A widower's entertainment

Chapter 381 [Big News] (Please Subscribe)

Xu Feng undoubtedly wanted to acquire Lin Youcheng's screenplay "Infernal Affairs." Lin Youcheng also mentioned that Warner Bros. in Hollywood was interested in the story and planned to buy the screenplay rights, which surprised Xu Feng.

"Youcheng, do you mean that Warner Bros. is also planning to make a film based on the story of 'Infernal Affairs'?"

Lin Youcheng nodded and said, "Yes, George is also very interested in this script. The United States also has black gangs, and they think the plot of black gang undercover agents and police undercover agents is quite wonderful."

Lin Youcheng would naturally not refuse Warner Bros.' script collaboration, as it would mean a substantial script copyright fee.

In reality, the Hong Kong version of *Infernal Affairs* and the American version of *The Departed* don't have many plot differences, since the characters' fates are the core of the story. Compared to *Infernal Affairs*, the main characters in *The Departed* remain largely the same, and even some important plot points are identical.

Of course, cultural differences will lead to some variations. For example, in handling inner monologues and psychological scenes, the Hong Kong version is more delicate and gentle, with a natural and smooth flow of emotions throughout the film. At the final point of conflict, the emotional outburst is like a torrent, combining movement and stillness to create a powerful visual and emotional impact.

In contrast, the American version of the film is permeated with a tense and high-pressure atmosphere. Western culture tends towards self-expression, while Eastern culture is more reserved, leading to drastically different artistic presentations. This difference may be related to the differences between Eastern and Western cultures; Eastern culture values ​​keeping emotions hidden, while Western culture emphasizes self-expression and performance. This is largely due to the actors from different cultural backgrounds choosing different modes of expression, thus presenting different artistic effects, and of course, how the director films the story.

As for the film scripts, they are undoubtedly excellent.

Xu Feng was surprised that Warner Bros. in the United States was also going to film this story. However, she knew very well that the script was so excellent that any film company or producer with a discerning eye would not miss it. This meant that the United States and Hong Kong might be able to film two different versions of "Infernal Affairs".

Xu Feng knew even more clearly that if she was unwilling, Lin Youcheng could easily find another Hong Kong film company to film "Infernal Affairs". Moreover, even if the United States were to film this story, it wouldn't have a significant impact on the Hong Kong film market. The most likely outcome would be a comparison between the two versions of "Infernal Affairs". If the story wasn't filmed well, especially compared to the American version, it would undoubtedly be a very bad thing.

Even so, Xu Feng had no reason to refuse. The decision was actually in Lin Youcheng's hands, and Lin Youcheng could have simply not given her the script.

In fact, Warner Bros. had the same idea. The decision-making power for this script was in Lin Youcheng's hands. Especially now, there were many film and television companies that wanted to work with Lin Youcheng as a screenwriter. If Warner Bros. did not agree, it would naturally mean that Lin Youcheng could find other companies to work with.

Xu Feng looked at Lin Youcheng and couldn't help but say, "Youcheng, although we were going to make sure we did a good job filming your script anyway, the pressure is even greater now. If the final product isn't as good as the one filmed by the Americans, that would be really bad."

Lin Youcheng couldn't help but laugh when he heard Xu Feng's words. He understood what Xu Feng meant, thought for a moment, and said, "Actually, the most crucial thing about this script is the actors. The acting skills of the main actors in this story are very important, especially the two male leads."

Hearing Lin Youcheng say this, Xu Feng naturally understood that this was no ordinary police and gangster film. The actors were the most important, after all, one of them was a policeman who was undercover in the underworld, and the other was a member of the underworld who was undercover in the police and wanted to be a good person. Just like the title of the movie, "Infernal Affairs", it was about people walking in the infernal hell. Such roles were definitely quite challenging for the actors.

"Yau-shing, do you know anything about the actors from Hong Kong? Who do you think would be suitable to play Chan Wing-yan, or Lau Kin-ming?"

Xu Feng didn't know if Lin Youcheng was familiar with the actors in Hong Kong. Lin Youcheng had always lived in mainland China. This police and gangster film focused more on the characters and their internal struggles and conflicts, rather than large-scale gunfights and explosions. Clearly, this was something Lin Youcheng, as the author and screenwriter, was better at. That's why Xu Feng asked Lin Youcheng if he was familiar with the actors in Hong Kong and wanted to hear his opinion on the casting.

Lin Youcheng actually knew which actors in Hong Kong had outstanding acting skills, and he was even more aware that the original cast of "Infernal Affairs" was excellent. Whether it was Andy Lau or Tony Leung, their performances in "Infernal Affairs" were absolutely classic. Tony Leung's acting skills were, of course, beyond question; his face possessed a sensitive, dreamy, and yearning quality, with a natural hint of melancholy in his eyes. He later won the Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Actor for this role.

Back then, Liu Jialing once said that when filming "Infernal Affairs," Tony Leung only worked three or four hours a day before going home, and filming was completed in just over twenty days. Afterward, he won numerous awards. Acting is undeniably a talent. As for Andy Lau, it was completely different. He put a lot of effort into this role. Lau Kin-ming's ambition achieved a qualitative leap under Lau Tak-hua's perfect performance, which earned him the Best Actor award at the Taiwan Golden Horse Awards.

As for whether these two actors can play their roles well, Lin Youcheng is not sure. Liang Chaowei's acting skills are not a problem. He has won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor twice and also played the male lead in Hou Xiaoxian's Golden Lion Award-winning film "A City of Sadness". It seems that he will also star in the drama action film "Hard Boiled" directed by Wu Yusen this year. Coincidentally, he also plays a tragic undercover agent with inner conflicts in the film. The key is that because his role in this film is very important, he refused to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor again by the Hong Kong Film Awards.

As for Andy Lau, he was nominated for Best Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards for his role in "As Tears Go By," but it's too early to say for sure, and neither of them may have that kind of experience yet.

Lin Youcheng thought for a moment and said, "I may not be very familiar with the actors from Hong Kong. Tony Leung is a very good actor, as is Andy Lau. In addition, Tony Leung Ka-fai is also a very good actor. You can also consider him."

Actually, there are quite a few actors with excellent acting skills in Hong Kong now, such as Chow Yun-fat and Leslie Cheung, who is currently starring in "Farewell My Concubine".

Xu Feng, overhearing Lin Youcheng mention these actors, knew that Tony Leung Ka-fai and Lin Youcheng had both starred in Lin Youcheng's film "The Message," and was well aware of Tony Leung Ka-fai's excellent acting skills. He also knew that Tony Leung Chiu-wai's acting was naturally very good, and as for Andy Lau—

Xu Feng thought for a moment and said, "

Upon hearing Xu Feng's words, Lin Youcheng smiled and said, "When the time comes, you can just take the script back to Hong Kong and tell the outside world that the roles in the script are very challenging and require acting skills at the level of an award-winning actor. Then actors might come knocking on your door."

Upon hearing Lin Youcheng's words, Xu Feng couldn't help but smile and nod, agreeing with Lin Youcheng's point.

If their company were to collaborate with Lin Youcheng, a renowned writer and screenwriter from mainland China, and the script were exceptionally good, actors would likely flock to them. After all, truly excellent scripts and roles have a fatal attraction for good actors; they would probably all be vying to act in the production.

Not only did news of Xu Feng's Hong Kong film company collaborating with Lin Youcheng spread in Hong Kong, but it also reached the mainland film industry. The news here was even more astonishing: Lin Youcheng had written a script that both the US and Hong Kong were vying to film. Lin Youcheng had sold the same story to both Hong Kong and the US simultaneously, and the script fees were, as always, exorbitant. This news truly shocked many in the industry.

A script was sold to companies in both the United States and Hong Kong!
This is absolutely amazing!

Many people in the literary and film circles had already heard about Lin Youcheng's previous script sale to a Hollywood company in the United States for a million foreign exchange. Now, the same script was being bought by both the United States and Hong Kong at the same time, and the fees were not low. Naturally, they were all shocked when they heard the news.

"Really? He even gave it to a Hong Kong film company?"

Wang Shuo from Haima Film Studio naturally heard about this as well. He heard that Lin Youcheng had sold another script to a company in the United States, and it was probably another million dollars in royalties. This would naturally make the group of literary and artistic workers in the Beijing circle who work in film and television and write scripts feel shocked and envious.

Ma Wei nodded and said, "It's true, and I've also heard that the script is amazing!"

Wang Shuo was genuinely surprised that Lin Youcheng was not only collaborating with film companies in Hollywood, but also with film companies in Hong Kong. In fact, it wasn't unusual for them to collaborate with film companies there, given Lin Youcheng's reputation as a screenwriter; even director Hou Xiaoxian from Taiwan had worked with him. However, none of them expected that Lin Youcheng's script would actually earn them two cents.

This really made those of them who write stories with their pens envious and jealous from the bottom of their hearts!

Wang Shuo couldn't help but exclaim, "Lin Youcheng is truly amazing!"

"Who says it isn't?"

These words also reflect the sentiments of others.

Ma Weidu couldn't help but sigh, "I wonder what kind of story Lin Youcheng wrote this time, that both the United States and Hong Kong have taken a liking to it."

"His stories must be extraordinary!"

Just as people at Haima Film Studio exclaimed, the Hong Kong film industry also heard that Xu Feng's Wan Chen Film Company was going to collaborate with Lin Youcheng. Lin Youcheng had written a pretty amazing script with two male leads and very challenging roles for the actors. It was also said that Warner Bros. in the United States had taken a liking to the script and bought it. Naturally, people in the Hong Kong industry were very curious about what kind of script it was.

In fact, Lin Youcheng is a very well-known writer and screenwriter in Hong Kong. His novels have all been published in Hong Kong, making him a truly famous author. His novel "The Devotion of Suspect X" shocked the entire Hong Kong. It's worth noting that although the film version of "The Devotion of Suspect X" was not released in mainland China, it was shown in Hong Kong, which further boosted Lin Youcheng's fame. Not to mention that Lin Youcheng's other novels are also quite classic.

If Lin Youcheng weren't in Hong Kong, but was, without anyone backing him up or a certain status, this great screenwriter might have his scripts written at gunpoint by gangsters.

Although it's an exaggeration, there's no way around it. In the world of martial arts, a person's reputation precedes them. Lin Youcheng's works, such as "The Message," "Atonement," and "The Untouchable Lover," are quite influential in Hong Kong, especially among cultural figures who greatly admire him.

It's a pity that the author Lin Youcheng has always stayed in mainland China and has never been to Hong Kong. Even when invited by publishing companies, he never went to Hong Kong, which is a great regret for many readers who love his works.

Now, Xu Feng is actually going to collaborate with Lin Youcheng. There are even insider rumors that the movie script Lin Youcheng is writing is very suitable for the Hong Kong film market as a police and gangster film, and it is a very special and outstanding police and gangster film.

How could this not excite Hong Kong filmmakers?

To be honest, when news of this incredibly amazing script came out, the most excited person wasn't the actors, but the director.

There are quite a few Hong Kong directors who want to collaborate with screenwriter Lam Yau-shing, especially since the script is said to be a crime thriller, which is sure to surprise those directors.

Lin Youcheng, that famous writer from mainland China, can actually write screenplays for crime films?
What kind of police and gangster story is this? And just how amazing is it?

Now that he has the opportunity to work with screenwriter Lin Youcheng, other film companies and directors will naturally approach Xu Feng to discuss collaborations, all of which are motivated by the script.

Because this script was written by the literary giant Lin Youcheng, a script that Hollywood is vying for!

(End of this chapter)