China Entertainment 1997.

Chapter 584 How can Chinese people play Norse gods?
"Baby, baby, baby, oh..."

At the closing banquet of "Now You See Me", Cao Xuan was booed by everyone, and he sang the most popular song "Baby" in the United States.

How popular is this song? Justin Bieber, a 16-year-old Canadian boy, has become a top player in North America.

North America has always had a tradition of newcomers becoming popular, and Cao Xuan alone has seen several of them in recent years.

For example, Britney and Avril Lavigne back then, and Rihanna, Taylor, and Lady Gaga in the past two years all succeeded in becoming popular within one or two years. Strictly speaking, Cao Xuan himself is also an example of short-term popularity.

But even among the top names mentioned above, few can match the momentum of Justin Bieber today.

A large part of the reason is that this Xiao Jia became popular with the help of a lot of Internet power, with many hot spots, strong discussions, and friendly netizens. In addition, he is young. He was only 3 years old in March this year. He is definitely a "music prodigy".

Of course, Avril Lavigne was not very old when she became famous, Taylor was only a teenager when she first debuted, and Xiao Jia was not alone.

But there is another key point, that is, the pop music world in Europe and America has been a bit yin and yang in recent years.

For the three years from 2008 to 2010 alone, the number of male singers who have been able to secure a top position in Europe and America can be counted on one hand.

The late Michael Jackson counts as one, Cao Xuan counts as one, Eminem counts as one, Usher counts as one, Just Timberlake counts as half, and there’s nothing left.

If you expand it a bit, you can add Linkin Park, Coldplay, and The Beatles, and there are only so many that can be counted as top-notch.

Some other singers may not be weak in popularity and popularity, but the key popularity and exposure in recent years are really not top-notch.

And compared to actresses of the same level, Beyoncé, Madonna, Taylor, Britney, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Shakira, Sister Fruit...

The ratio is almost 3:2, and this has to be the male singer and the band.

More importantly, there is almost one newcomer on the female singer side every year. Last year, Lady Gaga, and next year, Adele's sub-specialty will rise.

In contrast, European and American male singers have not produced a newcomer who can carry the flag for several years. Cao Xuan, a Chinese, is almost becoming the mainstay of European and American male singers.

So at this time, whether it is the industry or the market, or even the fans and the whole outside world, they all need a new top-notch male singer.

Therefore, the rise of Xiao Jia can be regarded as a response to the times.

He didn't live up to the expectations of the outside world. It's not easy to comment on music, but he definitely can't rank first.

But when it comes to overall traffic, Xiao Jia has almost replaced Britney Spears, and she was the absolute Top 2010 in the past few years from 2015 to 1. Even after 2015, she is also a top streamer in the pop music world that cannot be ignored.

For now, Xiao Jia is still a well-behaved and introverted boy in the public impression.

But the market, the Internet, and the public all work together to push Xiao Jia to the altar, and at the same time push it to the opposite of many people?

Many Americans are wondering why this kid is so popular.

After all, the song "Baby", which is popular all over the world, is frankly an English song, not as deep as Cao Xuan's "You are beautiful".

Some people praise it, but some people hate it, especially when their own capital is insufficient.

It is now on the rise, and many things have been covered up. Once the decline is revealed or other negative news occurs, there will be overwhelming backlash.

These are also the original words Cao Xuan persuaded his apprentice to be Taylor,
A Xiao Jia popped out suddenly, making the little girl more or less defenseless. After all, she debuted back then, and she was not so popular with Cao Xuan's support.

Even compared to Xiao Jia and Lady Gaga, she is relatively steady, step by step in two or three years, becoming more and more popular, maybe for ordinary artists, the popularity is very fast, but when you meet a demon star like Xiao Jia, you can also You have to stabilize your Dao heart.

"It's nothing to be popular fast, but to be popular for a long time is the kingly way. Persevere, accumulate influence, and survive everyone else. You will be number one in the United States."

Cao Xuan even did not hesitate to use Avril Lavigne as an example, as a way to make up for his god-sister.

Although Avril Lavigne still maintains the first-line position in the past two years, compared with the peak period, it has obviously declined seriously.

Of course, there are many reasons why she hasn't released a new album for several years, concentrates on holding concerts, has a relatively low-key personality, and has little exposure, but it is still undeniable that she has gone downhill.

Cao Xuan saw Avril's popularity with his own eyes back then, and that battle and momentum was much less than that of Xiao Jia now.

At that time, many people thought that she might become the first lady in the music industry, but it was a pity that Avril Lavigne's career went up and down.

Although she can be regarded as the queen of rock and roll now, it is not 01:30 points worse than the current popular sister Beyonce, and even now she has been surpassed by younger generations Rihanna and Miley Cyrus in North America.

Even Taylor's current popularity and traffic in North America is not impossible to compete with Avril Lavigne.

Getting fat first is not fat, and getting fat later will overwhelm Kang!

Cao Xuan poured chicken soup, finally let Taylor regain his confidence, and even geared up to fight for the first sister, so that Cao Tianwang wondered if he had made too much of it.

As for the singing of "Baby" at the wrap-up banquet, on the one hand, everyone had a lot of fun together, and on the other hand, the highlights of the wrap-up banquet were recorded, which will be released when the movie is released, so as to create a wave of enthusiasm.

Make money, don't shudder.

Cao Xuan's family wasn't the only one who was buzzing, and when Xiao Jia first debuted, Boss Cao also commented on the Grammy, and there was no lack of praise.

Given his status in the international music scene, to praise Xiao Jia a few words is considered flattering for a rookie like him.

Now that there is a wave of enthusiasm, let Xiao Jia pay back the favor, and this is just a trivial matter. Cao Xuan plans to ask Xiao Jia to sing a promotional song or something, and let Taylor make a song.

After all, "Now Now You See Me" is a new IP, as long as it can be used as a means of publicity, there are as many as possible.

In addition to Xiao Jia and Taylor, Cao Xuan himself had to play in person, and the songs were all ready-made——

"Now You See Me"

Chinese can be translated as "Supernatural", the original time and space is the theme song written by Xiao Zhou for "Now You See Me 2", it contains Chinese and English, and it can be used directly at home and abroad.

Another song "Hustler" translated as "Fraudster" or "Liar" is also good.

However, the lyrics had to be changed a lot, Cao Xuan planned to record them, and later make an episode into the movie.

Just imagine, when the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse appear on the stage or cooperate quickly and tacitly to do things, it must be very emotional to come to such a rhythmic and dynamic rock song.

.........

"Now You See Me" took about 80 days to shoot, from early April to late June.

A large part of the time is mainly because there are too many big scenes, and the crew spends a lot of time on group performance coordination and on-site scheduling, which slows down the progress, otherwise the finalization time can be at least two weeks earlier.

After the wrap-up banquet, the actors broke up, and Da Mimi hurried back to China to film. The two crews of "Laughing Jianghu" and "Fortune Inn" have been waiting.

Fan Xing's new movie "33 Days of Broken Love", Hu Jing is more optimistic, and intends to contact her.

If it is confirmed to star in the three movies plus miscellaneous commercial activities and announcements, Da Mimi can be busy until next year in one go, and the Spring Festival will not be over.

The Empress of the East Palace couldn't bear it, and advised her to take a break if she really couldn't, so she pushed "33 Days of Broken Love".

But Da Mimi was not willing to part with it. She heard Cao Xuan talk about this play in the United States. Although it was a small cost, but with a good book and good characters, it had a certain chance of becoming a dark horse.

The most important thing is that the heroine of "33 Days of Broken Relationship" is a good one, which is what Da Mimi values ​​more.

Although the few movies she made were lively, they were basically icing on the cake.

"Wulin Biography" is a group portrait, "Laughing Jianghu" has Xiao Shenyang and Lao Zhao as the C positions, "The Inn of the God of Wealth" has Chef Xie and Zha Zhahui as the protagonists, let alone "You Now You See Me".

So Da Mimi still attaches great importance to the movie "33 Days of Broken Relationship". If it becomes popular, it will be her success alone.

This is something Liu Tianxian did not do, and even Fan Xiaopang's "The Wind", the C position is also Mr. Zhou.

Cao Xuan was aware of this and did not persuade him.

In his opinion, "33 Days of Broken Relationship" is not only a dark horse at the box office, but more importantly, it has become a masterpiece of domestic chick movies.

At present, Da Mimi is more suitable to take this route. This is a rare opportunity for her, not even weaker than participating in "Now You See Me".

If she is really allowed to come up with some tricks and become a representative of chick movies, then Da Mimi really has the strength to wrestle with Liu Tianxian.

Da Mimi can leave, Cao Xuan, the producer, stays to finish the film, and also has to work on the business in the United States.

Cao Xuan's scattered assets in the United States are not a small number. Add up the scattered assets, if there are not billions, there must be billions of dollars. Cao Xuan usually has no time to come here. Now that he can spare some time, he should show it. under.

However, Cao Xuan hadn't been shopping for two days before he was blocked by someone - the president of Marvel, Kevin Fitch.

New York, a certain cafe
Cao Xuan took a sip of coffee, then silently added some milk and sugar cubes, and looked at the other party helplessly.

"Kevin, I've already said that I don't want to be in a Marvel movie for now."

"Cao, I know your principle, which is not to play a villain, but Loki is by no means a simple villain, he is a character who is both good and evil, and in our setting, he has a lot of shining points... "

Kevin Fitch Barabara said, and even revealed some plans about the follow-up shooting.

In addition to convincing Cao Xuan, it is also because Cao Xuan himself is a shareholder of Marvel and has the right to know about these things.

However, Cao Xuan was still unmoved, and reiterated that Loki is a Norse god, and he is a Chinese.

"This is not an obstacle that is difficult to overcome. In many classics, the image of Loki is not strictly fixed. It is only said that he is handsome and noble, or an image of a strange evil god.

No one, a black-haired, black-eyed Chinese can't play Loki. In mythology, Loki is Odin's brother, so we changed it to a son. "

Kevin Fitch didn't take this seriously, and the standards accepted at home and abroad are completely different.

If a foreigner with blonde hair and blue eyes played Erlang Shen, the director and screenwriter would be able to kill him alive.

Although there are controversies abroad, there are too many similar situations, and the myths of many film and television works have been changed.

Even God, can become a black old man or a woman, let alone a Nordic evil god, let the Chinese, most people have already tempered it, scolding, but as long as the plot and actors are brilliant, it will not affect the overall situation .

Even Marvel is still happy to stir up a wave of enthusiasm.

The reason why Kevin Feige invited Cao Xuan was not only to please the mainland and Asian markets, but also because the leading roles in "Thor" were not enough, and he hoped that Cao Xuan would be in charge.

"Kevin, let me make it clear. Your contract is too much, and I'm not very satisfied."

Seeing that Kevin Fitch was entangled endlessly, Cao Xuan pointed out the key point.

Playing the villain is not a problem, others do not know, Cao Xuan still understands the role of Loki.

It can't be said to be a complete villain, even a bit pleasing, and it is a Norse god, which can't affect the image of the Chinese.

It's just a little unlucky and bad luck, and he is often beaten up by others. This is why Cao Xuan was inclined to Hawkeye before, because the latter is more handsome and deeper.

However, he is not image-only. In the past two years, he has played a lot of handsome and deep characters, and even the way of acting tends to be a bit solid. Playing a hapless guy with a comedy color can also break through the limitations.

Having said that, whoever said that the character of Rocky is not handsome, most of the charm value is very online.

The remuneration given by Marvel is quite sincere. "Thor" is 1000 million US dollars, and "Avengers" is currently undecided, but according to the contract, there will be an increase in line with the market.

Although this price is not as good as the 1500 million US dollars that Cao Xuan announced to the public, it is normal that the external price is not the same as the actual transaction price.

Considering the influence of Marvel IP and the renewal of multiple films, this remuneration is barely acceptable for Cao Xuan.

You know, the salary of Robert Downey Jr. in "Iron Man 2" is only 1000 million U.S. dollars.

But what he can't accept is that Marvel asked him to sign a 10+1 contract, during which he must cooperate with the filming of Marvel movies, and there will be certain non-compete clauses.

That is to say, other film and television invited Cao Xuan to play Rocky or similar roles, but Cao Xuan could not play it.

Of course, this is not Marvel deliberately targeting Cao Xuan. The main characters in the first phase of the Marvel universe have similar agreements.

Cao Xuan and Captain Tao know each other well, and the other party has been hesitant to participate in the role before, largely because of this contract, he is afraid that he will be completely bound to this role.

Cao Xuan also has this concern, and at the same time, he personally attaches great importance to freedom, otherwise he would not be his own boss, and he certainly does not want to have a rope around his neck.

He hasn't watched all of Marvel's movies, but he has seen most of them. In his impression, Loki has appeared in the "Thor" series, and "Avengers" has also appeared several times, which means that Cao Xuan will be involved. Less schedule and energy.

Even after the end of the first phase of "Avengers", the US team and other characters were offline, while "Thor 4" was still being filmed, and Loki's story continued.

If it doesn't work out, Cao Xuan will have to be tied to death by Marvel, this is what Cao Xuan can't tolerate the most.

The Marvel universe is really good, and even won a dozen Hollywood superstars in one breath, which is of great help to the actors.

If the conditions are right, Cao Xuan naturally wants to get a share of the action, but that doesn't mean he wants to be tied to Marvel, for which he would rather choose a supporting role.

One of the reasons why Cao Xuan is more inclined to Hawkeye than Loki is because after "The Avengers", Hawkeye can retire.

In addition, Cao Xuan thinks that he can play Gu Yi as a cameo. Although he is a bald woman in the movie, he is an old Chinese man in the comics. Cao Xuan's role is just right.

Not only has he shown his face, but his character is also good. He is the top 1 in combat power on Earth, and he will not be bound by Marvel yet.

Cao Xuan had his own ideas, and Kevin Fitch scratched his head in worry.

He did underestimate the resistance of some actors to this contract.

Before Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) signed it happily because he was in a difficult situation. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) was unknown and willing to sign this kind of contract.

The widow sister is quite special, she is considered a popular star, but she would rather lower her salary to act in a Marvel movie, and there is no obstacle to a long-term contract.

The most objectionable to this contract is actually Captain Tao of the American team. Kevin Fitch persuaded him for a long time before, and finally won him after a lot of hard work.

As a result, Cao Xuan blocked the door because of this contract.

Kevin Feige wanted to give up. After all, the role of Rocky was not really necessary for Cao Xuan, but he was really unwilling to think about it.

Marvel's casting of Cao Xuan to play Loki was not simply out of curiosity.

In addition to thinking about Cao Xuan's Asian market, there is also the current Marvel Universe series. Although the slogan is loud and loud, only the "Iron Man" series has actually succeeded.

"Captain America" ​​and "Thor" are still in production. Although I am very confident, I really can't guarantee that they will explode.

In particular, Thor and Loki in "Thor" are directly related to the first climax of the first stage of the Marvel universe, "The Avengers", which is an important step for Marvel to conquer the world.

Therefore, Marvel needs the help of Cao Xuan, a global superstar with great appeal, to start the "Thor" and "Avengers", otherwise they would not spend 1000 million US dollars to hire Cao Xuan.

After hesitating for a while, Kevin Fitch couldn't help but ask Cao Xuan's opinion on the contract. After all, the contract can be changed, and everyone can discuss it slowly.

Cao Xuan didn't say anything, and made two requests. One is that there is no time limit in the contract, and the contract is signed one by one. The second is that the role of Rocky should not be filmed for too long.

Upon hearing these two requests, Kevin Fitch's brows never calmed down.

There is no age limit, and film contracts are signed in batches, so it is easy to make mistakes. If the new film cannot be negotiated, the risk will be high.

As for the direction of the role of Loki, Marvel's plot has not been sorted out so far, but I don't mind going offline sooner or later, but Cao Xuan's behavior undoubtedly has the suspicion of interfering with Marvel's creation.

"Cao, I can't answer you about this matter. I need to discuss it with my colleagues and the board of directors."

"No problem, whether I play Loki or not, I am a shareholder of Marvel, we are our own people, and we will have opportunities in the future."

Cao Xuan didn't think Marvel would agree to these two requests at all.

Especially for the second requirement, because of creative rights, Marvel broke up with several famous directors, and Marvel is very sensitive to this aspect.

So Cao Xuan felt that this matter basically fell through.

These two requests are equivalent to a different kind of polite refusal. It is impossible for Marvel to agree. They will say that there are differences of opinion when they turn around, and it is impossible to talk about who refuses the other. Everyone is decent and leaves room for it.

Cao Xuan, who put this matter to the back of his mind, checked for another two days, packed his things and returned to China, visited his wife and children, and then flew to South Africa to watch the World Cup finals.

(End of this chapter)