This director is so innocent.

Chapter 189 War Begins at Huayi

It is common knowledge that if a movie is successful, a sequel will be made.

This is how it's done, whether in Hollywood or in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

As you can see, all the main characters in "Overheard" died, but in order to make money, they changed the name and continued to release four installments.

Rumors of a sequel to "Painted Skin" circulated as early as when the film was about to be released, but these rumors have never been confirmed.

Now that the audience has received confirmation, they are all quite excited.

For an actor to get a role, a lead role is probably impossible, but getting a supporting role is a great success.

Meanwhile, investors' gazes toward Su Jin became increasingly fervent. If "Painted Skin 1" was going to become the highest-grossing film in China, then the sequel would definitely be a sure thing.

After dealing with a group of investors, Su Jin went to Zhou Xun and his team.

"director."

When Zhou Xun and the others saw Su Jin approaching, they immediately stood up and greeted her warmly.

Fan Bingbing and Zhou Xun didn't get along very well, so they sat quite far apart, with Huang Xiaoming and Yang Mi between them.

"Congratulations on becoming the lead actor in a film that grossed 300 million yuan. In a while, you will be the highest-grossing film in China."

"We have to thank you, Director, for inviting us to participate."

"Yes, yes————"

After a round of mutual flattery, Su Jin said seriously, "I remember telling you guys about the news that 'Painted Skin' was going to be filmed as a sequel."

"We plan to start filming in the second half of next year, with a release date set for the National Day or Lunar New Year period the year after. The director will still be Wuershan, and the cast will include Zhou Xun, Chen Kun, and Bingbing. Are your schedules okay?"

"No." The three of them shook their heads in unison. Even if there was a scheduling conflict, they would cancel it.

"Painted Skin 2" is a mistake; even a fool would know which one to choose.

Huang Xiaoming, standing to the side, was stunned when Su Jin didn't acknowledge him. Did he not have a role in "Painted Skin 2"?

No way! Although Pang Yong is the second male lead, his screen time is just as much as Wang Sheng's. How come he has no screen time in the second season?

"Director, am I not included?"

No, "Painted Skin 2" is a completely new story.

It tells the story of Xiao Wei, who was frozen in the Frozen Hell for 500 years, and was later rescued by a little fox.

However, she is afflicted with a cold poison and still needs to consume human hearts, otherwise she will be frozen solid.

Later, she met Princess Jing, who was dressed as a man and had a passionate heart, capable of curing the cold poison.

Princess Jing had a childhood sweetheart named Huo Xin, a general. Because he failed to protect Princess Jing properly, resulting in her disfigurement, he volunteered to guard the border.

Bingbing, you play Princess Jing; Zhou Xun, you still play Xiao Wei; Chen Kun, you play Huo Xin.

"Does Xiaowei still like Huo Xin?" Zhou Xun asked.

"No, Xiaowei was heartbroken by Wang Sheng. This time, she only wants to win Princess Jing's heart and become a person."

"A forbidden love?"

"It has a certain appeal, but it won't be filmed. It will only be expressed subtly, since it still needs to pass censorship."

Fan Xiaopang had already heard Su Jin's explanation, and there was no problem at all. Chen Kun also had no problem, but Yang Mi had a problem.

Has my demon hunter gone offline?

"Director, am I not going to have a role in the second movie?"

"No, this is a story from five hundred years later. Xia Bing is definitely dead."

Yang Mi sneered inwardly. Wang Sheng, Pei Rong, and Xiao Wei could all be resurrected, but Xia Bing couldn't.

Of course, she only dared to ramble on in her mind; she would never dare to say it out loud.

"Is the little fox looking for Asa?"

"No, they'll probably find a new person."

A show as good as "Painted Skin 2" is perfect for promoting newcomers.

Changing the magpie spirit to a little fox is to prepare for future spin-offs, such as creating a "Three Lives Three Worlds Little Fox Fairy".

The plot will be inspired by "Fox Spirit Matchmaker" or "Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms".

After chatting with them for a while, Su Jin got up and left.

I ran into Xiao Wang on the way. This time, the person standing next to him was neither Li Lianhua nor Huo Siyan, but a middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses.

"President Su, congratulations!" Xiao Wang said with a smile, but in his heart he was a little envious.

As the leading company in the mainland film and television industry, Huayi Brothers has always been committed to regaining the top spot in China's box office.

Then they developed "The Forbidden Kingdom," but unexpectedly, even with the collaboration of Jackie Chan and Johnny Depp, it didn't even gross 200 million yuan at the box office. It wasn't even as good as Feng Xiaogang's performance. It's really bullshit.

"It was just a stroke of luck," Su Jin replied modestly.

"Mr. Su, you're too modest. Your 'ticket subsidy' strategy really taught us a lesson."

"Hahaha----"

"Let me introduce you to Chen Guofu, the creative director of our company."

"Mr. Chen, I've heard so much about you." Su Jin shook hands with him politely.

He was no stranger to Chen Guofu.

He was born in Taichung, Taiwan in 1958. He wrote screenplays for Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang in his early years and later became a director himself.

In 2000, he became the Director of Production for Asia at Columbia Pictures, responsible for the development and production of Chinese-language films, officially transitioning to behind-the-scenes work.

In 2002, the thriller film "Double Vision," which he wrote, directed, and produced, set a record for the highest-grossing opening weekend for a Taiwanese thriller and also became the box office champion of the year—grossing nearly 4000 million.

In 2006, through Feng Kuzi's introduction, he joined Huayi Brothers as the creative director of the film and television department.

Liu Naicha was able to play the female lead in "A World Without Thieves" thanks to his efforts.

Because he dated Liu Naicha for ten years.

He was also a man who was still very virile; at the age of sixty-three, he started dating Wang Zixuan, who was twenty-nine.

"I dare not accept such a title, but I have long admired President Su's name," Chen Guofu said with a smile. "The Invisible Guest is truly brilliant. I wouldn't know how to make this movie if you gave it to me."

"Hahaha—Mr. Chen, you're too modest. Your 'Double Vision' is truly brilliant. It gave me the creeps when I watched it."

"Double Vision" is Chen Guofu's masterpiece, and it is this film that has earned him the reputation as the successor of Taiwan's new film movement.

This film was not released in mainland China, and its subject matter is relatively niche, so many people may not be familiar with it.

But when it comes to "Detective Chinatown 2," everyone understands: fire and earth, the Five Prisons of Taoism, the Six Paths of Reincarnation, human demons, and the ability to observe and ward off evil spirits.

Huangshang, Shaoyang Taiyin —

The case design and scene setting in "Detective Chinatown 2" were inspired by this movie.

When it was first released, it caused quite a stir.

But Fruit Chan was very magnanimous and didn't mention plagiarism at all. He only said that Chen Sicheng really liked the movie and that it was fate.

As for whether they are truly generous, you can find out by looking at the production team.

To be fair, "Double Vision" is really awesome; it's the coolest genre film ever made by Taiwan.

The plot is rich and the narrative is steady. It organically integrates various genre elements, making it gripping and captivating.

The first 70 minutes, in particular, are of the highest standard ever seen in Hollywood suspense thrillers.

Unfortunately, the ending wasn't quite perfect.

"At that time, I was particularly fond of Taoist Five Elements culture, and I felt that combining it with horror movies would definitely have a good effect."

But that made it difficult to release the film, so I cut a lot of material.

"You can set the background story in Chinatown, which will subject you to fewer restrictions."

"It's a small amount, but placing it in Chinatown means a larger investment, making it harder to recoup the cost!"

Xiao Wang, who was standing to the side, saw that the two were getting along very well and couldn't help but cough slightly. He had come here on a serious business.

"Mr. Su, let's go to the booths and chat while we eat!"

"Okay." Su Jin gave Xiao Wang a meaningful look; she knew she needed to talk to him about something!

Otherwise, they could just stand there and chat for a couple of minutes before breaking up.

Just as he expected, Xiao Wang really did have something to ask him.

As soon as Xiao Wang sat down, he immediately said, "President Su, you hold the film and television rights to 'The Message,' right?"

"Yes." Su Jin was a little surprised.

I thought Xiao Wang wanted to invest in "Painted Skin 2", but it turns out it was for "The Message".

There's a saying: "After The Message, there are no more legends."

This is a promotional slogan that Huayi Brothers used for the movie "The Message" in 2009.

What was initially thought to be just a promotional slogan turned out to be prophetic, as Chinese spy dramas have never made a comeback since.

"The Message" is hailed as the pinnacle of Chinese spy dramas, dominating the National Day holiday season in 2009.

Such an amazing movie deserves its film and television rights, which we definitely need to acquire as soon as possible.

"The Message" is adapted from the novel of the same name by Mai Jia, a very accomplished author and winner of the 7th Mao Dun Literature Prize.

Upon publication, "The Message" won the People's Literature Annual Novel Award in 2007, and the following year it won the Chinese Literature Media Award.

The wildly popular 2006 TV series "Plot Against" was also adapted from his novel of the same name.

The story of "The Message" is very compelling, with a tightly woven plot and a well-structured logic, making it very suitable for film adaptation.

After watching it, Xiao Wang really liked it and thought that adapting it into a movie would definitely be a huge success.

Especially since next year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, making it a commemorative film would be another publicity opportunity.

When he asked his assistant to purchase the film and television rights from Mecca, he learned that Su Jin had already acquired them.

Chen Guofu went along because he also liked the novel "The Message" after reading it.

"Mr. Su, have you considered selling the copyright?" Xiao Wang asked.

"No, I really like 'The Message'. I have a feeling that if it's well-made, it can win the Huabiao Award for Best Director."

"I can offer a high price."

Su Jin looked at Xiao Wang with a half-smile, as if to say, "Do I look like someone who's short of money?"

Xiao Wang gave an awkward smile, looking a bit anxious.

"Mr. Su, when do you plan to develop 'The Message'?"

"The year after next, I think! I'll be very busy next year, with several films in the pipeline."

9

By the time the daylilies are harvested, they'll be too cold.

Xiao Wang is in such a hurry because Huayi is going public next October.

If a movie grosses over 100 million or even 200 million yuan at the box office before an IPO, it will undoubtedly boost the stock price.

"President Su, do you have any ideas for collaborative development? We could have Lao Chen direct it; he really likes 'The Message'."

Su Jin chuckled. What did it matter to him if Chen Guofu liked it? He wasn't Chen Guofu's father.

Actually, he wasn't very interested in "The Message".

The reason for dragging this out is that they want some benefits.

Huayi is about to go public, and he wants some insider shares.

Xiao Wang glanced at Chen Guofu, signaling him to take charge.

Upon receiving the message, Chen Guofu said, "President Su, making a good film like 'The Message' is not a simple task. It's an ensemble piece that requires a lot of effort."

"I know I'll have plenty of time the year after next."

"So how do you want to film it?"

Su Jin was slightly taken aback. Was this a test?

Luckily, he had seen "The Message," otherwise he would have been stumped by Chen Guofu's question.

"First, downplay the romantic feelings between Gu Xiaomeng and Li Ningyu, and change it to a friendship that blossoms from the first meeting."

In the original novel of "The Message", Gu Xiaomeng is deeply in love with Li Ningyu.

For Li Ningyu, she put aside her pride, her stance, her fear, and the hatred she felt for being used by Li Ningyu. But she could not let go of her love for Li Ningyu.

He risked his life to help Li Ningyu complete the mission, and even risked his life to find out how the intelligence was leaked, just to confirm that "Li Ningyu did not die in vain".

This forbidden love is one of the reasons why the original work became so popular.

Since it's forbidden love, it definitely won't pass censorship, so it has to be downplayed.

"Why did Li Ningyu have to die?!"

"Because of faith, because of ideals, only by dying can the intelligence be passed on—" Su Jin said, her enthusiasm waning. Talking about faith with a Taiwanese person was a bit of a joke. Could he even understand it?

"So, you want to make the core message patriotic?" Chen Guofu frowned.

"Of course, given the explicit content in the original work, you wouldn't pass censorship if you didn't do this."

Xiao Wang, watching from the side, was speechless. He had asked you to speak up so that Su Jin would agree to collaborate on developing "The Message," not to discuss how to film it.

It seems he'll have to step in.

He coughed twice and interjected, "President Su, if we cooperate on the development, Huayi will provide all the personnel and equipment."

As for the cast, we will be fielding a top-tier lineup, including Li Bingbing, Zhou Xun, and Zhang Hanyu. What do you think?

""

"Mr. Wang, do you really think I can't get Li Bingbing and Zhou Xun to come, given my current fame?"

"Of course we can call them, but their agency contracts are in the hands of Huayi."

"Is Mr. Wang threatening me?"

"Mr. Su, what are you saying? Even if a deal falls through, we can still be friendly!"

Upon hearing this, Su Jin smiled slightly, but her eyes were full of coldness.

"I was just discussing 'Painted Skin 2' with Zhou Xun. It seems we need to reconsider." Su Jin stood up, buttoned her suit jacket, and said, "Mr. Wang, please continue your conversation. Excuse me."

"By the way, Mr. Wang, could you please tell Li Bingbing that he doesn't need to come to the audition for 'Mulan'?"

After Su Jin left, Xiao Wang's face immediately darkened. If it weren't for the celebration banquet, he probably would have smashed things on the spot.

Since Huayi became the leader in the film and television industry, no one has dared to disrespect him or even threaten him to his face.

"Zhong Lei, why are you threatening him for no reason! Don't you know that Su Jin responds better to gentle persuasion than force?"

"Did I threaten him? Didn't you see him threatening me?"

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