This star is going to the moon

Chapter 350 Mechanical Dog "Benben" - The Crew Has All Real Ones!

Filming for "The Wandering Earth 2" was scheduled to begin on October 13th, but the lead and supporting actors arrived at the set before then.

Only extras and guest stars arrive after filming begins.

"Hello, Brother Hua, just call me Xiao Lu. I grew up watching your movies and listening to your songs," Lu Yun said, shaking hands with Andy Lau.

Lu Yun wasn't being polite; he truly grew up listening to Andy Lau's songs and watching his movies, after all, Andy Lau is only 7 years younger than Li Xuejian.

Li Xuejian is 66 years old this year, while Liu Dehua is 59 years old.

Lu Yun is only 27 years old.

If we only consider age, Lu Yun calling him "brother" would be considered a generational difference.

However, Andy Lau did not readily accept Lu Yun as his "younger brother," but instead was very polite.

"You flatter me, Mr. Lu," Andy Lau said politely. "I've seen your movies, and your acting is truly superb. I am ashamed to admit that I am not as good as you."

"At the same time, your achievements in the aerospace field are even more admirable. Once Mr. Lu's space journey officially begins, please be sure to reserve two tickets for me. I also want to go to space to see our beautiful Earth home."

"Brother Hua, you're too kind. You can call me Brother Lu or Brother Yun if you like," Lu Yun said, beckoning An Fangfei over from the other side and introducing her, "This is my fiancée, An Fangfei."

"Hello, Brother Hua, I also grew up watching your movies," An Fangfei said obediently, standing next to Lu Yun.

Andy Lau: "..."

Yes, I know I'm almost 60.

The first few days after the lead actors join the cast, before filming begins, are when most actors can meet up. However, once filming starts, many actors find it difficult to meet up.

Not to mention that actors at different stages of the plot will definitely not meet, some actors may not even see each other when they are supposed to be acting opposite each other, and can only see various stunt doubles.

This phenomenon has become even more prevalent, especially after the influx of popular celebrities into the film and television industry.

The reason why "The Wandering Earth 2" is due to the plot of the movie is that in the previous life, it was said that Andy Lau was a "special appearance", but in fact he was one of the two male leads.

Wu Jing plays "Liu Peiqiang," the male lead during the space elevator phase, while Liu Dehua plays "Tu Hengyu," the male lead during the lunar crisis phase.

The two male protagonists had a chance encounter when "Liu Peiqiang" was interviewing the navigator for the International Space Station astronauts.

In the one-way mirror in the interview room, there was a shot where the two images overlapped, and that was handled very well.

Both characters in the film demonstrate deep affection for their families and a strong sense of responsibility.

Liu Peiqiang's love for his family is what motivates him to make choices during the crisis, while Tu Hengyu has an unbreakable bond with his deceased daughter.

The overlap in the mirror also reflects their emotional resonance; even in the face of enormous difficulties and sacrifices, they are willing to take risks and fight for their loved ones.

With the intervention of Lu Yun in this life, "The Wandering Earth 2" was directly turned into two parts, but it will still be filmed together.

Therefore, "Liu Peiqiang" is the protagonist of the previous episode "Sky Ladder Crisis" and "Tu Hengyu" is the protagonist of the next episode "Moon Crisis".

The previous film, "The Wandering Earth 2," was filmed together, and the final cut was 173 minutes long. It is said that 80 minutes of scenes were cut before the release. If you add them up and divide them, it would actually be enough for two movies.

The filming will be done the same way this time around, only some plot points need to be slightly adjusted.

After all, it's divided into two parts.

Before filming began, the main creative team held many meetings. Although Andy Lau and Li Xuejian, these two "veterans," are only 7 years apart, their states are very different.

After all, Li Xuejian had cancer, and the surgery affected his vocal cords, impacting his ability to speak. In the early 2000s, he was still younger and in relatively good health, so the problem wasn't too serious. However, twenty years later, his health has deteriorated significantly, resulting in a very hoarse voice and slurred speech.

However, his acting skills remain superb, even at their peak. He can use emotion and technique to compensate for his vocalizations, making people understand what he means.

The production team held the meeting to let the actors understand the team's intentions.

First, regarding funding, we have a minimum of 10 billion RMB, and we can add more if we exceed the budget!
Although there had been news before that the "Fengshen Trilogy" would be made into three parts with a budget of 30 billion RMB, it is still quite amazing that "The Wandering Earth 2" was able to secure a 10 billion RMB investment at once.

Especially the statement that "more can be added if it's not enough".

Lu Yun, one of the male leads, was sitting next to them. His Blue Star Aerospace Company was valued at over 4000 billion RMB.

Although Bluestar Aerospace is not publicly listed, it still has internal shares, given the large amount of investment it received in the early stages.

However, Lu Yun still holds the majority of the shares.

He could easily add another 10 billion to "The Wandering Earth 2" by selling just a small portion of his shares.

Of the current 1 billion in costs, 100 million was invested by him.

It's not that he doesn't want to invest more, but everyone knows it's a hot commodity, a lucrative project, so too many institutions are investing in it.

In addition, prop making is also a very important part of science fiction films.

This is Li Xuejian's first time directing a science fiction film, while Andy Lau has directed science fiction films before, such as "The Magic Crystal", "The Wesley's Mystery of the Blue Blood" and "Future X-Cops".

But how should I put it? Ever since the first "The Wandering Earth" came out, these movies seem like a dark history.

Especially "Future X-Cops".

Actually, Wu Jing is the same; his film "Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg"...

Yeah, that's...very imaginative.

Now, Andy Lau was startled when he saw the props for "The Wandering Earth 2".

"Brother Hua, this is one of your partners in the movie—Benben."

(Robot Dog - Benben)
Lu Yun pointed to the mechanical dog with a strong industrial feel and said, "It's a wheeled quadruped robot, and it's also a production tool for the lunar engine in the movie. But yours is special; it's a 'military dog' and plays an important role in the movie."

Andy Lau nodded. He was just about to praise how well the movie props were made, how realistic they looked, and how the props in his own movie, "Future X-Cops," couldn't compare, when he heard Lu Yun say, "Benben, come here!"

Liu Dehua was shocked to discover that the prop named "Benben" had moved.

Its square body lifted up, the camera flipped to reveal a screen showing a pair of beady eyes, and the tires on its mechanical limbs spun around, bringing it right in front of them.

(Mechanical dog emoji)

"This...this...it can actually move obediently?"

Seeing Liu Dehua's surprise, Lu Yun laughed and said, "That's right, Brother Hua, that's how our science fiction movies are."

"You don't need to perform in front of a green screen without props; our crew uses real props."

Lu Yun pointed to a pile of props and said, "Mechanical dog, powered exoskeleton, lunar rover, drone, anti-drone gun..."

(End of this chapter)