Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 369 I'll Take Responsibility

The crew of "Mojin: The Lost Legend" has been very busy lately. On the business side, Li Qiutang is about to depart for a re-location inspection, Tiangong Yicai is working with Li Qiutang's storyboard and director of photography to create a dynamic preview, the art and props teams are also working intensively on design and production, and the casting team is still negotiating with actors...

External public opinion was also unfavorable to Jing Tian, ​​one of the main actors, and opposition arose from all sides.

Just then, another message circulated on Weibo:

"China Film Group's adaptation of 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' is delayed due to the director's adaptation schedule, while Wan Da's 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' is delayed due to serious disagreements between the producers and investors regarding the actress. Both films cannot start filming as scheduled."

Those in the industry say that filming cannot start on schedule, which actually means the project has been shelved.

The reason for the shelving of Wan Da's "Ghost Blows Out the Light" is consistent with the recent controversy surrounding Jing Tian. Many people believe that Jing Tian alone could drag down the entire project!

The blogger paid special attention to Wan Da's "Ghost Blows Out the Light". Shortly after this Weibo post, he posted another one: "Li Qiutang has temporarily put aside "Ghost Blows Out the Light" and started preparing his own "Mirage", which is the suspense film that was announced at Cannes three years ago along with "The Invisible Guest".

The shelving of both "Ghost Blows Out the Light" adaptations is explosive news in the industry. "Ghost Blows Out the Light" has been arguably the most anticipated project in the industry for the past two years, and both films are being produced by top domestic companies. How could they be shelved like this?
The news spread quickly. China Film Group and Lu Chuan did not respond, but Li Qiutang needed to step forward and give a unified response to the recent controversies surrounding the "Mojin: The Lost Legend" production team.

The day before he left for New York, he participated in a short film competition organized by the Movie Channel, where he served as a mentor.

At the event, Li Qiutang first talked about the creative process: "Adaptations must retain the core elements of the original work. For example, when we made 'Mojin: The Lost Legend,' the original work was about tomb raiding and adventure, so our adaptation must also be about tomb raiding and adventure. Of course, tomb raiding is illegal, so we have to find a way to make it reasonable." This was the first time Li Qiutang publicly discussed the creative process of "Mojin: The Lost Legend."

But Li Qiutang only touched on this point briefly, and then, in connection with today's event, said: "Good scripts usually don't end up in the hands of newcomers, so new directors must be able to write scripts."

After saying this, Li Qiutang didn't forget to advertise her "Towering Tree Project": "We provided the script for 'The Fault in Our Stars,' and director Han Yan made some more down-to-earth touches. We are very generous with scripts for new directors."

At the end of the event, Li Qiutang naturally had to respond to reporters' questions about the controversy surrounding the "Mojin: The Lost Legend" production team. She first denied the claim that the project had been shelved: "I don't even know where this news came from. The project is proceeding as scheduled, and I'm leaving tomorrow to scout locations."

Li Qiutang once again stood up for Jing Tian, ​​saying, "I take responsibility for my casting choices, and I think she's suitable."

"But netizens questioned her acting skills, feeling that she didn't act well."

“That depends on who’s taking the picture,” Li Qiutang said with great confidence. “I can take a good picture of her.”

Not only did Li Qiutang publicly support Jing Tian, ​​but she also said, "We found out that there are online trolls pushing this behind the scenes. Jing Tian is very honest and law-abiding, she hasn't offended anyone, yet she said such awful things, acting like a diva and tormenting people, it's too much!"

"Our crew has found some clues and will take countermeasures."

To reassure the public, Li Qiutang revealed, "Besides, Jing Tian isn't playing the female lead, Shirley Yang. People are being too malicious towards her."

Li Qiutang declined to reveal the other actors, only emphasizing that the lead actress would be a "top-tier actress." When asked if he would invite the "Four Dan and Two Bing" actresses to star, Li Qiutang replied cryptically, "We can broaden the scope of 'top-tier' actresses a bit."

As for further information, Li Qiutang declined to disclose it, citing that it was still in the confidential stage.

Throughout the entire event, only two pieces of useful information about "Mojin: The Lost Legend" were revealed: the project is still ongoing and progressing; and Jing Tian has confirmed her participation, but will not be playing the female lead.

The short film event on the movie channel didn't generate much buzz, but the "Mojin: The Lost Legend" production team still pushed #Li Qiutang Responds to Jing Tian Controversy# to the top of the trending topics as a response. "Director Li Qiutang spoke up for Jing Tian at the event, saying that Jing Tian is an honest and hardworking actress, that the audience has too much hostility towards her, and confirmed that Jing Tian has joined "Mojin: The Lost Legend," but not as the female lead Shirley Yang."

Li Qiutang angrily denounced the online trolls for having no bottom line, saying that she has investigated and collected evidence and will fight back when appropriate.

Li Qiutang responds to the Jing Tian controversy: I take responsibility for casting and am confident in filming Jing Tian well!

Li Qiutang didn't have time to pay attention to the trending topics. The next morning, she took a flight to New York with the producer, photographer, art director, and others.

Li Qiutang didn't notice this on the plane. Around noon, many people in the industry consciously stood up to speak for Jing Tian.

First, there's Liu Yifei. She inexplicably posted a motivational Weibo post: "The saddest thing is to change yourself to please others, only to lose yourself and fail to please them. True wisdom lies in staying true to yourself and finding your own path."

This Weibo post was seen as Liu Yifei encouraging Jing Tian not to care too much about external troubles, as she herself is that kind of person.

Then, Police Story 2013 released a special episode featuring Jing Tian, ​​praising her performance. That afternoon, Jing Tian returned to promoting Police Story 2013.

Subsequently, more and more celebrities, either by posting on Weibo or speaking out offline, directly or indirectly supported Jing Tian and "Police Story 2013".

However, this behavior has aroused resentment among some netizens.

They believe that this kind of group behavior is an attempt by the entertainment industry to monopolize public opinion and distort the truth.

"Why should we compromise when they band together to support us?"

"Jing Tian's acting is terrible. Even if ten thousand people support her, she still won't be able to act!"

However, Li Qiutang had already responded directly, although her attitude was somewhat firm and she stated that she would not replace Jing Tian. But many people knew that the actress playing Shirley Yang was another "first-tier actress" on par with the "Four Dan and Two Bing" (referring to four top actresses and two top actresses in China), so they were relieved.

Jing Tian is fine as long as she doesn't play Shirley Yang.

Therefore, the attacks and opposition against Jing Tian have indeed subsided considerably.

Jing Tian was in a good mood at the promotional event for "Police Story 2013" that evening, saying, "I was very happy to work with Jackie Chan, and I'm also very happy to work with director Li Qiutang next." But she timidly told the audience, "I hope everyone can give me a chance, and I will show everyone a different side of Jing Tian."

Jackie Chan also comforted her at the scene: "The media makes up a lot of things these days, so don't worry too much about it. We just need to do our own thing."

He even joked about himself: "I die once a year, and my friends even ask me how I die."

Jackie Chan's words drew laughter from everyone present.

In a secluded corner where no one could see them, Huang Xiaoming and Yang Ying boarded a plane bound for New York with solemn expressions.

(End of this chapter)