Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 737 Zhang Yimou's Persistence
the next day.

The top of the hot search list was occupied by the celebration banquet of "Wolf Warrior", and the first three reports were about Matt Damon appearing at the celebration banquet.

Moreover, after Matt Damon came to China, although his itinerary was kept strictly confidential, he was still photographed by reporters waiting outside China Film Studio.

Most people have a hunch that, if nothing unexpected happens, Matt Damon will be chosen by the two Hollywood giants and production teams of Legendary and Universal to be one of the core leading actors of "The Great Wall".

Because regardless of his status or fame, he is 100% in line with the casting requirements for the male lead in "The Great Wall".

Especially this morning, when two well-known Hollywood stars, Willem Dafoe and Pedro Pascal, appeared at the Capital Airport at the same time and were picked up by China Film, the mainland film and television circles were completely boiling.

The industry is indeed in a state of excitement at the moment. The starring lineup of "The Great Wall" has already shown its potential. It is indeed a top-notch team that makes all the actors excited.

But at the same time, the results of Zhang Yimou's audition were gradually spreading in the circle.

"Have you heard that Zhang Ziyi was eliminated and will not be able to play the leading female role?"

"Is this true? That's an international celebrity."

"Haha, what international chapter? A fallen phoenix is ​​no better than a chicken."

At this moment, Zhang Ziyi's face was distorted and she was very unwilling in her heart. Anyone with a discerning eye could see how high the quality of the cast of "The Great Wall" was.

Zhang Ziyi naturally regarded this movie as the best way to return to Hollywood, but the final result was beyond her expectations. She was rejected by her former teacher Zhang Yimou, and the reason given was simply the three words "unsuitable".

On the other hand, Fan Binbin was also a little confused after receiving the reply from the "The Great Wall" crew.

"I was eliminated?"

There is something unique about Fan Binbin’s transformation from a maid named Jinsuo to “Fan Ye”. She adjusted herself immediately after a brief loss of concentration.

"Let them be eliminated, since Zhang Ziyi wasn't chosen anyway." Fan Binbin muttered to himself, and then called his assistant, "Contact Yifei's assistant and ask her if she has time these two days to go out for dinner and shopping together."

"Okay." The assistant agreed immediately.

As for Li Binbin, when he learned that Fan Binbin and Zhang Ziyi were eliminated, he was instantly in a good mood. But when he thought that he might not be selected, he was not so happy anymore.

For this role, Li Binbin put in a lot of effort, including learning the general content of the script of "The Great Wall" from Liu Yifei in advance.

But several days had passed since the audition and still no news had spread, which made her feel very anxious.

"No news is good news, which means Director Zhang is still considering me." No one who can become a big star is not smart. Li Binbin figured it out instantly.

But even though I have figured it out, I can't just sit there and wait for notification and do nothing.

Thinking of this, Li Binbin called Liu Yifei.

...

China Film.

The audition process for "The Great Wall" was tedious and time-consuming, and the director-centered system was used. Zhang Yimou had just gained some weight after returning to China, but after all the busy work, he was losing weight again.

At this moment, Zhang Yimou was also in a dilemma. La Peikang of China Film Group strongly recommended Jing Tian, ​​but he looked down on his acting skills.

When he first took over this movie, Zhang Yimou's first choice for the heroine was Liu Yifei, followed by Li Binbin. These two have excellent acting skills among big stars.

Even if he doesn't choose from big stars, Zhang Yimou feels that there are many suitable first-tier actresses, such as Su Chang, whose acting skills are visibly high.

For example, Tong Liya, I heard that she was praised for her collaboration with Jiang Wen, and Yang Mi, Liu Shishi, Zhao Liying, Wan Qian...

Jingtian's priority was ranked outside the top ten in Zhang Yimou's mind, and that was because he had played roles in Hollywood movies.

"Although it's called a director-centered system, in fact I don't have 100% say in the matter." Zhang Yimou thought secretly in his heart. After all, as long as you are in the entertainment industry, there will be personal connections and exchanges of interests. How can you do whatever you want?

After pondering for a while, Zhang Yimou suddenly recalled his previous conversation with Gu Wei, in which one sentence was "Because the movie is called "The Great Wall"."

"Yes, if the quality is not guaranteed, then what's the point of talking about personal relationships." At this moment, Zhang Yimou decided to follow his own ideas.

At this time, the assistant knocked on the door and said that Director La had called everyone to a meeting.

On the way to the meeting room, Zhang Yimou became more and more determined. Jingtian would at most give her the second female role, and her acting skills were not enough to support the entire movie.

...

In the conference room.

Zhang Yimou sat there calmly, next to him were Zhang Zhao, the vice presidents of Legendary and Universal, and La Peikang who was in the main seat.

Several people held a piece of information in their hands. This was the final casting list for "The Great Wall" and the detailed identity information of each actor.

"Director Zhang, isn't the leading actress Jing Tian?" La Peikang asked directly in a very impolite tone when he saw that Jing Tian was only a supporting actress.

"Mr. La, Jingtian cannot play the leading female role. This is the list I have considered over and over again." After making up his mind, Zhang Yimou felt relieved and fearless.

"You..." La Peikang was helpless. He was very satisfied with the other candidates on the list, except the female lead, which was not within his expectations.

"Mr. La, two presidents, this list is carefully selected by me. Each one of them has the most suitable position... Just like Andy Lau, the king of Hong Kong Island, he is very popular and has good acting skills, for example..." Zhang Yimou explained.

The two vice presidents beside him nodded in satisfaction. They wanted actors with popularity, acting skills, and the ability to carry the box office. "Zhang, your choice is very good. Take Han Dongjun. As far as I know, he is an artist under Director Gu Wei. He is very suitable." Vice President Chuanqi said.

"That's right, The Wandering Earth has a high box office. As the protagonist, he is completely qualified to play the second male lead. Not bad." The vice president of Universal also said, and then continued: "As for this Miss Jing Tian, ​​I saw that she starred in The Forbidden Kingdom and participated in Pacific Rim. Why do you think she is not suitable for the female lead? And why didn't you choose Miss Zhang Ziyi?"

Foreigners' ideas are also limited. They don't know much about famous domestic actresses and they just look at their fame.

"Zhang Ziyi has starred in many blockbuster films, but the box office performance was average."

"Well, forget it. Our priority is the ability to withstand the box office."

"As for Jingtian, her acting skills are very average. I think she may not be able to keep up with Matt's pace." Zhang Yimou spoke the truth, not caring at all that La Peikang's expression was getting increasingly ugly.

"Director Zhang, but she is very popular." La Peikang interjected.

"Mr. La, popularity is only one aspect. I think what Zhang did is right. What we need to consider is the overall situation." Vice President Chuanqi chose to support Zhang Yimou.

"Everyone, after the casting is finished, by the end of the month at the latest, everyone in the crew will be trained for no less than three months..."

"The preliminary preparations must be completed within four to five months, including the selection and construction of the filming location, etc...."

...

The meeting lasted for more than an hour. After everyone else left, La Peikang met with Zhang Yimou alone.

"Director Zhang, China Film Corporation will give unconditional support to your ideas. Feel free to talk to me if you need anything." La Peikang said happily with a changed expression.

"Mr. La, you..." Zhang Yimou was a little confused.

"Hey, someone from above has given me a heads up, so I must pretend. Just understand it in your heart." La Peikang waved his hands and thought to himself, anyway, the role was chosen by Zhang Yimou, and several investors in the meeting agreed, so no one has anything to say now.

"I understand. I'll get ready and announce the results to the public in two days, and hold a press conference at the same time." Zhang Yimou was completely relaxed. Sometimes, persistence is not that difficult.

"Okay, I'll make arrangements."

Watching Zhang Yimou leave, La Peikang's expectations for The Great Wall grew stronger and stronger...

...

On the other hand, Jiang Wen, who was busy promoting "One Step Away" overseas and missed the celebration party of "Wolf Warrior", found Gu Wei as soon as he returned to China.

"How is the effect?" Gu Wei asked without raising his head in the office.

"We've had several preview screenings in Southeast Asia and North America. Southeast Asia is okay, but North America is average." Jiang Wen's face looked a little unhappy, but at the same time he was somewhat fortunate in his heart that he did not sign a distribution agreement directly with Columbia, but instead had a few preview screenings in several theaters in North America in advance through Gu Wei.

Otherwise, if you pay the fee but the effect is mediocre, it would be a waste of money.

"It's normal that foreigners can't understand it. I guess people in some Southeast Asian countries can't understand it either." Gu Wei is very clear about the data in North America. In Southeast Asia, Jiang Wen had a small-scale trial screening through China Film, and he doesn't know the results yet.

"Oh, that's right. I was full of confidence before we set off, but now I have no confidence at all after coming back." Jiang Wen felt even more uncomfortable when he mentioned this. This was quite different from his expectations.

Gu Wei rolled his eyes at him and said, "Then focus on domestic publicity and don't be so greedy."

"Haha, I would like to eat a big meal in one bite, but the reality is here and I can't do anything about it." Jiang Wen said with a wry smile.

"Stop talking nonsense and start promoting it. I'm still waiting for you to announce the good news."

Seeing that Jiang Wen faced the reality and figured it out on his own, Gu Wei also felt that the result was good. It saved him from being so confident about releasing the film worldwide and then being hit too hard in the end.

.........

It is almost December, and the film market can already smell the smoke of the Lunar New Year movie season.

Many domestic films are engaged in a serious propaganda war, which has become fierce.

The "epic masterpiece" "The Wheel", which took several years to prepare and shoot, has finally made its debut.

Wu Yusen attended the promotional event in a high-profile manner with a group of actors including Zhang Ziyi, Kim Sung-oh, Huang Xiaoming, Song Hye-kyo, Tong Dawei, and Nagasawa Masami.

Let’s not talk about how the movie is, but this lineup is definitely the biggest among the many movies released during the Lunar New Year this year, no doubt about it.

Facing the media's scramble for interviews, Wu Yusen showed great confidence and said:

"There has not been a truly epic film in China so far, and I believe The Crossing can make up for this regret...

For its box office, my goal is to guarantee a minimum of 2 billion..."

"It will definitely be no problem for us to surpass Wolf Warrior. After all, we have the advantage in terms of configuration, film content and quality..."

"The comparison between The Crossing and The Wandering Earth is that we don't take other movies in the same period seriously..."

At the interview, big directors expressed their opinions, leading actors in the crew showed their support, the media reported on it, and the industry applauded.

In this way, "Peace Wheel (Part 1)" has become the most powerful blockbuster in this year's Lunar New Year festival, completely overshadowing the crew of "One Step Away" promoted by Jiang Wen next door.

...

(End of this chapter)