China Entertainment 1997.

Chapter 532 Cao Silang and Jiang Mazi

"Hey, Teacher Ge, have you accepted director Jiang Wen's new play?...What, I haven't agreed yet...My boy, this is cheating us both..."

When Cao Xuan read the letter, he actually understood what was going on. It is said that when Yuan Shikong Jiang Wen was filming "Let the Bullets Fly", he wrote a letter in classical Chinese with Brother Fa and Uncle Ge.

Brother Tong Fa said that Uncle Ge agreed to participate in the performance, and it is up to you, tell Uncle Ge that Brother Fa has agreed, and wait for him to nod.

Flickering at both ends, a typical white wolf with empty gloves!
But Cao Xuan is not Brother Fa, because he can't understand letters in classical Chinese, he thought Jiang Wen had a crush on him, and he didn't have any channels to contact Uncle Ge, so he was fooled by Jiang Wen in a daze.

In the mainland entertainment industry, Cao Xuan now has more resources and contacts than Jiang Wen, and he is also an acquaintance with Uncle Ge, and he can expose Lao Jiang's tricks with just one phone call.

Cao Xuan didn't move, and Uncle Ge called to laugh at his old friend Jiang Wen.

"Don't be ashamed to bully other young people, is it a mess?"

Jiang Wen asked back: "Have you smashed it?"

"Broken."

"Why do I feel like it's just started?"

"..."

Jiang Wen is confident in his script, and even more confident in Cao Xuan's operation.

He didn't have much contact with Cao Xuan, but he also knew that Boss Cao was very good at being a man, and he was considerate and considerate in handling things.

If he didn't want to accept the show, Cao Xuan could directly refuse, and there was no need to call Uncle Ge to ask.

No matter whether he asked Uncle Ge sincerely, or if he saw something tricky, he would join the army instead.

The fact that Cao Xuan can do so much shows that Cao Xuan is interested in this drama, and it also shows that there is something to be done about it.

Lao Jiang is such a clever person, without further ado, he took the producer to Fanxing Building and blocked Cao Xuan.

At this time, Cao Xuan was reading Huang Silang's script of "Let the Bullets Fly" sent by Jiang Wen.

Unlike the finished movie in his impression, the script framework is similar, but many plot details are different, which shows how "improvised" the movie was when it was actually shot.

When Jiang Wen came, he had just finished reading the script, and Jiang Wen and the producer Ma Ke, who was also the "eight-year-old strong man".

This one is not simple, a student from the big courtyard, with good abilities, and his network resources and background are even more numerous.

For example, he is the producer of the so-called banned film "Snail House", and he was able to make the prototype of Song Siming in it into a TV series, which is evident.

It was rumored that Ma Dayuan, who played the priest role, was also recruited by him, but it is not known whether it is true or not.

"Director Jiang."

"Brother Cao."

"Mr. Cao, hello."

The three of them met each other, Cao Xuan and Ma Ke both used more formal addresses, and Jiang Wen was cheeky to cover up the relationship.

Cao Xuan didn't bother with him either. Jiang Wen was born in 1963, 12 years older than him, and has a high status in the film industry. It makes sense to call Cao Xuan a brother.

It can also be seen from the previous letter that this guy is not an ordinary coquettish, it is good that he is not familiar with Cao Xuan, the letter is basically flattering, and the letter to Uncle Ge is amazing.

[Although there are no porn stars in my brother's film, there are foolish brothers in bed, drunk and sleeping together in autumn, walking hand in hand with the sun, rubbing ears and temples together, but it's not a broken arm, it's not too coquettish...]

Fortunately, Uncle Ge and Jiang Wen are old friends with him and know his virtues. If this letter is written to Brother Fa, the misunderstanding may be confirmed.

Even if Cao Xuan didn't know the situation and received this letter, he might have thought that Jiang Wen had malicious intentions.

There is no way, the art circle is very chaotic, a handsome guy like Cao Xuanfa receives a lot of same-sex love, it is hard not to think about it...

After exchanging some pleasantries, Cao Xuan didn't talk nonsense, and went straight to the point: "Director Jiang, I think the script assumes that Huang Silang was originally a middle-aged man, older than this Zhang Mazi, why are you looking for me now?"

"You did a good job."

Jiang Wen gave a thumbs up, with a slightly flattering but sincere tone.

"I've watched all my brother's movies. Really, I think it's great. The layers, appeal, emotions, skills, and explosive power are all first-class, especially the "New World". I just stay at home when I have nothing to do. Look, the more you look, the more you feel."

"Age doesn't matter. We can make a small change and become in our early 40s. It's totally fine to look a little older."

"The key is you. When I was thinking about Huang Silang, the first thing I thought of was my brother. Really, who else is better than you."

Jiang Wen talked about sex, and he didn't forget to gesture to Cao Xuan's luxurious big office, so he almost pointed to his nose and said, your boy is Huang Silang himself, Cao Silang.

Cao Xuan: "..."

For a moment, he didn't know whether Jiang Wen was praising himself or connoting himself.

Ma Ke was not idle either, he echoed in all kinds of ways, and supported Jiang Wen. He was a little more reliable than the grinning Jiang Wen, and Cao Xuan also got a little pulse.

The movie "Let the Bullets Fly" is adapted from the novel "Ten Tales of Night Tales" from "The Story of a Stealing Official". The script of the movie is actually very different from the plot of the original novel.

The only few are the same, one is a "robber official", the other is the male protagonist named Zhang Mazi, the villain is still Master Huang, but not Huang Silang, but Huang Tianbang, and there is a master, but his surname is not Tang and Chen.

To put it bluntly, it is a story about bandits fighting bullies, but the original book is relatively flat, and the movie is more refreshing and has various connotations.

Many of Jiang Wen's movies are like this. Find a story structure or idea, then develop your own brain hole, rewrite a plot, and then stuff all kinds of private goods.

If it is well plugged and corrected, it is the masterpiece "Let the Bullets Fly", and if it is not well plugged and corrected, it is "One Step Away" that most audiences cannot understand...

Cao Xuan personally likes the movie "Let the Bullets Fly" very much, and he also intends to mix it up, but he still wants to see if he can change the role.

"Director Jiang, I like the script very much, but do you think I can play Zhang Mazi?"

"Zhang Mazi?"

Jiang Wen shook his head: "Brother, you are a nobleman, you have an aura of nobility, and you can't act like a reckless gangster."

"Director Jiang is just talking nonsense. You are a student of the big courtyard, and we are farmers. For several generations, we are all serious mud legs."

Cao Xuan cocked his legs. Cao Daguan didn't play many low-level roles, but that didn't mean he couldn't play them, and he even had more life than those from these big courtyards.

"But Zhang Mazi not only has a gangster spirit, but also an image..."

Jiang Wen had a headache, and Barabara said a lot: "It's not that I protect the role, it's that you are really not suitable for this role."

"Is it suitable for acting? I remember that Director Jiang wanted to play Cheng Dieyi back then. It can be seen that the image is not important."

Cao Xuan was not stubborn about playing the role of Zhang Mazi, he just wanted to tease Jiang Wen,
Why do you say that I am not suitable for Zhang Mazi, but you want to play Cheng Dieyi with a shy face?

"Isn't it that it didn't work out later?"

Jiang Wen was also a bachelor, but it was Ma Ke who smoothed things over: "Boss Cao, don't worry about the position, you and Mr. Ge are also male leads, this time we are the three major movie stars on the same stage, in no particular order."

There is no doubt that "Let the Bullets Fly" is Zhang Mazi, but whether it is Uncle Ge or Cao Xuan, they have to give enough face, no matter what the actual scenes are, they will definitely kill the three male protagonists.

This is not only to save face for the two, but also a gimmick for movie promotion.

Cao Xuan is actually not too entangled with this point. Uncle Ge’s master role can still be said to be a green leaf. Zhang Mazi and Huang Silang are one good and one evil, one wins and one loses. It is forced.

The most important thing is that Jiang Wen also has the identity of a director, which belongs to self-direction and self-acting, which gave Cao Xuan an excuse.

As a matter of fact, there are times when the contention for fan position is very fierce, and sometimes that's the way it is.

Cao Xuan and Cheng Long, the difference in status between the two is extremely small, and when they cooperate, they are very particular about who comes first.

But Cao Xuan and Hu Ge are acting together, even if Hu Ge is the number one male lead in name, no one knows who the real core actor is.

And Jiang Wen, Uncle Ge and Cao Xuan filmed "Let the Bullets Fly" together, so there was no need to think so much.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Cao Xuan is responsible for the box office. The other two, one is more of a director. Uncle Ge is very popular with the audience, but separated from Feng Pants, the box office appeal is far inferior to Cao Xuan.

Therefore, the team configuration of the three should be famous director + superstar + big-name actor. Everyone has different divisions of labor and different positioning attributes, and internal competition is not so serious.

In fact, Cao Xuan's real goal is not to fight for fans, but to get a share of the project.

"How much does it cost us to shoot this movie? Is the investment enough?"

Jiang Wen and Ma Ke immediately regained their spirits upon hearing this.

Jiang Wen is also considered a famous director, so it is not difficult to attract investment, but after all, he is not a director who is good at commercial box office, and there is a famous case of "The Devil Is Coming" before.

"Let the Bullets Fly" is not a small cost, and it is still difficult to get it together in a short time.

Jiang Wen was anxious to fool Uncle Ge and Cao Xuan, and he was also rushing to solicit investment. After all, the presence of the three film kings was enough to attract most companies.

The two also thought about whether they could contact Fanxing for investment, but they also thought about getting Cao Xuan into the team first.

Unexpectedly, Cao Xuan first asked about the investment before the role was finished.

The two gave each other a few winks and did not hide it. Ma Ke said: "The estimated cost is 2000 million US dollars, and now we have almost 20% of the investment in hand, and there are still several intentions under discussion. Basically, 50% of the problems are not Big."

2000 million U.S. dollars, combined with the current exchange rate, is almost 1.4 million U.S. dollars, which is considered a relatively high cost in Chinese-language movies.

However, what Cao Xuan was a little curious about was that it might not be enough for such a small cost to invite him to participate in the performance.

His salary in Hollywood has already exceeded tens of millions of dollars, and the salary for Chinese-language films may be even higher, with a minimum guarantee of 8000 million yuan, which basically takes away more than half of the crew's cash.

"Then what..."

Jiang Wen rubbed his hands, as thick-skinned as him, and a little bit embarrassed: "Our plan is to pay my brother 5000 million yuan, and the rest will be converted into a 20% dividend."

Good guy, this white wolf is not so ruthless.

Not only thinking about Cao Xuan's people, but also thinking about Cao Xuan's money.

Under normal circumstances, many actors would rather get paid than participate in dividends. After all, it is difficult to say whether this project will be profitable or not. The blockbuster films that hit the street in recent years are not one or two. It is better to keep the income in drought and flood.

But Cao Xuan is obviously not an ordinary actor, and the usual crew is nothing more than that. "Let the Bullets Fly" is a good seed. If he can give a salary, he is also thinking about sharing it.

"Aside from the 20%, how much money do you have left?"

Seeing that there was something going on, the eyes of Jiang Wen and the two were bright, and Ma Ke made a small calculation in his heart: "If the group of people I contacted before have no problems, there is still a gap of about 5000 million."

"I paid the money, and we don't have to worry about it. I will perform with zero pay, and I will pay another 2000 million yuan to the crew, and get 50% of the share."

The salary of 8000 million yuan + 2000 million yuan in cash is equivalent to Cao Xuan spending [-] million yuan on "Let the Bullets Fly".

Boss Cao's wealth and wealth made Jiang Wen's eyes shine.

Not only because of the money, but mainly because of Cao Xuan's arrogance, and the fact that he was exactly the same as the Mr. Huang who paid 180 million taels of silver without blinking an eye, and was even more vivid.

This role is the right one!

"Brother, you are an open-minded person, and I am not ambiguous, so it is decided. If the money is not enough, I will sell the house to build it myself, and I will not touch your dividend."

"Brother Jiang, don't worry."

After deciding on a cooperation intention, Cao Xuan also changed his name, and then proposed three conditions.

First, this movie can be filmed by Jiang Wen, but Fanxing has to be a joint production brand, and Cao Xuan himself is the producer, so he retains a certain ability to participate.

Second, the filming location is set at the Fanxing Republic sub-base in Zaoshi. Of course, Jiang Wen can make a request, and then the interior of the base will be rectified and rebuilt according to his wishes, without the crew spending money.

Thirdly, apart from Cao Xuan himself, there are two characters left for Fan Xing.

After listening to Cao Xuan's conditions, Jiang Wen frowned.

The second is easy to say, as long as the location is suitable for shooting, he can shoot wherever he wants. He also understands Cao Xuan's meaning. He probably wants to make a name for the wave sub-base, and even spares no expense to build the scene specially.

But the first and the third made him a little bit guilty.

It’s easy to talk about the name, but it’s a big taboo to participate in the creation as a producer. Cao Xuan is a well-known drama bully.

But Jiang Wen is not particularly afraid, Cao Xuan is a drama bully, and Lao Jiang is not easy to provoke. When he was a drama bully, Cao Xuan hadn't made his debut yet, and he would always criticize each other, anyway, he was used to it.

But the role...

Jiang Wen moved his mouth: "I want to say more, I can ask who you want to praise, and which role you have taken a fancy to."

"Our company's first sister, I think she can play the wife of the county magistrate, as well as Duan Long and Hu Ge. I don't choose this one, you can arrange it as you like, as long as you have some roles."

"The magistrate's wife..."

Jiang Wen hesitated for a moment, his idea was to find a coquettish actress, but Fan Xiaopang is not bad after thinking about it, especially his appearance and figure, which are indeed set by the wife of the county magistrate in the movie.

As for the other roles, they are nothing more than a few of Zhang Mazi's subordinates or Master Huang's subordinates. It's not a big problem to take one or two, and they are all popular entertainers, which is good for the movie.

"No problem, brother, it's rare for you to speak, and I agree."

"Okay, about the contract, I'll let someone from the company contact you later, and tell me, when it will start up, I'll prepare the schedule."

"We set it at the end of next year. Your help has saved a lot of trouble. It is estimated that it will start up in the second half of the year."

"Um, you're looking for me now when the machine starts up at the end of next year?"

"Isn't it because I'm afraid that you have a tight schedule, brother? If you are late, it will be a staggered time."

With the intention, Jiang Wen also relaxed a lot, and joked half-truthfully: "If the schedule is wrong or you refuse, we have enough time and can find a replacement."

"Why do you have to say such things?"

Cao Xuan shook his head and laughed, imitating the lines in the movie, pointing at Jiang Wen and saying, "I can't pretend to be confused just by looking at my brother."

"allow!"

Jiang Wen was very cooperative and gave a thumbs up: "Master Cao is brilliant. When I was still in my mother's womb, the fortune teller pointed to my mother's belly and said, this child is not born to pretend to be confused."

"Hahaha."

The three of them laughed tacitly and felt very interesting. Jiang Wen even thought the rhythm was very good, so he asked Cao Xuan for notes to write down, and planned to go back and think about whether it could be added to the movie.

After chatting for a while, sending Jiang Wen and the two away, Cao Xuan read the script of "Let the Bullets Fly" and put it in the confidential file. .

"This time, Mr. Cao in Goose City is stable. I don't know if he is very smart. He went back and picked up the stalks from the movie, and then applied for himself."

Cao Xuan didn't know what kind of mentality he was in. Anyway, he reckoned that if he played this role, he might not be able to get rid of being teased in the future.

But it doesn't matter, Cao Xuan has more stalks, and there is no shortage of adding more. After all, with his current industry and future layout, he will play Zhang Mazi, and he will become a dragon-slaying boy and become a dragon in the future.

Maybe in this life he is Master Cao's life...

.........

The big boss personally issued instructions, and Fanxing acted very quickly. Within a day or two, he signed a lot of agreements with the crew of Let the Bullets Fly. Although the contracts have not been fully signed, there are basically no surprises.

And when he learned that Cao Xuan was starring, Uncle Ge finally nodded his head. The three leading actors gathered together, and soon there were "informed people" leaking on the Internet.

"Reliable Inside Story, Cao Xuan's new play is set, directed by Jiang Wen, and Uncle Ge will star, the lineup is strong"

As soon as the news came out, Tianya, Tieba, Weibo, and Mtime.com, the major film and television and entertainment gossip sites, immediately began to fry the pot.

[Jiang Wen and Cao Xuan, tsk tsk, two big drama bullies collided]

[Good guy, I can't do it every day on the set. Uncle Ge is not acting, he is going to fight]

[Lu Xun: I am very much looking forward to Cao Xuan avenging me]

[Zhang bearded man: Jiang Wenchong, the girl whose surname is Cao]

[Jiang Wen is pretty strong, Cao Xuan won't suffer in a fight, right?]

[Are you kidding, you have never seen Cao Xuan's muscles. Although he is not a young man, he is not comparable to ordinary people. He can beat a half-old man who is almost 50 with his hands.]

[Fight, fight quickly, I will offer 100Q coins, bet on Cao Xuan to win]

[Xiaobai doesn't quite understand, what does the two of them have to do with Cao Xuan and Jiang Wen? 】

[If you search for news about "Looking for Guns" and "Swordsman", you will understand what's going on]

[One thing to say, although the two are suspected of acting bully, but without Jiang Wen's support, the quality of "Looking for a Gun" is really hard to say. Zhang Dabeard's version of "Swordsman" is recognized as the best two Jin Yong dramas ever made , look at his other Jin Yong dramas to know how much Cao Xuan’s contribution is]

[That's right, I don't care if the two of them are domineering, as long as the filming is good, the more domineering the better]

[I don't care about the two of them playing bully, I just want to watch them fight and fight, it's better to have a reporter come in and broadcast live]

【Me too】

【…】

Needless to say, Cao Xuan's fame, so far, none of his starring film and television works have hit the market, and all the films have done well at the box office, and their word-of-mouth is basically above the standard.

With strong resume and achievements, Cao Xuan's new drama comes with super enthusiasm.

Jiang Wen is also a very popular figure. Although he does not have the crazy appearance after "Let the Bullets Fly", he is also a famous director with great personality. In terms of influence and attention, he is not much worse than Zhang, Chen, and Feng.

What's more important is that both of them are well-known drama bullies, and several victims have been counted by major entertainment media and even Huayu novels.

These also lead to the first cooperation between the two, full of sense of drama, and the melon-eaters, who are not too serious to watch the excitement, can't wait to move their benches around to watch.

I want to see what kind of sparks can be produced when two big drama tyrants are filming together...

Cao Xuan ignored these boring melon-eaters, settled domestic matters, and flew directly to the UK to film "Taken 2".

Along with him is Hu Jing, the proprietress Hu also has a role in the film, and by the way is also the producer of the crew.

Of course, the most important thing is to supervise officials Cao.

The heroine of "Taken" has been decided, Anne Hathaway, a famous Hollywood beauty and actress.

But so far, Anne Hathaway has not reached the point of black and red in later generations.

On the contrary, with its good looks and good personality, it is still sought after by the audience.

The reason why she was chosen was also because the other actors either had unsuitable schedules, or were too famous and unnecessary to invite them. On the whole, Anne Hathaway was more suitable.

Aside from fame, there is a very important point in the "Taken" series, that is, Asia is an important box office, and may even account for 1/3 of the total box office. The choice of heroine must conform to the aesthetics of the East and the West.

Many so-called Hollywood actresses in the United States are not necessarily popular for their Asian looks, and Anne Hathaway is one of the few beauties that everyone recognizes.

Domestic beauties and actresses have eyeliner in both east and west palaces, which is pretty safe, but abroad they can't do it well, and they don't feel at ease when others look at them, so Vice President Hu came out of the rivers and lakes and followed him to the UK.

As for the play "The Sound of the Wind", Hu Jing rejected it. She read the script about Gu Xiaomeng's execution by rope and felt that she couldn't accept it, so she didn't act it.

The crew of "The Wind" considered Yuan Quan and Zhou Gongzi for a long time, and finally chose Zhou Gongzi who was more famous and appealing.

Cao Xuan doesn't care about Hu Jing's choice, this script is indeed a good opportunity, Hu Jing is expected to become a wave of actresses after acting, but it's okay if she doesn't act.

With the current status and wealth of Donggong Empress, as a movie queen, that's all there is to it...

When I came to the UK, the filming locations were mainly in Manchester and London. The crew was still deciding on the scene. Cao Xuan first took Hu Jing to watch a Manchester United game on a false official basis.

After the game, Cao Xuan also chatted with Ronaldo Rooney, who had left the field.

Because of the disaster and the Olympic Games, Cao Xuan did not come to the scene of Manchester United's Champions League victory. Ronaldo was a bit regretful. At that time, he wanted to show off with Cao Xuan.

Cao Xuan also has regrets. On the one hand, he did not see Manchester United win the championship. In addition, the organizers of this year's Champions League originally planned to invite him to perform for the opening stage of the Champions League final, but they missed it.

Although this kind of opportunity can be won in the future, whether there is a home team in the finals, or whether the home team can win are completely two concepts.

Thinking of this, Cao Xuan's heart to participate in the Champions League final performance faded.

Maybe the only obsession is to show the younger generation what is called a final performance, don't look like a girl wearing a white striped skirt and twisting around, it's too eye-catching...

----

ps: Friendship recommends the book, "Fresh Department Shenhao", the introduction is in the author's talk

　After graduating from the college entrance examination, Su Ran loaded the Shenhao card system, as long as she enjoys life, she can get wealth cards and skill cards.

　　Su Ran just wants to be a godly hero in peace and live what he thinks is a comfortable life after wealth and freedom.

　　Go where you want to go, meet people who are worth meeting, and experience different freshness.

　　However, conceiving wealth is like being pregnant, it will always be discovered after a long time...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)