A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 103 Outlook
That evening, Wang Jing called. Whether it was Yuan Biao or Tang Jili, their intentions were basically the same. The former represented Sammo Hung, and the latter represented Jackie Chan. They both wanted to cooperate. They all knew that Lin Jianlu was not accepting roles, and they all knew that talking to his agent would not be of much use. After coming in the morning, it was considered a gesture of goodwill. They all knew that Wang Jing and Lin Jianlu were very close, so in the afternoon, they asked Wang Jing again to try to find out Lin Jianlu's intentions.

This time, Sammo Hung genuinely hopes to create a film tailored specifically for Lam Kin-lu.

He wanted a martial arts film, featuring a grandmaster as the male lead, a dashing and incredibly powerful character. He had even chosen some initial themes: the most popular in Hong Kong, legendary kung fu masters with a touch of love and hate. Fong Sai-yuk and Wong Fei-hung had already been huge hits, thanks to Li Lianjie's brand, and both were recent productions. Filming them now would be like adding a bad ending, so he chose two other options: Huo Yuanjia and Ip Man.

The choice is yours.

If you're interested, let's schedule a time to sit down and chat.

This time, the attitude is clearly different from the previous Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony, where there was a strong intention to mentor younger generations. This time, it is clear that everyone is engaging in equal dialogue and seeking cooperation.

In Wang Jing's words, Sammo Hung is past his prime, Li Lianjie is past his prime, Donnie Yen is not handsome enough, and Zhao Wenzhuo is not popular enough to carry the box office. Hong Kong films urgently need a new martial arts superstar who can carry the box office.

Coincidentally, Lin Jianlu is a skilled fighter with kung fu skills that have reached the level of a grandmaster. There are even rumors that he is a master who has descended from the mountain. After the incident of fighting, he suddenly became a sensation in Hong Kong. In the minds of Hong Kong people, he is no longer just a superstar singer-songwriter, but also a kung fu master. "It would be a real loss if he didn't come out and make a martial arts movie to make money at the box office. I'm thinking of asking you to make a movie... Think about it carefully!"

Tang Jili's intentions were somewhat ambiguous; he wanted to cooperate, and not only Jackie Chan wanted to cooperate, but he himself also wanted to cooperate.

Jackie Chan's idea is to make another "Police Story" film, with Lin Jianlu playing the second male lead. If it's a box office hit, it means the audience is buying it, and then the "Police Story" IP will be handed over to Lin Jianlu to play the male lead, while he himself will retire gracefully. The "Police Story" series is one of Jackie Chan's signature films, but clearly, it's not a matter of whether he's getting old or not, but rather that he has realized that if he continues to make more films, the audience will get a little tired of the style.

Then let's find someone else to mentor him, and then step down so he can continue making money behind the scenes!

As for Tang Jili, he is probably really going to Hollywood to take on a directing role. However, his general idea is that as long as Lin Jianlu is willing, he intends to make a period kung fu film about an ancient general escorting a tribute woman from Goryeo. The Qin Dynasty has been very popular in mainland China in recent years, and he also plans to set the background in the Qin Dynasty, with some time-travel elements. The script is not yet available, but he already had an outline this spring. As long as Lin Jianlu is willing to act in it, he can come back to prepare after he finishes his work in Hollywood.

Given Lin Jianlu's influence across Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and even the entire East and Southeast Asia, the film could easily be released in multiple countries, not just Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, but would be a global box office hit.

In short, cooperation, cooperation, cooperation.

The problem now is that Lin Jianlu is considered a very strange person by Hong Kong filmmakers.

He has popularity, sales, good looks, and talent. Now it's proven that he's still very capable. But the problem is that the discussion never even gets to the point of how to film it or how much money you want. He has never accepted any roles from the very beginning. Naturally, people don't want to ask directly, so as not to make things awkward or hurt each other's feelings.

We need to persuade him to agree to take the role first.

Wang Jing spoke with a bit of earnestness, "Filming a movie is quick, it only takes one or two months! You don't need to write a script, prepare the crew, or do post-production editing. You just need to focus on filming. Use stunt doubles if you can. Two or three movies a year is a piece of cake. It won't interfere with your singing, your concerts, or your dating life!"

He also misunderstood Lin Jianlu a bit, "Hey, it's easy to pick up girls when making movies! Take Jackie Chan, for example. He was famous in his early days, but he didn't have enough influence, so it was alright. But in recent years, wow... hahaha! You tell me, if you want someone, just cast her as the female lead. Those with someone backing them up definitely won't do, but there are just too many pretty girls without anyone backing them up. You can name whoever you want and have a two-month romance on set!"

Lin Jianlu burst into laughter.

…………

They successfully performed the so-called "pushing the uterus and promoting blood circulation" for Zhang Jianting.

Huang Baiming, Hong Jinbao, and Yuan Biao accompanied him. Of course, they followed the rules very well. When Lin Jianlu was performing "pushing the uterus and promoting blood circulation" on Zhang Jianting, they were accompanied by Ge Fuhong and sat in the living room.

It was purely psychological. Lin Jianlu had no idea about "pushing the uterus and promoting blood circulation." He simply haphazardly tapped and rubbed Zhang Jianting's back, and then, like a bathhouse scrubber, he patted him a few times at the end. However, after getting up, Zhang Jianting felt as if he had suddenly "come back to life."

When he told Hung Kam-po about it, Hung Kam-po couldn't help but give Lin Jianlu a deep look.

This time, instead of a direct and blunt rejection, Lin Jianlu asked Wang Jing to reply to both sides last night, saying that he would carefully consider the matter, but at least wait until he finished his next album, and then find a time for everyone to sit down and have a good talk before making a decision. Pushing it back again would offend people, but that was a minor issue. The important thing was that he himself suddenly had some hesitation.

When he first transmigrated, he firmly believed that making movies was far less lucrative than singing. But now, his thoughts have been revised. First, without the support of movies, Andy Lau would not have become the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings. The influence of movies, through stories, through shots and images, and through the carefully designed characters and lines by screenwriters, greatly enhances the image of the actors.

Secondly, for someone as famous as Jackie Chan, it's not just about making money anymore; it's about having a powerful social influence. No matter how famous a singer is, they can't compare to a movie star who has sold an entire era's worth of films—unless you reach the level of Michael Jackson!
Film is actually an important cultural weapon that can export culture and ideology.

So he hesitated.

Does he still need money? Yes.

Can I make money? Yes, definitely!

He felt he was on the fast track, had accumulated some initial capital, and making money wouldn't be too difficult—even without investing, just making money from releasing records, he could quickly build his net worth to over a hundred million US dollars in the next few years. That's a lot, far exceeding his initial goal.

But what happens after you have money?
Is he really retiring from the game altogether? Giving up everything? Buying a few big houses and keeping a few wives and concubines?

Taking a short break and enjoying life for a while feels great. But what about living like that year after year?

I'm only twenty years old!

So what should we do next?
After 2000, the internet age was coming, and the record industry was doomed! Although there would be a period of contraction for many years to come, it wouldn't be a complete collapse overnight, but this downward trend would only last a few years. The decline would be rapid, and as physical records could no longer be sold, the entire industry would collapse as well.

With this in mind, ever since Zhang Guoli approached him to solicit investment, although he didn't admit it verbally and had been thinking about retirement, he had actually been subconsciously making his own judgment.

When Han Shanping and Zhang Heping approached him for a joint venture to start the Forbidden City Film Company, he readily agreed.

With the advent of the internet age, the record industry faced an epic winter, with the entire industry on the verge of collapse. However, movies, TV series, and variety shows experienced an epic boom!

A person can't really do nothing and spend all their time with their wife and kids at a young age, right?
Let's invest in some film and television!
Since you're already involved in film and television investment, and you have such convenient resources, why not take another step into the film industry?
It's very difficult to become as famous as Jackie Chan; the right timing, the right place, and the right people are all indispensable. But if someone has a wealth of information in advance and can be considered a prophet, surely they shouldn't do too badly, right?
From this perspective, whether it's Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, or Stanley Tong, whether it's "Police Story 2", "Fearless", "Ip Man", or "The Myth", isn't there indeed a lot of value in collaborating with them?
It's hard to say about other things, but at least within the next ten years, when it comes to making these commercial films, Hong Kong's big-name directors and film teams are indeed far superior to those in mainland China!
So, this time I didn't just flatly refuse; I left room for negotiation.

Hung Kam-po was clearly very happy.

Since our first meeting at the Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony, this should be our second meeting. The past estrangement and six months of no contact have vanished in an instant.

Before treating the "internal injury," everyone sat down and chatted for a while. After the treatment, Zhang Jianting was definitely in a hurry to leave and didn't want to spend a moment with Lin Jianlu. He couldn't keep him any longer, so he just shook hands tightly and said, "I'm free lately. When are you free, Lu Zi? Give me a call and I'll treat you to tea!"

"Okay! Let me take care of what I'm doing first, I'll definitely get in touch!"

"Okay, bye!"

"Goodbye!"

…………

They left. Ge Fuhong saw them off to the elevator and then came back, looking quite happy. Like Zhang Jianting, she also seemed relieved and said with a smile, "Aren't you starting to feel that staying in a hotel is inconvenient? Do you want me to introduce you to a real estate agent? It's time to buy a house!"

Lin Jianlu replied absentmindedly, "Yeah! It would be more comfortable to buy a house, and we might live there permanently in the future."

But as he spoke, he inexplicably felt a sense of unease. Should he retire? Should he expand? Should he retire? Should he expand?
He took a deep breath, picked up the internal phone, and said in increasingly fluent Cantonese, "Could you please send me a pack of cigarettes? Marlboro will do, and remember to bring a lighter or matches!"

Ge Fuhong was very perceptive and immediately noticed that something was wrong with Lin Jianlu.

"What's wrong? Did Gigi upset you last night? She seems very happy today!"

"No, Gigi is great! She's getting better and better!"

"But you seem unhappy? Is it because of Zhang Jianting?"

"He's nobody! Why would I be unhappy because of him?"

"That was... for making a movie?"

Whether it was Hung Kam-po, Tong Chi-li, or even Cheng Lung behind Tong Chi-li, they all conveyed the information through Wong Jing, without going through Ge Fu-hong, the agent. But Lin Jian-lu would definitely still have to tell her the situation.

Since the start of their collaboration, Lin Jianlu has been very satisfied with both of her agents, and there are currently no cracks in their relationship. She plans to continue working together steadily in this way—naturally, she shouldn't hide any thoughts or intentions from her agents.

Ge Fuhong was naturally very pleased that Wang Jing had persuaded Lin Jianlu.

But she had always known that Lin Jianlu wasn't just talking; he genuinely wanted to make a quick buck and then retire back to the capital. This wasn't a new idea; both of his agents knew about it from the time he first became famous. Zhang Aijia even witnessed his so-called "retired state" during her trip to the capital and expressed her concerns when she told Ge Fuhong about it.

With such a popular and promising artist, how could the agent bear to let you retire?

In comparison, as long as he is still willing to continue writing songs and releasing albums, making movies is something that can be abandoned—try to coax and persuade him as much as possible, and if all else fails, give up decisively!
"It's not that bad. Whether we'll film it or not is still undecided!"

Ge Fuhong fell silent, immediately thinking of the stunningly beautiful woman who had spent the entire afternoon in Lin Jianlu's room yesterday—this was indeed a bit difficult to deal with.

Brigitte Lin is getting old. When she started dating Lin Jianlu, everyone had to admit that she was the one who hooked up with him. Leung Wing-ki was too young and couldn't really charm Lin Jianlu. On the contrary, she was the one who was charmed by Lin Jianlu. Her foundation was unstable and her words were weak, so the relationship naturally had a bit of begging and humility to it.

The two of them were placed there, and it felt like Lin Jianlu was completely at ease.

But Rosamund Kwan is not like that.

This woman is still in her prime, and it's no joke that she outshines all the beauties in Hong Kong. Firstly, she is extremely attractive to men, and secondly, she has extensive experience in dating and even more experience as a mistress, easily surpassing the previous two. If she were to join the fray, it would indeed cause turmoil.

I'm not going to try to persuade him anymore. Let's see how he handles it!
If things don't work out, it'll just be another huge scandal—it's not like it hasn't been rumored before, everyone in Hong Kong knows that the beautiful Rosamund Kwan took the initiative to express her love!

The cigarettes and matches were soon delivered together.

Lin Jianlu lit a cigarette, walked to the window, and stood silently looking at the Victoria Harbour sea view outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

Ge Fuhong remained silent, sitting on the sofa watching his back.

Seeing that she was almost finished with her cigarette, she finally couldn't help but ask, "You didn't smoke before, but you seem to enjoy it quite a bit. Did you quit in between?"

"Ah."

He casually agreed, but still showed no intention of speaking.

Ge Fuhong hesitated for a moment, then sighed inwardly. She really didn't want to get involved in this rotten palace drama, but there was nothing she could do. This young master was already too important, and as his manager, she couldn't help but get involved—she couldn't completely control him, but she also didn't want him to completely get out of control!
Deep down, they'll definitely still favor their own artists a bit.

"How about... I call Gigi and ask her to come and keep you company?"

Lin Jianlu was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then turned around, and suddenly chuckled, before bursting into laughter.

Ge Fuhong was puzzled.

Lin Jianlu casually stubbed out her cigarette and said with a smile, "Sister Ge, what you said is too hurtful. Gigi isn't... haha, she shouldn't be summoned and dismissed at will. Maybe I don't love her enough, but please don't insult her like that!"

Ge Fuhong was surprised. Of course, she didn't mean that; she just wanted to help her artist out. But at this moment, she didn't argue and immediately nodded quickly, "My mistake! I'm sorry!"

Lin Jianlu waved her hand, then took a deep breath and suddenly said, "I have some ideas. Call Aijia later and the two of you can discuss it and help me get things done."

"You said."

“I remember that Alex To’s record contract was split between two companies: Mandarin with Rock Records and Cantonese with Warner Music. You guys should talk to Zhao Mingxin and Lao Duan at Sony Columbia. I want to produce two English songs, and I hope Columbia can provide their recording studio in America and various resources, like musicians and backing vocals. Once they’re finished, let the people at Columbia listen to them. If they like them, then I’ll talk to Columbia about having them help me release my English records globally.”

Ge Fuhong listened blankly, and only came to her senses after Lin Jianlu finished speaking.

He jumped to his feet, his face full of shock, "You can write English songs?"

She was naturally surprised.

Hong Kong has always been a British colony, and therefore a colony of British and English culture. Incidentally, it is much easier to connect with Britain and even the Western world. Because it is based in the Chinese-speaking region, it has a consumer market of tens of millions of people. Therefore, most of the world's major record companies have operations in Hong Kong, either by opening branches or establishing sub-labels.

As a result, with convenient distribution channels, local singers generally prefer to release English albums. Some can be sold in Hong Kong, and some can be sold in Southeast Asia where English has a significant influence. Additionally, some can be sold through international record labels in English-speaking countries, mainly the UK and North America.

They don't sell many songs. Most of the English songs created by Hong Kong people are just imitations, and the British and North Americans generally don't recognize them.

Despite the fact that most of these English songs were actually created by invited Hong Kong-based foreign musicians or even British musicians, who wrote both the lyrics and music, and that they were trying their best to align with the direction of English pop culture, they still failed to sell well.

Therefore, releasing English records is a trend, and it's something worth doing.

It's not shameful to not sell well; nobody sells well anyway.

But creating your own English songs is a bit difficult—the UK itself isn't up to par, but the American culture is extremely dominant. Speaking of music alone, over the years, whether it's R&B, rap, country, or rock, it has consistently held an absolute dominant position in the global music market, leading global trends, and it continues to progress, constantly evolving into richer and more innovative new trends and fashions.

As it turns out, if you're not in that circle and don't evolve rapidly along with it, even if you're an English-speaking musician, you'll quickly fall behind and your work won't sell.

As for Chinese people... let alone creating English songs!
However, Lin Jianlu actually claimed that he could also compose English songs?

***
I've written 13,000 words today, so please vote with your monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)