Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 625: Let’s Fight Head-on
Warner.

After Nolan invited Matt Damon to join "The Martian", Warner Bros. acted quickly.

Almost as soon as the contract was signed, relevant content was reported in the media.

"The Martian, co-produced by Warner Bros., Tomorrow Star Films, and China Film Group Corporation, directed by Christopher Nolan, and written by Hollywood's best director Gu Wei, will officially start filming at the end of February next year. Warner Bros. is currently stepping up its selection of filming locations."

"Hollywood superstar Matt Damon announced his participation in The Martian, and celebrities such as Jessica Chastain and Kristen Wiig have also announced their participation."

"It is reported that Matt Damon has previously auditioned for Universal's Jurassic World and Gu Wei's Rise of the Planet of the Apes..."

When the Hollywood media news came back to China, the domestic entertainment stars remained silent.

"Is this the gap? We can't even get a supporting role or a guest role, but they were invited to three big movies at the same time."

Meanwhile, Universal failed to invite Matt Damon.

The list of male and female protagonists of "Jurassic World" was also announced.

"Jurassic World, produced by Universal Pictures, directed by Chinese director Zhang Yimou and supervised by Spielberg and Gu Wei, will be launched in January next year."

"Hollywood superstar Mark Wahlberg joins Jurassic World as the male lead."

"It is reported that Transformers 4: Age of Extinction starring Mark Wahlberg will be released in North America in June next year."

"After Mark Wahlberg, Hollywood stars such as Bryce, Sam Neill, and Laura Dern have joined Jurassic World."

My goodness, when Gu Wei saw the news, he really didn't expect Universal to choose Mark Wahlberg in the end.

But think about it, Mark Wahlberg's experience is very American. He was a problem teenager when he was young and had been in prison. Later, he turned over a new leaf and started acting. After more than ten years of development, he became a first-line superstar.

He has worked with Leonardo DiCaprio and others, especially in the recent filming of "Transformers 4", which is extremely popular.

It completely meets Universal's requirements for big-name stars to star. The key is that Gu Wei always feels that Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon are a bit similar. Maybe Universal likes this?
...

Tomorrow Star Films.

It was still the same place where Matt Damon came last time, but today the people who came were Jason Statham and Scarlett Johansson.

"What to drink?" Reid asked with a smile.

"Coffee, thank you." Scarlett Johansson asked with a smile, and Jason Statham nodded with a smile.

Afterwards, while the two men were drinking coffee, Gu Wei next to them handed each of them a document.

"Read the script first, then decide whether to accept the role."

For more than half an hour afterwards, the only sound in the room was the rustling of pages.

"How is it?" Gu Wei asked with a smile when he saw the two of them close the script.

"Gu, no problem. I like the script very much. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I will use my best condition to complete this work."

The person who said this is Jason Statham. Constrained by the shackles of a fixed character image, he desperately hopes to break free from the image in the minds of fans and audiences.

Jason Statham accepted the role without much hesitation. He didn't care at all about the fact that the ape had more scenes than the male lead in the script and that the male lead had very few scenes.

"Gu, I'm very glad to receive your invitation. I think we will have a pleasant cooperation in the future." Scarlett, wearing a gray tight sweater that highlighted her sexy figure, said with a smile.

"But I still want to say that the heroine has too few roles." Scarlett Johansson then complained.

"Haha." Hearing this, Gu Wei couldn't help but laugh.

There is no way. Speaking of the movie "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", the main character is actually the "apes", otherwise Warner would not have completely handed over the casting to Gu Wei.

Because they know that no matter how many real actors there are, once the movie is released, the audience's attention will be firmly attracted by the "apes".

"Warner has already completed most of the special effects for this movie. The remaining scenes will probably be finished within half a year. As for your scenes, they will be finished in three months at most."

"That is to say, although your roles are not many, you can participate in a Hollywood blockbuster with a huge investment in a relatively short period of time, and it will not delay your acceptance of other film scripts in the second half of next year."

Upon hearing this, Jason Statham and Scarlett Johansson's eyes lit up.

"Gu, when will the contract be signed?" At this moment, Scarlett Johansson was a little impatient.

"at any time."

.........

12 month 1 number.

The Chinese New Year holiday season and the North American Christmas season have begun.

In the North American market, the box office of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" continues to soar.

As a movie with a strong female lead, Jennifer Lawrence's popularity has skyrocketed. In the 2013 Hollywood actress income ranking list selected by Time magazine, Jennifer Lawrence ranked second, only behind Angelina Jolie.

The British film magazine Empire selected the 2013 sexiest actresses of , and Jennifer Lawrence ranked third, followed by Emma Watson and Scarlett Johansson.

The huge increase in her star status made Jennifer Lawrence a little proud. When interviewed by media reporters, she actually echoed the statement previously released by Lionsgate.

At the same time, Hollywood media also reported on the cast of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes".

"Jointly produced by Tomorrow Star Films and Warner Bros. and directed by world-class director Gu Wei, Rise of the Planet of the Apes will start filming in mid-December."

"Scarlett Johansson, Jason Statham, Jake Gyllenhaal and others have announced they will be joining the film."

Also reported were statements from Tomorrow Star Films and Appian Way.

“Both the Chinese film market and the North American film market are fair and open competition environments.

Lionsgate blamed others for the failure of The Hunger Games 2 in the Chinese market, which is a cowardly act, but it also shows that this movie is a fan movie, and the acceptance of overseas audiences is not high except in the North American market. "

Appian Way’s statement: “The Revenant is a film that is no less than The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. In terms of film quality and content, The Revenant can be declared the winner unilaterally in advance. After all, our film is going to participate in the Oscars.”

After the company’s statement was released, Gu Wei made an appointment with several Hollywood media and conducted an exclusive interview with Lionsgate.

Since it's an interview, there must be a script.

At first, media reporters praised the box office of "The Hunger Games 2", praising it for breaking several Hollywood 2D movie box office records.

Then the reporter changed the subject and asked directly: "Gu, in addition to the public statement made by Tomorrow Star Films, do you have anything else to say about the recent remarks made by Lionsgate?"

"Haha, in my opinion, Lionsgate is nothing. The box office of The Hunger Games 2 is also average. Even if the global box office of this movie exceeds one billion US dollars, in my opinion, this movie is still worthless. It is not an exaggeration to call it a bad movie."

"What the hell." The reporter who was interviewing the question was stunned, and was thinking, "Brother, why don't you follow the routine?"

"Gu, are you sure this part doesn't need to be deleted?" the New York Times reporter asked cautiously.

"Need not."

"Okay, let's continue the interview?"

Afterwards, Gu Wei even shouted to Lionsgate, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes can be released as early as October next year. If Lionsgate does not agree with what I said today, you can also release The Hunger Games 3 in October next year."

“If you have the guts, let’s fight it head-on.” Gu Wei ended with this sentence.

The reporters in charge of the interview could no longer contain their excitement, and they couldn't wait to report the story as soon as the interview was over to attract traffic.

...

At the same time, the statement and interview video were spread to China, and the mainland entertainment circle exploded, exploding in the middle of the night.

"Fuck! Director Gu is directly confronting a Hollywood film and television company."

"Director Gu is awesome. We really can't spoil them. Their own movies are not popular in China, but they blame this and that. Haha." "It's too close to the action. I wonder if Lionsgate will release The Hunger Games 3 to compete with Rise of the Planet of the Apes in the same schedule."

At the same time, not only was the internet bustling with activity, but actors and production companies in the film and television industry were even more excited.

"How powerful is Gu Wei in Hollywood that he can even criticize Lionsgate directly."

"The key is that Warner Bros. is also supportive. It seems that Gu Wei is very confident in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes."

"Haha, it's not one of the Big Six in Hollywood, so Gu Wei can only argue with second-rate companies like Lionsgate."

.........

In the following days, after Gu Wei accepted two rounds of interviews with reporters, he devoted himself to preparing for the public relations receptions for "The Revenant" and "Parasite".

Lionsgate, on the other hand, has been slow to respond, with many Hollywood media outlets even joking that Lionsgate had backed down.

"The PR company has screened the Academy judges who are interested in this type of film, as well as Academy members who can be recruited, and has sent them invitations and gifts.

It is impossible for many judges to come to a cocktail party. After all, according to the rules of the academy, each academy member can only attend three public relations cocktail parties before each vote, and they will also carefully consider where to go. "

"Is this why so many cocktail parties are held for a movie?" Gu Wei asked with interest.

"That's right, this is how award season PR receptions are played. They've been doing it for decades, and I heard they've added a lot of new tricks recently." Reid replied with a lewd smile.

Every year's award season is the party and carnival season for each crew. Countless directors and filmmakers will have close contact with many actresses and have a lot of fun.

...

In the next few days, Gu Wei, together with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy and other main creators of the film.

A movie reception, commonly known as a public relations reception, was held in Hollywood in the name of Tomorrow's Star Pictures and Appian Way.

The company responsible for public relations business will provide assistance.

The guests on the scene included Nolan, Nicole Kidman, Matt Damon, heads of various companies such as Universal, Warner, and Disney, as well as many Hollywood actors and filmmakers.

Of course, the most important ones are naturally the nearly one hundred members of the academy.

The PR reception had a large scale, with a total of four to five hundred guests.

A PR cocktail party is not just about eating, drinking and socializing.

Gu Wei needs to promote and explain the connotation and profound meaning of this film on stage with the main creators. In short, he wants everyone to understand and support this film.

Don’t think that many people can fully understand this movie after watching it. In fact, it contains many meaningful scenes.

The cocktail party was only halfway through, but Gu Wei was already feeling extremely tired. To be frank, he had never felt so tired even in China.

Afterwards, Gu Wei glanced at Leonardo. This guy was extremely energetic and had not rested since the cocktail party started.

He was chatting and laughing in front of a group of Oscar Academy judges, and his face was almost wrinkled with laughter.

That's right, Leonardo would only look like this in front of Oscar.

Tom Hardy also worked very hard. No aspiring actor can resist the temptation of an Oscar.

"Boss, this reception is over. There will be another one in a week."

Reid ran to Gu Wei with a glass of wine and reminded him.

"I understand." Hearing this, Gu Wei said lightly.

"When does the cocktail party for Parasite start?" After a little thought, Gu Wei continued.

"In the second half of the month, at the earliest after the Golden Globe nominations are announced," Reid responded.

...

The cocktail party lasted for more than four hours.

It just ended and the media reported it immediately. It was very successful in terms of exposure, especially after Gu Wei and Leonardo spoke out, more and more audiences are paying attention to this movie.

Even many fans who have watched "The Revenant" posted comments online.

"Leon's acting skills deserve recognition, and I believe the Oscars will not disappoint him this time."

"The United States is a democratic and free country. Just as Gu said, if you have the guts, let's face it head-on instead of playing tricks on public opinion."

“I look forward to The Revenant winning an Oscar. Gu’s directing talent and Leonardo’s acting skills are both impressive.”

Afterwards, Gu Wei and Leonardo chatted alone for a while.

"The list of nominees for this year's Oscars will be announced in mid-January. By then, we'll know whether our film has a chance."

"The filming of 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' will start within a week at the latest, and the next half month or so will be left to you." Gu Wei said with a smile.

You should know that the deadline for the first round of public relations is the end of December, because the academy will start voting from the beginning of January.

As for whether there will be a second round of public relations, it depends on whether "The Revenant" is on the list in mid-next month.

"Gu, don't worry. Strictly speaking, the cocktail party is just a platform to build relationships and promote the movie. The real public relations are all done in private, such as..."

It has to be said that Leonardo is indeed familiar with the routine of Oscar public relations and knows it like the back of his hand.

…………

The media here in China has been paying attention to news from Hollywood.

Because this is Gu Wei's second foreign language film to be nominated for an Oscar, and recalling the award won by "The Pursuit of Happyness", many fans expressed their expectations.

Zhang Yimou once again made a bid for the Best Foreign Language Film with "Parasite", and received no less attention in China than Gu Wei.

Nearing 10 o'clock in the evening, news about Gu Wei appeared in mainland movie information, and it directly landed on the front page.

"The foreign language film The Revenant, directed by Gu Wei and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, held a cocktail party today. There were many guests on site. The film was well received by many members of the Academy of Oscars."

"This is the second foreign-language film directed by mainland director Gu Wei that is expected to win an Oscar. Currently, The Revenant has received a lot of positive reviews from major film forums in North America..."

……

The battle for the Lunar New Year box office at the end of 2013 has already begun.

Various films are being promoted in full swing, including "Grave Robbers' Chronicles", produced by Shanghai Film Group and starring Lu Han and Jing Boran.

The film is scheduled to be released on December 12th, and the premiere will be on the 13rd.

In the original time and space, the movie "Grave Robbers' Chronicles" was also a typical bad movie with an inexplicable plot and mediocre special effects, which was deeply criticized by audiences and fans.

Now, since the special effects of this movie are produced by Star Films, the movie is highly anticipated by the audience before it is released.

At the same time, the postponed "The Wandering Earth" officially ended its public release.

The box office result of 31.56 billion made many film and television companies in the industry dizzy.

My goodness, we were still talking about the box office of 1 billion, but you ended up with 3 billion.

"You're not going to let me play with you anymore. This is really annoying."

Although many people were mentally prepared, some people couldn't help but complain after seeing the final data.

.........

(End of this chapter)