It's reasonable for me, a stuntman, to live a crazy life, right?

Chapter 748: Is there something to eat? Connections and resources are the key to getting the role!

The casting storm of "The Great Wall" is like a surging wave, stirring up the entire film and television industry.

This blockbuster production, which brings together a top production team and a luxurious investment lineup, has attracted much attention since its preparation!

With the announcement of the list of leading male actors, not only the audience is looking forward to it, but also countless actors are yearning to leave their mark in this movie.

However, behind this glamour is a brutal competition for casting!

As a top actress who once made her mark in Hollywood, Zhang Ziyi ultimately could not escape this fate.

When she was waiting for the call from the crew of "The Great Wall" with great anticipation, she received the cold "rejection" message from the investors.

At this moment, her heart felt like it was hit by a heavy hammer, with disbelief and unwillingness intertwined.

In her eyes, "The Great Wall" is not only a great opportunity for her to return to Hollywood, but also a rare peak in her acting career.

"The Grandmaster" helped her successfully get out of the slump in her acting career. If she can now successfully join "The Great Wall", she will surely become a top star in China and even the world again!
She knew very well that once such an opportunity was missed, it might never be recovered.

So, after careful consideration, Zhang Ziyi decided to take action personally.

Late at night, she called Zhang Yimou, hoping to impress the man who decided her fate with her "sincerity" and "strength".

However, on the other end of the phone, Zhang Yimou's voice was calm and firm.

He listened to Zhang Ziyi's request very patiently, but finally gave her a heartbreaking answer: "Don't waste your energy."

As soon as these words came out, Zhang Ziyi's face changed suddenly.

"Director Zhang? So... the leading female role has actually been confirmed, right?"

Zhang Yimou remained silent. Although he didn't say anything, this silence was undoubtedly an answer.

He only found out about this after joining the project team of "The Great Wall". The female lead was confirmed even earlier than he, the director!
By the time he signed his name on the employment contract, others had already signed it.

"Thank you, Director Zhang."

Zhang Ziyi hung up the phone with regret, and then turned her attention to the "Global Storm" project team at Feiyue Film and Television.

She plans to give this crew a try. Although Feiyue Pictures and Walt Disney Studios have not issued any audition notices, there may be roles suitable for her.

However, the word "regret" has always been around her.

The next morning, before Zhang Ziyi took any action, related news had already appeared on major entertainment news websites.

"Reprinted from The Hollywood Reporter: The disaster thriller film "Global Storm" produced by Walt Disney Studios and Feiyue Films has officially completed the casting work. Actor Wu Jing was successfully selected and once again stepped into the Sino-foreign co-production film."

"The film 'Global Storm' will officially start shooting in November, and will then be filmed in Shanghai."

"Hollywood's top actor Andy Serkis and actress Anne Hathaway announced that they will join Geostorm..."

As soon as the relevant news came out, there was another wailing and regret in the industry.

Looking around, all major projects seem to be always firmly locked in a certain circle and will never leak out.

……

"Remember, the entire filming work should be carried out according to the project book I prepared in advance. Don't make changes on your own initiative..."

Chen Fei was talking on the phone with Natasha.

With the casting of "Global Storm" completed, it is time to enter the formal shooting stage.

In order to make this film generate considerable profits, Chen Fei deliberately added some more diverse elements based on the original script.

As a science fiction disaster film, the subject matter of "Global Storm" itself has a certain appeal.

Generally speaking, disaster films are able to attract audiences through shocking visual effects and tense plots, especially those who like big scenes and excitement.

However, with the continuous development of the film market, audiences' demands for diversity and innovation in subject matter are getting higher and higher, and simple disaster films can no longer meet the needs of all audiences.

In recent years, the reputation and box office performance of disaster films have shown a certain downward trend, which is related to changes in audience tastes.

Audiences are no longer satisfied with just visual stimulation, but are paying more attention to the film's plot, character creation and deep-seated theme expression.

Looking back at the original work of "Geostorm", although the producers invested a lot of money in the production and the special effects scenes were grand and realistic, there were many shortcomings in the plot and character creation.

This led to polarized word-of-mouth for the film, with some viewers believing that the film's special effects were stunning but the plot was weak, affecting the overall viewing experience.

What Chen Fei made up for were the flaws in the plot and character creation.

After obtaining the script from the system, he began to make drastic revisions and fixed many of the problems.

For example, the role of the German female scientist seems abrupt and lacks a unified focus with the main emotional drama, resulting in a lack of smooth story logic.

The emotional entanglement between the protagonist and his ex-wife, a German female scientist, seems redundant and lacks depth.

There are also other clips about political scandals and other elements that he completely revised.

The end result is that, apart from the framework of "Geostorm", the rest of the details of the overall script have long deviated from the original system.

On the other side of the phone, after listening to Fade Chen's description, Natasha responded repeatedly: "Okay, Fei, I will tell the production team."

This film follows a producer-centric filming approach. Roland Emmerich exists only as a tool and does not have the right to edit.

He didn't mind it much. After all, Wall Street's projects were well-known for their quality, and the pay was high enough.

It’s so cool to work for a film company that is “rich” and doesn’t have any “trouble”.

……

After the call ended, Chen Fei returned to the monitor and started a new day of filming.

During the entire day today, the crew of "Operation Mekong" only shot one set of shots, namely the scene where the building where the law enforcement agencies of the four-nation joint operation are stationed was attacked by a suicide bomb.

The attack was planned and directed by drug lord Naw Ka, who was only seeking revenge for the "Mekong River Case Chinese Special Action Team" that captured his son and killed his right-hand man!
The perpetrators of the suicide bombing were none other than the "Boy Scout Suicide Squad" who were "trained" with drugs by the drug trafficking gang.

This type of character design is also based on the actual conditions in the former Golden Triangle area, without any adulteration or exaggeration.

These "Boy Scout" suicide squad members are all teenagers who have been controlled and tamed by drugs since childhood. Their eyes are full of indifference and madness!
Under the command of Nuoka, they embarked on a journey of no return without hesitation.

All of them were wearing black combat uniforms, holding submachine guns, and their faces were covered with camouflage oil, like ghosts walking out of hell.

As the explosions sounded, they quickly rushed into the building and engaged in a fierce firefight with the law enforcement officers stationed there.

Their movements were swift and brutal, they shot decisively, killed ruthlessly, and were fearless of death. Every movement they made revealed traces of long-term immersion in drugs and violence.

In this brutal battle, although the law enforcement officers fought bravely, they still paid a heavy price in the face of these crazy "Boy Scout" suicide squad members.

Gunshots and explosions rang out in the building, and the air was filled with thick smoke and the smell of blood...

It is much more difficult to teach children to act than to teach adults.

After spending a whole day and being exhausted, the crew finally successfully completed the filming of this scene.

When he returned to the hotel, even though he was strong enough, Fade Chen still felt a pain in his back and waist.

He didn't even take a shower and just fell asleep on the bed.

The next morning, he was awakened by a sudden ringing of the phone.

I pressed the connect button in a daze, and then I heard Su Guohai's voice coming from the other side: "Mr. Chen, something strange is happening over in Hong Kong again."

"Ok?"

In an instant, Fade Chen woke up instantly.

Got some melon to eat?
He rubbed his eyes, took the laptop and started checking the relevant news.

Soon, the mentality of watching the show turned into anger, disdain, and contempt... "This group of people really are the mother of whoever gives them milk!"

Looking around, many Hong Kong stars who already have crooked buttocks have had their buttocks completely exposed this time.

There were even quite a few guys who had been hiding very well before, and this time they were all pulled out, revealing filth behind their bright and beautiful faces!

However, to his surprise, Wang Jing and Chen Kexin did not sit on the fence this time. Instead, they solemnly and publicly announced that they would uphold the One China principle and completely sever ties with those crooked guys.

Without thinking too much, Fade Chen told Su Guohai, "Make a list and send a copy to Huo Qigang and Ying Huang before noon. These people with crooked butts should be banned directly from our channels."

"Okay, Mr. Chen."

Su Guohai responded and went straight to make arrangements.

Although there are many capable and powerful people among these people, what can they do? If they should be banned, they should be banned. Anyone who dares to oppose it is going against the majority of the people!

……

It seemed that the higher-ups were intentionally blocking out the bad news, so when Golden Harvest announced that "Drug War 2" had officially wrapped up filming, it luckily gained a lot of traffic.

"The highly anticipated second film in the "Drug War" series, "Drug War 2", has recently completed its wrap-up ceremony in Hong Kong after months of intense filming. The two best actor winners, Andy Lau and Tim Koo, are once again bringing about a storm in the drug war!"

"The film is produced and starred by Liu Dehua, with the return of Gu Tianle, and the participation of powerful actors such as Michael Miu, Lin Jiaxin, Chrissie Chow, and Ying Caier, who jointly perform a thrilling battle between police and criminals."

“Drug War 2 inherits the strengths of its predecessor and comprehensively upgrades the action scenes and character plots. The film was not only shot in Hong Kong and the Philippines, but also spent a huge amount of money to build a 1:1 real scene of the MTR, striving to bring the most shocking visual effects to the audience.”

"At the wrap ceremony, the director and the cast celebrated together by popping specially made balloons with syringes to symbolize the film's success and future success."

"At the ceremony, Golden Harvest Films General Manager Kenneth Fok shared details of the filming process and expressed his expectations for the future of the film. He said that Drug War 2 is not only a commercial blockbuster, but also a work with profound connotations."

For several consecutive days, news about "Drug War 2" has been on the hot search list in Hong Kong and the mainland film and television circles, successfully suppressing a lot of negative news.

Similarly, "Golden Harvest Films" has also become the focus of attention in the industry.

Once upon a time, many people thought that Ying Huang was the No.1 leader in the Hong Kong film and television industry.

However, with the continuous large and small moves made by Golden Harvest in recent years, it has successfully made many people have a new perspective on this film and television company.

Because whether from the perspective of efficiency or influence, Golden Harvest seems to be the hidden big boss in the Hong Kong film and television industry!

Especially since this company also controls the largest cinema chain in the country, its existence cannot be ignored.

Yang Mi was reading the news online at the moment, feeling very complicated.

They are both film and television companies, and their names both contain the word "Jia", but the strength and status of the two sides are completely different!

"When will Jiaxing be able to reach the same level as Jiahe?"

She muttered softly, and the scene of last night's investment reception unconsciously emerged in her mind.

Thanks to her efforts, she did attract a number of small and medium-sized investors. However, very few people in the investment community were optimistic about Jiaxing.

Wang Changtian even bluntly stated that the development of their company was very unhealthy.

As a film and television company, performance is important, but it cannot rely solely on the efforts and contributions of one person.

Yang Mi is indeed hardworking and has earned enough money, but if a film and television company only relies on a certain artist to make money, then where is its future prospects?
If she leaves, won’t Jiaxing be completely finished?
If you invest money in a company like this, wouldn’t all your money be wasted if something unexpected happened?

"Ugh."

Thinking of what those investors said, Yang Mi just felt a headache.

After sitting in the office for more than an hour, she just felt suffocated and anxious.

She vaguely felt that something seemed to be wrong, but she couldn't figure it out. After all, she was a complete novice when it came to finance and investment.

"Forget it, never mind. I'll just go and train new people to make money. I'll leave these headaches to Jia Jia to deal with."

She muttered to herself as she walked out of the office, preparing to rush to the next program recording site early.

……

In a blink of an eye, the first weekend of November has passed.

"Running Man" has already aired its 4th episode, and the ratings are still rising. The related topics, popularity, and discussions are also climbing steadily.

At the same time, the entire domestic film market was completely suppressed by Hollywood imported blockbusters.

"The Hunger Games 3" was far ahead of the rest, grossing 4.5 million yuan in the first seven days.

The Maze Runner and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which followed closely behind, showed a slight decline, but both broke the 1 million box office.

As for those low-budget domestic films, it is miserable. It is extremely difficult for them to break 10 million, let alone 100 million.

However, just when the mainland film and television circles were wailing, the Sino-foreign co-production "The Great Wall", which was favored by countless people, finally released a jackpot!
That morning, to everyone's surprise, the cast of The Great Wall was officially announced:
"The casting for the US-China co-production 1.5D magical action movie The Great Wall, jointly produced by China Film, Universal Pictures and LeTV and with an investment of US$3 million, has been officially completed today."

“The main cast of the film “The Great Wall” is as follows:
Director: Zhang Yimou.

Screenwriter: Max Brooks et al.

Producer: Romulo Otero.

Actor: Matt Damon.

Actress: Jing Tian.

Main supporting actors: Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, Liu Dehua, Lu Han, Peng Yuyan, Wang Junkai, Zheng Kai...

At this point, a Sino-US co-production blockbuster that has attracted much attention in the Chinese-language film industry has finally officially decided on its main creative lineup.

However, looking at this lineup, the industry was in an uproar!
It’s mainly because of the choice of the heroine.

Originally, the movie "The Great Wall" attracted much attention due to its grand production scale and international cooperation background, and the selection of the heroine became the focus of the industry.

At first, many outstanding actresses, with their dreams in mind, submitted their applications to the crew of "The Great Wall", including big names in the entertainment industry such as Zhang Ziyi, Li Bingbin, and Fan Bingbing.

Each of them possesses outstanding acting skills and a wide fan base, and therefore is considered by audiences and industry insiders as a strong contender for the female lead.

But who would have thought that after several rounds of fierce selection and auditions, Jing Tian actually won!
This result instantly caused an uproar in the film and television industry, with many actresses and netizens expressing shock and confusion.

Why did the director team choose a young actress born after 85 among so many talented actors?

At the press conference, many reporters questioned the choice of the leading actress.

In response to this, Zhang Yimou said: "Although Jing Tian is still young, her performance in the audition was extremely outstanding, both her emotional investment and character creation were eye-catching.

More importantly, she possesses a unique temperament and charm, which enables her to well interpret the image of the heroine in the movie.

In addition, since "The Great Wall" is an international cooperation project, the director team also took into account the actors' expressiveness and influence on the international stage.

Jing Tian has demonstrated good language skills and cultural literacy in her many communications with international teams. In addition, she has many fans in Hollywood, which makes her stand out among many candidates..."

This response barely suppressed some of the opposing voices.

After all, the box office of Pacific Rim, starring Jing Tian, ​​was not bad.

Although many actresses expressed dissatisfaction and doubts about Jing Tian's election, they had to admit this fact.

In this highly competitive showbiz industry, everyone is at risk of failure and marginalization.

Moreover, the fact that she was able to get this role also proves that the connections and relationships behind her are not something that ordinary people can protest or question.

……

(ps: Second update, please vote for me!!!)
(End of this chapter)