Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 180 Capital Prototype
Second fight against the White Bone Demon?
It’s just Xu Xiyuan and Dong Jie!

It seems like Zhou Xun and Lu Kuan have a very good relationship...

She remembered that the audition for "Love Is Not Blind" that day had not yet announced the result.

Da Meiyuan, who is full of literary and artistic style, is thinking about how to win over this talented young director.

The Jade Girl had been lonely for a long time, so she also wanted to try out his golden cudgel to see if it worked...

Huo Wenxi glanced at Nicholas Tse beside him. He brought him here just to make peace with Lu Kuan at the dinner.

The cooperation between Eagle King and Wenjie has entered the substantive stage. According to Director Li's instructions, any factors that may undermine unity are not allowed to appear.

It is obvious that they are Xie and Chen Bei, who had conflicts with Lu Kuan in the past.

"Tingfeng, are you hot?"

Nicholas Tse smiled indifferently: "It's okay, Sister Mani, if you are cold I will give you my jacket."

"It's okay, just wear it, it looks very handsome!"

The moment Huo Wenxi turned his head away, Nicholas Tse's eyes suddenly became gloomy.

He was not unaware of the reason for his attendance.

I also know that the road is wider now than it was in the past, so I just accepted it in my heart.

It was just Huo Wenxi's concern just now that made him feel heartbroken.

When did I need someone to comfort me so carefully?
Just when reporters, fans and even some celebrities thought that today's press conference was over, the little-known beautiful host returned to the stage.

"Everyone, please be patient. If you would like to have afternoon tea, there are tea and snacks prepared for our journalist friends outside the media hall."

"But I still suggest everyone be patient. The road guide is bleeding heavily today, so I'll treat everyone to dinner at Media tonight."

There was a burst of laughter from the audience. This female host is great, generous, neat, and humorous.

You can doubt Lu Kuan's character, but you cannot doubt his vision.

"Okay, let's move on to the next step. We'll invite Director Lu and Wenjie's contracted directors to promote several of the company's upcoming film and television projects."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Hao, Xue Xiaolu and Jiang Wei came on stage.

Lu Kuan took over as host: "Wenjie will start production on a total of four film and television projects in the fourth quarter of 2003."

"Crazy Racing, directed by Ning Hao, is a sister film to Stone. It is invested by Wenjie and China Film Group and will be released during the Lunar New Year holiday."

"'Love Is Not Blind', directed by Xue Xiaolu, is a youth romance film, solely funded by Wenjie, and is expected to be released on Valentine's Day 2004."

"Director Jiang Wei's TV series 'The Lurker,' a unique spy drama, is solely produced by Wenjie and is expected to be broadcast on Travel Satellite TV's prime time slot on New Year's Day next year."

He then handed the microphone to the three directors one by one, and each of them briefly described the type and content of the work.

The most experienced Ning Hao threw out some gimmicks, which made the reporters and audiences who were fans of "Stone" very excited!

Anything produced by Wenjie must be a masterpiece!
Yu Dong, Wang Changtian and others in the audience all had different expressions.

Yu Dong was already thinking about how to get the distribution of these two films, while Wang Changtian had developed a keen interest in the film industry.

Why are so many people trying to get in? Is this industry really about to enter its golden age?
The person with the biggest psychological fluctuations was none other than Yao Jia. She was originally invited by Lu Kuan to host the event with Liu Yan.

I didn't expect to hear this bad news when it was almost over.

She doesn't think it's too scary who takes over Travel Channel, but the road ahead is wide...

This ruthless man who made the new theme "Chinese Paladin" almost expose the classic IP "My Fair Princess III", this director whose two films won two of the three major European awards.

Hunan and Taiwan are in danger!
After the three directors were introduced, the reporters could hardly finish taking notes on the notes they brought today.

Liu Yan pretended to be puzzled and said, "Director Lu, didn't you just say there are four works from the industry? There are only three directors."

Boss Lu looked at her with a smile, saying that this was a good supporting role.

"Xiao Liu, have you forgotten that I'm also a director? I haven't introduced myself yet!"

Liu Yan covered her mouth and chuckled, then moved the stage back to make room for her.

The industry insiders who knew the whole story were enjoying the joke, but suddenly they all felt something was wrong!

Lu Kuan's work?
Was it Tom Cruise at the end of the Cannes awards ceremony?
Tom Cruise! It's true!
It's not that everyone is slow, it's just that this happened almost 4 months ago.

During these four months, Lu Kuan, Emil and Wenjie (the United States) completed all the preliminary work and were just waiting for Lu Kuan to return to decide on the hostess.

Boss Lu looked around, whetting everyone's appetite.

Of course, with the exception of Han Shanping and Huo Wenxi, China Film Group and Eagle King have already obtained investment shares due to private transactions with Boss Lu.

The scene was completely silent, and all the reporters, celebrities, and guests were waiting for Lu Kuan to reveal the final answer.

"Ok."

"Actually, every time I wake up and look in the mirror, I think I'm pretty handsome. My friends around me think so too, right?"

Boss Lu had a brief interaction with Zhou Xun and Liu Yifei.

Zhou Xun: "That's right! Handsome!"

Liu Yifei: "Not handsome!"

Everyone laughed.

"I didn't expect that after visiting America this time, I would find that there are still some very handsome people in this world."

"Please give a warm round of applause to welcome these two Hollywood superstars from America!"

"Tom Cruise!"

"Leonardo Dicaprio!"

For a moment, the scene seemed to have entered a vacuum. There was not a trace of sound, only the echo coming from Lu Kuan's microphone.

Then two handsome guys appeared from behind the stage with smiles on their faces.

Tom Cruise was the shortest and stood in the middle, with Lu Kuan and Leonardo DiCaprio standing on the left and right. The staff quickly cleared the stage and moved three high stools.

Some of the reporters at the scene couldn't help but start swearing.

"Fuck! Is Lu Kuan crazy? The starting price for filming with these two is $4000 million!"

"Brother, I feel like I'm going to be promoted to editor-in-chief. This manuscript is priceless!"

"Stop pushing me! Why do you have to take a picture of Leo's profile? He's so handsome from every angle!"

The scene seemed to be filled with the sound of locusts gnawing, which was the sound of shutters clicking one after another, and the flash lights almost made the media hall as bright as day!
Tom Cruise took the microphone and said hello: "Hi friends in China, hello!"

There was a warm response on site.

Lu Kuan suddenly interrupted, "We're short of an interpreter. Let's invite Ms. Liu Yifei to guest star."

Boss Lu is still thoughtful. Although Xiao Liu stabbed him in the back, he still worked for him in the past two years.

Give your child a chance.

I wonder what he would think if he knew about the existence of [Zalukime].

Liu Xiaoli looked at Boss Lu with gratitude, knowing that this was to create topics and exposure for her daughter.

It’s just a pity for the heroine of "Foreign Land", I don’t know who will get the role.

Liu Yifei was stunned for a moment, then excitedly ran onto the stage from the side, took the microphone and stood next to Leonardo.

Hey!
Lu Kuan's face darkened. How could he have forgotten about this?

Leonardo's eyes lit up, and he gently held a small section of her finger and then let go, nodding in thanks.

The journalists and guests on the scene were feasting their eyes, but the online audience suffered.

The news of the Hollywood star's appearance at the press conference spread like wildfire, causing a sensation on the Internet media!
The second fight against the White Bone Demon is indeed exciting, but after all, Lu Kuan’s fans are still in the minority. These two are different!

Zhuang Xu also cursed in the office: "This bastard, he started something and didn't tell me in advance! Damn it!"

He grabbed the landline and said, "Call Li Dacheng from the technical department in, quickly!"

At the same time, countless similar shouts and curses were heard all over the country, especially in the Peking area.

"Fuck! What a terrible internet speed! Even Leo's face is stuck!"

"Xinlang Entertainment, are you any good? Go check out the blog site next door!"

"Wenjie is really going gangbusters this time. I believe Lu Kuan is innocent. He can even go to Hollywood to date a famous woman, so why would he care about these two bastards?"

After greeting each other, Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio, Lu Kuan took over the microphone again.

"'Alien Land' is a science fiction action film jointly produced by Question World, China Film Group, Eagle King and United Artists, produced by Tom Cruise, with a total investment of US$7500 million." (Note 1)

"The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Mr. He Xi, a famous Chinese science fiction writer. It tells the story of the hero and heroine and a scientist with a human heart who fight against indifferent rulers and alien monsters to maintain the order of survival and evolution in the human world."

Boss Lu gave a brief introduction to the movie, and he was not afraid that people would get spoilers when watching "Alien Land" because the script had been greatly changed compared to the novel.

The crowd couldn't even cry out in shock; the terrified looks in their eyes should be called horror!

What does $7500 million mean? Just compare it to the mainland box office and you'll see. China Film Group is big and powerful, but hasn't your Eagle King always been at odds with Lu Kuan?

Why are you here to join in the fun?

Nicholas Tse leaned back in his seat with his eyes slightly closed in despair, his throat rolling.

He had to admit that he was reckless at the time.

"This film is a co-production, with the industry as the lead investor, and the main roles will be played by Hollywood and Chinese movie stars."

"Among them, the male lead role is played by Mr. Leonardo DiCaprio, and the supporting roles are played by John Travolta and Mr. Gary Oldman."

"There are also two Chinese characters in the film: a scientist father and a daughter who is proficient in ancient Chinese martial arts."

"The father role is played by Mr. Liang Jiahui from Hong Kong, and the daughter role..."

Lu Kuan paused mischievously.

"Wenjie will start sending invitations to suitable actors tomorrow, and we welcome self-recommendations. Casting will be completed within a week, and filming will begin in North America!"

The media hall erupted in discussion, louder than ever before.

Because the noise comes not only from the media and the audience, but also from celebrities and guests.

The TV station resources controlled by the industry have already made them covetous, so how does it compare to this $7500 million co-production?

Yao Jia clenched her fists weakly. She was still thinking about going back to the station to discuss with Director Ouyang how to target the Travel Satellite TV, which was about to become popular after acquiring Lukuan.

My heart is finally at peace. With this kind of structure and momentum, any leak of resources can make Travel Channel a rising star. How can we compare?
It would be better to think about what strategic resources Hunan and Taiwan have that Lukuan and Wenjie do not have, and share them with each other.

Yu Dong also stared blankly at Boss Lu who was interacting with the two movie stars on the stage.

He thought that "The Drummer" was the pinnacle work of him and Lu Kuan, but he didn't expect that it was just him, and Boss Lu's mountain was towering into the clouds.

Zhang Huijun in the Beijing Film Academy president's office couldn't control his emotions and slammed the table!
"These old thieves almost messed up the matter!"

Xie Xiaojin couldn't help nodding his head. If he really listened to them and fired Lu Kuan, the presidents of Shanghai Theatre Academy and the Central Academy of Drama would have already come to the scene to complain.

After Wang Xiaolei and Liu Zeyu separated, they returned to the company. As soon as they opened the door, they saw Wang Dajun with a dark face.

"What's wrong, brother? Why do you look so upset?"

Wang Dajun glanced at him and swallowed the curse that was about to come out of his mouth.

Scolding your kid's mother is the same as scolding my own mother!

Fuck you... No!

Fuck him!

Wang Dajun repeated the introduction of Lu Kuan to his younger brother, who slumped down on the sofa and silently lit a cigarette.

"Xiao Lei, things change over time. Let him be arrogant for a while. We need to lie low for now."

"Hibernation?"

"Right! With such a high investment and it being a science fiction film, is he sure he can succeed?"

"Lu Kuan is simply leveraging the scarcity of this film to gain resources. The shareholding reforms of Travel Satellite TV and the distribution company of Xi'an Film Studio are all driven by either Han Shanping or Dong Shuangqiang!"

Or maybe it’s your enemy who knows you best.

You can judge a person by his appearance.

"We must change our strategy now. We must lie low and wait for the enemy to make a mistake."

Wang Xiaolei smiled bitterly: "To be honest, this is not the first or second time that we have been secretly targeting him. Did he make a mistake?"

"Every mistake he makes is a trap, and it becomes our fault!"

"I shudder even when I think of Zhang Tianshuo in prison. I have to admit he's truly monstrous!"

Wang Dajun knew that his brother was a little mentally broken, but that's what running a business is like. It won't be smooth sailing.

Back then, these brothers had to beg and plead for an advertisement worth a few thousand dollars, but now they have come to this point, haven't they?

"Xiao Lei, what has Bingbing been busy with recently?"

"Her? She went to Spain to shoot a photo shoot. She asked Wang Jinhua to find some fashion resources for her."

"He came back last week. He must be filming the new drama 'Prison No. 4'."

"Invite her to dinner tomorrow. I have something to tell her."

Wang Xiaolei was puzzled: "What?"

"Let her take the road wide!"

Suddenly, there was another exclamation from the computer screen. It turned out that Leonardo demonstrated a piece of Chinese martial arts he had just learned on the spot, which aroused warm applause.

Liu Yan asked, "Hello Leonardo, who did you learn this martial arts from?"

"Lu has found the Yuen Woo Ping team in Hong Kong for our film and has already started training the lead actors who will be performing in action scenes. I'm really looking forward to it, and I'm also very curious about Chinese culture!"

Liu Yan posed the question to Lu Kuan again: "Director Lu, how did Tom Cruise choose you as his partner in Cannes?"

The audience was also curious about this question.

It is true that Lu Kuan has gained some fame in the international film industry with his two award-winning films, but he is slightly inferior to famous directors such as Ang Lee and Rainey Wu who have been in Hollywood for a long time, both in terms of box office and reputation.

What's more, Tom Cruise and Rainey Wu had a pleasant collaboration experience in "Mission Impossible 2".

Boss Lu smiled and said, "I recommended myself. They didn't find me, I took the initiative to find them. Fortunately, Tom has a good eye for talent, and Leonardo also recognized my ability and this script!"

Domestic audiences are generally modest when watching Chinese directors, and have never seen anyone so boastful.

But when Liu Yifei translated his words, everyone clearly saw Tom Cruise and Leonardo nod in unison.

Do they agree with Lu Kuan’s boasting?

Or, an objective description?
Chinese people of this era are generally less confident, and it is inevitable that they will have some desires for foreigners to recognize their country and culture.

Seeing Lu Kuan being recognized by top actors in Hollywood, I feel very proud.

Today, online fans can walk sideways!

When the reporters came to the question-and-answer session, almost all the reporters on the scene raised their hands immediately, but then put them down in disappointment when Lu Kuan called their names.

China Film reporter: "Mr. Tom Cruise, what talents or qualities, or words of Director Lu Kuan, impressed you and made you want to be the producer of this film?"

Concubine Liu Yi translated in a low voice on the side.

Tom Cruise laughed and said, "I watched Lu's 'Thief' first in Cannes. I was shocked by the several plot twists and tear-jerking moments. The media even captured a scene of me crying at the end."

There was some good-natured laughter at the scene.

"Later, he found me and introduced the entire project. I was very surprised that a Chinese director could be so proficient in Hollywood film projects. It was incredible."

"After reading the script, I was impressed by the genius imagination of Chinese science fiction writers. I even asked to play the leading male role!"

Leonardo on the side interrupted: "Tom, shut up."

Everyone understood the word "shut up" and burst into laughter before Liu Yifei could translate it.

Lu Kuan watched them bragging from the side, which is a common skill of Hollywood stars.

Movie marketing is a business in Hollywood, and these top stars have teams to support them in everything they say and how they say it during promotions and press conferences.

But please don’t believe that those who say they never use a stand-in are necessarily stand-ins;

Movies about car races will inevitably say that an accident happened on the set and the lead actor almost died. Movies about thrillers will inevitably say that a supernatural event occurred on the set.

It's all a gimmick.

The reason is very direct: the leading actors of all films must have bought high-value insurance, and the completion guarantee company will send people to the scene. They and the insurance company will never allow the leading actors to do it themselves without a stand-in.

If anything goes wrong, it will be a devastating blow to them and the entire project.

These two guys are both old hands, and they are singing the same tune to help Lu Kuan.

The second question was given to Leonardo.

Peking Evening News: "Mr. Leonardo, you have played many roles and worked with outstanding actresses such as Kate Winslet, Claire Danes, and Amy Adams."

"Do you have a favorite Chinese actress for the female lead in this movie?"

Leonardo laughed and said, "To be honest, I don't know much about Chinese actors. I know Li and Zhang Ziyi, but since China has such an outstanding young director like Lu, I think there will be many outstanding actresses!"

He suddenly glanced at Concubine Liu Yi beside him.

"For example, this beautiful translator, I think she has a natural talent for acting!"

　Note 1:

　　United Artists is the company Tom Cruise took over because he started a side project in this life, which brought forward the time of his takeover. The $500 million increase in salary is due to Leonardo DiCaprio's salary.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)