Full-time actor

Chapter 575 [2] Christopher Nolan!

"Hi chan!"

"I'm so glad to see you!"

At the Los Angeles International Airport, Larson and Chen Yu hugged each other tightly. The two hadn't seen each other for more than a month.

The last time the filming of "Fast and Furious" was completed, he was the one who sent Chen Yu to the airport.

“How’s your director’s journey?”

Larson helped Chen Yu put the luggage in the trunk of the car and asked jokingly.

Of course he had heard about Chen Yu's studies in directing, and the two of them would chat from time to time. As a CAA gold medal agent, he was very optimistic about Chen Yu's future potential.

Investing in customers is also one of the broker's skills.

Especially for a gold medal agent like him who is very famous in the circle, the artists he favors are of course even bigger names.

"Well, it's not bad. I'm currently directing a play, so I'm practicing!"

"Haha, a stage play? Many of our big Hollywood directors also started out as stage directors!"

"The hit Chicago two years ago is a classic American stage play that was adapted for the big screen. Director Rob Marshall was a stage director before, and he adapted it into a movie!"

"The favorite to win the 02 Oscars, nominated for thirteen awards and won six including Best Picture!"

Larson was talking about it like a treasure trove. Of course Chen Yu had heard of the movie "Chicago". It was very famous in the industry. It was itself a world-renowned stage play adapted from a true story and had been performed thousands of times around the world.

The movie of the same name adapted from it took nearly 2 million yuan at the global box office two years ago, and director Rob Marshall really became famous overnight. This was his debut work, and he was just a dance designer before that. Last year, the Hollywood blockbuster "Memoirs of a Geisha" that Zhang Ziyi took on was a new film directed by him.

Unfortunately, it failed.

Like Rob Marshall, there are indeed many people in Hollywood who have turned from stage play directors to film directors.

There are several on Broadway alone.

"Yes, stage plays and movies do have something in common in some aspects!"

"Especially in the training of actors. However, the actors in a stage play are the soul, while the directors are the filmmakers..."

Larson talked freely, and soon the two of them arrived at CAA's headquarters.

Chen Yu was familiar with the place, after all, he had been here more than once or twice. Richard was already waiting for him in the office; the 63rd Golden Globe Awards ceremony would not be held until tomorrow night, and Chen Yu came a day early, actually to discuss his new film.

The script of "The Bourne Identity", which was adapted from "Mission: Impossible 4", has been officially approved and Paramount is interested in working with Chen Yu.

Chen Yu came here to discuss this matter.

Richard made this happen.

"If it weren't for the Golden Globe, would you still not be coming?"

Richard hugged Chen Chenyu and smiled.

"No, we will definitely handle this matter before the Chinese New Year at the latest!"

"Spring Festival?"

"Oh, now I remember, the Chinese New Year should be coming soon, right?"

Richard sat in the office and chatted with Chen Yu.

"There are still more than ten days left, so I haven't forgotten about this. Come on, guys, let's finalize the crew, actors, and so on. Let's decide on the main candidates first!"

Chen Yu sat in front of Richard.

On the plane, Chen Yu actually thought about all the details of the movie.

Including the director and several leading actors.

"I want Brad Bird to try directing. I really like his movie The Incredibles!"

Brad Bird is also the director of "Mission: Impossible 4" in the previous life. "Mission: Impossible 4" is also his first time directing a live-action movie, but his ability and shooting are very good. "Mission: Impossible 4" is also the best-received and best-reviewed one in the Mission: Impossible series.

Chen Yu was not able to adapt to the change of director because of psychological rejection; Chinese people still value the "original crew".

But Richard didn't quite understand now.

Brad Bird?
If Chen Yu hadn't mentioned "The Incredibles", he really wouldn't have remembered him.

Because he is not very famous in Hollywood, especially in the film industry. Although "The Incredibles" is very famous, it is a blockbuster produced by Pixar Animation and invested by Disney, so the director will indeed be spontaneously ignored.

Even the script of this movie was written by him, and it was nominated for the Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Best Animated Feature.

"He doesn't have any experience directing live-action films?"

"Chan, why did you think of this director?"

Richard was a little confused, and Chen Yu was talking nonsense: "Maybe it's a feeling. I watched "The Incredibles" some time ago, and suddenly I had a flash of inspiration. I felt that he could shoot my script!"

"..."

This is too mysterious.

Although the previous "Mission Impossible 4" was also so mysterious, this was also Brad Bird's first time directing a live-action commercial film.

Before this, no one believed he could shoot it well.

"I trust those who have experience but have never set foot in this field. They will work hard to make good films and prove themselves to the world. Some commercial directors are immersed in their past works and cannot get out of it and improve their directing skills!"

Chen Yu's words came from the bottom of his heart, and Richard was somewhat convinced.

He understood what Chen Yu meant.

Because this movie is also Chen Yu's first commercial blockbuster in Hollywood as a producer and leading actor, it is also a milestone challenge for him; if he had used a director with some fame in the industry, there might have been some creative conflicts.

Moreover, he is Chinese, which makes it even more difficult for many directors to work with him.

Chen Yu obviously wanted some power over filming and editing, after all, he was the leading actor and screenwriter.

There are really not many directors in Hollywood who meet his requirements.

But Brad Bird is a perfect fit.

Because he has directed three films so far, namely his debut film "The Iron Giant", his famous film "The Incredibles", and the recently completed "Jack the Kid Attack"!
This movie did not do well at the box office, but it also made Pixar famous and Disney invested.

“He seems to have hit a creative block!”

"I want to change the subject matter and let him challenge himself with a higher level of difficulty. I think he will like it very much!"

Mainly, he makes money.

A penny can make a hero fall. In the capitalist society of the United States, if you make a flop movie, you may not be able to make a living. When a blockbuster like this extends an olive branch to them, many people will not hesitate at all.

"Most importantly, I want to have a say!"

"really……"

Richard somewhat understood why Chen Yu recommended this director.

"What other options are there? What if the other party disagrees?"

These are all things that need to be taken into consideration before filming the script.

"There is no alternative. If he disagrees, please call me and I will do my best to convince him!"

"..."

Richard gave Chen Yu a thumbs up and said, "I admire you Chinese people. You are so persistent in making something successful. Unlike me, if he disagrees, I will definitely walk away. At most, I will find someone else." "He is not the only one in the world who can make movies?"

This is what many Hollywood investors think. In Hollywood, there are very few directors who can make their own decisions. They can be counted on one hand.

The producers and investors have more say!

"Then let's confirm the director first. Photographer, do you have any requirements?"

"No, a photographer who is proficient in commercial blockbusters will do!"

"Okay, what about the leading actors? Besides you, there are quite a few characters in the script. Are there any actors you really want to work with?"

Richard crossed out each item.

The reason why he was so concerned about Chen Yu's film was that if the film was a big hit, CAA would get a lot of money, so he had to talk to Chen Yu in person.

"Only one, I want someone to choose the supporting actress!"

"OK, everything else is up to you?"

"Yes, we recruit based on the fixed salary of the investment amount. I don't have any big requirements in this regard!"

"..."

Soon, Chen Yu and Richard finalized the project of "The Man from Nowhere". The next step was to wait for CAA to recruit crew members and choose the shooting location, etc. They are the most professional team in the world.

Even Chen Yu could just be a hands-off boss and leave it to them.

Everything only requires one word - money!

If you have money, everything is easy to talk about, even if the entire CAA works for you, after all, their company relies on the commission for its survival.

"Oh, Paramount agreed to your request!"

“They participate in the final 15% of the dividends, but they are not responsible for the capital contribution!”

Richard shrugged and said, he saw the surprise on Chen Yu's face: "This is the first time we cooperate, I have tried my best to lower the price to the lowest. If it is lower, I may need to look for a few other companies, but it should not be lower than this number!"

"Paramount currently has no extra funds in its account to allocate to independent films!"

Richard explained, "They just acquired DreamWorks a few years ago, but the deal did not include DreamWorks Animation, the most profitable division of DreamWorks, because there was a problem with the funds!"

“But it still means a lot to this Paramount!”

"Since last year, they seem to have lost their way. Few of the films they produced were blockbuster-level, and the series of films were not outstanding. Spielberg brought a number of profitable projects to Paramount, the most eye-catching of which was Transformers!"

"So they have already focused their attention on this project. They are not optimistic about your proposal to jointly invest!"

Richard finished speaking in one breath, and Chen Yu nodded: "Okay, then let's do as we discussed at the beginning, but the funds may have to be received in batches. My company's current account has only 7000 million US dollars in liquid funds!"

"Some of it should come back before the New Year..."

"It's okay, we can take on a few endorsements, provided that -"

Richard smiled slightly, and Chen Yu understood what he meant - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.

"We can't rely on the results of something that hasn't happened yet, and we've set up a project based on 1 million yuan. I will raise the funds as soon as possible!"

"The Man from Shanghai" is Chen Yu's biggest ambition to gain a foothold in Hollywood.

If you want to succeed, you have to pay first.

An investment of 1 million US dollars is the maximum that Chen Yu can afford at the moment.

"OK, I wish our project a success!"

Richard suddenly took out a bottle of champagne from the wine cabinet in his office.

After opening it with a bang, the guy poured a glass for himself and Chen Yu.

The two of them clinked their glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

"Batman Begins is very successful, having grossed $3.5 million worldwide. Nolan's fame has soared, and Legendary has already started preparing for the sequel. We can start working on the plan you mentioned earlier!"

Richard put down the goblet and spoke to Chen Yu.

After the two finished talking about business, they started chatting. Before, when Chen Yu signed a cooperation agreement with CAA, he had proposed a project.

This is the character in the second film of Nolan's Batman series.

According to their analysis, the second film will definitely be about a story related to the Joker. In fact, not only Chen Yu, but many people in the industry and even the audience know this hot topic.

"clown?"

"Yes, clown!"

"Sure, arrange an audition for me, I want to get this role!"

Chen Yu is still very interested in this character because it is very challenging, especially for the actor's acting skills.

"Of course. Nolan is also a director we have been working with. He was able to get 'Batman Begins' thanks to CAA's packaging. Now the only party we need to convince is Warner Bros. Legendary is not responsible for the recruitment and selection of actors!"

DC, after all, is Warner’s first IP.

For its clown role, the selection of actors is of course very important.

When Warner approached CAA to find a team for the reboot of "Batman", CAA recommended Nolan, who had just made a name for himself in Hollywood.

This international director, who will become world-renowned for the Batman trilogy, "Interstellar" and "Inception", has just finished filming the first Batman movie, and before making this movie, he did not receive much attention in Hollywood.

It was this recommendation from CAA that made him successful.

Of course, Nolan is also very capable.

He invested only 6000 U.S. dollars in his first film, "Following", with his friends from the "16mm" club. He made his first fortune and won many awards.

Then he came to Hollywood, and after a few years, he finally got his first chance to direct a commercial film - "Day and Night"!
This movie was invested by Warner and grossed 1.15 million US dollars worldwide.

But even so, there are a lot of directors like him in Hollywood, and there are many directors competing with him for the big IP of Batman. CAA helped him get this project, which became a turning point in his life.

This is only the third film he has directed in his life.

But he still completed the class leap of director, but no one would have thought that Nolan would become one of the most successful commercial directors in the world in the future.

Even Richard now only thinks that Nolan will become a great director, and never thought about his future status and achievements in the film industry.

Only Chen Yu knows.

Nolan today is at most one of the many successful commercial film directors in Hollywood, and has not yet become the only one among the only ones. In other words, there are many people like him in Hollywood, at least more than 20, right?
He will only be among the top five in the world after he finishes the Batman trilogy.

After "Interstellar" and "Inception" were released, only truck driver Cameron could surpass him, and Spielberg had to stand aside.

So now Nolan does not have any power to decide on the actors.

The power lies only with Warner.

“Wait until the Golden Globe Awards are over!”

"Let's see the result, then I'll contact Warner to discuss this matter!"

Richard was talking there, and Chen Yu nodded: "Well, no hurry, Nolan's team probably hasn't written the script yet, right?"

This screenwriting team is still composed of CAA people!

(End of this chapter)