Entering the Chinese entertainment industry is like entering a deep sea

Chapter 825 DC's Doorstep: Crystal—Peng Dailan
China Film Report
"With the release of the movie 'The Mermaid' imminent, Zhou Xingchi, like other directors, has begun a nationwide roadshow and held a grand premiere press conference in Beijing with the main cast and crew."

"However, this highly anticipated film has not held any preview screenings so far, insisting on keeping the mystery shrouded in secrecy until the very last moment before its release on the first day of the Lunar New Year, which is rare in today's fiercely competitive film market."

"The Mermaid started pre-sales on January 26 and is scheduled to be released on February 8, the first day of the Lunar New Year. Let's wait and see how much of the anticipation from moviegoers across the country will translate into box office numbers."

The pre-sales of "The Mermaid" have delighted Stephen Chow. The first day's pre-sales have already exceeded 1.4 million yuan, and it is no surprise that it will surpass "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons".

Zhou Xingchi can hardly imagine how high Li Chen's publicity strategy will ultimately take "The Mermaid," but Yang Siwei confidently told him that it will not be lower than "Monster Hunt."
When Li Chen returned home, he did not reveal the truth to his wife's questions.

"It really wasn't you?" Liu Yifei still didn't believe that Harvey's affair wasn't orchestrated by her husband behind the scenes.

It's not that bad. This is her first Oscar nomination, and she only has one competitor, who could be dragged down with her at any time.

"You're so cute. Harvey's downfall was inevitable in history," Li Chen casually remarked to his wife.

Even if he doesn't take action, once the founding of the nation comes to power this year, he will have to settle accounts with him next year.

This has been true throughout history.

The most dangerous thing is to choose sides. One wrong step can lead to disgrace and ruin, or even death.

Jian Guo only had a cameo role in "Home Alone," he wasn't the comedian who played the driver.

The following day, Li Chen departed for the United States.

Before leaving, Liu Yifei secretly called Dilraba over.

Although she will not be able to attend the Oscars this time, Dilraba will accompany her husband to the Oscars red carpet.

This can also be seen as a prelude to the female lead in "Wanxiang Island 2".

"Sister, just let me know if you need anything!" Reba always acted like a little hamster in front of Liu Yifei.

Before she arrived, she had wondered what the landlady would say to her.

But to my surprise, the first thing the proprietress said was, "Keep an eye on your brother-in-law for me!"

"Wh-what?" Reba was so surprised that she could hardly speak.

-

When "The Legend of Chusen" was temporarily replaced, Chung Chun-yen wanted his artist Ma Tien-yu to fill in, but Zhao Liying's schedule was full and she had no time to reshoot with Ma Tien-yu.

There's also another series called "The Mystic Nine" waiting to start filming.

Chung Chun-yin had no choice; filming for "Sparrow" had been completely and indefinitely postponed.
Tiancheng's lawyer's letter has already been delivered to my door.

Huayi Brothers, along with Tencent Video and iQiyi, and a whole host of other brands, are lining up to make Huanrui lose money.
Sina Finance reports
"Huanrui faces delisting and bankruptcy crisis! 'Sparrow' stalled, 'The Legend of Chusen' faces a recasting and is in dire straits, and multiple industry giants file lawsuits for compensation."

Huanrui, the film and television giant that produced "Gu Jian" and "Tomb Raider", officially entered the delisting period today, and the company is on the verge of bankruptcy.

"Due to a series of crises including black swan events, circuit breakers, and the collapse of top-tier projects, the company's funding chain broke, and its key project, 'Sparrow,' was indefinitely shelved. 'The Legend of Chusen' was forced to be recast and reshot, but encountered scheduling conflicts with the lead actor."

"This has triggered a class-action lawsuit from multiple companies, including brand owners, partners, and platforms, seeking damages exceeding 10 billion yuan."

"Latest development: The Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court has accepted the bankruptcy liquidation application."

Sina Entertainment News

"Li Chen departs for an Oscar nominees luncheon, fueling speculation that Liu Yifei will win Best Actress."

"On February 4, 2016, this morning, Li Chen, Chairman of Rongchen Pictures, departed from Beijing Capital International Airport on his private Gulfstream G650 jet and flew to Los Angeles to attend the 88th Academy Awards nominees luncheon and official group photo on February 8."

"His wife Liu Yifei is in a critical stage of pregnancy and was unable to accompany him this time. Dilraba was invited as a guest of honor and will appear on the Oscar red carpet with the cast and crew of 'La La Land'."

"As the Harvey sexual misconduct scandal continues to unfold, several actresses who have worked closely with him, such as Kate Winslet, as well as this year's Oscar nominees Jennifer Lawrence and Cate Blanchett, have all been questioned."

"The Oscar voting committee is reportedly inclined to support 'clean' actresses, raising Liu Yifei's chances of winning Best Actress to 52%!"

"If she wins, she will become the second actress after Meryl Streep to win an Oscar for a musical film, and the first Asian-Chinese actress to win an Oscar for Best Actress."

-

At the private tarmac of Los Angeles Airport, Tim Smith was joined by Richard from Warner, an old friend of Li Chen.

Harvey's sudden collapse just before the final Oscar vote shocked Warner executives.

Although Tim Smith does not admit that Chi You did it.

But when the public relations agreement was signed, Warner president Kevin clearly remembered that Tim Smith told him not to worry about Harvey, as Chi You would handle everything.

Now it's not just Harvey; all the Oscar-winning actresses associated with him have been taken care of.

Chen Kexin also came, and he was particularly eager to know whether Li Chen was the one who directed this recent sensational Hollywood and global production!
It's so surreal that he now feels it doesn't matter whether Liu Yifei comes or not. With his opponents dying one after another in an abnormal way, the last one is not worth worrying about.

Warner Bros.' attitude speaks volumes; they had previously been hesitant to confirm whether Liu Yifei could win the Best Actress award.

But these past few days, when Chen Kexin was with people from Warner Music, the word she heard most often was "No problem!"

"We've finally arrived." Chen Kexin smiled as she watched a small dot in the sky grow clearer in the distance.

As soon as the plane landed, Dilireba saw three all-black stretch Lincolns lined up outside the window, with six bodyguards wearing headsets and sunglasses standing next to them.

Dilraba secretly clicked her tongue, thinking that her boss was considered low-key in China, but once abroad, he didn't dare to be low-key even if he wanted to, because it wasn't as safe abroad as it was in China.

"What are you looking at? Come on, are you addicted to flying?" Li Chen said with a smile to Reba, who was in a daze.

Dilraba then realized, "Huh? Boss, how did you know? I've only flown on your plane twice, and I haven't had enough yet!"

After descending the suspension stairs, Li Chen and Richard exchanged a few pleasantries before the convoy headed towards Beverly Hills.

When she arrived at Crystal Wu, Reba finally understood why the proprietress had told her to keep a close eye on the boss.

It turns out that none of the people who came to visit the boss were minor figures, and they were all blonde, blue-eyed, long-legged, and extremely hot.

The way each of them looked at the boss was as if they wanted to devour him whole. Fortunately, none of the foreigners stayed overnight.

That evening, Leonardo DiCaprio arrived with a young model girlfriend.

Leon and Dilraba were also acquaintances from "Vientiane Island". When the group met, they chatted without any awkwardness.

“Lee, maybe we’ll both be nominated for the Oscars next year,” Leon said with a smile, swirling his glass of red wine.

The film "The Revenant," co-produced by Chi You and Warner Bros., is confirmed to begin filming after the new year. Although Li Chen will not be directing, Alejandro González Iglesias' "Birdman" is also quite good. Moreover, he has an important Oscar for Best Director that Li Chen has, which gives Leon a bit more confidence.

Dilraba found it interesting and wondered if the famous scene of "Li and Dilraba appearing together" would happen again next year.

I wonder if my boss's film, *Parasite*, will be able to represent South Korea at the Oscars next year. Even if it does, what are the chances of it getting a nomination?

"What good thing is it to be with you? If I win an award, it's because of my ability. If I don't win, it's because I caught your bad luck. Didn't you say it yourself? It's a law that Little Li is always the runner-up!" Li Chen laughed and teased Leon again.

Chi You definitely needs to get to work; otherwise, Warner Bros. has gone to great lengths to publicize his wife's relationship, and he should at least show some appreciation.

Leon laughed heartily, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "I don't care, I want Crystal's luck next year too!"

Dilraba's heart skipped a beat, and she stole a glance at her boss, Li Chen's, expression.

The big boss's expression remained unchanged; he simply continued jokingly, "Then you'll have to hope your competitors get sex reassignment surgery. Harvey has no interest in men!"

A hearty laugh echoed from the villa's living room.

Dilraba quietly left the villa and called Liu Yifei back to report on the day's events.

Upon hearing that Leon had also arrived, Liu Yifei added before hanging up the phone, "If Leon takes Li Chen out, you go with him!"

"Huh? Sis, isn't this too obvious!"

"Is it obvious? So what? Even if your brother-in-law knew, he would pretend not to know."

"OK then."

Fortunately, Li Chen never intended to get too close to Leon.

News of Li Chen's arrival in Hollywood spread quickly, and the following day, a group of unexpected guests arrived at his door.

In Crystal Wu's study, Li Chen was reviewing Chi You's financial statements for the past two years when Tim arrived with three uninvited guests.

"Boss, are you up yet?"

"Nonsense! Don't you even look at the time? Do you think I'm like you, living a life of debauchery every day?"

Tim laughed heartily: "Boss, don't be in such a hurry to scold me. I haven't delayed anything. I brought three people to see you, and they'll be at Crystal Wu soon."

Before Li Chen could even ask who it was, Tim hung up the phone.

It wasn't until he saw the visitors that Li Chen recognized who Tim had mentioned as the uninvited guests. He was just curious about why these people had come to visit.

Standing in front of Li Chen were DC Films CEO Jeff Jones and his two assistants.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Tim noticed Li Chen glancing at him and dared not keep him in suspense any longer.

"Boss, take a look at this."

Tim handed Li Chen a set of comic books, and Li Chen recognized the character on the cover at first glance.

Suddenly it dawned on me, "So that's how it is."

"Mr. Li (English), this was designed specifically for Ms. Liu. Her name is Peng Deilan, a new superhero from DC Comics, also known as the Chinese Wonder Woman!"

"She is expected to appear in 'New Superman' this September. Her true identity is the Green Snake Spirit from 'The Legend of the White Snake.' She sacrificed herself to protect her sister, the White Snake, and was sealed in a giant rock by the evil monk Fahai."

"In modern society, Dr. Omen, the Minister of Self-Strengthening, rescued the Green Snake and named her Peng Dailan. At that time, Dr. Omen was building a Chinese superhero group belonging to the Self-Strengthening Department."

"So, under the doctor's guidance, Peng Dailan participated in the formation and joined the Chinese Justice League as the Chinese Wonder Woman." Jones opened the folder and began to tell Peng Dailan's origin and story.

Tim then added, "Boss, the Pendella comic won't be released until September, so the movie will coincide with the boss's wife's comeback after giving birth."

"DC can accept over 60% of the scenes being filmed in China, just like in 'Pacific Rim'!"

"The film is tentatively titled 'Wonder Woman: The Origin of Green Snake,' and we would like to invite your wife to play the role of Pendril," Jones added.

In fact, the moment Li Chen saw the comic, he guessed the purpose of these people's visit.

With "Vientiane Island" grossing 40 billion yuan in China and shocking the world, and "La La Land" nominated for an Oscar, it's highly likely that his wife will win the Best Actress award.

At that time, its commercial value will skyrocket, and it may even be able to compete with the top Hollywood stars.

Coupled with its unparalleled box office appeal in China, and the fact that DC is owned by Warner Bros., these factors have finally brought this character, which has remained just a concept for generations, to life.

“Tell Jones that I’ll think about it and give him an answer after Oscar’s luncheon.”

Tim swallowed hard, thinking to himself, what else is there to consider?

However, since the big boss had spoken, he had no choice but to obey.

Jones didn't seem angry; those with power have the right to be arrogant.

That evening, Li Chen told his wife the news.

"Do you want to play this role?"

"Of course I want to! But I feel like you have some reservations," Liu Yifei said, quite perceptively.

Li Chen certainly had concerns. DC's adaptation of "Green Snake" was creative, but Li Chen knew that Hollywood's adaptations were almost always unrecognizable.

Like Godzilla from Japan and Mulan from China.

Furthermore, Fahai is a high-ranking Buddhist monk in the original work, and it is possible that DC's adaptation of him into an 'anti-hero' might cause controversy.

It especially involves imagery such as Leifeng Pagoda and Buddhist scriptures.

Furthermore, domestic audiences have a deep emotional connection to "The Legend of the White Snake," and any subversive adaptation may be accused of being a "drastic alteration."

Just look at Liu Xiao Ling Tong's unwavering dedication to "Journey to the West" over the years to see this.

"The action scenes in this kind of superhero movie are definitely not easy. Can you handle it during your postpartum recovery period?"

"And you just established your image as an 'international art goddess' with 'La La Land,' and now, just a few minutes later, you're going to turn back into Golden Swallow!"

Liu Yifei felt a warmth in her heart; it turned out her husband was worried about her health and appearance.

"I can do it! Chinese actresses haven't been truly recognized by the Hollywood Big Six yet. I don't want to miss this opportunity since they've taken the initiative to approach me."

"Alright, I got it. Go to sleep early. No matter what, your health is the most important thing."

"Okay, you'd better behave yourself in Hollywood and don't go to entertainment venues with Leon! If you need to meet him, it can only be at Crystal Lounge! I'm afraid he'll lead you astray!"

Li Chen chuckled lightly: "A man doesn't need a reason or someone to guide him if he wants to change."

(End of this chapter)