China Entertainment’s rescue plan is hard to come by

Chapter 672: The "Awesome" Screenwriter and Going to Hong Kong

"Why, Director Xu is planning to reboot the "A Chinese Ghost Story" series?"

Perhaps for most young people who grew up in the 80s and 90s, the "A Chinese Ghost Story" series of films can be said to be an indelible classic in their memory.

Putting aside the old version directed by Li Hanxiang in 1960 and starring Zhao Lei and Lydia Lo, the "A Chinese Ghost Story" trilogy directed by Xu Ke has a broad social influence and profound cultural influence.

Of course, these three "A Chinese Ghost Story" films cannot be simply regarded as Xu Ke's personal masterpiece. Its success can be regarded as the pinnacle of the careers of Zhang Guorong, Wang Zuxian, and even Wu Ma and Huang Zhan.

The adorable and silly talented scholar, the beautiful and charming female ghost, a lingering "human-ghost love" that spans two worlds, and the dreamy theme song of the same name, all shocked the audience and became a popular classic.

However, after so many years, I should have filmed almost everything that should and can be filmed.

Sun Yi wasn't quite sure what Xu Ke meant by Xiao Qian when he mentioned it to Shi Nansheng, so he just asked.

"Oh, that's not the case. I'm actually working on another project. I'm currently filming Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate, so I can't leave."

Xu Ke smiled and continued:
"Director Sun, you also know that the IP of A Chinese Ghost Story is in the hands of my studio. But Lan Tai of Taiji Films is the major shareholder of my studio, and she hopes to restart this IP."

"I had this idea last year, but after searching for so long, I still couldn't find a suitable actress to play Xiao Qian. It was only then that Mr. Nan reminded me that I thought of the most suitable person, none other than Miss Liu."

After listening to Xu Ke's explanation of the whole story, Sun Yi nodded slowly.

He knew about Taiji Pictures, which was originally founded in Wanwan. Later, seeing that Wanwan Films had no development, it moved to Hong Kong Island as a whole. During the prosperous years in Hong Kong circle, it participated in the production of many classic films.

At the same time, among all the Hong Kong film and television companies, it was also one of the first to go north and cooperate with mainland film and television companies. The "Painted Skin" that Star Sky participated in investing in two years ago was the work of this "Mrs. Lan".

what!
Calculating the time, could it be the movie “A Chinese Ghost Story” starring that little girl?

“Who is responsible for the creation of this film?”

Sun Yi had this question in his mind and quickly sought confirmation.

Shi Nansheng answered Sun Yi on behalf of Xu Ke.

"It's Ye Weixin, Director Ye, the screenwriter is Zhang Tan, and we also plan to invite Gu Tianle and Hui Yinghong to star in the film. The other cast members have not yet been finalized."

Damn, it’s gone.

It’s the “A Chinese Ghost Story” from the previous life.

According to the original trajectory, after participating in "The Forbidden Kingdom", Liu Yifei was discredited by the entire network because of the "dispute" with Huayi's agency, and even her resources in the domestic film and television circles were cut off. She had to "rest" for two years helplessly, and then ventured into the Hong Kong circle alone. The first movie she took on was this "A Chinese Ghost Story".

Sun Yi remembered that the box office of this movie was pretty good, exceeding 100 million yuan, but the whole story was indeed a bit destructive to one's worldview.

A love triangle between Xiaoqian, Ning Caichen and Yan Chixia
It has to be said that the times are progressing, and the entire screenwriting industry is also keeping pace with the times. Now that a love triangle between a human and a ghost has emerged, it is estimated that the next wave will be the domestic violence issue between the human-ghost couple.

Director Ye Weixin is quite capable and has shot many classic films.

However, Sun Yi couldn't stand the screenwriter Zhang Tan.

As far as he knew, this person had some talent, but was not very reliable.

He has always been relying on the reputation of his sworn brother Wen Ruian to get around in the film and television industry.

It seems that his resume as a screenwriter is very rich. His name is on Xu Ke's "Once Upon a Time in China" trilogy, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "New Dragon Inn".

But this was the work of an entire team of screenwriters. When it was his turn to write the script alone, it was completely unsuccessful.

I won’t talk about the distant ones, let’s just talk about the nearest ones.

The unprecedented film, "The Promise", which probably won't be surpassed in the next 20 years, was made by him and director Chen.

Did you feel the shock? Was it surprising enough?

Isn’t this screenwriter Zhang Tan awesome!
Thinking of this, Sun Yi felt a little disgusted with this invitation.

He was not against the girl taking on projects, but they had to be good projects. It was obvious at first glance that this thing was a pit of fire, so how could he let her jump into it?

As a result, I also had some opinions about Xu Ke.

You don't take the photo yourself because you're afraid of losing your reputation, so why are you thinking of involving my wife?

Sun Yi said indifferently:
"Director Xu, no IP can last forever. If there is no amazing enough script, I think it would be better to let the classic be buried forever in the hearts of movie fans. Don't you agree?"

Xu Ke was also honest. After hearing what Sun Yi said, he actually felt like he had found a soulmate. He shook his head and sighed.

"This series shouldn't have had a sequel in the first place. The original novel only had a few plots. What new ideas can be found in the film?"

Good man, you know it in your heart.

The story of "A Chinese Ghost Story" is taken from "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" by Pu Songling, a writer from the Qing Dynasty.

The entire article has less than 4 words, and there have been well-known and officially released movies, not to mention the countless copycat garbage, not including various TV series.

Moreover, in the original novel, Xiaoqian gave birth to a son for Ning Caichen.

In particular, he helped Ning Caichen take a concubine.

An absolutely perfect one.

Here is the key point, which needs to be examined.
"But."

Xu Ke wanted to say more but was interrupted by Shi Nansheng. He didn't notice the change in Sun Yi's attitude, but who is Shi Nansheng?

He is a true businessman. He can sense something extraordinary at the first sight he passes by.

At this time, she felt a little regretful and secretly hated herself for bringing up this matter in a moment of haste. It would be bad if she offended Sun Yi or even broke off the cooperation with Xingkong.

Shi Nansheng quickly tried to smooth things over.

"Director Sun, it's not that the master doesn't want to shoot, it's just that Mrs. Lan urged him to do it. He didn't have time, so he had no choice but to hand over the creative task to Director Ye Weixin and Screenwriter Zhang Tan."

"It is no exaggeration to say that the role of Xiao Qian is unique in the history of Chinese entertainment films. She is both a fairy and a demon, and is extraordinary. In my opinion, among all the actresses in the current Chinese entertainment film industry, no one can surpass her except Miss Liu."

"That's why, as soon as I met Miss Liu in person, I made the suggestion to the master."

Shi Nansheng looked sincere and praised Liu Yifei in front of Sun Yi. What he said was well-reasoned and irrefutable.

Even Liu Yifei, who was listening nearby, felt a little embarrassed.

When she heard Xu Ke invite her to play Xiao Qian, she was quite tempted.

This is Xiaoqian~
If we take stock of the female characters in the history of Chinese films, no matter from what angle we select them, Xiaoqian will definitely be included.

Although there is already Wang Zuxian's classic, the girl said that she is very good at breaking the classics.

Didn’t Wang Yuyan and Xiaolongnu both break the classics?

I can’t say that they are absolutely superior, but they definitely have their own merits.

Therefore, Liu Yifei does not feel any pressure about this.

On the contrary, I began to look forward to it.

But after hearing what Sun Yi said, especially his tone, Liu Yifei immediately felt something was wrong.

There must be something she didn't know, so she didn't respond at all. She just sat quietly aside and remained silent throughout.

She believed that her brother would not harm her. With her brother around, everything would be fine. Sun Yi smiled and expressed his understanding of Shi Nansheng's reason. He was indeed not angry yet.

After all, not everyone is like him. Before the movie is released, who can say whether it will be popular or not? It depends on how obsessed the domestic audience is with Korean dramas. What if these movie fans like love triangles?

This is not a sure thing~
"Ms. Shi, it's okay. I believe we will have opportunities to cooperate in the future."

"Director Sun, I wonder if Xingkong is interested in this project?"

"Ok?"

"I am confident that I can convince Lan Tai to let Xingkong run the entire project."

Sun Yi and Liu Yifei stayed in the crew for half a day. Sun Yi even watched the shooting of a 3D action scene under the guidance of director Xu Ke, and then asked to leave.

When the Audi was back on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway, Sun Yi suddenly asked Liu Yifei, who was sitting in the passenger seat:
"Why, you heard there's a chance to play Xiao Qian, are you interested?"

"No way~"

"Be honest and tell the truth."

Liu Yifei glanced at Sun Yi with her eyes, pinched two fingers, and gestured in front of Sun Yi.

“A little bit.”

"Really?"

"Oh, yes, just a little bit."

"Hahaha~"

Sun Yi saw all of Liu Yifei's little expressions.

Just now on the set of "Flying Daggers of Dragon Gate", seeing Sun Yi refuse, Shi Nansheng made another suggestion.

That is to hand over the leadership of the entire project to Star Sky, including directors, screenwriters, etc. They only need to make a small investment and then just reap the benefits.

Of course, Shi Nansheng did not say the latter sentence in front of Sun Yi, but this was definitely what he meant in his heart.

After all, the IP of the script is in the hands of their studio.

Moreover, this method is also a way to strengthen cooperation with Sun Yi and Star Sky.

Sun Yi couldn't help but admire Ms. Shi.

He has been active in the Hong Kong film industry for more than a decade, so he must be quite capable.

Act decisively and never drag your feet.

In order to strengthen the cooperative relationship with Star Sky, the original director and screenwriter, as well as all their connections and personal relationships, were thrown away.

However, Sun Yi still had reservations about this cooperation. He only said he would consider it and did not agree directly in person.

It’s still the same key issue. This story has been filmed so many times that it’s hard to interpret it from a new angle.

Besides, he had never seen "A Chinese Ghost Story" starring the girl, so he had no place to learn from. If he took on this cooperation, he could only do it like "Wings of the Sky" and create an original work again.

But now he has "Gravity" waiting for him, and it is probably too late, unless Shi Nansheng gives up the idea of ​​releasing the film within the next year and gives him enough time to write the script.

Sun Yi was actually quite lazy. He was unwilling to create something original if he could borrow something from someone else. But seeing Liu Yifei's attitude and feeling a bit of anticipation, he couldn't help but feel eager to try.

How about giving it another try and accepting this collaboration?

I have to say, it’s been a long time since I saw the girl in ancient costume.

It’s time to restock the small cabinet in the bedroom.

After returning home, the two had a good "rest" for the night, allowing Sun Yi to experience the charm of the "female ghost" in advance.

The next day, everyone started to get busy again.

It's the end of the year, and Sun Yi is going to go to the company for a while to check Starry Sky's achievements throughout the year. At the same time, he will also check the preparations for "Gravity".

He planned to shoot this movie entirely in the studio, which required building a complete space station and the interior of the spacecraft.

At the same time, in order to simulate the entire space scene, special light strips and camera tracks must be built to support shooting.

Anyway, everything is complicated and requires him, the chief director, to take control from time to time.

As for Liu Yifei, although not as busy as Sun Yi, she is not idle either.

The reason is that she was selected by the Spring Festival Gala program team again.

After last year's song "Youth" caused a huge response, the Spring Festival Gala program team seemed to have caught a sheep and was trying to pull the best of it.

Liu Yifei felt a little helpless, but there was nothing she could do. After all, the Spring Festival Gala was a grand event for the people of the country and even Chinese people all over the world, and she really couldn't refuse.

I can only find time to attend various brands' New Year events and participate in the rehearsals of the Spring Festival Gala.

As for the circle, "Let the Bullets Fly" has become a unique show in this year's Lunar New Year holiday. Since its release, it has received rave reviews and its box office has been rising all the way.

It grossed 2 million yuan in the first week alone, almost breaking Sun Yi's record.

The media and netizens also used words such as "insurmountable" and "classic among classics" to praise the film.

Some even think that this film will be the most interesting film in the entire 10-year Lunar New Year holiday season.

Just a few days later, on December 12, "If You Are the One 23" directed by Feng Xiaogang held its premiere in Beijing. The film used the original cast and continued the comedy style of the first film. It attracted a large number of audiences as soon as it was released.

The box office soared all the way, also earning 2 million yuan in the first week of its release.

However, the reputation of this movie is not as good as "Let the Bullets Fly". Even the large number of advertisements in the movie made many movie fans feel like they were paying to watch advertisements, and they all cursed.

But the excellent box office performance of the movie was there, so Feng Kuzi didn't care about the voices of these fans at all, and even became proud again.

He has kept a low profile for a long time since "Tangshan" was overshadowed by "Pacific Rim" half a year ago. This time he can finally be proud of himself.

Even in the interview, he said shamelessly:

“There are so many rubbish Chinese films because there are a bunch of rubbish audiences.”

He also said very proudly that he made money by making art films and commercial films, and he was simply unrivaled.

This behavior angered many netizens, and even a group of people flocked to Sun Yi's Weibo.

Many people left messages saying: "Director Sun, please sanction us."

After reading it, Sun Yi laughed for a long time.

Huayi and his pants still didn't hurt.

Of course, he didn't keep everyone waiting any longer. Two days later, before boarding the plane to Hong Kong Island with a group of main creators, he left this message directly on his Weibo homepage.

“December 12th, welcome to the New World!”

(End of this chapter)