Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 523, Section 521: Being Poached

On the afternoon of February 26, Los Angeles time, Wang Sheng's flight landed smoothly at Los Angeles International Airport.

Compared to the chill of early spring in Beijing, the sunshine in Los Angeles seemed exceptionally generous, carrying the warmth unique to the Pacific Ocean's warm currents.

Along with Wang Sheng, Fan Xiaopang also arrived on the same plane, along with a group of entourage members and two core bodyguards.

Her purpose for this trip was clear: to make a stunning appearance on the red carpet of the upcoming 76th Academy Awards.

This year's Oscars will be broadcast live on television stations in 129 countries and regions around the world, and CCTV-6, China's CCTV Movie Channel, has set up an unprecedented dedicated camera position on the red carpet to bring Chinese viewers firsthand the grand event.

This is an excellent opportunity that Fan Xiaopang, who urgently needs to "show his face" to audiences in North America and even the world, cannot miss.

Her starring role in "Twilight" is scheduled for simultaneous release in North America and major markets worldwide this summer. As a new series produced by New Line Cinema with a large budget, aiming to expand the market for teen fantasy romance films, the pressure of promotion and distribution is immense.

Despite Fan Bingbing's considerable popularity in Asia thanks to films like "My Sassy Girl," she is still considered a "newcomer" with limited experience in Hollywood.

Therefore, New Line Cinema's publicity team racked their brains and decided to use the globally renowned Oscars to give Fan Bingbing, the female lead, early exposure. By leveraging the spotlight on the red carpet and subsequent media attention, they aimed to generate buzz for the release of "Twilight" and use massive publicity investment to forcefully increase brand awareness.

After adjusting to the time difference, on the morning of February 27th, Los Angeles time, Wang Sheng, along with Zhou Xingxing who had also arrived the previous day, appeared in the conference room of New Line Cinema's headquarters in Burbank.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was relaxed and warm.

New Line Entertainment extended an extremely high level of hospitality to Wang Sheng, the "God of Wealth" and "Miracle Director."

Robert Shea, CEO and Chairman of New Line Cinema, was extremely satisfied with the success of Wang Sheng's "Night at the Museum" and "Saw" series, and his smile was the most enthusiastic.

Chief Operating Officer Michael Lynn, who is responsible for the company's day-to-day operations and finances, was impressed by the substantial profits generated by the partnership with Shengying.

Toby Emmerich, the president of the production department, has had in-depth communication with Wang Sheng on multiple projects and is well aware of his creative value.

Lisa Vidal, President of International Distribution, is confident about the upcoming release of Kung Fu Soccer, given the outstanding performance of Kung Fu Soccer in North America and around the world.

And Wang Sheng's old acquaintance, Senior Vice President Kevin Brown, who was the main person in charge of liaising with Sheng Ying, moved around among them, enlivening the atmosphere.

“Wang! Stephen!” Robert Shea was the first to stand up and warmly shook hands with Wang Sheng and Zhou Xingxing: “Welcome back to Hollywood! It seems the Oscars are more attractive than our conference invitation.”

He started with humor, eliciting a burst of laughter from the audience.

After exchanging pleasantries, the conversation naturally turned to the North American premiere of "Kung Fu" at the Grauman Chinese Theatre the next day, and its nationwide release starting on March 5.

"The fact that 'Shaolin Soccer' grossed nearly $100 million in North America proves that Stephen's 'nonsensical' style combined with excellent visual effects can completely overcome cultural barriers."

Michael Lynn said to Stephen Chow with admiration, "The test screening feedback for 'Kung Fu Hustle' was excellent, and critics generally gave it high scores. We believe that this film has taken the integration of action design and comedic elements to a new level and has the potential to replicate or even surpass the success of its predecessor."

Lisa Vidal added, "Our distribution strategy will continue the success of 'Shaolin Soccer,' focusing on the concept of 'fantasy martial arts comedy,' targeting cities with large Asian communities and audiences who enjoy Hong Kong films, and gradually expanding across the United States. The trailer has received a very positive response both online and in theaters."

Stephen Chow maintained his humility and slightly shy smile as always, expressing his gratitude in his signature, slightly accented English: "Thank you for New Line's support. My team and I put a lot of effort into this film, and we hope that North American audiences will enjoy it."

At this moment, Toby Emmerich turned his gaze to Wang Sheng and said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Wang, your mind is always full of all sorts of whimsical ideas, from 'The Museum' to 'Saw' and then to 'Spy Kids,' the range of genres is amazing."

Honestly, Hollywood needs energetic creators like you.

Have you considered shifting more of your work focus here? The industrial system here might be better able to realize your ideas.

Upon hearing this, Wang Sheng simply smiled calmly.

Kevin Brown naturally picked up the conversation, cleverly steer the topic toward Stephen Chow: "Speaking of which, Stephen's directing talent is equally impressive. Wang Sheng really doesn't have the time to steer such a vast empire as Sheng Ying."

But Stephen, have you considered moving directly to Hollywood? It offers a wider market, a more mature production system, and… well, perhaps it would expose you to more diverse project opportunities.”

These words silenced the meeting room for a moment, and all eyes were on Stephen Chow. Would Stephen Chow be interested in developing his career in Hollywood?

From a realistic perspective, Stephen Chow had already established a very high reputation in the Asian and even world film industry with "Shaolin Soccer" and was hailed as a comedy master.

He has an absolute desire for control over films and a unique auteur expression. Will Hollywood's mature, sometimes almost rigid producer-centric system become a constraint on his creative work?

Historically, although Stephen Chow had contact with Hollywood, such as Columbia Pictures distributing his films, he never truly devoted himself to the Hollywood production system.

He prefers to make films in his own territory, or in a market he is more familiar with, and in his own way, maintaining creative autonomy.

On the other hand, Hollywood's global influence is undoubtedly a temptation.

If one can successfully direct one or even several mainstream commercial blockbusters here, their international reputation will reach a new level.

However, the risks are equally significant. Cultural differences, language barriers, and the potential loss of core rights such as final cut are all factors he must weigh.

Stephen Chow lowered his head slightly, habitually touched his nose, pondered for a few seconds, then raised his head, his face still bearing that enigmatic, slightly shy smile: "Hollywood is great, and there are many opportunities. Thank you all for your high regard. However, I still want to focus my energy on telling good stories in the Asian market, especially in China. There are still many things I want to try there, and the audience has always supported me."

He paused, glanced at the composed Wang Sheng beside him, and continued in slow but clear English: "Furthermore, I feel that cooperating with Chairman Wang, through the Shengying platform,..."

We can still bring our films to the world. Wouldn't it be great if it were like *Kung Fu Hustle*?

His answer was tactful but clear: he admires Hollywood, but at this stage, he prefers to achieve global distribution of his works through collaboration rather than "franchising" with partners like Sheng Ying and New Line Cinema, rather than directly joining the Hollywood system and becoming subject to their control.

Wang Sheng remained calm.

Stephen Chow's choice was exactly what he expected.

This king of comedy has a strong artistic conviction and a desire for control, and he will not easily give up his autonomy for the sake of the so-called "international stage".

Just like when they collaborated on "Shaolin Soccer," even though Wang Sheng ruthlessly took away the copyright, he did not relinquish his autonomy.

Robert Shea and the others were shrewd enough to immediately understand Stephen Chow's implied meaning. They didn't try to persuade him further, but instead smiled and said, "Of course, it was a very pleasant collaboration with Sheng Ying and Stephen! We look forward to 'Kung Fu Hustle' achieving great success once again. Well then, I wish our premiere tomorrow a complete success!"

Wishing you success!

Everyone responded in unison.

The atmosphere became harmonious again.

The meeting concluded in a friendly atmosphere.

Stepping out of the New Line Cinema building, the Los Angeles sun was still shining brightly.

Wang Sheng looked at Zhou Xingxing, who seemed lost in thought, and patted him on the shoulder.

"What? Are you tempted by them? If you want to try your luck in Hollywood, I can provide funding and scripts."

Stephen Chow shook his head, looking at the iconic Hollywood mountains in the distance, his eyes clear and firm: "The waters here are too deep. I'd rather go back to making my movies."

He paused, then looked at Wang Sheng, "However, for the next collaboration, you'll have to give us a more generous budget."

Wang Sheng laughed heartily: "No problem! As long as you can make the film as awesome as 'Kung Fu Hustle,' the budget is not an issue!"

The two smiled at each other and got into the waiting vehicle.

(End of this chapter)