China Entertainment started in 2004

Chapter 407 Stone Sister

"What's the difference?" Chen Kaige said disdainfully, "Wong Ka Wai from Hong Kong went to Hollywood and adapted the short film he had made into a movie."

"The results of it?"

"He returned home in disgrace."

"It is undeniable that The Piano Tuner is a really good movie. If Wang Shu makes it again, it will not fail under normal circumstances."

"But what does this mean?"

"Just because a movie gets good box office results doesn't mean that subsequent movies will also get good box office results."

"You know, that's Hollywood, not China."

"Wang Shuyi is not an academic, and he has not lived abroad for a long time. He does not have enough foundation. How can he develop in Hollywood for a long time?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, he will soon be beaten to his original form and return home in disgrace."

"If Hollywood is really that easy for Chinese film directors like us, there wouldn't be so many directors who have failed over the years."

"I think Zhang Yimou is smart. If he hadn't gone to Hollywood, he wouldn't have returned to China in disgrace."

"As long as you don't return home in disgrace from Hollywood, your golden statue will remain intact."

"Zhang Yimou is a cunning man. In order to ensure that his reputation remains intact, he won't go to Hollywood."

"But even if he is so cunning, so what? As long as he doesn't win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, it's just that."

"Except for the Oscars in Hollywood, the Palme d'Or in Cannes is the most prestigious."

"Although Zhang Yimou won the Berlin and Venice Film Festival awards, as long as he doesn't win the Cannes Palme d'Or, it's just that."

"But then again, this guy is really a thief."

"Remember the director selection for the Olympics last year?"

"Originally, I was going to be the chief director of the Beijing Olympics, but this guy secretly prepared seven or eight pages of process paper to report on stage."

"If I hadn't been careless at the time, how could he have been the chief director of the Beijing Olympics?"

"Now, with the opening of the Beijing Olympics approaching, Zhang Yimou is in great glory."

"When the opening ceremony is broadcasted worldwide, this guy will definitely be even more glorious."

"Originally, these were all mine, but this guy was too cunning, too scheming, and too flattering."

"We are the top three directors in Europe after all. Even if the higher-ups want to select the chief director for the Olympics, do we really need to kowtow to them like that?"

"Like me, I didn't take it seriously and didn't prepare beforehand. I just went on stage and recited a poem."

"If the people above want to use it, they can use it. If not, forget it."

"After all, he is a director who has won three major awards in Europe. There is no need for him to kowtow to others like that. Instead, he should behave himself."

"Only in this way can we elevate the status of directors like us and give us more say in the industry instead of being controlled by those above us."

"You have to know that the higher-ups want to expand the mainland's commercial film market, and they need directors like us, not us."

"Under these circumstances, Zhang Yimou actually kowtowed like that. It really brought shame to us directors who have won three major awards in Europe."

"But it's not his fault. After all, he only won awards at the Berlin and Venice Film Festivals, but never the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival."

"If you don't have enough confidence, you will naturally need to lick my boots."

Chen Hong listened to Chen Kaige's long speech in silence.

Whenever she heard this, she couldn't help but recall what Chen Kaige once said to her while holding her hand.

When the two attended the event that year, the organizer sent a stretched luxury car to receive them.

Chen Kaige took her hand, walked to the front of the stretched luxury car, and said contentedly: "Madam, we will be upper-class people in the future."

Every time Chen Hong thought of this, she felt ashamed.

Isn't it just a ride in a stretched limousine? Does that make you a superior person?
Seeing that Chen Hong didn't say anything, Chen Kaige immediately said, "I heard that Wang Shu shot another movie in Hollywood, right? It seems to be an art film?"

Chen Hong couldn't help but say, "Yes."

"Haha." Chen Kaige sneered, "This Wang Shu wants to make an art film and win awards in Hollywood. He really doesn't know his own limitations."

"If it were that easy to win an Oscar, famous Hollywood directors wouldn't have been working so hard to gain experience."

"Ma'am, let me tell you, it's not that easy to win an Oscar."

“When Chinese-language film directors go to Hollywood, it’s not just their ability that counts, other aspects are also considered.”

"It's not that I look down on Wang Shu, but I'm sure he won't win an Oscar."

"It is undeniable that Chinese film directors can achieve good box office results by going to Hollywood to make commercial films."

“But art films are a different category. You can’t win awards just because you want to.”

"If Wang Shu wants to win an Oscar, he'll have to stay in Hollywood for at least 20 years."

"Moreover, you need to keep producing works during these 20 years instead of sitting on the bench."

"Only in this way can we possibly win the prize."

"Right now, it's 100 percent impossible."

When Chen Hong heard this, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you so sure?"

"Haha." Chen Kaige smiled and said, "This is not an affirmation, but a fact."

After saying that, he continued to talk long into Chen Hong's ear.

While they were talking about this, there was also a lot of discussion on the Internet.

"Fuck, has the 4-year-old director become the first director in our mainland to have a global box office of over $ million?"

Someone posted on the forum.

"What do you mean by an 18-year-old director? How about 22 years old?" someone replied.

"I can't believe it. There are directors from the mainland who can make a name for themselves in Hollywood. The global box office is $4 million, and it hasn't ended yet. I heard that the global box office may exceed $5 million. $5 million is 35 billion RMB." A netizen replied.

"What do you mean by 35 billion RMB? That's for a Hollywood movie, isn't it? The market for Chinese-language films shown in mainland China is completely different."

"Don't think that $5 million is a big deal. Wang Shu only managed to get 3 million at the box office when he returned to China."

"So it's not that Wang Shu is great, but that the market that Hollywood movies can reach is great."

Someone else responded to his opinion.

"What's the difference in the market? What's the difference between Chinese-language films and non-Chinese-language films? Let me tell you, Director Wang's film, which is expected to break $5 million worldwide, is the American version of The Piano Tuner. Whether it's the Chinese version of The Piano Tuner or the American version of The Piano Tuner, the script and direction are all written by Director Wang."

"This shows that the script written by Director Wang and his directing skills are capable of making a movie in Hollywood that is expected to make over 5 million yuan at the global box office."

"Looking across the country, who do you think can do this?"

"Don't talk about Li An."

"Not to mention that he is a director from Taiwan, the commercial films he directed have never been successful." "Do you know The Hulk?"

“It’s a big loss.”

Some people continued to reply.

"The Hulk" is a Marvel superhero movie produced by Universal Pictures in 2003 and directed by Li An.

The film cost $1.37 million and grossed just $2.4 million worldwide.

Universal Pictures suffered a lot of losses this time.

If Li An had not later made "Brokeback Mountain" and won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, and then won the Academy Award for Best Director.

This time, all of them will be in vain.

However, the huge failure of "The Incredible Hulk" also showed the outside world that Li An is not good at making commercial films.

Since then, he has not made any commercial films and has been working in the field of art films.

"What the above person said is right. Even though Wang Shu is not from an academic background and is only 22 years old, he is indeed the first film director in our country to make a single film that grossed over $4 million worldwide."

"You may say this movie is a Hollywood movie, but I would say that even if it is a Hollywood movie, Wang Shu is still the first Chinese film director to go to Hollywood and make a single film that grossed over $4 million."

“So, no matter what, this is true.”

Netizens replied.

"We are both 22 years old, both have no education, I am a plasterer at a construction site, but Director Wang has become the first director in our country to make a single film worth $4 million. Is this my problem or Director Wang's problem?"

Some netizens were witty.

"The guy above me, I'm also 22 years old, but I'm not doing the plastering at the construction site, I'm playing games in the internet cafe, haha."

A netizen replied.

In addition to these similar posts that have attracted a lot of discussion, there is another post that is also very popular.

"Excuse me, why is it that Director Wang won the Best Director Award at the Venice Film Festival, is the first director in mainland China to have a single film gross over 3 million yuan, and made a movie in Hollywood that grossed over 4 million US dollars worldwide, but there are still many people who don't recognize him?"

"It is necessary to remind you that when it comes to art film awards, there are only a handful of directors in our country who have more awards than Director Wang."

"When it comes to commercial film box office, no one in our country can compare to Director Wang."

"Fuck, it seems to be true when you put it that way. I suddenly realized that no matter how great the reputation of Director Wang is or how high the box office of the movie is, there will always be a bunch of people on the Internet who are sneering and mocking."

A netizen replied.

"Can't you see such a simple truth? You know that Director Wang has no academic qualifications, right? A director without academic qualifications has achieved such impressive results. How can those educated people put their faces?"

"Put yourself in his shoes. Many educated people on the Internet automatically bring up the academic school in the entertainment industry. Aren't they just trying to belittle Director Wang?"

"Because as long as we belittle Director Wang, we won't be able to hit them in the face in disguise."

"And as long as Director Wang gets the upper hand, they will get angry and humiliated."

“In short, the uneducated trash should stay in the trash can instead of stealing their limelight.”

"If you just think about these words, you will understand why."

A netizen replied.

"Haha, it's true. No matter what achievements Director Wang has made, there are many people on the Internet who look down on him," the netizen replied.

"I can only say that Director Wang was 100% right to choose Hollywood. Just look at the attitudes of those haters on the Internet, not to mention the faces of those people in the industry."

"As long as Director Wang wins an Oscar in Hollywood, he can shut these people up."

Netizens replied.

"Yes, going to Hollywood is the right choice."

Netizens replied.

"Haha, isn't it just that he made a good movie in Hollywood by relying on his old capital? Seeing you guys partying, people who don't know the truth would think Wang Shu is so great. I can tell you guys directly that Wang Shu will definitely return to China in disgrace by the end of this year."

In addition to the heated discussions on the Internet, people in the entertainment circles across both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong and Macau also talked about Wang Shu before and after meals.

Sun Li and Deng Chao were chatting, Zhou Xun and Chen Kun were chatting, Fan Binbin and Mu Xiaoguang were chatting, Li Binbin and Mr. Wang and Mr. Wang, Liu Yifei, Wang Jinfei, Han Sanping and others were all chatting about Wang Shu.

"The Piano Tuner" is expected to break 5 million U.S. dollars at the global box office, or 35 billion yuan.

This number is so staggering that it has to be mentioned.

Far away in North America, the filming of "The Wolf of Wall Street" is nearing completion.

As he is rushing to attend the Academy Awards early next year, Matt Damon, the male lead and producer, is more active than anyone else and has started looking for people to complete the preparatory work for the filming early on.

Therefore, not long after the American version of "The Piano Tuner" was released, "The Wolf of Wall Street" started filming smoothly.

Although the Hollywood script system adheres to the work system of starting work and leaving get off work on time, you cannot work overtime at will.

But Wang Shu has the ability to shorten the filming period of The Wolf of Wall Street.

After more than a month of shooting, the film is almost complete.

"Shu, I have a party with friends tonight. Can I invite you to come with me?" Emma Stone came close to Wang Shu and shouted with expectant eyes.

She is not the heroine of "The Wolf of Wall Street", but the second female lead with fewer roles, that is, the first wife of the male protagonist.

Wang Shu did not cast her in The Wolf of Wall Street, and he did not know how she got the role.

As a director who had no casting rights, he didn't ask any further questions.

Anyway, no matter who it is, he has to accept it.

At this stage, Stone has not yet played the leading role in "The Amazing Spider-Man" and has not won the second Academy Award for Best Actress.

Now, she is still popping up in some youth-themed movies, and she will mostly appear in such movies in the next few years.

It wasn't until the appearance of the movie "The Amazing Spider-Man" that she became famous for her role as the heroine Gwen.

"Okay." Wang Shu knew that although Sister Shitou was not very good now, she would be a movie queen in the future.

I just wonder if he had released "La La Land" ahead of time and not asked Stone to star in it, would she still be the best actress?

I thought that La La Land would definitely be released in the future, but when it was released, Stone's acting skills would not be enough to support it, so it would be impossible to choose her as the heroine.

It would have been fine if I hadn’t met Sister Stone, but now that I’ve met her, I feel quite guilty.

After all, according to the original timeline, Stone became famous with "The Amazing Spider-Man", and then she got the offer to act in "La La Land", and "Poor Thing" came after "La La Land".

Although "Poor Thing" was not good, it really helped Emma Stone win her second Oscar for Best Actress.

Now, Wang Shu is determined to release "La La Land", and Stone's fate will definitely change.

Very likely. Forget about winning the Best Actress award for the second time. If you are unlucky, you won't even get the chance to win one.

Of course, if Wang Shu supports her, she still has a chance to win the Oscar for Best Actress.

(End of this chapter)