I really don't want to be the top streamer anymore

As the Spring Festival was over, the capital city returned to its normal state.

Although Xu Kong lives very close to Fengge’s headquarters, he still cannot avoid traffic jams.

If it were someone else, they might just walk away.

Anyway, it only takes about twenty minutes.

Unfortunately for Xu Kong, he certainly couldn't walk on the street openly because the probability of being recognized was too high.

It will be even more troublesome then.

……

Fortunately, Xu Kong has been in a relatively free state in recent times.

It's not like we're in a rush.

Xu Kong is very different from some other artists.

Even though he has an assistant, the company also provides him with bodyguards and the like.

But most of the time it is not used.

Because Xu Kong himself either stays at Fengge headquarters or joins a film crew.

This is also a benefit of reducing participation in various performances and public events.

If it were some other artists who fly around, they might not be as famous as Xu Kong, but in terms of freedom, their packed schedules are definitely not as free as Xu Kong's.

……

"Director Xu, regarding the script..."

Xu Kong had just arrived at his office when Guo Jiayu came over.

"Don't worry, it's already been written."

Xu Kong took out a thick stack of scripts from his drawer and handed it to the other party.

"The Warlords?"

Guo Jiayu read out the name of the movie.

At the same time, I started to read it carefully.

Xu Kong didn't urge the other party.

Instead, I am considering issues related to the actors.

In fact, he did have some candidates.

But this movie definitely needs someone big enough to star in it.

When it comes to the invitation issue, it is very likely that he will be needed to come forward.

……

Especially the three brothers who have the most roles.

The eldest brother, the second brother, and the third brother all need actors with high status and good acting skills to support the show.

In addition, there are some details about the specific shooting.

The investment scale of the entire film will not be small.

It may even be comparable to "Operation Red Sea".

Of course, Xu Kong himself also considered this movie after careful consideration.

In the previous life, "The Warlords" did not do very well at the box office.

It can even be said to be a failure.

There are many factors involved, including the actors' high pay, competitors at the same time, and the preferences of the film market at the time.

But there's nothing wrong with the movie itself.

From the actors' acting skills to the script, the quality is quite high.

Even later on, the reputation of the movie still increased quite a lot, which was equivalent to overturning the verdict.

Many people even believe that if the release time is changed, the commercial performance of "The Warlords" will be quite impressive.

Of course, Xu Kong did not choose this movie because of these so-called speculations. He has his own criteria for judgment. At least in the current world, Xu Kong still has more say in the domestic film market.

Apart from that, there is the problem of director Guo Jiayu.

Xu Kong had already noticed this before, and knew that the other party did have the ability.

It was just that I had bad luck before.

This movie not only allows the other party room to play with some war themes.

It is also a good opportunity to exercise Guo Jiayu's directing ability in literary dramas.

At least in Xu Kong's subsequent plans, it is impossible for Guo Jiayu to only shoot large-scale military-themed works.

This is an indirect investment.

……

While Xu Kong was thinking about this, Guo Jiayu had already finished reading the script.

"Director Xu, this story is very well written!"

"It should be based on the Ma Assassination Case, one of the four famous mysteries, right?"

Guo Jiayu looked very excited.

He originally thought that Xu Kong would come up with a script similar to "Operation Red Sea".

But I didn't expect the story to end up like this.

The most important thing is that in terms of room for development, "The Warlords" is much better than "Operation Red Sea".

Especially the stories inside, there are many points worth exploring and discussing.

……

"Do you have any ideas about the actors?"

Xu Kong asked the most important question directly.

After all, strictly speaking, the other party is the director, and he is just the screenwriter and producer.

When it comes to casting, it is still necessary to seek Guo Jiayu's opinion and ideas.

Moreover, Xu Kong knows quite a few domestic actors.

But in terms of familiarity, it is still relatively low.

Except for some actors I have worked with, I have never even met many of the others.

Although Guo Jiayu has not been considered a well-known director in the industry before, her age and experience are there.

You still know more than him.

……

“I’m actually thinking about the casting issue as well.”

"Of course there is nothing wrong with the script, but this drama is still a test of the actors' acting skills."

"For example, the protagonist, the eldest brother, must have a certain level of martial arts skills..."

Guo Jiayu's expression was also very conflicted.

In fact, what he wanted to express by saying so much is that this movie needs to invite big-name and well-known actors.

Judging from the plot of the entire movie and the various background aspects of the story, it is not something that ordinary actors can handle.

If you want to achieve better commercial results in the end, the actors and the scale of investment in the entire film are crucial.

But the budget has not been decided yet, and Xu Kong has not mentioned any plans to invite well-known movie stars, so it is certainly not easy for him to make a request directly.

Mainly because I'm afraid of losing this opportunity.

He was very satisfied with the script and wanted to shoot it.

……

"Second brother, do you think Chen Shuang is suitable?"

Xu Kong asked.

Guo Jiayu agreed immediately.

"no problem!"

"If Teacher Chen Shuang says so, then it's definitely possible."

As a movie emperor, Chen Shuang's fame had indeed declined significantly before.

Moreover, the production of new dramas has stagnated for many years.

But with his performance in "The Long Season", he began to appear in the audience's field of vision again.

With Xu Kong's movie "The Bad Kids" last year, Chen Shuang's popularity is absolutely terrifyingly high.

In addition, he also knew that Chen Shuang was signed to Fengge by Xu Kong.

In other words, the other party is an artist under the company, which is perfect.

The reason why he didn't mention it was simply because he felt that it would be a bit too much to ask for an award-winning actor like Chen Shuang.

Now that Xu Kong said it himself, it was natural for him to agree to it.

……

"As for Big Brother Pang Qingyun, I would like to invite Xia Yuze to perform."

"But I haven't contacted him yet, so I don't know if it can be settled." Xu Kong spoke out his plan while thinking.

"Xia Yuze?"

Guo Jiayu was stunned for a moment.

Unexpectedly, this time Xu Kong was really preparing to form the most luxurious lineup for himself.

Xia Yuze, 42 years old, although not very old, in terms of honors, he has actually only won two Best Actor awards.

Not as good as some so-called Grand Slam movie stars.

Judging from commercial performance alone, he can be said to be one of the most valuable domestic actors.

And the most important thing is that the other party is also a martial arts star.

He entered the entertainment industry when he was in his teens and starred in many classic Hong Kong films.

Although martial arts films declined later, I have been among the top actors in the domestic box office for many years.

It was not until the domestic film market entered a period of terrifying growth, and even movies with box office revenues of over 10 billion yuan appeared, that Xia Yuze was slowly squeezed out.

But at present, he is still a top-tier superstar.

If she could really invite the other party, Guo Jiayu felt that the cast of her new movie alone was already half secured.

Coupled with the script given by Xu Kong, it does feel like happiness comes too suddenly.

……

"But what I am more troubled about now is the role of the third brother Jiang Wuyang."

"Who should play the role more appropriately?"

Xu Kong ignored Guo Jiayu's reaction and continued talking to himself.

However, when Guo Jiayu heard Xu Kong's words, his eyes suddenly lit up.

I couldn't help but said:
"Director Xu, I have a perfect candidate!"

Xu Kong was stunned for a moment, then looked at the other party and asked:

"Who?"

Among the three brothers in the movie, Jiang Wuyang has the least role.

And the presence is actually not that strong.

But it is still a very important role.

At the same time, the character cannot be too old, the acting skills must be good enough, and there are various considerations.

The most important thing is that there are more candidates when it comes to age.

Xu Kong actually doesn't know much about domestic actors of this age, so it's normal that he can't think of a suitable candidate for a while.

……

"Director Xu, it's you!"

"For the role of Jiang Wuyang, the actor cannot be too old and at the same time he must be able to play the role well. There were not many options to choose from."

"Besides, to act with two movie kings, I think you need an actor who can hold his own, at least someone who can't lose in terms of status."

"In this case, it seems that only Director Xu can do the job."

"The most important thing is that you, Director Xu, wrote the script, so you naturally have the deepest understanding of the character. It can be said that it is just the right fit."

Guo Jiayu spoke with some excitement.

Mainly because it’s hard not to get excited when thinking about such a lineup.

The combination of Xia Yuze and Chen Shuang is enough to shock people.

If Xu Kong were added as the character, Guo Jiayu would have no idea what heights this movie could have reached.

……

Xu Kong was stunned after hearing this.

The main reason is that he never thought about acting himself.

"Director Guo, do you think that with my current popularity and fame, it's appropriate for me to play the third male lead?"

Xu Kong asked with a smile.

This also made Guo Jiayu react.

He hadn't thought about it that much before.

But if you think about it carefully, Xu Kong is also a movie emperor. Although he looks relatively young, he has a great influence in the country.

It can be said that even veteran movie stars like Xia Yuze and Chen Shuang are completely incomparable.

Or to put it more outrageously, Xu Kong is currently the most popular star in the country, no doubt about it.

Even if this statement were really made public, I guess netizens online and colleagues in the industry would have no objection.

……

Even some first-line artists would not actually consider the so-called second male lead role.

Because that would be equivalent to lowering your own status.

Not to mention Xu Kong, it is indeed not realistic for him to play the third male lead.

"Director Xu, it's true that I didn't think it through."

Guo Jiayu spoke up.

But Xu Kong shook his head at this time.

He smiled and said:

"If it were someone else, your plan might not be possible."

"Or if I were still just an artist under Fengge, this idea would be unrealistic."

"But now, I agree."

"I will play the role of Jiang Wuyang."

……

Xu Kong is indeed quite special.

The main reason is that if one considers the so-called future development, generally, artists above the first-line level will not consider taking on such a third male role.

What's more, considering Xu Kong's current popularity and traffic.

But he didn't care about it at all.

After all, in comparison, Xu Kong’s most inconspicuous identity at present is that of an actor.

And Xu Kong had done something similar before.

In fact, he is more sober. Compared with the so-called goal of being the male lead, the role itself is more important than the so-called amount of screen time.

For example, he has previously played the supporting role of Wang Yang in "The Long Season", and has guest-starred in "Squid Game" and "Infernal Affairs".

Therefore, the first thing Xu Kong considered was the problem of his own time management.

After he was sure that he would have the time and energy to act in the future, he certainly had no worries.

The most important thing is that Xu Kong heard that Xia Yuze has started to take fewer acting jobs in recent years.

Although he originally thought that he could convince the other party with the script of "The Warlords".

But if he, the youngest film emperor in the country, and Chen Shuang, a veteran film emperor, were to act with him, Xia Yuze probably wouldn't be able to refuse, right?
……

"Director Xu means that you agree?"

Guo Jiayu was still a little unresponsive.

I asked back subconsciously.

When he saw Xu Kong nod, he suddenly jumped up with excitement.

He originally thought that this time would be similar to "Operation Red Sea" and new actors would be needed.

Who knew that such a big surprise was waiting for him in the end.

There are three movie emperors, including Xu Kong himself. Such a lineup can no longer be described as luxurious, it's terrifying!

I guess even some people would subconsciously think it was a joke when they heard about this cast.

This is also a bit outrageous.

……

"But Director Xu, Xia Yuze is from Huayuan Films. We want to invite him, maybe..."

Guo Jiayu suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but remind him.

The various open and covert struggles between Huayuan Film and Television and Fengge have been going on for more than one or two years.

Although there was cooperation during the process.

But it is not easy to invite Huayuan’s leading actor like Xia Yuze.

Xu Kong didn't care too much and answered:
"I'll go there myself."

"If we can't come to an agreement, let's try someone else."

In Xu Kong's plan, although Xia Yuze is the most suitable one, there are still some alternatives available.

So he was not too anxious.

...(End of chapter)