Huayu: As a child star, I just want to be famous

Chapter 527: Projects that do not allow failure (4k)

Los Angeles.

The rumor spread quickly. Chen, the director of "Inception", is about to cooperate with Blizzard to take over the "World of Warcraft" movie series.

The Warcraft project is quite famous in Hollywood, but not in a good way. Instead, it is famous for its chaotic internal management and unclear responsibilities.

The fact that neither the script nor the director had been decided for five consecutive years had made people less optimistic about the film.

But now...

"Chen is going to take over?"

"Yes, I heard that he was given the power to finalize the script and the final editing rights."

"The project has suddenly become active."

The industry almost instantly reached a consensus that the World of Warcraft IP plus Chen, the powerful director and screenwriter, was a big piece of cake.

All kinds of Hollywood celebrities are flying around, and a large number of actors are trying their best to find out the relevant situation.

Blizzard is outside the industry and not many people know them, but Legendary Pictures is unavoidable and Jon Jashni has received several calls.

Although the news is still limited to the industry, it is obvious that Hollywood has become restless.

The same is true in China. Among those present that day were several bosses of domestic entertainment companies.

The news cannot be blocked at all.

Beijing circle gathers together again.

"Let's confirm one thing first. The movie Warcraft shouldn't hire all foreign actors, right?"

"No," Zhang Guoli affirmed. "Epic films involve a large number of actors and heavy makeup, and are not limited to certain ethnic groups."

"How do you know it?"

"I called Director Chen yesterday and asked about the general situation."

This is true. Chen Linfeng clearly stated on the phone that some domestic actors would be used.

Don't worry about the skin color issue, the previous movie version also used non-white people, the role of the human queen was even black, just a slightly lighter black.

"That's great. It's a real blockbuster, and it's a big cake."

Ye Daying was very concerned, "We have to find a way and get involved no matter what."

"Old Ye is right," Wang Zhonglei said excitedly, "In the next few years, this will be the biggest cake, no doubt about it!"

"You know, Warcraft is likely to be a series of movies, and there will be several movies in it."

After his brother went back and told them about this the day before yesterday, they immediately realized that this was a great opportunity.

Whether from the perspective of the film and television industry or from the perspective of stock price, this project is not to be missed.

Everyone nodded.

That’s right, the key director is still Chen Linfeng, who has a firm hold on the final say.

As long as they can convince Xiao Chen, they will have a chance.

Zheng Xiaolong counted on his fingers, "People, venues, funds. Let's not talk about the funds. Just considering the professional talents, even if Longlin and Qilin are added together, it may not be enough."

Jiang Wen nodded. "Just for the special effects artists, Inception used 45 special effects teams and thousands of special effects artists, many of which were outsourced. The same goes for other departments. Xiao Chen will definitely have to find someone to help."

I had your help last time, and I will use even more of you this time.

The more they talked, the more confident they became. They felt that the chances were great, and the atmosphere became agitated.

Even though this project may not be of much use to them personally, just seeing such a large project being implemented in the country will obviously bring great benefits to the entire industry.

Everyone will benefit from this.

"The most important thing is the actors. Can we squeeze some people in?"

Wang Shuo looked at Jiang Wen, Chen Kaige and Feng Xiaogang, the three of them had the best relationship with Chen Linfeng.

Jiang Wen shook his head. "We don't have to think about this. It all depends on how he chooses."

"Yes, Xiao Chen hates this kind of thing."

The mood of the crowd dropped slightly.

Yes, Director Chen is very famous in this regard. He especially hates others interfering with his casting.

I especially hate it when investors who have spent money randomly insert people into the company.

It's like there's stress.

I don't know where he gets such sensitivity from. From his experience, he has never encountered anything bad like this.

Although he always looks amiable, a quick comparison of his appearance will reveal his true thoughts.

After a long time, everyone knew about it and it became a tacit rule in the industry.

"What should we do then? It all depends on our own abilities?"

Zhang Guoli thought for a moment and said, "Director Chen hates to randomly assign roles to people, but he is still very considerate. If we have worked together before, you can ask him and he will know the answer. If there is a suitable one, he will keep an eye out for you. At least you will have a chance to audition."

"That's true. Zhou Xun and the others said the same thing." Wang Zhonglei nodded in confirmation.

"That's fine. Those who have connections can find them. Those who don't can just go and audition."

……

At the same time, in a private room of the Beibingyang Bar in Yanjing.

"Can I only audition to get a role?"

"It's no different than having nothing. Just think about how many people will audition when the time comes."

Huang Xiaoming, Nie Yuan, Shi Xiaolong, Zhou Xun and others also talked about this.

Although Chen Linfeng has attended fewer gatherings recently, those who have formed a circle still get together from time to time.

This time, the main topic of discussion was about the Warcraft project which is the hottest in the circle recently.

"Xiaolong, do you know any news?"

Shi Xiaolong shook his head. "I learned this from you. I haven't heard him say this before."

"Oh, that's how it is."

Just take it as a belief and continue the conversation.

"Speaking of which, if we go for an audition, we will always have more opportunities than other unknown actors, right?" Nie Yuan asked.

"Not necessarily," Huang Xiaoming said, "For a project of the level of Warcraft, no matter how famous the actors are, the bonus to the movie is not that big. The game itself is very famous. Considering the cost, famous actors may be at a disadvantage."

"What should we do?" Nie Yuan was a little anxious, "We are at a great disadvantage now."

"Maybe I have to reduce my pay to a level that the director doesn't think is expensive."

Huang Xiaoming gritted his teeth and decided that if it was a role that required him to show his face, he would be willing to do it even for free.

Apart from the men, Yang Mi and Zhou Xun were chatting idly.

"Oh, everyone is like crazy."

"Who says it isn't?"

Wang Baoqiang was surprised, "You are all trying to seize the opportunity to join the crew. Why aren't you two in a hurry?"

"What's the use of being anxious? I know the plot of World of Warcraft. There aren't many female characters to begin with. Just think about it and you will know that it won't be a chance for domestic female celebrities to play." Yang Mi spread her hands and said helplessly.

Zhou Xun nodded, "Yeah, there's no chance. Otherwise, how could I not be interested in Director Chen's movie?" She asked curiously, "What about you? I don't think you're interested either. Don't you want to fight for a role?"

"Me?" Wang Baoqiang pointed at himself and smiled bitterly, "It's OK if they are handsome. Even if they are not good-looking, they can still play a knight in armor or something. But I am like this. Just think about it and you know I have no chance."

Yang Mi said with a strange look on her face, "There are orcs, goblins and other tribes in World of Warcraft. How can you say there is no chance?"

"Hmm?" Wang Baoqiang's expression changed from confusion to surprise. "Is it possible?"

"Well, then I might be quite suitable."

Wang Baoqiang also began to become agitated.

After a while, he joined the crowd and enthusiastically joined the discussion.

"Director Chen treats everyone equally, which is the best thing, especially when compared with foreign actors. We are against discrimination, against discrimination!"

"..."

The entertainment circles in both the East and the West were excited by the news, but here on the set of Now You See Me, everything was still calm.

Yes, all the staff present are Director Chen’s direct subordinates.

You will definitely get a share of the pie then.

Only Chen Linfeng was busy. His phone almost never stopped ringing since the day the crew started filming.

Not only did young actors he knew call to ask about the situation, but some old-school actors also called to inquire about the situation. In addition, there were calls from abroad. There were so many people interested.

World of Warcraft is indeed different from other movies.

First of all, in terms of popularity, this game has gained great popularity all over the world since 06 and 07.

In China, almost all college students in those years were playing this game in their dormitories, and it caused a lot of discussion at the time.

Older people have probably heard of the name "World of Warcraft".

Secondly, it’s because of the subject matter.

Anyone who knows a little about the plot of Warcraft knows that this movie is very likely to be an epic movie.

It involves the history of wars and struggles of almost all races in the world. What else can it be but an epic?
The most famous similar example is "The Lord of the Rings".

The movie "The Lord of the Rings" is a classic work that will go down in film history.

Obviously, with Chen Linfeng as the director, many people regard "Warcraft" as the "second Lord of the Rings".

A project of this level is really a big project that everyone will pay attention to.

Who wouldn’t want to be a part of such a historic project?

But this would be a bit too stressful for Chen Linfeng.

Not only actors and colleagues asked about it, but even leaders from higher levels came to show their concern, and there were more than one of them.

Some asked him if he needed help with the venue and personnel.

Some people also asked him whether he wanted policy support.

Even the censors told him to go ahead and do it, and they would definitely try to relax the standards for this film.

It's a war movie, so of course there's some blood and gore, which is understandable.

What he said implicitly was that he must work hard and make big news.

For higher authorities, if this project can be implemented domestically, it may lead to both industrial upgrading and cultural output.

So, you can only succeed, not fail!
Chen Linfeng took a deep breath and tried his best not to think about these things.

These are all negative pressures that are not conducive to the project, and he now has to focus on the current film.

There were two confirmed "Now You See Me" films in the previous life, and the third film was said to be released at the end of 2025, but he passed away before he saw the finished film, so he just ignored it.

Looking at these two movies, the first one has the best reputation and relatively high box office, $3.6 million.

The second film is obviously not as good as the first one, and it is reflected in the box office, which is 2.8 million US dollars.

Both films had good box office in China, both around $1 million. It seems that domestic audiences still like this subject matter.

In Chen Linfeng's opinion, there are problems with the plots of both films.

The second half of the first part is not good. The magic is not exciting enough, especially compared to the first half. It is far behind and feels like a tiger with a strong start but a weak finish.

Only a few parts of the second part are exciting. The most classic part is the scene where four people work together to go through security check and then play a card-like chip back and forth.

In my previous life, I have cut many slices on video websites.

Therefore, Chen Linfeng made a lot of changes in the new version.

To put it simply, it brings together the best parts of the two movies.

There's no need to deal with that complicated Magic Eye organization. A simple battle between a Robin Hood-style magician and the police will do.

It’s just that during the battle, the level of the Four Knights and the overall brilliance of the magic are highlighted as much as possible.

This is also the reason why Chen Linfeng chose to perform the role himself.

If it was a series of movies, he wouldn't do it himself. The work would be scheduled for several years later, and it would be too painful to start a new series.

Not only that, doing so can also maximize the watchability of the film. You can't go through the trouble of making a movie and end up with only a movie that costs more than 3 million US dollars.

For Chen Linfeng, his small profit now may be considered a small loss.

While walking and thinking about these things, Chen Linfeng entered an activity room.

The crowd was basically divided into three groups, with Liu Xixi, Woody Harrison, and Tobey Maguire separated, and each group gathered around to watch their performance.

The movie requires the protagonists to have good skills. It is not enough to just hire stuntmen as stand-ins. They also need to practice and have a certain level of skills.

"How is it, have you practiced it well?"

"Oops," Xixi made a mistake and the cards in her hand flew out.

"It's all your fault. I was almost successful, but you interrupted me and I had to start over again."

"Blame me?" Chen Linfeng said innocently, "This thing is very simple. You have been practicing for several days, but you can't pull the cards well."

"Haha," Liu Qianqian sneered, "Do you think I don't know? You've been practicing at home for several months. Who was the one who said it was difficult at the beginning? Now you're pretending."

"Don't spread rumors. I can do it easily with just a little practice."

Chen Linfeng touched his nose and didn't stay any longer. It would be bad if all his past was exposed.

After rebirth, my brain works better, but my skills are still at the average level. I need to practice slowly.

He suffered a lot when he first practiced this.

Especially since Chen Linfeng wanted to do it as little as possible without the assistance of stuntmen and to do it himself, he had to put in more effort.

But to be honest, the movie doesn’t just involve magic tricks, there are also a lot of special effects.

There isn't a lot that the actors need to practice, and with someone to guide them, two hours a day is enough.

Chen Linfeng changed the shooting order a bit. He shot the second half of the money-scattering scene first, and the first half of stealing the chip key. After the actors had practiced well, he started shooting. The timing was just right.

After taking a look around, he saw several actors practicing very hard. He nodded and did not disturb them.

As soon as I walked out of the room, the phone rang again.

"Hey, Dad, oh, you're here to ask about the Warcraft project too.

No, there's nothing I can do to help you. Oh, by the way, if possible, please send all the screenwriters from your company to me, and add the screenwriter team from Qilin, so I can do something big this time."

(End of this chapter)