Actor: Thank you.

According to international rankings, Big Dog Brother is absolutely right.

John Woo is indeed a top-tier director, and even more so an internationally renowned director than Chen Shiren.

However, when Wang Jingwei was in his early twenties, he wrote "I will draw my sword and die quickly, so as not to betray my youthful spirit," showing that he was a well-rounded young man with both talent and good looks.

But by the time he turned forty, he had become "the next Qin Hui".

People change, and history is full of examples of this.

Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Emperor Shizong of Ming... all dynasties have had them.

Because a person's creativity is strongest during their youth, and the best time to combine creativity with experience is actually during middle age.

After this period, once people reach middle and old age, they basically lose their creativity.

If you insist on causing trouble now, it will most likely be quite undignified.

The same applies to the arts and culture world.

Teacher Guo's peak was from his early 30s to around 45 years old.

Ning Hao is the same; after 45, he clearly fell behind, and his works started to look dated.

Stephen Chow wisely stopped starring in films after the age of 45, but the quality of his directorial works also began to decline noticeably.

"CJ7" and "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" are clearly inferior to "Kung Fu Hustle".

Keep in mind that only 10 years have passed between "Farewell My Concubine" and "The Promise".

It refers to the period from when the poet Chen was 40 to 50 years old.

Look at how much it's different.

Did John Woo ever have a glorious career?
There must be.

He was one of only four directors in Hollywood to have the right to edit films, which is quite rare in North America where the producer responsibility system is in place.

Only Cameron and Spielberg receive this treatment.

But his last masterpiece was Mission: Impossible 2 in 02.

He was 45 years old that year.

After that, very few of the films he made were profitable.

You can clearly feel from "Red Cliff" that what he filmed was very distorted.

It has a feeling of being both new and old.

He wanted to please the market and make money, but his thinking was still stuck in the past.

So Big Dog Brother smiled and said that he had contacted John Woo, which startled Zhang Yuan!
I thought you'd only be looking for poet Chen at most.

Although Chen the poet is a bit arrogant, he doesn't lose money on every film he makes.

But Lao Wu is even more of a heavyweight.

Zhang Yuanping calmed himself down, and his expression gradually became serious.

The collapse of Little Horse and the passing of Dog Brother in the previous life were actually inseparable from John Woo.

The film "The Crossing" had a huge investment and took too long to make, putting enormous pressure on the cash flow of Xiaoma Benteng.

This also makes the financial statements look very bad.

Apart from China Film Group, the production companies involved in this film were all in dire straits, going out of business and suffering heavy losses.

The boss of Xiaoma died of a heart attack, the boss of Yoozoo was later poisoned, Huayi went bankrupt, and the boss of LeEco fled...

You absolutely must not touch it; whoever does will be doomed.

Zhang Yuan thought to himself, "Brother Gou is still loyal. He took the initiative to contact me after the TV series made a profit."

It’s rare!
I can't just stand by and watch him go down.

He died from exhaustion, and Director Wu deserves some credit for that.

It doesn't matter if we're not familiar with each other, but I can't let him take on this sinkhole right now!

"You contacted director John Woo?"

"Yes, Director Wu is a world-renowned director..."

"Alright, alright." Zhang Yuan patted his shoulder, telling him to stop.

If such a good thing were to happen to you...

It's like burning the first incense at a temple; how could it possibly be a division-level cadre?

It's only because "Red Cliff" lost so much money that everyone else kept their distance from him, which is why you got a chance.

Zhang Yuan didn't know what to say.

Dog Brother is a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy's photography department; he's a genuine expert.

Their taste in selecting films and actors is really questionable.

"Tell me first, what play did you discuss with him?"

"A period kung fu film, interested?" Dog Bro was really excited. He'd finally landed a big director, so he had to work with him properly.

Ok?
A period kung fu movie?
It's not "The Crossing".

Zhang Yuan thought about it for a moment and figured that John Woo should have already started preparing for "The Crossing" by now.

It took several years of preparation before filming began, which is why Xiao Ma had funding problems; the film dragged on for too long.

Moreover, this matter is also related to Ang Lee.

Because Ang Lee was also preparing for "Life of Pi," the film that would win him another Oscar.

So they built a huge pool in Taipei to simulate the effect of filming water scenes.

Furthermore, they commissioned Digital Domain, the studio behind the special effects for Titanic, to create a custom special effects system.

When John Woo heard about this, he went to see Ang Lee. Lee was quite generous and talked to him in detail about his ideas.

Because "The Crossing" also features a large number of scenes on water.

Moreover, in real history, the owner of the shipping company was named Cai Tianduo.

This is the biological father of Cai Kangyong, a famous Taiwanese commentator.

His father was among the first students in the law department of Fudan University and was a veteran of the entire Chinese legal community.

The Taiping Steamer incident led to the Cai family's bankruptcy, and he later became a lawyer again.

So Cai Kangyong was only moderately wealthy; if it weren't for the Taiping steamer incident, he would have been a very rich young master.

Has he ever directed a period action film?

"What's the content like?" Zhang Yuan asked curiously.

"They talked to me and told me the general story: a eunuch established an assassin organization to find the remains of a saint so that he could achieve fulfillment."

Zhang Yuan: …

This is just like "Reign of Assassins"!

Are you sure Director Wu will direct this film?

"He said he would oversee the production team, but he would mentor newcomers."

"Doesn't that mean he can't direct? At most, he can be a producer or executive producer?"

This put Zhang Yuan at ease.

The biggest debuff for the entire production team is gone!

Although John Woo didn't direct "Reign of Assassins," you can clearly see his involvement.

The element of plastic surgery for the male and female protagonists is clearly derived from his famous work, "The King of Masks".

The character of Wheel King and his idea of ​​cultivating the Black Stone Organization also bear the shadow of Lord Conqueror.

It also has a bit of the feel of the South Korean movie "My Wife Is a Gangster".

Meanwhile, the Battle of the Wengcheng clearly drew inspiration from Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

The most important storyline, the search for Rama's remains, is even more interesting.

At the same time, the famous Japanese manga "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" reached its seventh installment.

The main storyline revolves around the male protagonist searching for the remains of Jesus, hoping to use them to heal his physical disabilities.

This comic book features many famous scenes and even "predicted" Trump being shot...

To say whether this show is good or not...

Actually, the work itself is quite good and creative.

Both the action scenes and the plot are actually quite good.

However, there are some issues with the casting.

The key lies with the male and female leads.

Michelle Yeoh is too old and too expensive.

Jung Woo-sung's acting skills are generally not a problem.

While not on par with veteran actors like Hwang Jung-min and Choi Min-sik, it's still not a problem.

However, Jung Woo-sung's box office appeal is only average in both China and South Korea.

So the end result was that the film had a very high production cost and didn't have any compelling reasons to go to the theater.

Ultimately, the box office revenue was likely negative.

Zhang Yuan strongly suspects that although John Woo didn't direct any films, he still made a lot of money.

"Hmm, that's interesting. Let's talk about it in detail sometime."

"By the way, if I may ask one more question, has Director Wu provided a rough budget?"

"They said they wanted 100 million, and I'm planning to contribute half," Big Dog replied excitedly.

This was his first time working on a big-budget film. Zhang Yuan almost choked on his words when he heard the number.

What kind of nonsense is this that dares to ask for 100 million!

It would be a miracle if they didn't lose money on these costs.

Why spend so much money when there aren't even any grand events?

Zhang Yuan thought that all the films associated with John Woo were produced and distributed by his own company, Lion Rock, which meant there was a lot of hype involved.

Holy crap, you bunch of big directors, you don't care whether your films make money or not, you just have to make sure they're lucrative.

Not only was Zhang Yuan frightened, but the two girls who had come to join in the fun were also startled.

They're still minors, and in this day and age, hearing a figure like 100 million is already incredibly large.

But what Zhang Yuan said next frightened them even more.

“That probably won’t work. I still need to give it to her father.” Zhang Yuan pointed at Jiang Yilang: “Leave a budget of 150 million for Director Jiang.”

"I'm afraid I can't participate in such a high-budget film."

Jiang Yilang flicked his long hair.

"Uncle, you're still my dad's sugar daddy."

"Call me brother."

"Brother," Guan Xiaotong blurted out before she could even speak, "You're so rich!"

At the same time, he grabbed Zhang Yuan's arm, as if afraid that his sworn brother would be snatched away by a wild fox.

“I’m your dad’s friend,” he answered Jiang Yilang first.

He then turned to Miss Guan and said, "That's not my money, it's all the investors' money."

The immense wealth undoubtedly held a huge attraction for the young girls, and the way they looked at Zhang Yuan changed, as if they were looking at an idol.

Because this is completely different from the peers they usually encounter at school, it's full of novelty.

They talk about "Naruto, Bleach, One Piece" all day long, and some even chat about "Ultraman".

They talk about TV dramas all the time, and investing in movies all the time, often involving tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. It's so exciting!
They all begged him to play together.

After chatting with Big Dog and finishing his cigarette, he went inside. Before going in, he asked his assistant to give the two girls two pieces of chewing gum.

To avoid the smell of smoke in one's mouth being detected by parents.

The feeling of doing bad things together made them feel even more excited.

I don't think Zhang Yuan is annoying like an elder.

"You never said you wanted to visit my film set."

Back at the table, Jiang Wen complained after hearing her daughter say she was going to the film set to play with Zhang Yuan.

"You're so boring, always lecturing and spouting nonsense."

Seeing Director Jiang's helpless expression, Zhang Yuan chuckled awkwardly.

Girls of this age mostly don't like to listen to their parents.

Jiang Wen wasn't exaggerating; he was completely different from the poet Chen.

He has his own set of logic when it comes to looking at problems and handling affairs.

"It's alright. If she has time to come, I'll have my assistant take care of her. They're all women."

He thought that having some personal connections wasn't a bad thing.

“Perfect timing. Speaking of things on set, I needed to talk to you.” Jiang Wen pulled him to sit down and picked up her wine glass.

I told him I had something to do before I came, that's why I invited him along.

"What's the matter? Tell me."

"You know that Chen Kun is in trouble, and so do I."

“But before that, I chose him to film my new movie, which was ‘Let the Bullets Fly’.”

"Yang Shouchen called me the day before yesterday, meaning that this matter would not work out."

"Using problematic actors has a negative impact."

Upon hearing the name Chen Kun, Pang Hong, who had just walked around several times, perked up his ears.

After a brief period of hesitation upon arrival, she figured she had already lost the battle with Zhang Yuan anyway, so she might as well just let it go.

Once you think things through, everything will be fine.

The moment the thought of throwing oneself into the world arose, one suddenly felt the vastness of the universe.

Then look around.

Zhang Yuan brought me to this place to put pressure on me.

But these people are also my connections, so I can get to know them!
She immediately switched to "social butterfly" mode, going from table to table with people from all walks of life, her face flushed from drinking.

Jiang Wen patted the back of her head: "Actually, I don't want to change the person."

"Because this is not ethical."

"We've already agreed on this, how can we just change it like that?"

“I initially disagreed, but Mr. Yang said that it was a commercial film, so I agreed.”

"Then commercial films should have the rules of commercial films."

"So I plan to compromise a little for the sake of the market; we can't keep letting people lose money."

"But compromise is one thing, but I will not compromise on the selection of people and the choice of actors."

After saying that, he suddenly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Brother Zhang!"

His reaction startled Zhang Yuan.

"Brother's strengths are to attract countless amounts of money and female fans, making him an indispensable figure for commercial blockbusters."

"With Brother Fa on the left and Brother You on the right, if Brother Zhang were to join us, we would achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"Wouldn't it be wonderful to work together?" she said, grabbing Zhang Yuan's arm.

If you want me to come, just say so. Stop with the fancy language. No wonder your girl doesn't want to talk to you…

"I may not have the time; my schedule is quite busy."

"No rush, we can talk it over." Jiang Wen persisted, "I don't trust anyone else. I've seen your performances."

"Wang Xiaoshuai's 'Shanghai Dreams' has a really good rapist in it."

Zhang Yuan: …

Can you look at me?
I'm not like Hou Tianlai, who plays these kinds of roles all the time.

You even brought it up after only one performance...

“Anyway, if you don’t come, I won’t film this movie!” Jiang Wen put pressure on him.

"If I hadn't come, you wouldn't have been able to take the photos. I raised the money myself."

"Money isn't important; what I value most is you as a person."

As Jiang Wen spoke, she glanced at Cheng Hao, who was smiling and accompanying her not far away.

"Especially you and Xu Qing..."

"I'll do it!" Zhang Yuan hurriedly covered his mouth.

If I don't come, you're planning to tear my house down, aren't you?

“Sure, I’ll make time for you even if you don’t have time.” Zhang Yuan grabbed his arm.

"When it comes to truly remarkable figures, look no further than Brother Zhang!" Jiang Wen concluded with a smile after his success.

Other movies are one thing, but with "Let the Bullets Fly," even if you forced me to act in it, I would accept it.

He will be remembered in history!
This film holds a certain place in the history of Chinese commercial films.

It is a perfect example of the combination of commerce and art.

Jiang Wen expressed everything she wanted to say, and the products still sold very well.

Even if it's a supporting role, it's worth it.

Some great works are like major historical events; being able to participate in them is a privilege.

Just like the old man said, he participated in the Korean War, and even if he was just a common soldier, he was proud of it and would gain the respect of many young people.

They were both quite "happy," at least Jiang Wen was happy.

Because Zhang Yuan, who was "invincible," had his weakness discovered by him.

But Pang Hong, who was eavesdropping nearby, didn't think so.

"Oh my god!"

"Could he be Chen Kun's nemesis?!"

"Painted Skin" is gone, and now Kun Kun, as an idol actor, has finally managed to get a role after begging and pleading with everyone, even resorting to reverse psychology, asking Jiang Wen if she dared to use him.

But now it's gone too!

And he had to beg; when it came to Zhang Yuan, it was the director who was begging him!
Poor Chen Kun, he knew nothing about it, yet his fate was already completely predetermined.

This is still the result of not provoking him.

No one could have imagined that this was all thanks to PRADA...

This brand can cast spells.

Pang Hong thought to himself, "I'd better hurry up and talk to him about the contract for 'Painted Skin 2'."

If more trouble arises, who knows what will happen... (End of Chapter)