Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 596 Summoning Universe
弯弯
Niu Chengze threw down the newspaper, looking displeased.

He was just helping a friend out. Chen Guofu asked him to cause some trouble for "White House Down," so he did it on a whim. He didn't expect that the other party was different from the people he had dealt with before, and actually dared to confront him directly and go all out.

'Remnants of the Qing Dynasty, descendants of warlords'!
This is a self-deprecating remark he often makes.

But only he can say these words; if others say them, it would be considered a provocation.

In Taiwan, everyone flatters him because of his background.

But once they got to the mainland, nobody cared who he was. Zhang Chen simply said, "The Qing Dynasty is over," and he didn't give him any face at all.

In particular, the line "Only livestock talk about caste, pets talk about bloodline" broke Niu Chengze's defenses.

What surprised him even more was Zhang Chen's popularity.

Zhang Chen was completely different before and after he opened his mouth.

Before he spoke up, although some people felt sorry for Zhang Chenming, none of them made a significant impact.

After he spoke up, these people seemed to have found their tribe, lining up to leave comments on his Weibo account, mocking and insulting him.
"After all these years, I've finally seen someone willingly courting death!"

"This guy named Niu Chengze, I salute you, you're a real man!"

"Who gave you the courage, Fish Leong?"

"Haha, Zhang Chen finally talked back! I thought he was going to be a ninja this time~"

After reading the comments, Niu Chengze realized that people's silence at the beginning was just waiting to see what would happen.

Zhang Chen is renowned, and many people have suffered defeats when they encounter him. No one dares to engage in a verbal battle with him anymore.

Only someone as clueless as Niu Chengze would be so foolish as to stumble upon this.

What a kind person! He brought laughter to everyone's boring lives.

An enraged Niu Chengze publicly addressed the media: "Chen Guofu, tell me what exactly happened? Didn't you say Zhang Chen was just a nobody? You call a Hollywood director a nobody?"

After the incident, Niu Chengze naturally had to investigate who Zhang Chen really was.

You won't believe it until you check!
Niu Chengze felt he had been tricked. He had always acted arrogantly only in Taiwan and never paid attention to the mainland or Hollywood.

He had only heard of Zhang Chen's name, but he never imagined that Zhang Chen's energy was so powerful.

Zhang Tielin also felt he had been tricked.

He pointed to the Taiwanese company as a way to make a living, and the Taiwanese company asked him to speak out against a movie, so he did.

I never expected the consequences to be so severe.

His background was exposed by netizens, and even his change of nationality was brought to light.

These days, quite a few celebrities have acquired foreign citizenship.

You can enjoy all kinds of conveniences; for example, flying is much more convenient.

But no one will publicize it extensively.

After all, they knew it wasn't something to be proud of.

It has a hint of forgetting one's roots.

Zhang Tielin was the first to be publicly exposed, but he was relatively at ease because several others were exposed at the same time, many of whom were much more famous than him, such as Jet Li and Gong Li…

Those three questions from netizens are really hard to answer.

The first two questions were fine, but the third one felt awkward no matter how I answered it.

It's like wanting both ways.
Zhang Tielin is now filled with regret. Why did he have to be so foolish as to provoke Zhang Chen?

Now things have gotten out of control.

It's really out of control, because netizens aren't going to let it go.

More and more celebrities have been exposed for having acquired other nationalities, and the situation is spiraling out of control.

Many people have been hiding their identities well for the past two years, but now that they have suddenly been exposed to the public eye, everyone has realized that they were actually foreigners all along.

Boycott~
Get out of the entertainment industry!
These people's careers were all affected to varying degrees, and they all hated Zhang Tielin. If it weren't for him, things wouldn't have come to this.
Zhang Tielin's own career has also suffered a significant blow.

Many businesses have cancelled their endorsements, and several film projects that had already been agreed upon have suddenly changed their minds.

Zhang Tielin wanted to call his friends for help, but found that all his friends, who he used to call out to him, had suddenly disappeared.

They either don't answer the phone, or they're abroad.

The world is truly cold and indifferent, and human relationships are fickle.
……

As for Zhang Chen, he didn't take it seriously at all.

After posting on Weibo, he forgot about it.

When he returned to the United States after completing his global roadshow, it was exactly 11 days after the film's release.

Good news from Warner Bros.: the film grossed $6500 million in its opening weekend, surpassing "White House Down" to become the top-grossing film of the week.

"White House Down" came in second place with 6430 million in sales.

But the difference became obvious in the second week.

"White House Down" continues its strong performance, grossing 6899 million at the box office, while "White House Down" only grossed 6010 million.

The two films have gradually gained different reputations.

According to netizens' reviews, "White House Down" is more visually appealing in terms of story pacing and action design, but it is inferior to "White House Down" in terms of logic and large-scale scenes.

Action movies are popular with some people who love big scenes, but most people are drawn to them for the action, so they tend to buy tickets for "White House Down".

Actually, by the second week of the movie's run, it had little to do with him anymore.

The reputation had already been established, so even if the creators tried their best to promote it, the effect would be minimal.

……

Nighttime, at that familiar bar.

"Guys, I'm here!"

When Zhang Chen walked into the bar, the members of the Huala Gang were chatting idly.

Upon seeing Zhang Chen, the billiard players put down their cues, and the beer drinkers put down their glasses, all coming up to hug him.

"Long time no see, guys!"

Zhang Chen hugged or bumped fists with everyone.

Alexander Aja: "Bro, I watched your 'White House Down,' it was really good!"

Rob Zumby: "Hey buddy, my whole family contributed four movie tickets!"

Ray Whannell: "Dude, if you didn't show up soon, I thought you'd forgotten about us!"

Darren Lean Bousman: "I heard James was coming today, so I came all the way here!"

Toby Hopper: "Dude, you're getting further and further away from independent films!"

These people were all from the Hula Gang, and it was clear that many of them had come specifically for Zhang Chen.

Hopper, standing nearby, opened a bottle of beer and handed it to him: "Come on, let's welcome Zhang back, even though this guy doesn't make horror movies anymore~"

The clinking and clattering of bottles filled the air as the icy liquor traveled down my esophagus into my stomach, bringing a refreshing sensation.

Alexander casually remarked, "Yeah, bro, your Cube company hasn't released a horror movie in ages!"

He was the first member of the Huala Gang to collaborate with Zhang Chen; he was the director of "Hold Your Breath".

"That's exactly why I'm here. My company, Cube, is going to make at least four films from the second half of this year to next year, and we urgently need directors. Does anyone have any ideas?"

"Four parts?"

Everyone looked at each other, realizing that Zhang Chen was truly different now. "Are they all horror movies?"

"No~"

Zhang Chen shook his head: "There should be one, a sequel to 'Don't Breathe,' and the rest are some concept films, like time loops or large-scale carnage. I'm also planning to make one about the economic crisis..."

"Oh? Tell me more about it~"

As a director, one is naturally most interested in good stories.

Zhang Chen is going to make four movies at once, and everyone wants to hear his stories.

"I won't even mention the sequel to 'Don't Breathe,' it follows the same formula as the original."

Seeing everyone nod, Zhang Chen continued: "The story of time loop is about a little girl who dies mysteriously. Each time she dies, she returns to a certain point before her death, dying and reincarnating again and again, until she finally finds her killer..."

Zhang Chen gave a general overview of the story, which was essentially "Happy Death Day".

"This story is interesting, it's a bit like Groundhog Day~" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"There's another one, called 'The Purge'~"

Everyone perked up; the movie's title alone was intriguing, carrying a post-apocalyptic vibe.

But after listening, I realized it wasn't the end of the world at all.

In an effort to curb population growth, the government designated a certain day each year as a killing day. Killings on this day incur no liability, hence the name—the Human Purge Program.

The story is actually very simple; the most appealing aspect is the premise: the killing day setting.

"This story is interesting." Everyone nodded in agreement, and at the same time became even more curious about Zhang Chen's last remaining story.

"And the last one? Tell us, tell us quickly!"

Zhang Chen wasn't angry. He smiled and said, "The last one is about the economic crisis."

During the economic crisis, a veteran was driven to desperation. All his savings were swallowed up by financial products, and his wife, unable to afford medical treatment, ultimately committed suicide. The veteran, driven to desperation, took revenge on society, taking a gun and massacring the financiers on Wall Street—the very people responsible for his predicament…

"Wow, if you make a film like this, won't those Wall Street financial tycoons be so scared they can't sleep?"

"What's your name? The Wall Street Killer?"

"No, I'm going to call it 'Invasion of Wall Street'~"

"Haha, what a great title! But I seriously doubt some people will actually take revenge on society after watching this movie, especially right now with the subprime mortgage crisis."

The group discussed the matter amongst themselves, each offering their own perspective.

Zhang Chen looked at everyone: "So, who's interested?"

The crowd looked at each other, some showing interest but seemingly hesitant to be the first to speak.

Zhang Chen bluntly stated, "Alexander, you directed 'Don't Breathe 1,' so how about you direct the sequel too?"

Alexander, however, looked hesitant: "Sorry, buddy, I really want to take it, but I've already secured another project called 'Piranha 3D,' so I'm afraid I can't handle this windfall..."

His witty remark immediately made everyone burst into laughter.

Zhang Chen looked at everyone again, and Eli hurriedly waved his hand, saying, "I can't either, I collaborated with Quentin on a movie called 'Shameless'..."

Toby Hopper raised his hand and said, "I'm quite interested in 'The Purge,' could you give me that film?"

"No problem at all."

Toby Hopper's last film was two years ago, and it didn't do well.

However, Zhang Chen was not worried at all.

Films like "The Purge" aren't actually that difficult to make; the key is an appealing premise. As long as the film reaches a passing grade, it can be a box office hit.

With the first person setting the example, Bousman immediately said, "How about 'Happy Death Day' for me? I've made too many 'Saw' movies in the last two years, I want to try a different genre..."

"OK~"

Zhang Chen had no objection and looked at the others again.

Wen Ziren was also tempted, but Zhang Chen spoke first: "Don't rush, I have other plans for you. I just thought of a terrifying universe that I'd like to entrust to you..."

James Wan was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled.

His collaboration with Lionsgate on "Dead Silence" did not perform well at the box office, which made him doubt himself at one point.

But Zhang Chen clearly didn't care. Not only was he still willing to entrust him with the new film, but it was also a cosmic project.

Now everyone in Hollywood knows that Zhang Chen loves to tinker with the universe.

The Mech Monster Universe, the Agent Universe, and now there's a Horror Universe.

Upon hearing this, the others' eyes lit up, and they all shouted, "Tell us, we want to hear what kind of terrifying universe it is!"

Zhang Chen waved his hand and said, "Alright, there are still two movies left. Let's finalize the cast for these two first. Zumby and Whannell, what do you two say?"

Whannell laughed and waved his hand: "I'm a screenwriter, I can't do directing."

This year marks the sixth installment of the Saw series, and he has been the screenwriter for all of them.

Zumby said, "I'm fine, so I'll take care of 'Don't Breathe 2.' I'd like to see how my version of 'Don't Breathe' differs from Alexander's."

"Hahaha~"

The crowd erupted in laughter again.

They all started out making horror films, so "Don't Breathe" wasn't actually difficult for them, and there was no possibility of failure.

On the contrary, Hopper and Eli might fail if they tried other themes.

"Alright, since no one is willing to accept 'Invasion of Wall Street,' let's put it on hold for now."

Actually, the subject matter of "Invasion of Wall Street" is quite attractive. Zhang Chen could tell that everyone was very interested, but they had some concerns.

The main story is too sensitive.

During an economic crisis, if you make a film that encourages the desperate to take revenge on society, the ones who will be retaliated against are still the Wall Street bigwigs. If you're not careful, it could backfire.

If someone was indeed instigated to kill the bigwig, you won't be able to escape responsibility, and you might even incur the hostility of Wall Street tycoons.
Not worth it~
Just to make a living.

"Okay, now you can tell me, right?"

Everyone sat in a row, eager to hear what Zhang Chen meant by the terrifying universe.
Zhang Chen recounted the story in detail:

The "Lurking" series;
The Conjuring series;
The Annabelle series;
Many stories begin with moving.

The usual elements of American horror movies: moving, traveling, and cabins in the woods.
"Your comment has a bit of an Eastern horror feel to it~"

James Wan hit the nail on the head.

Zhang Chen nodded: "Yes, it's Eastern horror. I originally wanted to make it an Eastern horror film, but our national conditions didn't allow it, so I had to change the story background to the West."

Zhang Chen was talking nonsense with a straight face, and the others actually thought it made a lot of sense.

"Only Eastern horror films deliberately create psychological horror. Western horror films are all about blood and gore or something suddenly popping out from in front of the camera, which is actually very superficial."

Zhang Chen used to find Western horror movies quite boring, and he didn't understand some of the plot points.

I find it strange that foreigners have so many children and don't care, even letting their one-year-old sleep alone, and the more problems arise, the more they separate them from their babies.

"Insidious and The Conjuring are two different series. Of course, if you have a way to merge them into one universe, I have no objection~"

James Wan is the screenwriter for many of his films, and his screenwriting skills are actually quite good.

James Wan nodded, already incredibly excited. He felt that what Zhang Chen was talking about was exactly what he had always wanted to film.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely film it well~"

(End of this chapter)