Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 342, Section 340: Choices and Dilemmas

In the following days, Wang Sheng's life returned to its usual busy and efficient pace.

During the day, he spends most of his time in his office at the Jingxin Building.

The scriptwriting team is making rapid progress on "Lost in Thailand". After the outline was refined, a series of vivid and interesting "awkward" situations were designed, and the characters of Li Chenggong (successful boss) and Niu Geng (low-level small person) are becoming more and more complete.

Wang Sheng frequently participated in discussions, offering suggestions for revisions to ensure that the comedic elements were not only plentiful but also served character development and emotional progression, avoiding degenerating into a mere farce.

He knew that this seemingly simple road comedy needed this genuine resonance of "laughter mixed with tears" to stand out in the Lunar New Year film season.

In between handling the company's daily affairs and listening to reports from various projects, another question kept lingering in Wang Sheng's mind: his collaboration with Jackie Chan.

He had Li Tingting collect all of Jackie Chan's recent Hollywood films, including box office data, media reviews, and industry analysis reports.

A thick stack of documents lay on his desk, and combined with his knowledge from his past life, a clear outline gradually emerged.

Jackie Chan, the Chinese superstar who opened up the North American market with "Rumble in the Bronx" and rose to the ranks of Hollywood's top action comedy stars with the "Rush Hour" series, was standing at a crossroads in early 2001 that seemed to be at its peak but was actually fraught with hidden dangers.

The massive success of "Rush Hour" (1998), which raked in $2.44 million worldwide, not only solidified Jackie Chan's foothold in Hollywood but also firmly established his screen image.

A nimble, humorous, and exotic (Eastern kung fu) action-comedy actor who can essentially work smoothly with the Western mainstream (the talkative black police officer played by Chris Tucker) in a "safe" way.

This is the formula that North American audiences, and even global audiences, are buying into.

However, this success is also a double-edged sword.

Hollywood is the most mature factory for genre films and star systems. It is keen to replicate successful models, but it is also very easy to "label" successful actors.

Jackie Chan's "niche" is clearly defined in "action comedy," especially in the "two heroes" model that requires a comedic partner.

Once he steps out of his comfort zone, the market and his own star power become uncertain.

Wang Sheng flipped through the documents.

After Rush Hour, Jackie Chan attempted to break away from the series with solo films such as Shanghai Noon (2000). Although the box office was not bad (about $1 million worldwide), its reputation and influence could not compare with Rush Hour.

Moreover, this film is essentially still a hybrid comedy of "Western film + Eastern kung fu", and has not broken out of the established framework.

In his memory, Jackie Chan's Hollywood films that deviated from the core formula, such as "The Tuxedo" and "Around the World in 80 Days," which he planned to release in the next few years, all suffered setbacks in both box office and critical reception.

Ultimately, this forced him to shift his career focus back to Asia, returning to the more familiar realm of Chinese-language action films, and beginning to try to transform his career by playing roles in films like "New Police Story" and "The Myth," which emphasized emotion and plot, and even had a touch of tragedy.

"This is the halo trap of superstars."

Wang Sheng put down a clipping of North American film reviews, which contained numerous criticisms of Jackie Chan for "repeating himself" and "using formulaic approaches."

Hollywood needs him, but may only need a specific type of him.

This kind of stereotyped state is undoubtedly a constraint for an actor who yearns for a breakthrough and has a deep sense of national and familial responsibility.

The underlying reason why Jackie Chan took the initiative to extend an olive branch to him lies in this.

He keenly perceived the enormous potential of the mainland market and hoped to find a partner who could leverage his strengths, help him break free from some constraints, and even integrate Eastern and Western elements to achieve a "soft landing" and transformation. Wang Sheng and his Shengying Media, with their strong production and distribution capabilities in mainland China and a deep understanding of the local market, were the ideal choice.

Therefore, choosing which film to start the collaboration is crucial.

This film must meet three criteria: leverage Jackie Chan's core strengths, including brilliant and creative action choreography and his unique comedic style; ensure the story and production quality are appealing to the North American and even global markets, befitting Jackie Chan's superstar status; and avoid being a simple copy of "Rush Hour," instead offering audiences (including Jackie Chan himself) something fresh, such as subtle innovations in subject matter, style, or character depth.

The most important thing is to control risk and ensure success.

Our first collaboration must be a resounding success to lay the foundation for deeper cooperation in the future.

In conclusion, Wang Sheng considered the potential successful film projects he remembered that were suitable for Jackie Chan at this stage, and began a preliminary screening—

"Shanghai Noon 2": Directly continuing an existing IP with a certain foundation carries the lowest risk, but lacks innovation and feels more like a purely commercial calculation, failing to reflect the strategic significance of "joint development." PASS.

The Medallion: Involves supernatural elements and features groundbreaking action design, but the plot is weak, resulting in mediocre overall reviews and hardly a successful example. PASS.

Around the World in 80 Days: A big-budget production and adaptation of a classic novel, but Jackie Chan's involvement felt more like a "tourist attraction." The film's overall style clashed awkwardly with his personal style, ultimately resulting in a disastrous failure. Too risky, PASS.

After eliminating several obviously unsuitable options, Wang Sheng's thoughts lingered on two film titles:

*The Tuxedo* (2002): The concept was interesting—a tuxedo granting the wearer superpowers, combined with Jackie Chan's action and comedy. However, the film's problem was that the special effects and sci-fi elements somewhat diminished the "real-life" charm that made Jackie Chan famous, making it feel incongruous and ultimately unsatisfactory. The risk lies in the conflict between the concept and the star's own persona. Tentative, high risk.

"The Spy Next Door" (I think it was a 2010 film): The concept was closer to reality, a comedy about a spy and an ordinary person being out of place, which had a certain freshness. However, the timeline was relatively late and the overall scale was relatively small, which may not have been able to fully support Jackie Chan's status as an international superstar and the momentum of their first major collaboration.

He pondered for a moment and then crossed out both of them.

These projects either have a history of failure or lack a broad perspective.

So, is there a film that can retain the essence of Jackie Chan's action comedy, naturally incorporate Eastern elements, have a solid story, be commercially proven, and have manageable risks?
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Wang Sheng. He remembered another movie—though it wasn't starring Jackie Chan, its core concept and successful formula could perhaps be brilliantly "grafted" and "localized and reconstructed."

The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017).

The film's success lies in its comedic "mismatched pairing" format: a meticulous top bodyguard (Ryan Reynolds) is forced to protect his former nemesis, a taciturn and eccentric top assassin (Samuel L. Jackson). The two go from disliking each other to working together seamlessly, creating sparks along the way.

However, making this film would present two challenges.

First, there's the issue of screenwriter selection. "The Hitman's Bodyguard" is filled with a lot of Western humor, and the existing screenwriting team couldn't capture its essence.

But this problem is easy to solve; you can find screenwriters from Hong Kong Island or directly from Hollywood.

The real difficulty is that after unspeakable events occur, film projects involving violent elements are either abruptly halted or indefinitely postponed.

Jackie Chan will probably finish filming "Rush Hour 2" around April, and when "The Hitman's Bodyguard" starts filming, there's a high probability that they'll clash.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Sheng thought of another movie that might be suitable: Night at the Museum.

The Chinese version of "Night at the Museum".

……

(End of this chapter)