Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 580: Mission: Impossible crossover?
Leave professional matters to professionals. Since the acquisition of Riot Games has been entrusted to the agency, there's no need for them to worry about it anymore.

The agency will handle all communication and coordination for him; Zhang Chen just needs to make the decision when the time comes.

After seeing the agency off, Diane, standing next to her, had a look on her face that said, "Praise me now!"

"Diane, well done!"

Zhang Chen praised the agency, saying it was recommended by Diane and was very reliable.

Diane readily accepted, "By the way, there's something I think I should tell you..."

"what?"

"Regarding our new project, 'The Human Purge,' didn't you recommend a Chinese actress to me before? The one named Li Binbin…"

"Well, what happened?"

She doesn't seem too willing.

"Ok?"

Zhang Chen thought he had misheard.

Li Lianhua actually looked down on "The Purge".
You have to understand, Li Xue had begged him for a long time before he finally agreed.

Why is Li Lianhua suddenly acting so reserved?

"It seems she got involved with Murdoch's wife."

"Wendy Dunn?"

Wendy Deng is the same person as Wendi Deng.

"Yes, that's her. She recently worked on a movie called 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan,' and the female lead seems to be Li..."

Oh, no wonder~
I knew it! How could Li Lianhua possibly give up Hollywood resources?

It turns out he got involved with Wendi Deng.

The budget for "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" doesn't seem to be that big, reportedly less than $600 million, which is about the same as "The Purge," but at least that's the main feature film.

"The Purge" is a horror movie, a horror movie, and it's not something that can be shown in public.

Zhang Chen nodded; horror movies were simply too niche.

In film classification, it has a somewhat demonic or heretical connotation.

Most filmmakers don't think much of this genre.

No matter which country a filmmaker is from, it seems like I've never heard of anyone becoming famous for making horror films.

No wonder Li Lianhua looked down on "The Purge".

"If she doesn't want to, then forget it. You can do what you want."

Li Lianhua was given this opportunity by Li Xue in exchange for her PG. Since her sister doesn't care, Zhang Chen cares even less. He just hopes that she won't regret it later.

As far as I remember, "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" was a huge flop, grossing $134 million in North America and $1135 million worldwide.

It's like we've lost out big time.

I reckon Li Lianhua will regret it terribly when she sees how well "The Purge" did at the box office.

"OK~" That's exactly what Diane wanted to hear.

Just then, her phone rang. She answered and hung up: "Boss, the car David Ellison sent to pick you up is downstairs right now..."

"Alright then, let's go and meet this prince of oracle bone script."

David Ellison sent a stretch Lincoln, which was quite luxurious.

The car took the two to the Hilton Hotel. On the way, Diane received another call from the other party, who was waiting for them in the hotel's coffee shop.

Upon arriving at the coffee shop, they gave Ellison's name, and the waiter led them to a place.

Ellison got up.
Unlike the arrogance of a rich kid, David Ellison was quite polite.

I heard his father was a scoundrel, how come his son is so refined?

"Nice to meet you~"

"I've seen almost all of Zhang Chen's movies..."

After rambling on about trivial matters, Zhang Chen really wanted to mention the other party's investments, but after checking the information in the afternoon, he was disappointed to find that this guy didn't actually have a single well-known film.

He could only glance at his watch as a formality. Diane, who was beside him, understood and immediately said, "Excuse my bluntness, Mr. Ellison, everyone's time is very precious. Director Zhang Chen has booked a flight back to China tonight. If you have any thoughts, please get straight to the point. Well, let me speak for you..."

Diane decided to take the initiative.

"I heard that a few months ago, you suggested to the Paramount board that Zhang Chen direct the new Mission: Impossible project..."

"Yes."

Ellison nodded in agreement.

"But we haven't received any invitations since then, and no one from Paramount has contacted us..."

"I'm so sorry about that~"

Ellison shrugged: "Because there were some minor issues within Paramount."

"What little problem?"

"Tom Cruise, who played the lead role, was getting tired of the character Ethan Hunt and wanted to leave. After internal discussions, Paramount decided to bring in Jeremy Renner to replace Cruise. When it came to the director, they were going to have J.J. Abrams, who directed the third film, direct it again, but Abrams had other projects, so I recommended you to Paramount..."

"why me?"

This was exactly what Zhang Chen was curious about. He was quite certain that he did not know this oracle bone script prince.

The other party was clearly aware of Zhang Chen's doubts: "I've seen your 'Taken,' it's fantastic, you've pioneered a new genre of action films..."

It turned out to be because of this.

"But then the project ran into problems again, and Tom Cruise changed his mind. He hoped to use Mission: Impossible 4 to salvage his declining popularity."

So the script was rewritten, but Tom Cruise was never satisfied.

Moreover, the director still hasn't been decided. I recommended you again, but they're still hesitant.

"May I ask, besides me, who else is considered for the director position?"

"Hmm~"

After a moment's hesitation, Ellison finally said, "The other one is Brad Bird, an animation director who directed 'The Incredibles' and 'The Misfits'..."

In the field of directing, ability is actually quite easy to discern.

To judge whether a director is good or not, just look at their works.

The direction of the shots and the understanding of the story can both be seen through the visuals of the film.

Although Brad Bird is an animation director, the pacing of his works is adequate, and that's enough.

Zhang Chen shrugged: "I'm sorry, Mr. Ellison, I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. My film projects for this year and next year are already finalized, and I'm afraid I won't have time to take on Mission: Impossible 4..."

"It's alright, Director Zhang, the timing can be discussed further. Mission: Impossible 4 isn't going to start filming immediately. Tom Cruise's schedule, and other factors, mean we won't be able to start filming until at least the second half of next year. There's much more time than you think..."

Hearing this, Zhang Chen couldn't bring himself to refuse any further.

"Director Zhang Chen, but I also need to know some of your thoughts, such as what plans you have for Mission: Impossible 4?"

Before coming, Zhang Chen had done his research and found that the box office performance of "Mission: Impossible III" was not ideal.

It had the lowest box office of the three films, but the highest production cost.

When it comes to ideas, he actually does have some.

Has Paramount considered linking Mission: Impossible with other IPs?

"A collaboration?"

"Yes, like Taken~"

When Zhang Chen said those words, Ellison's eyes lit up.

Suddenly, a picture appeared in his mind.

But then he hesitated: "The two films are completely different in style. Mission: Impossible is all about intellect, and there are almost no murders in the whole film..."

Ellison didn't say the second half of his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant. "Taken," what is that? A movie that killed over 100 people, and the sequel is said to have even more.

A true god of death!
These two films are so stylistically different that it would be difficult to blend them together.

"This is indeed a problem, so it's still just a concept."

Zhang Chen didn't have any good solutions to this, but collaborating with two IPs was indeed a great idea.

Why do most film series only have three movies?

Because by the third installment, the audience had basically gotten tired of it.

Unless the project team can come up with something new.

The Fast and Furious franchise is the best example.

If it's just about racing, three parts would definitely be the limit.

The project team did it this way, and the difficulty gradually increased later on.

Cars vs. Tanks;

Cars vs. Drones;
Even driving a car in space;

Mission: Impossible also faces the same problem.

The first film was a battle of wits, the second became a violent aesthetic, and the third, although deliberately pandering to Chinese audiences, chose to be filmed in China.

However, the story was somewhat drawn out, which resulted in the film's box office performance being lower than the previous two films.

"I have another suggestion. If you can find a way to create an IP collaboration, the fourth installment could be a Sino-US co-production. I can help with that..."

Ellison's eyes lit up again. What's the hottest trend in Hollywood right now? Sino-US co-productions, of course.

With films like Pacific Rim and 2012, Huaxia proved its market potential.

Paramount is indeed considering the possibility of co-productions, but the requirements are becoming increasingly stringent.

Co-productions have requirements regarding the number of Chinese actors; the combined number of main and supporting actors must exceed one-third.

Previously, although this rule existed, it was not strictly enforced, but that's no longer the case.

They're getting more and more serious.

"Zhang, I really think you can do it. You're a genius. I'm increasingly certain that choosing you as the director of Mission: Impossible 4 was absolutely the right decision!"

Zhang Chen waved his hand and said, "Mr. Ellison, I really may not have time to direct this film, but I think IP collaboration is a really good idea. Sino-US co-production is just a side thing. You've already used so many Chinese actors, why not just make it a co-production?"

Ellison left satisfied, and Zhang Chen also set off for the airport.

He was very committed to creating IP collaborations because it was a win-win situation.

The problem of severe homogenization is not unique to Mission: Impossible; Taken is no exception.

In the original timeline, the plot of "Hurricane 3" was already quite cliché.

Because the story of saving one's wife and daughter is no longer new, and the project team couldn't think of any new stories.

Although Zhang Chen's version is much richer, it still has the same ending.

The only solution he could think of was through IP collaboration.

As for co-productions, that was just one of the bargaining chips he offered.

Are co-productions so easy to make?

The differences between Chinese and American cultures are unimaginable.

People have different perceptions and different preferences, and when you actually start filming, you'll find that these differences are everywhere.

The reason why Pacific Rim was successful is because its main characters are not human, but mechs and monsters.

The same principle applies to "2012"; the audience is watching for the destruction of the world, not the people in it.

If the focus isn't on the people, then the cultural conflicts involved are less noticeable.

But action movies are different; they focus on people and inevitably involve cultural aspects.

Do you think the director of "The Forbidden Kingdom" didn't want to make a movie that people in both China and the United States would love to watch?
Of course he wanted to, but he just couldn't.

When it comes to Sino-US co-productions of films, in short, co-production is easy, but making a good one is very difficult!

The simplest approach is for China and the US to continue cooperating in the monster movie genre.

Movies about sharks and dinosaurs, such as *The Meg* and *Jurassic World*...

This kind of project is the safest; there will absolutely be no problems.

However, market acceptance is limited.

Monster movies are usually released only once every few years because they get boring after a while, and the core concepts are too simple.

But action movies can be made every year.

There's so much to discover inside.

……

As soon as Zhang Chen landed at Beijing Capital International Airport and turned on his phone, he was bombarded with a series of phone calls and text messages.

The calls were mainly from Dong Jianqiang. CCTV had heard that he was back, and their flagship program "Face to Face" wanted to conduct an exclusive interview with Zhang Chen.

I agreed almost without thinking.

At that time, CCTV was still the undisputed leader, so maintaining good relations was very important.

Another reason was that Zhang Chen wanted to meet Chai Jing.

Yes, that's Chai Jing, the public intellectual who later immigrated to the United States.

While doing so, they also gave a shout-out to their special effects company.

Zhang Chen has never been stingy with self-promotion.

At the airport, a car picked up Zhang Chen and Fan Xiaopang and headed straight for CCTV.

Zhang Chen hadn't done anything yet, but Dong Jianqiang seemed quite excited, gesturing wildly as he spoke.

"No, why did you bring a suit?" Zhang Chen looked at the suit and tie that Dong Jianqiang handed him with a look of disgust.

"This is CCTV, we have to show respect!"

"There's no need for that. Don't get so worked up. It's just a normal talk show. You can wear my casual clothes..."

"You...you're so boring..."

Dong Jianqiang said that Zhang Chen was hopeless, but he also knew that Zhang Chen was just like that, and that he despised authority to the core.

Upon arriving at the production crew's location, they were shown to a lounge to rest.

After a long time, Chai Jing came over to go over the script.

Can I ask about your love life?

"Let's not ask about that, let's talk more about movies~"

"Can I ask about some of the controversies surrounding you online?"

"Sure, feel free to ask anything, even anything about movies!"

When Zhang Chen appears on shows, he doesn't set many boundaries for the production team; it's just chatting.
After finishing with Zhang Chen, Chai Jing went to rehearse the script with Fan Xiaopang.

Originally, we only wanted to interview Zhang Chen, but since Fan Xiaopang is also here, it would be better to have them both on the show.

Beside him stood Manager Dong Jianqiang, dressed in a formal suit, his large eyes practically speaking volumes.

Staring at Chai Jing, it was as if he were saying, "Me too, me too~"

Unfortunately, Chai Jing had no such plans at all.

He was dressed so formally, he probably thought the other person was a driver.
"Director Zhang, Ms. Fan, the interview is about to begin. If it's convenient for you both, please move over..."

A short while later, staff informed them that the two had entered the studio.

(End of this chapter)