Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 571 The Charlatan Zhang Chen
Warner Bros.
When David Heyman pushed open the door to the CEO's office, he found the atmosphere inside to be somewhat strange.

The office contained only CEO Bex and two vice presidents, clearly indicating a small, internal meeting.

Obama has been elected.

"what?"

When Bix suddenly blurted out something out of the blue, David almost thought he had misheard.

“I said, Obama was elected. That guy is about to become America’s first black president.”

"Uh……"

David still didn't understand why the CEO would suddenly bring this up with him.

Seeing that his subordinates still didn't understand, Bix bluntly said, "Even before Obama was elected, Zhang Chen dared to confidently set the president in the movie as black. Do you think there's something going on behind the scenes...?"

After Bix explained it so bluntly, David finally understood.

In the past, he would have sworn an absolute no.

But now that the facts are in front of him, he's a little unsure of what to do.

"I...I don't know. When Zhang was in North America, I was basically with him all the time, and I never saw him hanging out with Obama or any other Democratic Party members..."

But one strange thing is that when I was making "White House Down," I specifically asked him why he insisted on making the president a black man. He said, "You'll see when the time comes..."

"You mean, he knew from the beginning that Obama would win? That's unbelievable!"

It's incredible indeed.

The possibility of cheating in the US political election system has become extremely low.

Therefore, Zhang Chen's certainty becomes even more inexplicable.

"I don't understand it, but at least for now, this matter only benefits us and does no harm..."

One of the vice presidents said this, and the others nodded in agreement.

The film was shot during the election, when the situation was uncertain.

Setting the president as a white person is a perfectly normal practice.

But films like "White House Down," which directly feature Black characters, can be seen as taking sides.

If Obama wins the election, that's fine; but if he doesn't, he'll definitely be seen as a remnant of Obama's faction.

Therefore, Obama must accept this favor regardless.

Not to mention, the film's release will definitely be of great benefit to him personally.

Any American who sees a black president in a movie will automatically associate him with Obama.

Zhang Chen was unaware that his quirky sense of humor had caused a misunderstanding, and even if he did, he probably wouldn't care. At that moment, he was reviewing the filming plans for "Pacific Rim 2".

"I can't believe you've finally agreed to make a sequel!"

Dong Jianqiang joked from the side.

Zhang Chen has created many series, but he only makes the first one each time, which has earned him the title of "master of creating plot holes".

"I mainly want to try out new technologies."

The new technology Zhang Chen mentioned is actually motion capture technology, which involves attaching sensors all over the actor's body. When the actor makes an expression or movement, the expression and movement are captured by the sensors and then synthesized in post-production to become special effects shots.

This technology isn't actually a new technology; Hollywood has had it for a long time.

Peter Jackson's "King Kong" and "The Lord of the Rings" both used this technology, while Michael Bay's "Transformers" used it almost throughout the entire film.

In this installment of Pacific Rim 2, the protagonist has changed from Jaeger hunters to the giant monster Predaking, and a large number of scenes are about Predaking. Using motion capture technology can greatly reduce costs.

The phone rang as the two were discussing the technical details.

It was David calling.

"Great, David, I was just looking for you!"

"Oh, how can I help you?"

"Help me contact two motion capture actors!"

"Who?"

"Andy Serkis and Jason Liers~"

"no problem."

David knew these two people:

Andy Serkis is the best motion capture actor in the United States; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the 'number one motion capture actor'.

He played Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings," King Kong in "King Kong," and Catherine in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," and each time he portrayed the character perfectly.

Zhang Chen invited him to play the role of the prehistoric emperor.

Jason Lillers is not yet well-known, but he later handled the motion capture work for "Rampage" and is a rare and excellent actor. Zhang Chen plans to have him play the role of King Kong.

"By the way, how's the negotiation for the use of King Kong going?"

David smiled on the other end of the phone: "I was just about to tell you this. We've reached an agreement with Fox, and you can use King Kong's image normally now..."

Well, it seems Warner Bros. is quite sincere.

They got Fox so quickly. He was prepared to turn King Kong into an albino gorilla.

When are you planning to turn it on?

"It'll be around February. There's still some preliminary work that hasn't been completed."

Pacific Rim 2 required a lot of special effects, and the filming was mostly done in a studio, with few outdoor scenes.

"By the way, has Paramount contacted you recently?"

Paramount? Contact me?

Zhang Chen suddenly remembered the rumors from a while ago that Paramount was going to invite him to direct Mission: Impossible 4.

Is that news true?

Zhang Chen inquired and learned that David himself was involved in Hollywood, so his information network was definitely better than his.

"I suppose so. Tom Cruise is the soul of the Mission: Impossible series, but recently there were rumors that he was tired of this type of role and didn't want to continue playing it, so Paramount considered replacing him. However, they were afraid that a hasty replacement would cause poor box office performance, so they thought of you. Your Taken pioneered a new genre, which is why they thought of having you save the day..."

After exchanging a few more words, the two hung up the phone. Dong Jianqiang, who was standing next to them, immediately asked, "Is Paramount really going to invite you to direct Mission: Impossible 4?"

Zhang Chen shook his head: "David said Paramount probably did filter it, but nobody knows what the final decision was. Even if they did, I'm afraid I don't have time. As you can see, Pacific Rim 2 is enough to keep me busy."

Dong Jianqiang clicked his tongue.

"What's wrong? Why are you so agitated?"

"It's a bit of a pity. I've always thought it would be great if Mission: Impossible could have a crossover with our Taken..."

"Ok?"

Zhang Chen was intrigued by this imaginative idea.

Thinking about it following his line of thought, it actually seems quite interesting.

Mission: Impossible attracts viewers with its high-tech and intellectual elements, and rarely involves actual gunfire.

Taken, on the other hand, made its name with its explosive scenes and classic long takes.

Combining the two might actually create some unique sparks.

……

In the blink of an eye, the Lunar New Year film season has come to an end, and the top three are:
"If You Are the One" grossed 3.4 million yuan;
Taken 2 grossed 3.1 million yuan at the box office;
Red Cliff Part II grossed 2.8 million yuan;
Huayi Brothers won the Lunar New Year film box office champion for the first time in history, and Lu Yang was heartbroken for a long time because of it.

"Senior, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry to the company~"

The Lunar New Year film box office champion has always been Star Entertainment's prize, but this year marks the first time it has fallen into the hands of someone else. It's somewhat ironic.
Feng Xiaogang, on the other hand, was full of vigor and even walked with a swagger.

"It's alright, it's not your fault. 'If You Are the One' is a comedy, and comedies are always the most popular during the Lunar New Year season."
Moreover, *Taken 1* only grossed a little over 100 million yuan, while *Hurricane 2* fared much better in comparison.

……

February 14th, Valentine's Day

The romance film "Only You," starring Yang Xiaomi and Huang Xiaoming, is scheduled to be released on Valentine's Day.

Before the film was released, the two of them went on promotional tours every day.

Zhang Chen also helped promote it through a live stream on Weibo.

The so-called live-streamed promotion is actually him answering questions from netizens on Weibo, and his answers will appear on the screen immediately, handled by professional staff.

Netizens are asking all sorts of questions.

Do you believe that true friendship exists between men and women?
No.

Immediately someone retorted: Impossible, I'm a girl, and I only have one good male friend.

Zhang Chen corrected: First of all, for a man and a woman to become good friends, there must be some mutual appreciation between them.

If you don't appreciate something, you can't be friends with it.

However, this appreciation is not enough to become lovers. Just like the lyrics say, it's more than friends, but not quite lovers!

After the first question was answered, the live stream room immediately became lively.

Immediately someone else asked: Director Zhang, could you summarize what you think of male-female relationships?
Zhang Chen got really into it this time:
What is a friend of the opposite sex?
I dare not say what I want to say, and I dare not do what I want to do.

What is a confidante?

Say whatever you want to say, but don't dare to do what you want to do.

What is a lover?

Do whatever you want, say whatever you want.

What is a wife?
I'm too lazy to talk or do anything.

Haha~, Director Zhang's summary is spot on! If I didn't know you weren't married, I would have thought you were a seasoned veteran!
I'm too lazy to talk or do anything.

This is the reality for many married couples.

Incidentally, Zhang Chen also gave a brief explanation of what "green tea" means.

This word currently only refers to tea.

This has once again broadened the horizons of netizens.

Only good-looking people are qualified to be "green tea" (a derogatory term for a manipulative woman).

Green tea (a euphemism for a man who is sexually aroused) controls men by making them feel pleasure.

Most women control men by making them unhappy.

Regarding the matter of my kind and understanding younger sister being falsely accused of being a "green tea" by a mean and mean woman.

Fun fact: "green tea" is just a concept in women's minds. Men don't actually see her as a "green tea"; they only see her as a good woman.

Just like men wonder why women like "bad boys," women don't think of him as a "bad boy," they only think of him as a "good man."

……

"Only You" performed well at the box office.

It grossed 6200 million yuan in its first month of release.

Star Entertainment even threw a celebration banquet for this, after all, it was their first romance film.

It's worth noting that "Hurricane 2" didn't even hold a celebration party after grossing 3.1 million yuan.

Yang Xiaomi was already very happy. This was his first film where he carried the film alone, and with a less popular release date, a box office of 6000 million was already quite good.

The two spent the whole night discussing arithmetic problems, about 6 and 9...

……

After two months of online voting, the cast for "Ghost Blows Out the Light" has finally been determined.

Shirley Yang's highest vote-getter was Fan Xiaopang.

The person who received the most votes for Hu Bayi was Liu Ye.

Fatty Wang is Jiang Tao.

Ning Hao also announced the main cast and crew of the film based on online polls.

Fan Xiaopang was unable to participate in "Candle in the Tomb" due to scheduling conflicts, and the role of Shirley Yang was changed to the second-place candidate, Li Meiqi.

The rest of the candidates remain unchanged.

No one expected that Maggie Q, an American of Chinese descent, would be the second most voted candidate for Shirley Yang.

It's worth noting that Li Meiqi herself was unaware of this matter.

However, after learning the whole story, she did not refuse.

Although she appeared in Mission: Impossible III, it did not greatly help her acting career.

In the United States, it's not easy for people with Chinese features to get by, even if they are "bananas" (yellow on the outside, white on the inside) born in America.

For a period of time, he even spent some time in Hong Kong, and that's when he filmed "Naked Weapon".

……

In April, during a very unpopular release period, "City of Life and Death" was released.

Extremely bad reputation~
Almost unanimously negative reviews:

The entire film lacks a proper main plot; it can only connect the story through the story of Japanese officers.

To some extent, it has degenerated into a "spectacle" film, amplifying sex and violence in order to create "spectacle," frequently showing off skills, losing its original purpose and causing people to feel disgusted, and the scale of the war has also become smaller.

However, there are indeed many commendable scenes, especially the sound effects, which are excellent. My feelings about this film are rather contradictory. Also, Gao Yuanyuan's acting is truly terrible.

I saw none of the character development, psychological logic, narrative coherence, or even the essence of Nanjing itself in this film. Lu Chuan shouldn't try to handle subjects beyond his capabilities.

Lu Chuan redeemed the Japanese people with his seemingly objective and independent thinking.

"It's better to have deep sympathy and cathartic hatred than to be ambiguous and indifferent." The problem with this film is not how to view history, but whether it respects history at all.

The Nanjing Massacre is a public event of immense scale, imbued with profound national sentiment. Individual perceptions are always insignificant in the face of such an event. Only those overconfident Chinese directors would be eager to engage in such activities in an attempt to gain fame and fortune.

This is a shameless film that uses national tragedy as a gimmick for commercial appeal.

Lu Chuan is a failure as a screenwriter and director; his reflections on war are completely incomprehensible due to his confusion regarding history and values.

Lu Chuan stands high on the moral and historical high ground, but at the same time, he also exposes his serious lack of talent to a wider audience.

When filming "The Missing Gun," Lu Chuan was trying hard to act tough, hoping to achieve a truly impressive performance.

When filming "Kekexili", Lu Chuan was trying hard to act cool; he was already very close to being cool.

Now, "Nanjing! Nanjing!" has been released. He said, "I'm just awesome!!!"

That's awesome!!
To be honest, Lu Chuan's "Nanjing! Nanjing!" has some problems in terms of narrative and perspective.

The main storylines are too disjointed, and the shifts in perspective are too abrupt, resulting in a very cramped and inadequate narrative structure.

What I find most unbearable is that, in pursuit of so-called "objectivity," Lu Chuan deliberately portrayed the Japanese soldiers as flesh-and-blood, sentimental figures longing for their homes and wives, which ironically made the tragic historical fact of the "massacre" appear awkward.

This is a shameless film that uses national tragedy as a gimmick for commercial appeal.

Lu Chuan is a failure as a screenwriter and director; his reflections on war are completely incomprehensible due to his confusion regarding history and values.

(End of this chapter)