China Entertainment's Standout

Chapter 750: No Limit, Rich and Inhumane

"Peach plums and spring breeze, a glass of wine, rainy nights in the rivers and lakes, ten years of light!"

"Adapted from Zhou Yutang's original novel of the same name, adapted by Wang Xun, the screenwriter of the "Celebrating Yu Nian" series, the cast list of the large-scale costume martial arts drama "Snow Sword" jointly produced by Jiangdong Entertainment and Tencent Film and Television has been announced!"

The official account ingeniously used an antique hero list to slowly unveil the prelude to this drama:

Zhou Yutang (Xu Fengnian), Chen Daoming (Cao Changqing), Li Xuejian (Xu Xiao), Xie Junhao (Li Chungang), Wang Jinsong (Li Yishan), Jiao Enjun (Chen Zhibao), Chen Xiao (Zhao Kai), Zhu Yilong (Hong Xixiang), Zhang Ruojun (Wen Hua), Qianye Shinichi (Wang Xianzhi), Du Ziming (Han Diao Si)...

The list of male actors including Chen Baoguo, Ni Dahong, Jin Shijie, Wu Yue, etc. slowly unfolds.

The female characters in the play are all on the list of beauties: Liu Yifei, Fan Binbin, Guli Nazha, Li Nian, Teacher Bai, Liu Yan, Meng Ziyi, Li Ruotong, Xin Zhilei and other characters are also eye-catching.

No need for too much publicity.

There is no need to work hard to create momentum.

It’s just the official announcement of the cast of a TV series, and the makeup photos were released one by one.

This has already caused the entire network to boil.

"Holy crap! Am I seeing this right? What kind of amazing cast is this?"

"Great, it has to be Governor Zhou. The Joy of Life series is a classic. I hope this Snowy Season is well made. The recent domestic costume dramas are really hard to describe. They make people dig their feet into the ground in embarrassment."

"I just want to ask if I can go there during the Chinese New Year this year!"

"Looking at the domestic entertainment industry, only the inhumane Grand Commander can gather so many talented actors and popular celebrities into one drama. It's simply a miracle!"

"Don't forget to go to the official Weibo or Bilibili to make an appointment. If you meet the required number of people, you can get a random card of the snow character."

Countless discussions about "Snow" instantly emerged on Weibo, Tieba, and major online forums.

Since his debut, he has been extremely popular without any downturn. The Grand Commander of Jiangdong is recognized as the ratings king.

The expectations for the TV series have already been raised to the maximum even before filming started.

Not only were the audience shocked, but even a number of film and television companies in the industry analyzed and discussed Jiang Dong's official announcement of "Snow".

“I wonder what the ratings for this drama will be by then?”

"If Zhou Yutang is in the cast, it will definitely be the best drama of the year, and the ratings will definitely exceed 3."

"Damn, this is the first time in my life that I've seen several TV stations come to buy the broadcasting rights before filming even started."

"Zhou Yutang's name is a guarantee of a hit product. You can't envy it."

In such a large circle, many investors at the top of the film and television industry learned all kinds of inside information about Jiang Dong's new drama through their own information channels.

Led by the recently popular Shanghai Tomato TV, the other two of the three major TV stations, Jiangsu TV and Mango TV, followed suit.

Other first-tier satellite TV stations that are not short of money, such as Blueberry Channel, Beijing Channel, and even CCTV, have privately expressed strong intention to purchase the drama.

The Peach Banquet hasn't even started yet, but the gods are already eyeing it.

It’s also because Zhou Yutang is so popular.

The last movie he starred in, "The Lonely and Great God", sold for nearly 10 million yuan at the sky-high price of the first round of exclusive broadcast before the post-production was even completed.

The film "Snow Swordsman" is ranked S+ as the best drama of the year in the industry. If you don't book it in advance, you may not even have the chance to get in and enjoy the show.

On the 25th, Zhou Yutang and a group of leading actors attended the "Snow" press conference held in Beijing.

There were more than 50 media outlets at the scene, not just mainland media, but also media from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and other places.

Like a tide and a sea, they held up professional filming equipment and their cameras and cameras kept clicking.

The Grand Commander alone has cost countless films, not to mention the two girls, Liu Tianxian and Teacher Fan, who are on his left and right, and are both famous in the circle for their beautiful looks.

Today, Teacher Fan tied her hair up, and wore a pure black, slightly tight, off-shoulder long-sleeved top from Yu Shengjia in early summer, which was quite design-conscious. Her fair shoulders and neck were revealed, and the neckline had some lace design, which made her look a bit feminine.

She was wearing a light-colored, knee-length skirt with lace on the hem, which seemed to be a set with the long-sleeved top. It went down to the knees, and she was not wearing stockings, revealing a pair of long and straight beautiful legs.

Compared to the outfit chosen by Teacher Fan, which is quite young-looking, Liu Yifei, who is wearing a simple white dress, is beautiful and ethereal.

Some time ago, Mr. Fan was involved in a live broadcast confession scandal. Although it was a pity that the box office did not exceed 10 billion, the audience was very interested and these two people did flirt with each other in public many times.

As for the perfect couple of the Grand Commander and Liu Yifei, that is old news that has been going on for several years.

Thinking about the fact that Zhou Yutang had just taken Liu Shishi abroad to watch a game and travel together, the Sun newspaper was full of rumors.

Various media outlets paid special attention to the facial expressions of Mr. Fan and Liu Tianxian. Unexpectedly, the two parties seemed to be quite stable today.

Although everyone wanted to dig deeper into the scandal, no one dared to open their mouth.

Some people just have privilege.

He can do it, you can't say it.

Those who dare to speak cannot enter this press conference. For the media that have informed in advance, the topic is mainly focused on the drama "Snow".

"Mr. Zhou, it is rumored that the total investment in the Snow Series is 10 billion. Now most of the costs have been recovered before filming even started, and it has even achieved profitability. Can you reveal the specific figures?"

"Let me clarify."

Zhou Yutang took the microphone and said calmly: "The total production cost of the series is not 10 billion, but it starts at 10 billion, with no upper limit."

"We are discussing the copyright of TV series, Internet copyright and advertising placement. As for the specific figures, it is not convenient to disclose them at the moment."

The production cost of the first season is about 400 million, and two seasons will be filmed next year.

According to the current situation, it is basically a foregone conclusion that all production costs will be recovered before filming begins.

"What about the actors' salaries?"

"The actor salary budget is only a small part of it. Most of the budget will be put into special effects and drama production."

The press conference concluded successfully with detailed answers to questions related to the Snow Series, and online discussions became increasingly heated.

After all, "In the Snow" is Governor Zhou's famous work, and it has a very special meaning for his fans, the Jiangdong Navy.

And with the successful experience of the "Joy of Life" series, Jiangdong drama fans also have high expectations for another super IP "Snow" in the male frequency.

The marketing work related to the TV series is being carried out simultaneously with the press conference. The makeup stills released in advance this time have already attracted the audience's attention.

Zhou Yutang wore a white robe and a jade belt, and his hair was tied with a dragon-tail jade hairpin. He had no complicated embellishments such as a sword or jade ring, but he looked even more suave, handsome and extraordinary. He was exactly the chosen Xu Fengnian in the eyes of countless book fans.

Xie Junhao plays the old sword god Li Chungang with great charm.

An old man in a tattered sheepskin coat holds the vast blue sky on his back.

On the single-person poster, it is written "Ask the immortals in heaven, who dares to come to this world", and below, there are thousands of dazzling sword lights floating in the air, suddenly shooting towards the Heavenly Gate.

There is also Wang Xianzhi, played by Shinichi Chiba, standing with his hands behind his back above the East China Sea.

His hair and beard are flying, and he looks arrogant and majestic.

The momentum of one man was enough to make the clouds in the nine heavens droop and the waters in the four seas stand still.

Liu Yifei plays the role of Jiang Ni, the princess of the fallen Western Chu Kingdom. She is tough and sad, which makes people fall in love with her.

There is also Nazha, dressed as a white-robed chivalrous woman with neutral makeup, who is full of heroic spirit, sassy and beautiful, just like the androgynous Nangong Pushe; Meng Ziyi's sweet potato-gold dragon robe is also extremely stunning.
Zhou Yutang usually switches to his secondary account to read netizens’ comments.

Overall, the outside response was quite positive.

…………

Soft and bright starlight fell from the dome of the theater.

Shining on Liu Yifei's fair face.

She hugged her shoulders with her hands, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and looked at the screen in front of her with focused and attentive expression.

Snapped!
Even though she was immersed in the movie, she did not forget to slap away Zhou Yutang's hand that was on her thigh and glared at him with a look that was heartless yet moving.

Zhou Yutang didn't take it seriously and politely greeted all the ancestors of The Sun in his mind.

Good things don't go out, and gossip spreads thousands of miles.

It’s all The Sun’s fault!
Liverpool won the championship two days ago, and the country was full of reports about Zhou Yutang’s scandals.

The entire platform has been covering their mouths for the past two days, and it was with great difficulty that the topic on social media was directed to "Snow", and the heat has only subsided a little.

However, according to secret reports from Tianxian, Liu Tianxian not only received special training at the school at the foot of the mountain before joining the team, but also went to the shooting range to shoot targets for two days, which made Zhou Yutang feel a little uneasy.

You still have to coax her when she needs to.

So, taking advantage of the end of the "Snow" press conference, Zhou Yutang declined Teacher Fan's invitation to duo.

The filming will start in a few days, and now is a rare time to relax, so I took Liu Yifei to the Starry Sky Cinema at home to watch a movie.

After two big hits in China this year, Disney is back with a new movie "Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass."

The previous work was amazing.

The plot setting of the sequel is a bit old-fashioned, but its merits outweigh its flaws and it can definitely be called an unparalleled visual feast.

Mad Hatter Depp's acting was as good as ever, but unfortunately he got into a marital scandal off the set.

Amber, who had just been married for less than a year and a half, took the initiative to post a short essay on social media to criticize the couple.

She also applied for a domestic violence protection order from the court, accusing Depp of smashing bottles, throwing cell phones, drinking and taking drugs, and publicly disclosed the wound on her right cheek.

This set of combos was so smooth that it shocked Hollywood.

It involves several key words such as women's rights and domestic violence, all of which are brand new versions from the United States, and have already set off a tsunami of public opinion.

Depp, a Hollywood A-list star, saw his reputation plummet overnight.

After watching the movie, they went out to a restaurant for dinner and talked about this matter. Liu Yifei raised a question with a clear mind: "It's just Amber's one-sided statement now. Depp hasn't responded yet, right?"

"It seems that his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Paradis, who he dated for 14 years, took out a handwritten letter from that time to support Depp."

In private, Liu Yifei is just an ordinary girl, and she often gossips with her close friends such as Shu Chang, Zhang Jingying, and Yao Beina.

Amid the overwhelming public opinion, Vanessa's support is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, unable to break away from the moral high ground that Amber's essay had taken.

"Do you think there's something else going on?"

Zhou Yutang put a hot high-tech beef ball into his mouth and asked with interest.

Today we had spicy hot pot. In the past, Miss Liu was strictly controlled by Aunt Liu and she especially loved this kind of junk food.

At that time, Aunt Liu relaxed her restrictions and let herself go. For a while, she ate spicy hot pot every day, but then she ate less and less. At night, I don't know why I suddenly wanted to eat it again.

Junk food has no nutritional value, but at least it makes people happy.

Liu Yifei put her hair behind her ears and said, "I don't know much about the inside story, but my intuition tells me that a man who can treat his ex-girlfriend so well will suddenly change his mind and do such a tyrannical thing to his current girlfriend?"

"Besides, this Amber is not a good person, humph!"

Liu Yifei's cheeks were red from the spiciness. She drank some water and scrolled through her phone when she suddenly said, "Xiao Zhou, Amber is so pretty."

"It's just average. It's far worse than you, Xiao Liu." Zhou Yutang looked calm and composed, and spoke without hesitation.

He always felt that Liu Yifei had some prejudice against Amber, and perhaps she still had a grudge against the last time that bitch had secretly hooked up with him.

"No way?"

"And Annie?"

"Which Annie?" Zhou Yutang wiped his mouth, a hint of confusion appearing on his face.

"Anne Hathaway's White Queen is beautiful, isn't she? I just noticed you were staring at her for a long time."

Liu Tianxian snorted and rolled her eyes at Zhou Yutang.

"I was distracted and thought about the later stages of her La La Land."

Zhou Yutang shook his head and chuckled, then quietly changed the subject: "Annie is aging a little too fast now."

White girls’ looks are very good during their peak period, but once they pass that period, their looks will decline at the speed of light.

In comparison, he still appreciates the temperament and charm of oriental beauties that can stand the test of time.

…………

Zhou Yutang has dominated all the domestic entertainment headlines these past two days.

First, Liverpool won the championship, leading the Red Army to sound the clarion call of rise, and then they put together a stunning game.

After the press conference of "Snow", even South Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia and other countries were reporting on the luxurious lineup of this blockbuster drama.

The overseas version of Bilibili has also opened a channel for TV series reservations.

The producers of the Hollywood blockbuster "Kong: Skull Island" released a wave of stills and trailers to the Chinese audience in advance, and the sweet princess undoubtedly took the center stage.

Looking at the sweet princess in the stills, she looks more capable in a striped shirt and jeans.

Zhou Yutang had just seen her news in the office when Princess Sweet suddenly sent a message: "Brother Yutang, when will the filming of "In the Snow" start?"

In fact, the two of them didn’t chat very often, except a few days ago when Liverpool won the championship, and the sweet princess sent a special message of congratulations.

"Just these two days, the filming of King Kong was completed?"

"Well, there's another play in the second half of the year."

"Pacific Rim 2?"

Zhou Yutang recalled that Old Bob had asked about Princess Sweet's background during a casual chat, and found it somewhat amusing.

"Well, Brother Yu Tang, you know that too?"

"Keep up the good work."

Zhou Yutang encouraged Princess Tian.

Unlike those female stars who have to fight for resources, she was born in Rome.

Especially after Wanda acquired Legendary Pictures, the copyright of "Pacific Rim" is in the hands of Legendary Pictures, and another big Hollywood project is ready for the sweet princess.

Think about it, within three years, first there was the Sino-US co-production blockbuster "The Great Wall", followed by "Kong: Skull Island" produced by Legendary Pictures and co-starring Tom Hiddleston.

It has only been a short while since he finished filming and he is already starring in "Pacific Rim 2".

Looking at the previous work "Pacific Rim", it can definitely be regarded as a hardcore science fiction blockbuster.

Cool mechas, ferocious beasts, stunning special effects battle scenes, and exciting BGM.

Although the film did not perform well at the North American box office, it received rave reviews in China, sparking a mecha craze.

The official announcement of "Pacific Rim 2" immediately became the focus of domestic media releases.

……

Late May.

Xiangshan Film and Television City.

Jiangdong Entertainment and Tencent Film and Television held a launch ceremony for "Snow Swordsman".

Dozens of media outlets across Asia sent reporters, and the atmosphere was extremely lively with flashbulbs flashing non-stop.

Chiba Shinichi, who had just returned to society, was a little frightened by the scene.

But after all, I have filmed in Hong Kong, so I am not unfamiliar with the process of starting filming.

The on-site producer and script supervisor had already prepared an incense burner, but there was no pig head that he had seen the last time he filmed "Feng Yun", but there were some fruits.

The power-on ceremony is mainly for peace of mind.

Since Governor Zhou took the lead in burning incense, the general producer Jiang Xueruo, Liu Yifei and others followed suit. Xiongba also followed the crew in burning incense.

After burning incense, the machines and equipment arrived, and the crew began to move the machines.

Zhou Yutang called director Li Muge, the director of photography, and everyone in the production team together for a meeting.

The main discussion was about today's production schedule and clarifying the scenes to be filmed.

According to his original plan, he wanted to invite the genius director Xu Ke to direct the entire Snow Series.

Xu Ke also showed considerable interest in this.

He himself has a mysterious preference for martial arts films. This time he has strong financial support from a big name, not to mention that directing an actor of such caliber as Zhou Dudu is also a proof of the director's own status.

However, he is currently working on another project which will not be available until at least next year, and Jiangdong really cannot wait.

When Jiang Xueruo heard the news, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone, including the senior management of the entire project team, appeared regretful on the surface but were secretly happy in their hearts.

If Xu really were to manage a series of projects, 10 billion would definitely not be enough, and the cost budget might have to double from the original amount.

After final discussion, it was agreed that if there were any subsequent film plans, they could be considered to be handed over to Xu Ke for management. The first season of the TV series "Snow" was handed over to directors Li Muge and Sun Hao, who had had a pleasant collaboration in the "Joy of Life" series.

Wu Yuze, who had just signed with Jiangdong, also got an opportunity to act as a supporting actor and assistant director.

Compared to the cast of directors, the director of photography, Peter Pau, is more famous.

The fact that he directed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which made Li An an overnight legend, was enough to give him a transcendent status in the industry. Later, even the highly-ambitious Chen Shishi asked him to star in The Promise, so his ability is naturally beyond doubt.

Zhou Yutang wants to make the "Snow" series into a modern martial arts classic drama, and he pays special attention to details such as costumes, props, special effects, and behind-the-scenes team.

"After so much preparation, we finally started filming today."

"I won't say much else. Since we are all here, we only have one common goal, which is to complete the project."

After Jiang Xueruo finished explaining the production schedule, it was the boss' turn to speak. Zhou Yutang tapped the table lightly and spoke in a calm and steady manner.

Everyone here is an elite team that has followed him for many years. They don’t need any chicken soup for the soul and they know exactly what they should do.

As long as you do your job well and the project results are within expectations, the Grand Commander will definitely not be stingy and we will make a fortune together.

The first day's scenes were very simple. After the filming was finished, Zhou Yutang went out of his way to have a chat with Xiongba, who seemed a little out of place.

"Chiba-san, are you still used to it?"

Faced with Zhou Yutang's sudden neon greeting, Xiong Ba, who was standing in the corner, was stunned for a full five seconds before he came back to his senses and nodded hurriedly:
"Everything is fine, thank you."

He had come to Hong Kong to film movies before, and now he is back to work hard on his career, so he studied Chinese intensively for a while.

Zhou Yutang almost couldn't hold back when he heard the Chinese accent that sounded like a colonel.

“I didn’t expect you to speak Japanese so well!”

Chiba Shinichi thought of the old saying from the Celestial Empire, raised his thumb, and naturally revealed an expression of admiration: "You are indeed a genius!"

He has been in the martial arts world for 57 years, from the Tianxiahui to the Wudi City, and his experience in the martial arts world is outrageous.

"I only know a little bit."

Zhou Yutang smiled and explained, "There are no scenes for you today, nor tomorrow. You can stay with the crew or go back to the hotel to rest. If you have any other requests, you can tell the assistant and he will help arrange it."

"Thank you so much, I'm still in the crew, learning more."

After a brief chat, Shinichi Chiba watched Zhou Yutang continue communicating with the director, the director of photography, and the special effects team leader, feeling some emotion in his heart.

Shinichi Chiba is not an actor who has never seen the world.

More than ten years ago, he came to Hong Kong, China to film a movie, and later appeared in "Kill Bill" and "The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift".

The operating mode of the crew at that time was very different from now, but it was still filming after all, the same principle.

As for Chiba Shinichi, what he saw and heard from the start of "Snow" today gave him a subtle feeling:

Just like the golden age of Hong Kong, China's entertainment industry is at the pinnacle of Asia's entertainment industry.

Before the filming of the TV series even started, two special effects teams from Vision Media had already come up with several plans.

Make the exciting fighting scenes in the original novel concrete, and then choose the best version from them.

What Zhou Yutang said at the press conference about the investment in special effects exceeding 100 million yuan was not just talk.

With sufficient financial investment, Vision Media is fully capable of making the martial arts special effects of "Snow" reach ideal perfection.

After all, the martial arts special effects are also a major highlight of this drama.

Wang Xianzhi, who is invincible in the world and sits in Wudi City, has several important fighting scenes, so Zhou Yutang took more care of Chiba Shinichi.

Now it seems that people may grow old but their hearts remain young.

Xiong Ba is in great shape. No wonder he was involved in a grandparent-grandchild romance scandal with a 22-year-old girl before joining the group.
(End of this chapter)