Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 722: A Different Kind of "Looking for the Dragon"

The filming site of "Lost in Hong Kong".

The arrival of Gu Wei and Liu Yifei did not interrupt the filming of the crew. Perhaps because the big boss came to inspect in person, Xu Zheng worked even harder.

In the crew, Xu Zheng was acting and directing at the same time, and it took him more than an hour to film a scene until he got a shot that satisfied him.

"Click."

After shouting, many people looked at Xu Zheng, and then they heard him continue to say: "Passed."

Afterwards, Xu Zheng and the staff next to him whispered a few words, then ran over to Gu Wei and said, "Director, Yifei, are you interested in playing a cameo role? Just one or two lines, and just showing your face will be fine."

"Hahaha." Gu Wei was amused and pointed at Xu Zheng and said, "You, you, you're here to visit me and I'm being drafted by you."

Liu Yifei next to her also pursed her lips, trying hard not to laugh.

"Haha, the boss acting in his own movie, how can it be considered as conscription." Huang Bo added with a smile.

"If I could really appear in the same movie with the director, it would be very proud to tell others about it." Wang Baoqiang added with a silly smile.

Several people know that Gu Wei has not played any role in any TV series or movies so far. If he can be persuaded, the bonus to "Lost in Hong Kong" will at least increase the box office by hundreds of millions.

After all, among the big directors in the domestic entertainment industry, Gu Wei has never played a role, which is unique.

"Let me think about it." Gu Wei shook his head. "Well, have you finished filming today's scenes?"

"almost."

"Then let's finish work early. I'll treat everyone to dinner. The restaurant has been booked." Gu Wei said, looking at the time.

"Okay, the director is spending money again." Xu Zheng responded.

"It's okay, everyone, hurry up and clean up." Gu Wei waved his hand.

Within two minutes, cheers were heard from the crew.

"Thank you, Director Xu."

"The big boss is treating us, so don't thank the wrong person."

"Haha, thank you, boss and boss lady."

Ten minutes later, after the group had packed up, they prepared to set off in groups of three or four.

Xu Zheng was in charge of the rear guard, while Gu Wei and Liu Yifei walked into the elevator while chatting with Huang Bo.

“What’s it like filming in Hong Kong Island?”

"It's okay, I just can't feel the prosperous atmosphere of the golden age of Hong Kong films." Huang Bo sighed.

"It's normal. After all, most people have gone north. But you have to pay attention to safety when filming during this period." Gu Wei reminded.

"clear."

The two chatted casually, and suddenly, Gu Wei turned his head and looked at Huang Bo and asked, "Do you have a part tomorrow?"

"Yes in the afternoon, but not in the morning." Huang Bo didn't understand what the other party meant, but he still answered honestly.

"Okay, call me after you finish filming tomorrow and we can meet and talk." Gu Wei nodded and said with a smile.

This time, not only was Huang Bo a little confused, but Wang Baoqiang, who had been silent, also looked at him in surprise.

"Director, what's up?"

"Good thing."

Hearing this, Huang Bo stopped asking questions. He was already feeling a little excited in his heart, and secretly guessed that it might be about Gu Wei's new movie.

Wang Baoqiang seemed to be thinking about something. In his opinion, it was probably not a deliberate new movie, otherwise the other party would not have come over. With just one word, Huang Bo would probably rush over to audition in person.

As the two were making all kinds of speculations, the elevator reached the first floor. As soon as they walked out, they were surrounded by the Hong Kong media people who were waiting there.

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Gu Wei had no choice but to accept the interview.

However, things are not peaceful in Hong Kong Island these past two days.

Or it could be said that things are already a bit chaotic, with many Hong Kong artists making brainless statements and even Jackie Chan's normal appeal being criticized.

So when facing interviews from media reporters, Gu Wei and Liu Yifei basically only answered questions about the movie and did not say a word about other aspects.

...

That night, Gu Wei booked a table at the Peninsula Hotel for all the "Lost in Hong Kong" crew members to have dinner.

After arriving at the hotel entrance, Gu Wei looked at the hotel in front of him, which was known as the Grand Lady of the Far East, and felt a little emotional. There were many stories about the Magic City and Hong Kong Island in that era.

"Tsk tsk, The Peninsula Hotel, the director is really generous."

"The boss is going to spend a lot of money today. A crew of one or two hundred people will come together, and even a few of them will cost millions."

"The Peninsula Hotel. This is my first time here."

Gu Wei heard the discussions around him and raised his lips slightly. Since he was here, he might as well be high-profile to avoid the Hong Kong media reporting something like: "The crew of Lost in Hong Kong is filming in Hong Kong Island, eating boxed lunches and barbecued pork every day, exuding a sense of poverty."

As soon as he entered the hall, Gu Wei received a call from Cheng Long.

"Director Gu, why don't you let me know in advance that Yifei and I are coming to Hong Kong Island so that I can play my part as a good host."

Cheng Long's voice sounded, his tone full of enthusiasm.

"I just arrived this afternoon. Yifei and I were a little bored at home, so we went out for a walk, hehe."

"Some places in Hong Kong Island are quite suitable for sightseeing. How many days do you plan to stay here, Director Gu?"

"About two days. Something's going on in Hollywood, so I'm planning on going over there."

Warner's president Tsujihara called him, hoping that Gu Wei could come over and keep an eye on the release of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes".

It just so happened that Gu Wei was also planning to have a face-to-face chat with the people from Warner, and his assistant had already bought the plane tickets.

"Well, I'll treat you guys to dinner tomorrow night."

After thinking about it, Gu Wei slowly said, "Forget it, brother. Yifei and I are just here to have fun. We want to go around and explore."

"Okay, then I'll visit the crew tomorrow to see you and Yifei." Cheng Long still didn't give up.

"Yeah. Okay." Gu Wei felt helpless. The other person had said this, he couldn't just refuse.

After hanging up the phone, Liu Yifei asked what happened, and Gu Wei said that Cheng Long would come to visit the crew tomorrow.

When Xu Zheng, who was standing next to him, heard this, his eyes lit up instantly. He immediately took out his cell phone and asked his assistant to arrange the media for tomorrow. Such publicity opportunities were rare and he naturally couldn't miss them.

Cheng Long's call was the first to start, followed by Andy Lau, Tony Leung and others who also called, wanting to invite Gu Wei to dinner, but in the end he rejected them one by one.

The meal lasted more than two hours and both the host and the guests enjoyed it very much.

After dinner, Gu Wei and Liu Yifei walked side by side on the street, followed by their assistant and four bodyguards.

The group of people walked and stopped, strolling around, not noticing the paparazzi following them.

………"A famous director from the mainland spent millions to treat all the crew members of "Lost in Hong Kong" to a dinner at the Peninsula Hotel..."

"The famous director Gu Wei and Liu Yifei visited Victoria Harbour..."

The next day, Gu Wei witnessed more clearly the strength of the Hong Kong paparazzi.

The paparazzi knew exactly the route and time of his and Miss Liu's group's stroll.

From this we can see that the paparazzi in Hong Kong are much more powerful than the entertainment reporters in the mainland.

At the same time, the latest news about the movie "The Great Wall" came out in the domestic entertainment industry.

The person in charge of China Film Group Corporation revealed to the media that this movie is a work with a strong female theme.

Now, domestic actresses have gone completely crazy.

According to media reports, led by big stars such as Zhang Ziyi, Fan Binbin, Li Binbin and Zhao Yanzi, all actresses who think they have the ability, status and opportunities have all started to move, using their connections and looking for recommendations.

As for auditioning honestly?
Haha, that’s not the first choice. Only fools and actors who really want to try their luck would wait for the audition!
Gu Wei was not concerned about the news. After getting up, washing up, and coming to the hotel lobby, Huang Bo was already waiting there.

The two did not chat in the hotel lobby, but chose an ice cream parlor, which is a milk tea shop in Hong Kong Island. It was not far from the crew, making it convenient for Huang Bo to start work.

Fortunately, people in Hong Kong Island do not overly pursue celebrities. In addition, Gu Wei and Huang Bo are not superstars in Hong Kong Island, so no one recognized them when they came to the milk tea shop.

Soon, the waiter brought over two cups of Yuanyang milk tea, and Gu Wei took one to taste.

Well, it tastes pretty good!
In this way, Gu Wei drank milk tea while staring at Huang Bo.

"Director, is there something you want to tell me?" Huang Bo felt uncomfortable being stared at by Gu Wei, so he had no choice but to speak.

"Haha, it's like this. The company adapted a script based on the first two parts of the Ghost Blows Out the Light Series. Well, it's a movie script. I plan to let you star in it..." Gu Wei kept talking with a smile.

Huang Bo on the other side was a little disappointed. He was so excited that he couldn't sleep last night. He dreamed about starring in Gu Wei's new movie.

As it turned out, the new movie was correct, but it was not directed by Gu Wei. As soon as the other party said this, Huang Bo felt that the gap was too big.

Moreover, the two "Ghost Blows Out the Light" TV series were very popular, and the iron triangle combination of Qin Hao, Chen Minghao and Wan Qian was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Huang Bo thought to himself that even if he took the role, he was not sure he would surpass these people.

So, he was unusually silent in front of Gu Wei, not knowing what to say.

Gu Wei was not in a hurry and drank the Yuanyang milk tea sip by sip.

"Director, I thought it was your new movie, hehe, I didn't expect it to be this." After a while, Huang Bo said with a wry smile.

"Want to act in my new movie?" Gu Wei asked.

"Yes I do."

"Okay, I can give you a role, but it might be a villain. It won't affect your current image." Gu Wei teased.

"Hehe, that won't happen. After all, with my appearance, I can't play the role of a tall and big soldier." Huang Bo laughed.

Seeing this, Gu Wei changed the subject, "How do you feel about filming during this period? Are you excited to see Xu Zheng as a director?"

"To be honest, I am a little tempted. There is a saying in the industry that a good actor can become a director. However, I know that I am good at acting, but I still need to learn more about directing..."

When talking about being a director, Huang Bo became excited. In fact, not only him, but also Wang Baoqiang had the idea of ​​becoming a director.

But the two of them knew their shortcomings, so they learned while filming. However, seeing a large amount of capital pouring into the circle, anyone can become a director. It would be a lie to say that they were not tempted.

"Have you ever thought about writing a script?" Gu Wei continued to ask, biting the milk tea straw.

"That's not the case, but I have some ideas now..."

Afterwards, Huang Bo expressed his idea, which was similar to what Gu Wei had guessed. The other party had already started thinking about the script of "A Good Show".

"Hmm, that sounds a bit like the novel Lord of the Flies."

“Lord of the Flies?”

"A novel is also a story about human nature..." Gu Wei explained.

Upon learning that his work was somewhat similar to the novel written by a Nobel Prize winner in Literature, Huang Bo couldn't help but feel a little complacent, as this proved that his idea still had great potential.

Of course, Huang Bo's idea was just an idea, without even a specific outline. After all, screenwriting was not his forte, and he was not the screenwriter of "A Good Show" in the original time and space.

"How about this, you take the role, and I'll have someone get the script ready. When you're ready, Xingchen Films will invest in you and let you be the director. How about that?"

After talking so much, Gu Wei turned around and returned to the main business.

But Huang Bo was still a little hesitant. Gu Wei thought about it and understood. In the original time and space, there was no TV series about this before the filming of "Mojin: The Lost Tomb", but now they are filming a movie while the TV series is very popular. No wonder the other party has been hesitant.

After all, in this situation, if you take a good photo, you may not be praised, but if you take a bad photo, you will definitely be scolded.

"Director, it's not that I don't want to take the role, but I'm afraid I won't be able to act well given the excellent performances before me.

Secondly, the industry is all about going global, and I’ve made a lot of movies that have only been released domestically. ” Huang Bo explained.

After hearing this, Gu Wei understood that the other party must also be thinking about "The Great Wall"!

But Gu Wei felt that Huang Bo would be disappointed. China Film Group attached great importance to this movie and naturally had requirements for the selection of actors. A big name was the basis, and good looks were also one of the requirements. After all, it would be released worldwide and represented the image of Chinese people.

Just like that, Gu Wei began to analyze to the other party that Huang Bo had little hope of joining "The Great Wall" as the competition for this movie was too fierce. Universal and Legendary were the main investors, so the male lead was most likely a Hollywood superstar.

"Look, the original cast of The Lost Tomb 2 is here, and my new movie hasn't been decided yet, but I'm sure you have an idea of ​​the male lead..."

"So, after much thought, The Lost Tomb is the most suitable one."

The most important point is that the box office of "Mojin: The Lost Tomb" in its original time and space was quite good, with a cumulative total of more than one billion. Now that it is produced by Star Film and Television Company, if it finds a big director and improves the plot, it is entirely possible to hit 2 billion.

"For 'Mojin: The Lost Legend', the company plans to invest about 200 million yuan. If we add the cost of post-production promotion and ticket subsidies, it should be more than 300 million yuan..."

Originally, Gu Wei could not have said these words to Huang Bo in person, he just happened to come to visit the set of "Lost in Hong Kong" and said them out loud.

"Director, which role are you going to let me play?" As Gu Wei continued to analyze, Huang Bo asked with some interest.

"Fatty Wang."

"What about the other characters?"

“The other roles have not been decided yet, but they will all be big names. The movie is positioned as a big production. If the word-of-mouth and box office are good, there will be sequels. Ghost Blows Out the Light itself is a big IP, enough to be developed for many years…”

Gu Wei plans to combine the eight "Ghost Blows Out the Light" series into four movies, and based on the production and release schedule of one movie every two years, it will take some time to develop.

"Director, now that you've said so much, it would be ungrateful if I refuse. I accept it." Huang Bo finally made up his mind.

It is important to get the investment and support from Xingchen Film and Television Company. Huang Bo has always been very smart and has a better vision than most filmmakers in the industry.

In Huang Bo's opinion, although a lot of capital has poured into the domestic entertainment industry, many filmmakers and celebrity artists have become very powerful in the circle after receiving support from capital. For example, Zhao Yanzi, who has recently become close to Ali, has been acting in an extremely high-profile manner.

But in Huang Bo's view, the essence of the entertainment industry is still to make movies and TV series, and Xingchen Film and Television Company is the benchmark. By being with the benchmark, no matter what happens, one can guarantee one's own reputation, and reputation is the foundation of an actor's survival.

"Okay, let's keep this a secret for now."

"no problem."

.........

(End of this chapter)