This star is going to the moon

Chapter 385 Filming begins for the movie "Lone on the Moon," but the space shuttle's capabilities are not being pushed to their limits!

Lu Yun became the chief scientific and technological consultant for the film "Lone in the Moon" before it was even officially launched, back in late 2017.

At that time, his achievements in film and television were only the first season of "Back to Field" and the third male lead in "Wolf Warrior 2".

"How Long Will I Love U" and "The Wandering Earth" have only finished filming, but have not yet been released.

The company, Bluestar Aerospace, was just established and is currently developing the "Fangfei-70" rocket engine. They haven't even publicly shown the PPT of the "Wanhu" rocket yet.

Fortunately, because the "Golden Toad" mini lunar rover was associated with the national lunar exploration mission, its prestige was instantly elevated, so the crew of "Hello Mr. Billionaire" invited it to make a cameo appearance.

Because of this connection, he got to know Zhang Chiyu and Shen Teng, who were planning to make "Lone in the Moon," and not only became the film's science and technology consultant, but also offered to invest in it.

"Lone on the Moon" has been in preparation for three years, and filming is finally about to begin at the end of 2020.

Lu Yun, as the science and technology consultant, didn't need to do much. His main job was to connect the crew of "Lone on the Moon" with several lunar experts.

Then, finally, some review work is done.

Another task was to guide Blue Star Crafts to create sci-fi props that better suited the style of "Lone on the Moon".

Previously, communication was either via video or by making an occasional trip. However, after the "Lone Wanderer on the Moon" production team officially moved into the Oriental Movie Metropolis and began setting up the studio, Lu Yun no longer needed to make such trips. He could simply turn a corner after leaving the "Wandering Earth 2" set and meet all the responsible persons from the "Lone Wanderer on the Moon" production team.

Today is the last day of preparation for "Lone on the Moon". Filming will start tomorrow, and Lu Yun came to attend their summary meeting.

Looking at Lu Yun sitting behind the "Science and Technology Advisor" badge, Shen Teng and Zhang Chiyu, who had the earliest contact with him, were quite moved.

They never expected that Lu Yun would grow to such a terrifying position in just three years.

They don't understand anything about aerospace; they only know that participating in national space missions is a great honor, and that Blue Star Aerospace Company has defeated foreign manned space companies without any chance to fight back.

Of course, the most obvious one is that Bluestar Aerospace Company is valued at several hundred billion RMB, and Lu Yun holds a majority stake in it, making him worth several hundred billion RMB as well.

It's worth noting that the total box office revenue for domestic films last year was only over 400 billion yuan!

To put it simply, if Rowun's statement three years ago that he "could invest in movies" had a value of 10, then that statement today would have a value of 1000!
Speaking of movies, Lu Yun played a significant role in the more than 400 billion yuan total box office of domestic films last year.

After all, the combined box office of "The Wandering Earth" (starring him) and "Ne Zha" (in which he provided voice acting) exceeded 120 billion yuan!
Moreover, Rowoon's acting skills have improved very quickly since his debut, and he has been highly recognized by the audience.

The film has a very high reputation, and he has never acted in a bad movie.

Oh, except for my debut work, "So Young 2: Never Gone".

Although he was promoted to the new "lead actor" in various encyclopedias and actor introductions because the real male lead went to jail, that movie actually had little to do with him.

After all, Lu Yun is said to be playing the second male lead, but he actually has very few lines and screen time. The whole drama revolves around the male and female leads, namely Wu Fanqian and An Fangfei, who are in prison.

Directors and actors who have worked with Rowoon also speak highly of him.

And it was a genuine compliment, neither a polite gesture nor a publicity stunt for the production team.

Lu Yun's only problem is that he entered the entertainment industry halfway through his career, so he has no roots in the industry and is not compatible with the deeply entrenched powerful figures in it, which is why he has never won any acting awards.

However, they found that Lu Yun didn't care much, and once said, "As long as the audience is satisfied, that's fine."

That would be... invincible.

Even the powerful figures in the entertainment industry can't do anything about someone who is "unyielding because he has no desires".

Furthermore, Lu Yun is no ordinary person; his influence outside the entertainment industry is terrifying, and he even has the backing of the state.

It's good enough that they don't come to the entertainment industry to cause trouble.

Therefore, even those powerful figures in the entertainment industry dare not provoke Lu Yun.

In this way, there won't be any problems with the actors and production teams that work with Rowoon.

After the meeting, Shen Teng and the others treated Lu Yun to dinner, during which they expressed their gratitude many times.

Shen Teng: "Brother Lu, with your participation, we are full of confidence. The scientific advice you provided is really inspiring. I think our movie will gross at least 20 billion yuan!"

Zhang Chiyu: "Yes, although the main focus of this play is Teng Ge's comedic performance, it does have a science fiction background and is set in a science fiction base on the moon. So we were a little lacking in confidence before, but with your participation, Mr. Lu, we are now very confident."

Lu Yun laughed and said, "I think you guys still lack confidence. If you ask me, our movie's box office is still 35 billion less!"

"!"

Everyone was surprised when they heard Lu Yun say that.

Despite the fact that "The Wandering Earth" has pushed the box office record for domestic films to nearly 65 billion yuan, and "Ne Zha" has also proven that the 60 billion yuan level of box office is not an isolated case, most films are still "struggling" with box office revenue below 10 billion yuan.

A box office of 20 billion would be quite remarkable.

After all, nowadays, a movie with a budget of 5 million is considered a super-large production. According to the general figure of "three times the cost to break even", 15 billion is enough to break even, and the rest is profit.

Of course, except for certain blockbuster movies.

For example, the "Fengshen Trilogy," which was said to cost 30 billion to make three films, with each film costing 10 billion, and a total box office of 90 billion was needed to break even.

As a comedy film, "The Lone Ranger" has a science fiction background, but its initial cost was only 3 million yuan. Therefore, it can break even with a box office of 9 million yuan.

If it grosses 20 billion at the box office, then we'll make a fortune.

Even if the costs aren't controlled, and the box office increases by 100 or 200 million later, the 1 billion yuan in box office revenue can still break even, and there's still a chance to make a profit of 2 billion yuan.

But 35 billion... they really don't dare to think about it.

After all, with a box office of 35 billion, excluding the phenomenal box office performances of 2019 and 2017, the rest of the years were heavyweight contenders for the top spot in the domestic film box office that year.

But considering all the legends surrounding Lu Yun, his "language box office" is truly exceptional!
If it really does gross 35 billion at the box office...

Then it has to take off!

Previously, Shen Teng's highest-grossing film was "Hello Mr. Billionaire," which grossed 30 billion yuan. They didn't expect it at the time. It was released just as Lu Yun's fame was soaring, and the box office exploded.

This time, they've once again appointed Lu Yun as a science and technology advisor, and they've once again put Lu Yun into science fiction. Moreover, Lu Yun's fame is even greater than before, so 35 billion is indeed a possibility!

Lu Yun chuckled inwardly at their surprised expressions.

Even without his involvement in the previous film, "Lone in the Moon" still grossed 31 billion yuan. With his involvement in this film, it will definitely gross no less than 35 billion yuan, and may even reach the 40 billion yuan mark.

After all, with Lu Yun's involvement in this life, the box office record for domestic films was raised much earlier.

With his acting skills and background, his ability to act in movies is truly a game-changer!
The next day, Lu Yun attended the opening ceremony of "Lone Journey to the Moon" as a "science and technology consultant" and "guest actor." He even stood next to Shen Teng in the group photo, so he was clearly seen in the picture. Everyone exclaimed, "Congratulations on the start of filming for 'Lone Journey to the Moon'!"

As soon as the news was released, the online popularity of "Wandering the Moon Alone" skyrocketed!

Is Rowoon making a new movie?

[Wasn't Lu Yun filming "The Wandering Earth 2"? How come he's filming "The Lone Moon" again? Is he filming multiple movies at once?]

Wow, Lu Yun has decided to shift his focus back to the entertainment industry?

[Ahhh, as a fan of Rowoon's film and television career, I'm so happy!]

I'd heard a while ago that "Lone in the Moon" was going to be made, and that Teng Ge (a nickname for a certain actor) would be playing the male lead. But judging from the positioning, could it be that Dao Yun (another actor) is going to be playing the second male lead?

Wow, even with his current status, Rowoon is only playing the second male lead? Is this movie's production team that amazing?

Wait, I remember the second male lead in the original novel of "Walking Alone on the Moon" was a kangaroo, right? Rowoon is playing a kangaroo?

[Ugh, how is Lu Yun supposed to play a kangaroo? Like Wu Yanzu in Warcraft, where you can't tell who Gul'dan is from beginning to end?]

What's the point of hiring Lu Yunyan then?

[There might be some adaptation. Movies based on a novel almost always need to be adapted, and some of these adaptations are so bad that even the mother wouldn't recognize the character. Maybe Rowoon's kangaroo turned into a human?]

Are you putting on a performance of "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio"? And does "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" even have kangaroo spirits?

[No, don't you guys read the news? It says "science and technology advisor" and "guest role" above.]

Damn it, I was fooled by the headline again. Can't these media outlets at least write the whole story in their headlines?

[Haha, how can I get traffic if I write the whole title?]

While everyone was talking about Rowoon, he had already returned to filming "The Wandering Earth 2," which was next to "The Lone Ranger."

His role as "science and technology consultant" expired after filming began for "The Lone Moon," since this role was only used when the script was being finalized before filming started.

Filming will only begin once the script is finalized.

As for the role that Lu Yun will be making, there's no rush. According to the filming timeline of "The Lone Ranger," his cameo scenes won't be filmed until next year at the earliest.

So he left after attending the opening ceremony of "Lone in the Moon," and the reporters couldn't catch him at all, so naturally they couldn't ask him "what are your thoughts on the current online discussions?"

And today, it's not just "Lone in the Moon" that's trending; there are other things too, like the "Wooden Kite" spacecraft's second manned flight.

The "Wooden Kite" is no longer being used for manned flights under the name of "test flight," but has officially entered service.

However, there will be some extended testing tasks in the future.

As a new type of spacecraft, the functional limits of "Muyuan" have not been fully explored. It is not the limit to only carry out commercial astronaut training missions within the company and occasional unconventional commercial manned missions.

Therefore, the space agency is now considering whether to use the same method as BlueStar Space to train commercial astronauts to train professional astronauts for the national team.

The space agency has not yet received the purchased "Muyuan" class space shuttle, but it can use "Muyuan" to conduct some exploration first.

Compared to the billions spent on training one astronaut and the hundreds of millions spent on sending one astronaut into space using rockets and spacecraft, spending 50 million to send five astronauts into space is practically equivalent to spending no money at all.

Professional astronauts go into space to do work, and their training on the ground is actually quite limited, so they need a considerable amount of time to adapt after entering the space station.

If that's the case, then let the prospective astronauts first travel into space aboard the "Wooden Kite" to get used to the feeling of being in space, and then practice "screwing" using the training equipment installed in the "Wooden Kite" cabin.

So, once we actually enter the space station, will we be able to immediately adapt to life and work in space?
Moreover, to be honest, ground training alone is not comprehensive enough for astronauts. Even astronauts who are rigorously selected and trained through various processes are only "theoretically" suitable to be astronauts.

After all, the various environments are simulated on the ground, not the real space environment.

Therefore, some people are not well adapted to the space environment.

For example, when entering space, bodily fluids are redistributed, and some people can adapt quickly, appearing to have only a slight facial swelling compared to when they are on Earth.

Some people find it more difficult to adapt, their faces swelling up like steamed buns.

Previously, it was not easy for astronauts to enter the space station. They could not easily return to Earth unless their lives were in danger. So even if they were not used to it, they had to live and work in the space station for half a year.

Living and working in space while feeling unwell would be torture for astronauts and would also delay some work progress due to their physical discomfort.

After all, other astronauts can perform at more than 90% of their potential, while astronauts who are unwell can only perform at most 70%.

Now that we have the "Wooden Kite" class space shuttle, if we spend a little money to let prospective astronauts go into space in advance to get used to it, we might be able to select more suitable professional astronauts for living and working in space.

This step can even be done very early, as early as the astronaut selection stage. Only those who pass the "adaptation to space" test can continue the selection process.

After all, training a professional astronaut costs billions of dollars. Wouldn't it be a way to save billions of dollars by screening out unsuitable people in advance?
As for the commercial version of space tourism, which lasts for five hours, it's not enough for training. So the national team can spend more money to extend the time spent in space to five days!

An ordinary person can spend five hours in space after a day of training. Those who participate in the astronaut selection are either elite pilots or elite scientists. After a few days of training, spending five days in space is a piece of cake.

Of course, this is on the premise that one can adapt to space.

The most expensive stage for a spacecraft to enter space is the takeoff stage; once it's actually in space, it's relatively inexpensive.

Furthermore, the "Wooden Kite" is capable of staying in space for extended periods of time.

It has toilets, food storage lockers, and maybe a few sleeping bags—enough for several people to stay in space for a few days.

Although it was a bit rudimentary, it was, after all, a selection process for astronauts. If they couldn't even pass this test, how could they carry out the mission of staying on the space station for six months?
Perfectly eliminated!

The space agency is very optimistic about this training model and is discussing various details with Bluestar Space.

Although the space agency's "Wooden Kite" class space shuttle will be delivered within one or two years, this kind of exploratory training cannot be delayed until two years later.

Because this matter has far-reaching consequences.

If the results are good and it is decided to include it in the astronaut selection process, then the professional astronaut selection and training syllabus will need to be revised, which is no small undertaking.

If it had been done a year or two earlier, the selection and training of a new type of professional astronaut could have started immediately after the "Willow" class space shuttle arrived.

Instead of postponing it for another year or two, conducting relevant tests with their own space shuttle, and then developing a new outline.

And this isn't the limit of the space shuttle's missions, there's more!

(End of this chapter)