, but he didn't say much. He is a person with a strong heart, and he doesn't think there is a problem with his behavior just now.

As a veteran Cheng Long fan, Lively quickly discovered that this character was different from Cheng Long's previous films.

In Cheng Long's previous films, the characters were generally small people, with the mentality of a dog, with a very low profile.

Even in "Rush Hour", he plays a senior policeman, his personality is still very gentle, and he is an honest person.

However, in "Taken", the male protagonist's speech posture and eyes just now show that the male protagonist does not value female singers very much. He is calm, confident and equal in posture.

The plot continues, and soon the daughter arrives in the summer vacation, and goes to Paris with her little sister, and then she is kidnapped.

Through his daughter's mobile phone, the male protagonist said something domineering and revealing.

"Listen, now you let my daughter go, I'll act like nothing happened, you do your thing, I do mine."

"If you don't listen to me, I have learned some skills, I will find you, and you will pay the price."

A male protagonist like Luther directly threatens criminals far away in Paris.

In this episode, the hero's self-confidence, arrogance, and ruthlessness are more obvious.

It is completely different from Cheng Long's previous roles.

Lively couldn't help but waved his fist, "Jackie played a completely different person from before, this is a brand new challenge."

As the plot continued, the hero quickly rushed to Paris, and soon found the gang members who kidnapped his daughter, and then suddenly broke out, killing them cleanly, bloodily and cruelly.

The action style of this section is completely different from Cheng Long's previous movies.

Nothing funny, nothing fancy and superfluous.

All are direct, swift, and deadly methods, making Cheng Long look cool and handsome.

Many people in the theater cheered in low voices, and Lively said to Susan: "It's really a completely different Jackie. His actions just now are so handsome, oh, the style is a bit like "Bourne Shadow", but Jackie is even more handsome. "

Susan glanced at Lively, opened her mouth, but said nothing.

"what do you want to say?"

"Honey, I think Jackie is more attractive in this movie, full of masculine charm, which is a style he has never shown before."

Cheng Long's previous Hollywood movies were better like "Rush Hour". The male protagonist can play, but his personality is relatively honest, and he always suffers in the movie.

The next one is like "Around the World in Eighty Days", which is completely a clown character.

Generally speaking, the masculinity of the characters is relatively low.

Far inferior to the "Chen Jiaju" of Cheng Long when he was young, with charm, personality and characteristics.

Many viewers of Beautiful Country have never watched "Chen Jiaju", and feel that Cheng Long can only play a funny guy.

Such an illusion is actually not suitable for Cheng Long to harvest fans.

But now the leading actor in "Taken" is cold and capable, obviously more masculine.

Lively paused slightly after hearing the words, and then came back to his senses.

Cheng Long is completely different in this movie, he looks older and not funny, but his charm value has indeed improved a lot. She has always thought Cheng Long is handsome just now.

……

While Lively was watching a movie, Amanda also watched a movie with her agent at another movie theater in Los Angeles.

She just finished a day of publicity, and she will go to publicity tomorrow.

This is her first movie with an investment of more than [-] million yuan, and she attaches great importance to it.

Even though she has seen the finished film a long time ago, she still wants to watch it several times, firstly, to deepen her impression and avoid being asked by fans, or when interviewed by reporters, she is not clear about some plots.

The second is to enjoy the applause of the audience.

The film opened in the beautiful country with [-] museums, and it has an excellent reputation. It should be expanded in the future, and there will be more theaters.

Maybe there is a chance for the box office of tens of millions.

Amanda feels very refreshed, watching her work more and more people like it, it feels like flying high.

Her agent is Lawrence, an unknown middle-aged uncle who has been somewhat out of date with the development of the times.

But Amanda's first movie was picked up by Lawrence for her, and she planned to give Lawrence a chance.

She brought Lawrence to watch the movie now, just to let Lawrence see the composition of the movie.

Li Shengyao said that if the effect is good, a sequel will be made later.

Amanda needs Lawrence to understand the importance of this movie, not only to take over the sequel of the movie, but also to ensure her interests, so as not to delay her making money and career development.

The film was shown soon, and Amanda's eyes were locked on the big screen.

Not long after the plot started, the male protagonist asked the female singer untimely, and he got the female singer's eyes.

Amanda likes this setting very much.

Here it seems that the male protagonist is very cool, he doesn't care about other people's opinions, he only has his daughter in his heart.

"Isn't it cool and completely different from the previous movies?"

In ordinary movies, the daughter is rebellious, and the father is a good old man, no matter at home or outside, he is submissive.

But in this movie, the hero is completely different.

Lawrence nodded, "Very interesting arrangement."

Then the daughter was kidnapped, and the hero was calm and steady.

He didn't have enough money, so he asked his ex-wife's current husband to buy him a plane ticket as a matter of course.

He didn't care about those trivial things at all, he only cared about his daughter's safety.

Even though Amanda has watched the finished film, she still has to admire Lee Sung Yew's portrayal of the character here.

"He's a great dad and you feel safe with him."

Amanda's mother is a doctor, her father is a pharmacist, and she has an older sister. The family is harmonious and beautiful. It is a very ordinary and happy family.

As a child, she fantasized about being a superhero herself, and about her father being a superhero.

But her father has a gentle personality, and she always plays.

Later, when she saw the finished film of "Taken", she felt that the actor played by Cheng Long was the image of the cool, omnipotent father in her heart.

The movie continued, the plot came to Paris, the hero found the person who kidnapped his daughter, and then dealt with them cleanly and unceremoniously.

In order to press for his daughter's whereabouts, he directly shocked one of the kidnappers.

Later, he got the news that his daughter was about to be auctioned. In order to know the specific auction location, he found an old friend he knew. The old friend didn't want to say more, so he grabbed the gun and shot his wife in the thigh.

It can be said that he can do anything for his daughter.

This is a father who can fight against the world for his daughter.

When Amanda read the script, she felt that the handling here was too reckless and unkind, but watching the movie at this time, she felt that the actor was too loving, and he really gave everything for his daughter.

"Here's a father who can do anything."

Lawrence nodded with a smile.

As the plot continues, the male protagonist finds his daughter, and then kills all the enemies.

In the end, the wealthy old man who auctioned off his daughter put a knife on his daughter's neck. He wanted to negotiate with the male protagonist, but the male protagonist ignored him at all and shot him in the head.

The theater burst into applause.

It's completely different from the previous movies where I like to be aggressive, and finally have to put down the gun and make a final choice.

The lead actor in this movie is too confident.

"This is the coolest dad I've ever seen."

In front of Amanda, someone in the audience yelled.

Soon more people were whispering.

Amanda patted Lawrence's arm, "This is the movie I found myself, what do you think?"

Lawrence was a little embarrassed. He cleared his throat and said in a low voice: "Amanda, this movie is very good. From my experience, it might be a small hit, and the box office is expected to exceed [-] million."

Amanda expected the film to have a box office of 6000 to [-] million, but she really didn't expect Lawrence to be so optimistic.

"really?"

"I feel like I can."

"Then you should communicate with them properly. I must act in the sequel. Li said that the heroine of the sequel will be more important..."

Amanda paused suddenly while she was talking.

Not only did her agent have to get in touch with the crew of "Taken", but she also had to communicate more with Lee Sheng Yew.

Perhaps some funnier sex toys should be prepared.

This will be more interesting.

……

At the headquarters of Warner Pictures, Toby Emmerich was working overtime in the office when an assistant walked in.

"Sir, "Taken" has a very good reputation. Many theaters have already indicated that they will screen "Taken". Tomorrow, there should be [-] theaters."

"In addition, some analysts believe that today's premiere of "Taken" can reach a box office of 700 million dollars, far ahead of "Revelation" and "Love Vacation."

"Revelation" has attracted a lot of attention by virtue of the promotional slogan of the sequel to "The Passion of the Christ", and opened [-] museums.

The premiere of "Love Holiday" also has [-] halls.

Both films had more openings than "Taken," but far less at the box office.

Toby watched Cheng Long's previous movies, and he didn't think they were very good. Watching one or two movies is enough.

Those funny places make people feel very retarded.

He was naturally very surprised by the word-of-mouth and box office trend of "Taken".

"How could this be? Do audiences still like Jackie's comedies?"

The assistant shook his head, "Sir, according to our information, this movie is completely different from Jackie's previous movies. It has a completely different action style. It is not funny, but it portrays a very powerful and great father."

"Someone has already commented on Rotten Tomatoes, saying that Jackie is the most powerful father in the new century."

"And the box office of this movie should be better than everyone expected."

Toby looked up, his eyes were much more serious.

"why would you say so?"

"According to the information our people inquired, this movie has gained an excellent reputation not only in China, but also in the beautiful country. It has an excellent reputation in Great Britain, France, and Spain. Our marketing department predicts that the movie will The global box office is expected to exceed 5000 million."

"So much? Why does Europe like this movie?"

"In addition to the completely different fighting styles and fatherly love, the most important point is that the villains of this movie are immigrant gangs, and in Europe, audiences have long been tired of those immigrants."

The assistant paused, and then said: "It is said that many people appreciate movies because of this."

Toby nodded, "It turned out to be the reason. This is indeed a direction. We can try this in our future movies."

He thought for a while, then asked, "What's going on with Jackie?"

"He is still doing publicity, I think...he will be more determined to get a share of the global box office. This movie has given him enough capital."

The boss behind New Line Cinema is Warner Bros.

"Rush Hour 3" can also be said to be a Warner movie.

Toby nodded, "We don't need to worry about it, let the people on New Line think about it. I'm more interested in the young director of "Taken" now. He is so young and outstanding. He is definitely a talent."

The assistant didn't answer.

"You told me before that his status in China is very unusual?"

"Yes, he has his own film and television production company in China, with theaters and a distribution company. He is one of the top giants there."

"It's really amazing, but if he wants to make money, he still has to come to Hollywood."

Toby hit the nail on the head, he knew why Lee Sung Yew invited Cheng Long to play "Taken".

The Chinese film market has not yet exploded, and it is difficult to make a profit with a large investment. Only when it is released in a beautiful country can there be a chance.

"You look for the next film project to see if there is one suitable for him. Such a talent should come to Warner."

……

Computers have been popularized in the beautiful country for a long time, but the movie promotion here rarely uses the Internet.

Hollywood's main publicity methods are still traditional TV, radio, and print media.

After Cheng Long came to the beautiful country, he recorded seven TV station talk shows in a row, and just accepted an interview with a Los Angeles radio station.

When he finished his work, it was already twelve o'clock in the night, and he was very tired.

After all, when you are old, you can't compare it with when you were young.

He got in the car, and then asked the driver to go back to the hotel. He wanted to have a good sleep.

At this moment, the assistant next to him cheered.

Cheng Long opened his eyes slightly, "What's the matter?"

"Brother, there is a box office specialist here at Rotten Tomatoes, and according to statistics, "Taken" may have a box office of 700 million on the first day."

Cheng Long's eyes widened when he heard the words, "Really? How many days are you ranked?"

“应该是No.1，No.2的《启示》，No.3的《恋爱假期》，还有No.4的《007:皇家赌场》应该都是200万出头。”

"007: Casino Royale" has been released for two weeks. This movie has earned enough, and the subsequent box office will only decrease.

But "Revelation" and "Love Holiday" are new films, and "Revelation" is still a super blockbuster with more than 3000 studios.

Cheng Long never expected that "Taken" could surpass "Revelation" at the box office on the first day with less than half of the film schedule.

"It's amazing, Director Li is really amazing, haha, they can't underestimate me this time."

The assistant looked excited, and then said: "Brother, "Taken" has a very good reputation on Rotten Tomatoes. Everyone says you are the most powerful father in the new century, and many people praise your action style and say you are not funny. More attractive."

Cheng Long nodded, and then thought of what Li Shengyao said at the beginning, as long as he established his father's personality, he would be popular for another ten years. Now it seems that this first step is solid.

Another ten years of popularity, another ten years of popularity in the beautiful country, this is something that Cheng Long never dared to think about before.

"What about the news from the Mainland?"

"Word-of-mouth in the mainland is very popular, and the box office is also good. It premiered at 1000:[-] on Wednesday night and got [-] to [-] million box office. It may break the record in the first week."

The box office record for the first week in the mainland is exactly the 8000 two million that "The Promise" holds.

But "The Promise" only took three days.

And now "Taken" has five days.

Cheng Long nodded, "Okay, this is good."

"In addition, in Great Britain and France, the Spanish duck has exploded. The British is second only to "007: Casino Royale". In France, the Spanish duck is the top box office in the local area."

Cheng Long is over 50, and he couldn't help pumping his fist excitedly when he heard the words, "This time it's really a global explosion, just like "Rush Hour 1"."

The assistant then scratched his head, hesitated to speak, "There is one more good news."

"You said."

"The box office here on Hong Kong Island is also good, 400 million on the first day,"

Cheng Long was taken aback, somewhat surprised.

The first-day box office record on Hong Kong Island is "Kung Fu", which earned 440 million in one day.

After Cheng Long came back from Hollywood, because of his closeness to the mainland and his daughter, he was not popular in Hong Kong Island.

His previous "New Police Story", "Myth", and "Baby Project", except for "Baby Project", which had a better box office, the other two films only had a few million.

Unexpectedly, this time there will be 400 million on the first day.

He then thought of the style of "Taken" and what Lee Sheng Yew said before, and couldn't help asking: "Are my previous kung fu comedies really outdated?"

The assistant hurriedly shook his head, "No... Brother, your kung fu comedy is still very popular. Doesn't "Baby Project" have a box office of 2000 million in Hong Kong Island? We all support you."

Cheng Long glanced at the assistant and knew in his heart that the assistant was comforting him.

He was a little disappointed, but then he thought of Li Shengyao's words that he could be popular for another ten years, and he immediately regained his spirits.

He is 52 years old, and if he becomes popular for another ten years, he will be over 60, which is enough.

He then took out his mobile phone, intending to communicate with Li Shengyao and enhance their relationship.

The blockbuster filmed in the first step has such a result, it is definitely a genius, a genius at Spielberg's level.

The previous chapter is under review.

(End of this chapter)