Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 458, Section 456: "Spy Playing House"

On December 31, 2002, Beijing time, while the land of China was still immersed in the carnival and year-end celebration brought by "Night at the Museum," Wang Sheng had quietly embarked on a journey across the Pacific Ocean.

The Boeing aircraft roared to a stop at Los Angeles International Airport, with California's signature bright sunshine and azure sky visible through the windows, a stark contrast to the bleak and chilly winter in Beijing.

Los Angeles time, December 30th, afternoon.

There were not many entourage members, only an assistant and two core bodyguards.

Wang Sheng and his entourage traveled light and quickly left the airport through the VIP channel.

Instead of going to his hotel to adjust to the time difference, he drove straight to Burbank, the headquarters of New Line Cinema, in a black Cadillac to attend a meeting about a new project.

……

The meeting was held in the core conference room on the top floor of New Line Cinema.

When Wang Sheng entered, guided by his secretary, the room was already full of people.

Clearly, the new line side attached great importance to this meeting.

On one side of the conference table were the decision-making team and heads of core departments of New Line Cinema:
Kevin Brown, Senior Vice President of International Affairs, was an old acquaintance. He was the main promoter and executor of the cooperation between New Line Cinema and Sheng Ying. At this moment, he wore a warm yet shrewd smile and took the initiative to stand up and shake hands with Wang Sheng.

Toby Emmerich, Senior Vice President of Project Development and Production. The presence of this key figure, who holds the "green light" for many New Line projects, is significant. He appeared more reserved than Brown, his eyes carrying a scrutinizing gaze upon the creative concept itself.

Michael De Luca, Vice President of Production, is known for his keen creative sense and support for emerging projects. He always shows great interest in the new ideas that Wang Sheng brings.

Mark Riddell, head of distribution, is pragmatic and data-driven, focusing on the market potential and distribution strategy of projects.

Robert White, a senior consultant who had worked with Wang Sheng, was also present. His role was more like a lubricant and strategic advisor for communication between the two parties.

In addition, there are heads of departments such as legal affairs and business development, making for a truly impressive lineup.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries and congratulations, the meeting quickly got down to business. Kevin Brown, as the host, spoke first:

"Wang, congratulations again on the outstanding achievements of 'Night at the Museum'! $1.32 million in its opening week worldwide, that's simply a miracle! It completely proves the huge potential of our cooperation model, and also proves your vision and the creativity of the Sheng Ying team."

Brown's tone was full of admiration, "Everyone at the new line is looking forward to future cooperation. So, what new ideas have you brought this time?"

All eyes were on Wang Sheng. Toby Emmerich even leaned forward slightly, showing great interest.

Wang Sheng smiled slightly and gestured to his assistant to distribute the prepared documents to the senior executives of New Line present.

The document cover features a simple yet striking English title:

"MR. & MRS. SPY" (Spy Game)
Below the title, there is a line of slightly smaller text: "A High-Concept Action Romantic Comedy Treatment"
"Gentlemen," Wang Sheng's voice was steady and clear, echoing in the quiet conference room, "While pushing forward fantasy blockbusters like 'Night at the Museum' and stylized genre films like 'SAW,' I personally, and Shengying, have always been thinking about how to more deeply integrate Eastern and Western narrative elements and genre rules to create a 'hybrid genre' product that can both meet the entertainment needs of the global market and possess unique charm."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the curious faces of the New Line executives, and continued, "The success of 'Shaolin Soccer' lies in its combination of nonsensical comedy and sports passion, while 'Night at the Museum' blends fantasy, comedy, and family warmth."

"This time, what I want to try is to create an extreme collision between the thrilling action of top-level agents and the comedic conflicts of marital relationships and family life." As Wang Sheng explained, the executives at New Line Cinema began to review the script outline in their hands.

The core concept of the outline is extremely impactful:

John and Jane, a seemingly ordinary middle-class urban couple, each work for two rival, mysterious intelligence organizations, and are both top-notch ace agents within those organizations.

They came together through a carefully planned "chance encounter," and after several years of marriage, they loved each other deeply, yet neither knew the other's true identity.

In their daily lives, they strive to be the "perfect couple," managing mortgage payments, community events, and their "little secrets" (actually traces of missions). Until a final mission targeting the same objective forces this loving couple into a terrifying struggle, where they discover, to their horror, the true nature of their partner...

The outline details several key scenarios: from humorous interactions in daily life (such as using espionage skills to cover up late returns and using high-tech equipment to deal with household chores), to the first thrilling showdown in a modern mansion when their identities are exposed (turning the home environment into a deadly battlefield), to being forced to join forces to deal with the pursuit from both organizations, and in the process, getting to know each other again and examining marriage and responsibility.

The action design emphasizes "elegance and destruction," combining professional hand-to-hand combat, gunfights, and high-tech equipment with comedic destruction of the home environment (e.g., using an electromagnetic pulse gun to break a microwave oven, rescuing a token of love amidst a hail of bullets). The emotional storyline focuses on "rebuilding trust" and "the essence of love," exploring communication and trust issues that also arise in ordinary marriages within an extremely stimulating environment.

“This…this idea is so cool!” Michael De Luca was the first to exclaim, clearly struck by the “high-concept” concept. “Action, comedy, romance, suspense…it has all the commercial elements! And the conflict design of this ‘double life’ is full of dramatic tension!”

Toby Emmerich quickly scanned the document while asking questions, his tone professional and cautious: "Wang, this concept is indeed very eye-catching. But how do you ensure the action scenes remain original and the emotional storyline doesn't fall into clichés? What's your overall envisioned style?"

"Stylistically, I hope it's a combination of the spousal espionage of 'True Lies' and the dark humor of marriage in 'The War of the Roses,' but with a faster pace and fight scenes closer to the realistic and sharp feel of 'The Bourne Identity,' while incorporating the aesthetic of space utilization and skillful techniques from our Eastern action design."

Wang Sheng calmly replied, "The emotional storyline is key. It's not just about 'whether we can still be together,' but also about 'what aspect of the other person did we fall in love with? Does that facade itself contain genuine attraction?' We need to make the audience truly care about the couple's fate beyond the laughter and tension."

Mark Riddell analyzed from a market perspective: "This kind of 'action-romance comedy' has always had a stable market base. If the production is good and the concept is fresh enough, it can not only attract action and romance movie audiences, but also tap into the family audience market—of course, the rating may need to be PG-13. The key lies in the star lineup and the creation of chemistry."

Kevin Brown was more interested in the collaboration model: "Wang, this is undoubtedly a very promising A-list production idea. What role do you envision New Line playing in this collaboration?"

Wang Sheng was already confident: "Given the high concept and global market potential of this project, I hope to adopt a deep co-production approach."

Shengying Media can be responsible for the main script development and invest a considerable proportion of the production funds.

New Line Cinema, on the other hand, leverages its top-tier Hollywood production resources and global distribution network, particularly its strengths in action effects, post-production, and North American/European marketing. We can jointly build a core production team and share global rights and revenue.

He specifically emphasized: "I hope this film can become a new benchmark for action comedy in the East and West. For the male lead, I prefer to find a top Hollywood star who combines action skills, comedic timing, and masculine charm; for the female lead, she needs to be able to fight, act, and demonstrate both intelligence and sex appeal."

As for the director…

Wang Sheng paused for a moment, then said, "I will take on this role."

Brown nodded slightly: "Wang, it's truly exciting to see you launch your Hollywood directing career with a film like this. Let's talk about it..."

A lively discussion ensued in the meeting room.

Legal and business personnel began preliminary discussions on details such as the cooperation framework, investment ratio, and copyright division.

Robert White occasionally chimed in, offering advice on Hollywood conventions.

(End of this chapter)