China Entertainment's Standout

Chapter 617: Shocking Circle, Shocking Immortal Situation
An old baggy suit.

Pinned on his collar was a red badge commemorating the British soldiers who died in World War I, and his red socks were visible from his dusty leather shoes.

This seemingly ordinary guy has made more than 35 billion US dollars in global box office with his seven movies.

This was not the first time Zhou Yutang met director Nolan.

Last year, while doing public relations for "Dallas Buyers Club", I attended several cocktail parties and met almost all the famous Hollywood directors.

Director Nolan was also among them, but there was no in-depth communication at that time.

"Hey, Zhou, you're still so handsome that makes me jealous."

Before the premiere, old Bob came up and gave him a bear hug, and then Matthew McConaughey also came up and shook hands and hugged him in a friendly manner: "Boss, we meet again."

"It's nice to meet you in the Celestial Empire."

Zhou Yutang patted his shoulder.

At that time, the investors of "Dallas Buyers Club" temporarily withdrew their investment and ran away because they were not optimistic about the prospects of the project, causing the entire crew to shut down in despair.

Zhou Yutang almost appeared as a savior and saved the movie.

Everyone in the crew respected this oriental boss who was generous and efficient in his work.

This is especially true for Matthew McConaughey, who mentioned Zhou Yutang's name when he received the Oscar for Best Actor, and it was reported by many media outlets.

This also made more and more Americans know Zhou Yutang.

A mysterious young man from the East won an Oscar trophy for 500 million US dollars. No matter how you look at it, it can be called a Hollywood miracle.

As an insider, Anne Hathaway knows more about the situation.

Zhou Yutang is the driving force behind several popular Hollywood IPs.

He is also one of the top directors that the six major Hollywood companies have publicly revealed they most want to work with.

The legendary experience of this young entertainment tycoon came to her mind, and Anne Hathaway's beautiful eyes flashed with curiosity, revealing her signature bright smile:

"Zhou, belated congratulations on winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes."

Zhou Yutang raised his eyebrows, with a gentle smile on his face: "Happy birthday to you in advance."

Anne Hathaway’s birthday is November 11, which is also the day when "Interstellar" was released in China.

"yeah."

Anne Hathaway smiled gracefully and said, "Thank you for reminding me that I'm one year older."

"Fairies never grow old."

Zhou Yutang is an expert at slaying scumbags, and with a little trickery, she made this Hollywood star laugh so hard that she couldn't stop smiling.

She has neat short hair and a black translucent long skirt, through which her white shoulders and neck can be vaguely seen, making her look mysterious and elegant.

The skin of the palm is white and delicate, and it feels cool to the touch.

Anne Hathaway obviously has a certain liking for this young entertainment tycoon who has top-notch conditions in terms of power, wealth and appearance.

Zhou Yutang's impression of Anne Hathaway has always been of Catwoman in Batman.

Wrapped in a tight outfit, her curves are fully exposed, yet full of wildness.

Or the beautiful girl in "Love and Other Drugs".

No matter what kind of image it is, it has a fatal attraction to men.

Anne Hathaway, now a wife, has even more charm of a young woman.

After the friendly and appropriate hug, Zhou Yutang shook hands with Nolan and exchanged a few polite words, but he spent more time communicating with his wife.

Nolan is an introvert, and Zhou Yutang wouldn't get too involved in a superficial conversation with him.

On the contrary, his wife Emma Nolan is very cheerful and talkative.

The woman behind this Hollywood director is no ordinary person.

If Nolan has created countless box office records from "The Prestige", "Batman trilogy" to "Inception" and has long been enshrined as a god, then she is the woman standing behind the god.

According to Bob, it was she who pushed hard for the "Interstellar" trip to China.

Zhou Yutang always felt that the combination of the Nolan couple was a bit like the Plus version of Xu Ke and Shi Nansheng.

Emma Nolan is also enthusiastic about this Hollywood money-printing machine.

Directly enter the premiere event process.

This premiere event is a collaboration between Universal Studios and China Film Group, and is also the only stop in Asia for the global promotional tour of "Interstellar".

Not only did director Nolan come in person, but the leading actors Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway also came along to support the event, showing how much the producers value the Chinese film market.

More than 200 media reporters from China, Japan, South Korea and other countries, as well as hundreds of fans attended the event.

The meeting between two world-class directors was enough to make some media outlets go wild.

Since it is a premiere, there will naturally be questions from the media.

Whenever asked what he thinks about "Interstellar", Zhou Yutang's standard answer is: "I'm looking forward to it."

Nolan sat on the stage with the main creators and talked about the original intention of creating the film, as well as some interesting things that happened behind the scenes during the filming. Finally, when the media asked about his impressions of China, he also gave enough face and said with a smile:
"I've seen Zhang Yimou's Ju Dou before and was deeply impressed. I also like Zhou Yutang's style. This is my first time in this beautiful country. If I have time, I would like to visit the Great Wall."

Newly-crowned Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey was even more direct, saying, "Director Zhou Yutang is the best director in China. He is very famous in Hollywood."

He wasn't the only one who had done his homework, either. The enthusiastic Anne Hathaway could even speak a few words of broken Chinese: "Hello, everyone. I'm Anne Hathaway."

Listen to the media in the audience exclaiming wow.

The big-mouthed beauty was quite satisfied with the enthusiastic response. She flirted with Zhou Yutang, who was sitting downstairs chatting with Bob, and continued to respond to the media:

"If I have the chance, I hope to work with Director Zhou Yutang."

"Lucy", a movie starring a female lead, achieved great success in both word-of-mouth and box office, and made Liu Yifei's status soar, even the top women in Hollywood would envy her.

Obviously, there are only benefits to having a good relationship with such a great director.

Soon, the movie began to show.

The story is simple.

In the future Earth, the climate and environment will deteriorate drastically, food will be in serious shortage, and it will be difficult for humans to survive here.

So the protagonist Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, and Anne Hathaway were selected as part of the plan to save the future of mankind, and went outside the solar system to find another planet suitable for human habitation.

Traveling through the stars, into the future in an instant.

This journey through space light years that broke the limits of human endurance gave many viewers a visual feast.

“Time can be stretched and folded, but it cannot go backwards.”

Zhou Yutang seemed to be oblivious to the suppressed cheers and applause from the audience.

Nolan's movie is not in the same system as traditional science fiction films, but it has brought a great shock to the audience.

At this moment, Zhou Yutang's eyes were empty, but his mind was thinking about the film and television adaptations of Liu Cixin's works.

Captain Zhang Beihai, the Wall-Facing Man Hines, the Desolation of the Three-Body World, and the Wandering Earth
What kind of sparks will be created when the higher-dimensional world collides with human civilization?
It seems that China's future science fiction, which contains the Chinese romance of the Chinese humanistic spirit, is just within reach.

"Next year, we can officially start preparations."

After the movie ended, Zhou Yutang clapped his hands gently to applaud Nolan, and the applause lasted for a long time.

He holds the copyrights of Liu Cixin's films such as "The Wandering Earth" and "The Three-Body Problem", but it will take a huge amount of resources to bring them to the big screen, and he has to do it step by step.

Next, the main creators had an interview session, and Zhou Yutang received a call from La Peikang.

I took Bob to meet with Legendary Entertainment Chairman and CEO Thomas Tull and Universal's Co-Chairman Donna Langley in a small conference room at China Film.

"Zhou, you are the most special and outstanding Chinese director I have ever seen."

Thomas smiled and flattered her, then added: "Legendary and Universal are very optimistic about your taking over this project. It's a $1.5 million mega-production, and it will be a close collaboration between the top Hollywood team and the top Chinese team."

"I believe the boss has already talked to you. We came here with great sincerity. What do you think?"

"Saury, my schedule is scheduled until the year after next, so I'm afraid I won't have time." Zhou Yutang shrugged his shoulders. The calm expression on his face made Thomas almost doubt that he had seen it wrong.

Donna, the co-chairman of Universal, said, "Zhou, this project will take a long time to prepare in the early stages. There is no need to rush. We can move forward with your schedule when the time comes."

La Peikang also meant this.

Thomas continued to paint a rosy picture: "As long as you take on this project, we can give you a director's salary of 1600 million US dollars. As for the casting of actors, we can also give you certain rights."

Facing La Peikang's earnest eyes, Zhou Yutang's heart warmed.

Offering this director's salary is considered to be quite sincere, but Zhou Yutang doesn't care about this. The other party never talks about the script and the final editing rights, and his attitude is already quite obvious.

After a moment's silence, Zhou Yutang tapped the table with two fingers and said calmly, "I have two conditions for taking over this project."

"What conditions?"

"Absolute control over the entire crew, including the script, casting, and... the final editing rights."

"Zhou, I think you have some misunderstandings."

Thomas and Donna looked at each other, their expressions unchanged, and continued to increase the weight: "2000 million US dollars, including a portion of the share reserved for you, and the subsequent box office share."

"This is our greatest sincerity. As for the script, if you have different ideas, you can also come up with a version and we can continue to discuss it. What do you think?"

Zhou Yutang understands the film pay situation in Hollywood.

Stars like Paul Greengrass and Ridley Scott earn between $700 million and $1000 million.

For a top director like Nolan, the maximum salary is about 2000 million US dollars.

There are also some hidden benefits such as box office sharing, which domestic projects cannot compare with.

The director's salary that Universal gave him was basically the same as what the top Hollywood directors could enjoy.

But he remained calm and composed, unmoved.

Again, I want the final editing rights.

La Peikang frowned.

After all, this is because the systems in the film and television circles on both sides are different.

Under Hollywood's commercial model, a very mature producer-centered system has been formed.

The producer, who symbolizes the investors, stands at the top of the pyramid of the entire film and television chain.

The management team and the artistic creation team are cross-separated, forming a matrix structure.

In this model, the director is responsible for making the film, while the final editing power lies with the producer.

The producer will make adjustments to the content later based on market research to ensure maximum profits for the film.

Generally speaking, the director only has the right to make suggestions, and there is nothing he can do even if he sees the film he shot being cut.

In China's film market, it initially existed in the form of unified purchase and sales.

That is, the film studios in various places and units produce according to quotas, which are distributed uniformly by China Film Group, and provincial and municipal distribution companies cooperate in the implementation.

At that time, everything was dominated by the administration, and there was no concept of producer at all.

After the promulgation of "Several Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Film Industry Mechanism" in 1993, the institutional structure was adjusted.

It has also absorbed some systems from the Hong Kong circle, and to date, China has been pursuing the director-centered system.

The producer is the steward of the entire crew under the director.

La Peikang knew Zhou Yutang very well.

Whenever he is in charge of a project, he will always be the one making the final decision.

He has absolute control over everything from the script to the casting to the final editing of the film.

The two sides argued but ultimately failed to reach an agreement and prepared to go back for further evaluation.

This is also normal.

After all, this is a big production with a budget of 1.5 million US dollars, which is roughly equivalent to 10 billion RMB.

Even for Legendary and Universal Pictures, this is a major project that must be treated with caution.

"We have already paid him the salary of a top Hollywood director and allowed him to join the production for a share of the profits, yet he still wants to take advantage of it. Universal and Legendary Pictures are the leaders of this project. The final editing rights of the film can only be in our hands. How can we give it to him?"

"Can you think of a way to convince him?"

"I'm afraid this will be difficult. We have done background checks in advance. Zhou Yutang is a man of lust and desire for control."

A senior executive at Global Times said categorically.

After Zhou Yutang left, the top executives of Universal and Legendary, who had been relatively calm, looked a little ugly.

They didn't expect Zhou Yutang's attitude to be so firm.

Thomas Tull, Chairman and CEO of Legendary Entertainment, put his hands on the table, slowly stood up, and said in a firm voice:
"Then start the backup plan. There are many capable directors in China, such as Li An, Zhang Yimou, and Chen Kaige."

The most exciting news in the entertainment industry right now is not that Tea Egg's Asia Tour Concert came to a successful conclusion in Beijing, nor that the Directors' Symposium for the Year of the Sheep Spring Festival Gala has locked on Ha Wen.

Han · Low-key · Cod once again denied the rumor to the outside world that her grandfather was not Li Yunlong.

Legendary and Universal Hollywood, two giants, have created a huge wave in the entire Chinese film market.

"Legendary Pictures and China Film Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Film Group, have signed a three-year cooperation agreement and will work together with Universal Pictures to produce the film "The Great Wall"!"

"The total investment of this film is expected to exceed 1.5 million US dollars, making it the first Sino-US co-production with an investment of Hollywood A| level!"

"After the premiere of Interstellar, Legendary Entertainment Chairman and Universal Co-Chairman Yu Zhongying secretly met with Zhou Yutang!"

"No. 1 on the list of Chinese directors, who else but the Grand Commander of Jiangdong could be the director of The Great Wall?!"

"The assistant to the chairman of the legendary company accepted an interview with the media and confirmed that the Sino-US co-production project is true. The next step will be to determine the candidate for the great Chinese director!"

The news that Zhou Yutang attended the premiere of "Interstellar" in China made headlines.

This in turn sparked heated discussions among netizens and attracted national attention.

The big project created by the two Hollywood giants and China Film Group has once again pushed Zhou Yutang to the forefront, making him the hottest figure in the entire entertainment industry.

The news that Hollywood giants such as Legendary and Universal are coming to China to develop film and television projects has also caused a major earthquake in the entire film and television industry.

"Oh my god, an investment of 1.5 million US dollars, one billion, one billion, what kind of a scheme is this?"

"I strongly recommend Zhou Yutang. Who else can take on such a big production except him?" - Sun Jiasheng
"Lao Mouzi is also good. He is the chief director of the Olympic Games and can handle big scenes." - I am alone in my destiny

"Little Cannon, here comes the chance for poet Chen to prove himself." - Qingfeng Xiaomingzhu
"It's so funny. Xiao Gangpao and Chen Shishi are not as good as Ning Hao in the director rankings." - Willing to be an easy person
"I personally think that the audience has a big misunderstanding of Chen Kaige. He won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and enjoyed great success. He had a period of lows, but it was also a period of accumulation for a breakthrough...

I look at the great directors in China. Feng Xiaogang lost his original intention once he got to a high position and didn't know what to do. Zhang Yi is good at maintaining the status quo but lacks imagination and only knows how to have children. As for the internationally renowned and world-famous ones, only Chen Kaige and Zhou Yutanger are famous. "—— Tears fill my clothes

"Poet Chen, please go to the toilet and talk." - Wandering on the Road of Life

"..."

In the past two days, netizens have been having heated discussions in major forums, pushing for the big directors they support to take the top spot.

The film and television industry hasn’t been this lively for a long time.

On the plane to Shenzhen to join the crew of "The Mermaid", Zhou Yutang was browsing film and television information.

After holding a fan meeting in Beijing, "Interstellar" was officially released in the Chinese film market on the 12th, and the box office on the first day closed at 3730 million yuan.

The word of mouth has exploded, and some fans of director Nolan regard it as another masterpiece after "Inception" and "Batman Trilogy".

But after all, it was an away game and there was still a threshold for viewing the movie, so the result was not too amazing.

It's not even as good as the 5685 million box office on the first day of "Fleet of Time" in the same period.

Netizens all said that the lyrics sung by the princess were very interesting.

We owe each other, we want to keep our relationship together...

While eating melon.

Zhou Yutang received an unexpected call
(End of this chapter)