The entertainment empire began with Liu Yifei's premarital pregnancy.

The entire entertainment industry was abuzz after Kyoto Studios announced the project "Return to the Ruins: The Spiritual Realm of Mountains and Seas".

A $5 million blockbuster is clearly aimed at the global market.

If you can get a role from them, even a small one, you can get exposure to the world.

For investors, they also consider the film's box office performance and whether they will be able to recoup their costs.

However, for celebrities, regardless of how well the movie is made, even if it fails to recoup its box office revenue, being able to participate in it is a great honor and can also enhance their own status.

……

"Why aren't you eating?"

Inside a private restaurant, Deng Chao was having a meal with Sun Li when he suddenly noticed that the other person had stopped eating. He looked at her with some confusion.

"Do you know about the movie 'Guixu: The Spirit Realm of Mountains and Seas'?" Sun Li asked, looking at Deng Chao.

"Of course I know!"

Deng Chao nodded, put down his chopsticks, and smiled: "This is Director Lin's masterpiece; the entire entertainment industry knows about it, right?"

An investment of 500 million US dollars is unprecedented, not only in China but also in the world.

"Do you think I might have a chance to act in this?"

As Sun Li spoke, she looked at Deng Chao with a hopeful gaze.

"this……"

Seeing Sun Lixi's hopeful gaze, Deng Chao didn't want to discourage her.

Based on the information released by Kyoto Animation so far, none of the available roles match the character of Sun Li.

"We can give it a try; after all, it's an open casting call!"

"Too!"

Sun Li nodded, then looked at Deng Chao: "Don't you want to play a role in it?"

"I?"

Deng Chao shook his head as he spoke: "I'll pass."

"What's wrong?"

Sun Li looked at Deng Chao with a puzzled expression.

"Have you heard of Iron Man?" Deng Chao asked Sun Li.

"Iron Man? No."

Sun Li shook his head.

During this period, among Hollywood superhero movies, Spider-Man was the most successful.

In China, not only are ordinary people unaware of Hollywood superhero movies, but even top-tier actresses like Sun Li in the entertainment industry are unfamiliar with them.

"This is a Hollywood superhero movie..." Deng Chao gave Sun Li a brief overview.

"so what?"

Sun Li looked at Deng Chao, puzzled.

"President Wang talked to me, and Director Lin said he wanted me to play Iron Man!" Deng Chao looked at Sun Li and continued, "So, even if I wanted to film 'Return to the Void' now, I don't have the time."

Lin Bufan had given the decision of casting Deng Chao in "Iron Man" a lot of thought.

Who says the role of Iron Man has to be played by a Westerner?

Since he owns the copyright to the role, Lin Bufan can choose whoever he wants to play it.

Initially, Lin Bufan didn't think of Deng Chao, but rather Li Tianwang. However, after careful consideration, he gave up on that option.

Deng Chao's acting skills are excellent; he can portray the demeanor of a wealthy man and is also a chatterbox, known as the "Demon Child," which perfectly fits the character of Iron Man.

"real?"

Sun Li looked at Deng Chao with a mixture of surprise and delight.

Although the two are not married yet, they are already boyfriend and girlfriend. If Deng Chao is doing well, she will naturally be even happier.

"Of course it's true!"

Deng Chao looked very proud.

This is a Hollywood resource; not just anyone can get their hands on it.

"What do you think about me signing with Kyoto?" Sun Li looked at Deng Chao, somewhat tempted.

Although the contract was signed with Jingyi Xingyao, the company belongs to the Kyoto Group, so it's normal to say that it was signed with Kyoto.

"If you want to sign with Kyoto, you'd better hurry up," Deng Chao said seriously to Sun Li.

"What's wrong?"

Sun Li looked at Deng Chao with a puzzled expression.

At that time, Sun Li had not invested in Hairun, so she was just an ordinary contracted artist at Hairun.

"I heard from President Shen that Jingyi is expected to go public this year, and before the IPO, the company will give its contracted artists the opportunity to buy shares." Deng Chao looked at Sun Li with a serious expression.

After returning home, Shen Xiuying had already shared the news with all the artists under her management about the company's IPO.

A backdoor listing is still a listing.

Jingyi Xingyao is simply an artist management company, and its future market value depends entirely on the development of its artists.

The best way to secure artists' rights is to give them shares in the company.

In this way, they become part of the company; the better they do, the higher the company's market value, and the more valuable their shares become.

This was also Lin Bufan's instruction to Shen Xiuying.

As for who will ultimately be eligible to purchase how many shares, that requires careful calculation.

Is Beijing Arts and Crafts Group going public?

Sun Li was somewhat surprised, especially when she heard that artists could also buy shares, which made her even more interested.

"But I signed a ten-year contract with Hairun!" Sun Li said helplessly.

Back in 01, she signed a ten-year contract with Hairun, which was set to expire in 2011. It's only 08 now, so there are still three years left.

If she wants to leave Hairun, there are only two ways.

Either settle with the company, which would not only result in less compensation but also save face for both parties.

However, Sun Li is currently the top female executive at Hairun, and the company is unlikely to let her go, so a reconciliation is not an option.

Then the only option is to breach the contract and go to court.

When Sun Li signed with Hairun in 01, he was just a newcomer, and the penalty for breach of contract was actually not high, only 80 yuan.

However, while the penalty for breach of contract may not be much, it can damage a celebrity's reputation if they end up in court with their former employer.

If you want to make it in this industry, a bad reputation will make your future path much more difficult.

The entertainment industry is a place where personal relationships matter.

If a celebrity were to take their former employer to court, even if it wasn't the celebrity's fault, outsiders would generally be less likely to use that celebrity anymore.

After all, nobody likes to work with a celebrity who doesn't know how to be 'grateful'.

"I really envy Zhao Liying!"

As Sun Li was speaking, he suddenly changed the subject.

Of course she envied the other party. Back then, Zhao Liying terminated her contract with Huayi Brothers and eventually signed with Kyoto Animation. With Kyoto Animation's resources alone, Zhao Liying had more than enough resources and didn't have to worry about external resources at all.

Most importantly, Lin Bufan was the person in charge of Zhao Liying's job change and contract termination.

This incident caused quite a stir online back then. With Lin Bufan's guarantee, Zhao Liying naturally didn't have to worry about her resources.

"Then there's nothing we can do!"

Deng Chao shrugged and spread his hands.

While the young couple was chatting, other celebrities in the entertainment industry were also using all their skills to inquire about specific details of "Guixu: Mountain and Sea Spirit Realm".