Huayu started as a substitute director

Chapter 631 Invincible
August 8th, Oval Office.

Jiang Zhiqiang, Han Jianv, Chen Zhixi, Tang Na and others were all there. They sat around Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian, with different postures and behaviors.

Liu Tianxian was wearing a black dress with her legs crossed, giving off a queenly aura. Of course, that was when he was quiet and talking about serious matters.

Here they are talking about "The Martian", which will be produced in a co-production mode.

It is not easy to produce Yutu without an experienced producer, because it has to comply with our policies and censorship standards.

It must also comply with U.S. review and policies.

This is the risk of double scrutiny. It is really difficult for people who don’t understand it to operate. Donna only understands the United States, and Fang Hong only understands China.

Jiang Zhiqiang happens to understand both sides. Not only that, he also understands the cultural narratives of both sides, the differences in audience tastes, operations, etc.

It would be difficult to control how many Chinese elements and how many foreign elements to shoot, because there are strict regulations unless there is a prophet like Fang Hong who copies it directly.

Our rule is that there must be Chinese characters or a Chinese story background, so he can play a very good role in the middle.

Whether or not he wins an Oscar, he can also contribute.

You should know that Jiang Zhiqiang is known as the best producer in Asia and was selected as an Asian hero by Time magazine.

He is even regarded as an undefeated general in the industry, and filmmakers in both China and the United States believe in him.

Later, Disney invited him to be the producer of "Mulan", so Fang Hong thought about it and decided to let him take charge of it, after all, he was too busy.

"Mr. Jiang, this is Donna, the president of Universal. Our film will be a co-production between China and the United States." Fang Hong explained.

"Hello, I have had the honor of working with Universal before." Jiang Zhiqiang leaned forward and shook hands with Donna.

"Has there been one?" Donna asked in confusion, as if she didn't know.

"Focus should be a subsidiary of your company. In the past, "Lust, Caution" was distributed by Focus Global. In addition, "Brokeback Mountain" was also introduced by me to Ang Lee." Jiang Zhiqiang explained the reason.

"Oh, I see!" Donna suddenly realized and put on a smile: "Nice to meet you."

Jiang Zhiqiang has a very strong reputation. In Hollywood, he not only has indirect cooperation with Universal, but also has direct or indirect cooperation with Sony, Paramount, and Warner.

In the 0s, after making a film, those big directors basically asked this person for help. This was because he had connections that could get them overseas.

Some people simply seek cooperation with him, which saves a lot of trouble. In the past, Zhang Yimou often cooperated with him.

Therefore, Jiang Zhiqiang has a high prestige in this circle. Even if he is not familiar with Wu Kebo, he can find him to talk to Fang Hong. Liu Tianxian also respects him very much.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have pleaded for mercy before.

"To be honest, Principal, I'm quite surprised that you suddenly asked me to be your producer." Jiang Zhiqiang looked at Fang Hong.

"The Martian" is directed by Fang Hong.

"I have also considered it carefully, and I feel that a film like this needs someone like you who is knowledgeable in the field to operate it." Fang Hong said.

"Originally, we didn't think we needed a producer, but there was a cultural gap between Sister Han and the producers at Universal, so I suggested to Fang Hong that you come." Liu Tianxian explained the reason.

Han Jianv did not get along well with the American producers, so constant communication was required during the early stages of preparation.

Moreover, the United States adopts a producer-centered system, China adopts a director-centered system, and Yutu adopts a collaborative model. The systems are different, so it is difficult to coordinate them together.

Jiang Zhiqiang can be the coordinator.

"Oh, so that's it!" Jiang Zhiqiang pondered.

Han Jianv and Chen Zhixi looked at him with a bit of respect in their eyes. After all, such a person was just a legend to them.

It’s only in recent years that Yutu’s sudden rise has removed Jiang Zhiqiang’s filter.

Of course Fang Hong didn't have any filter at all, and Donna also seemed very calm, she just came to discuss cooperation.

"We can't force you to do this. If you have other things to do, we won't force you." Fang Hong said casually, giving the other party a way out.

Whether the other party agrees or not, Fang Hong can just find someone else. The other party has also made money, it's not like he didn't make any money. He just wants to save trouble.

“No, I just haven’t heard you talk about the budget, the scale of the production, nor have I read the script. I’ve been hearing you talk about The Martian, but I don’t know what kind of story it tells.

You also know that if the content of the script is inappropriate, it will be cut after review here and there, and then even if it is a good movie, it will become a bad movie.

As a producer, I want to ensure the integrity of this film in my hands. If it is incomplete and cannot be released, you and Donna will definitely find trouble with me."

Jiang Zhiqiang expressed his concerns.

One is Universal Studios and the other is Yutu. If the movie fails in his hands, he will have a hard time explaining it.

At least if the film doesn't do well in China, it should do well in North America. If it doesn't do well in both places, he is also responsible. The producer is supposed to ensure the success of the film.

Otherwise, why would we ask them to come here?

"Our movie is S-level, which is higher than A-level. Of course, this is the level set by Yutu. The production budget is between 60 and 80 million US dollars." Han Jianv briefly talked about the budget of the movie.

Then he took out a stack of information and handed it over, saying, "Here are the plan and the script, you can take a look at them."

Jiang Zhiqiang took it. It was a thick stack, thicker than a book. It was obvious that he had done a lot of homework.

He flipped through it casually and saw the length of the film, film genre, target audience, budget, etc.

The film production team is also in it, including screenwriters, photographers, art designers, editors and so on. The director is naturally Fang Hong.

The assistant directors are Wen Muye and Shen Ao.

Shen Ao is the one who later filmed "All or Nothing". He is also a very famous screenwriter who has won many awards.

His first short film won an international award. He has talent, but he just lacks opportunities. Fang Hong brought him here, and he also participated in the script of "The Martian".

He just did some polishing, he didn't write it.

This movie is adapted from a novel, and Yutu found someone to buy the rights to adapt the novel.

Jiang Zhiqiang flipped through the script casually and took a look. The general story was: During a mission to Mars in 2035, an astronaut and his teammates encountered a sudden superstorm.

As the spacecraft could not withstand the intensity of the storm, the captain decided to evacuate urgently.

However, the astronaut was hit by debris during the retreat and his space suit was damaged. His teammates mistakenly thought he was dead and were forced to give up the rescue and evacuate Mars.

Trapped on Mars, the protagonist had to use his knowledge of botany to grow vegetables on Mars. This is a bit of the characteristic of the Chinese nation, which is to grow vegetables wherever possible.

The protagonist solved the problem of food shortage by making his own fertilizer and recycling resources.

Space agencies on Earth discovered that the astronaut might still be alive by monitoring signs of activity on the surface of Mars.

Subsequently, the space agencies of China, the United States and Russia launched international cooperation to develop a rescue plan.

What follows is a series of thrilling scenes, but they cannot be shown in the script and can only be shown through post-production footage.

Everyone saw that Jiang Zhiqiang was watching seriously, so they didn't disturb him. They just waited in silence, drinking tea, looking at their phones, or being in a daze.

Fang Hong took Liu Tianxian's white and tender hand and played with it against his own palm, crossing their fingers.

Liu Tianxian didn't care either, and then she screamed "Ah".

This startled everyone and they looked at the two people in confusion. They saw Liu Tianxian's hand and the principal's hand with their fingers crossed, and then the principal used his other hand to pinch the two crossed hands.

It's like when you cross your fingers and someone pinches them; it hurts a lot.

"You are boring, right?" Liu Tianxian said.

"It was just a momentary mistake." Fang Hong smiled and patted her back to comfort her.

Liu Tianxian glared at him, very bored!

The others looked at each other, then went about their own business, pretending not to see anything.

This brought Jiang Zhiqiang back to his senses. He was originally quite absorbed in watching the film, but after being interrupted he lost interest in watching anymore.

In fact, Fang Hong just wanted him to stop looking, but it was difficult to say it, so he asked Liu Tianxian to call him.

Just say one word whether you want to be a producer or not. If you agree to be a producer, you can take it home and read it slowly.

There are so many people here, and everyone has hundreds of millions of dollars worth of time.

"This is a good story, but I have a suggestion." Jiang Zhiqiang said.

"What suggestions?" Fang Hong asked.

"I think we should increase the budget to 20 to 30 million dollars, and find two Hollywood actors, famous Hollywood actors. This will add international appeal to the film and elevate the film's sense of hierarchy," Jiang Zhiqiang said.

This is equivalent to finding two Hollywood actors to play supporting roles for Liu Tianxian. Twenty or thirty million yuan can be used to find very famous and familiar Hollywood actors.

"Okay!" Fang Hong nodded in agreement. It was a good idea to have a Hollywood superstar play a supporting role for Liu Tianxian.

Before, Chinese people always played supporting roles for Hollywood stars. Even Jet Li, who had made it to that level, could only play a supporting role in "The Expendables".

You can imagine how difficult it is there.

Now that Fang Hong is in charge, he has to let Hollywood stars play supporting roles.

"Then what about finding good actors before that?" the girl from the Han family couldn't help but ask.

"Just tell them, it's okay." Chen Zhixi patted her leg and gestured.

Asking him in front of the principal what to do with the other actors is a question that should not be asked. It should be solved privately and then some other resources should be provided.

Do you still need the principal to tell you what to do?
The daughter of the Han family also realized that this question should not be asked, as it was something she should have solved.

Fang Hong didn't care, he turned to Tang Na and said, "Boss Tang, what do you think?"

Universal is also an investor. If the budget is to be increased, they will have to contribute more money. Moreover, Universal will have to coordinate this matter and find two famous Hollywood actors.

"She's proven herself to be a box office sensation. As long as this movie does well, I have no problem." Donna shook her head.

"Then find a man and a woman, and it would be best if their international fame is no less than Gal Gadot." Fang Hong set the tone. It didn't matter if he paid a little more.

Gal Gadot only gets paid 10 million dollars in Hollywood, which is not as much as Black Widow.

Donna nodded and said no objection!

Liu Tianxian couldn't help but blush a little. Are they really going to find two Hollywood stars to play supporting roles for her, and they're international movie stars at that.

The previous Thanos was several levels lower than this one. His salary was only a few million, which was several levels lower.

The others were also in awe, as if they were suddenly motivated. This was the first time that Hollywood stars were dominated by Chinese filmmakers. It had never happened before.

In the past, they always listened to Hollywood. For example, the main creators of "The Last Emperor" and "The Forbidden Kingdom" were basically all Hollywood teams, and Chinese actors had to follow their instructions.
Fang Hong asked again, "Boss Jiang, do you have any questions?"

"No, I've accepted the role of producer." Jiang Zhiqiang said.

"Okay, then you should cooperate with the daughter of the Han family and the production team from the United States to coordinate it." Fang Hong said.

Universal will also send well-known producers, and the producers are not limited to Han Jianv and Jiang Zhiqiang. This production lineup is considered top-notch now and will be unmatched in the future.

(End of this chapter)