Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 360 Blake Lively
Of course, Zhang Chen did not have any bad taste in accepting Yu Zheng, but simply because he had no one else to use.

Although Yu Zheng is a very controversial person, there are all kinds of negative comments about him being shameless, plagiarizing, and gossiping.

But it is undeniable that he made a name for himself in later generations.

The ability is definitely there.

The project of "Startling by Each Step" was launched very early.

But Yu Zheng's follow-up film "Palace" was completed earlier and released earlier, so he got the first bang for his buck.

It’s no use for Cai Yinong to get angry, this is the entertainment industry.

If you are thick-skinned, you can eat the meat; if you are thin-skinned, you can't eat it.

But it also shows that Yu Zheng has strong execution ability.

If Zhang Chen released such a person, he would be creating a competitor for himself, so it would be better for him to keep him for his own use.

Of course, preventive measures must also be taken.

Yu Zheng even dared to copy Qiong Yao's plots, which shows how bold he is.

He still refused to apologize even when being sued by Aunt Qiong Yao, which shows how shameless he is.

Zhang Chen was also afraid that he would steal all his good projects, so if he wanted to use him he had to be on guard against him.

In Zhang Chen’s company, all members of the screenwriter team must sign non-compete agreements and confidentiality agreements. Along with the huge bonuses, they also receive huge compensation.

If you dare to reveal any of Star Entertainment's projects, you'll be sued and bankrupt.

Zhang Chen still used the carrot and stick approach, intimidating people while giving them enough bonuses. Unless they were born rebellious, it would be difficult for most people to have the idea of ​​betraying.

Zhang Chen has high expectations for Yu Zheng.

The TV drama segment of Xingchen Entertainment has always been a weak point. Zhang Chen knows good projects, but has no one to execute them. Yu Zheng may be able to help him fill this gap.

If he can really do it, Zhang Chen will not hesitate to give him shares and help him become a big boss.

……

In the early morning, there was a knock on the door from Zhang's mother: "Xiaochen, it's time to get up. Have a meal and catch the plane later~"

Zhang Chen was awakened, opened his eyes, answered, then picked up his mobile phone to check the time, then forced himself to get up and wash.

Going downstairs, the hot mutton soup was ready, with chopped green onions and coriander on the side.

The mutton soup is made by Zhang's father himself, with solid ingredients. Both he and his son are carnivores and love meat.

Father Zhang was already eating, while Mother Zhang was drinking porridge because she couldn't stand the mutton smell.

Zhang Chen sprinkled some chopped green onions, and the special aroma of the mixture of chopped green onions and mutton soup spread, refreshing the heart.

Of course, Zhang's mother felt nauseous when she smelled it.

Zhang Chen put his mouth close to it and was about to drink it when he got scalded.

Zhang's father was laughing beside him, but Zhang Chen dodged him with a grin and obediently picked up the vermicelli with chopsticks and blew on it.

I don’t know how many times people from other places have complained about the fact that vermicelli is contained in the mutton soup in the coal-fired province, but it’s actually not bad.

His cell phone rang, and the car to take him to the airport arrived.

There was still enough time, so Zhang Chen ate slowly, but he couldn't eat fast.

"Is your company closed for the holiday?"

"Well, it starts today. After driver Xiao Zhang drops me off, I'll be on holiday too."

Zhang's father nodded, and Zhang's mother asked, "How many days will you be gone this time?"

"Two or three days, I'll fly back after I finish my work over there, and then we'll go back home together~"

As the year was coming to an end, he didn't want to travel back and forth, but there were too many things to do over there.

He wants to go and take a look at the post-production of "A Quiet Place", and the casting for his own company's "Don't Breathe" has been basically finalized, so he needs to go and take a look at the candidates.

Ten hours later, Zhang Chen landed in Los Angeles.

As usual, it was Diane who came to pick him up.

Diane was in high spirits at this time.

From a distance, he saw Diane wearing sunglasses: "Dear boss, you are finally back..."

Diane came up to him and gave him a hug. Zhang Chen felt like there was something between them.

People feel refreshed when good things happen to them. Since Diane became the CEO of Cube Company, she has become a completely different person, even her bust size has increased a lot.

Zhang Chen hugged her lightly and was bounced away. A staff member nearby helped Zhang Chen take the luggage.

"It seems like you got into the role quickly~"

"Of course, I am full of fighting spirit now~"

Diane led the way and the group walked towards the parking lot. Along the way, Diane introduced the company's situation to Zhang Chen.

"The rough cut of A Quiet Place has been released. New Line Entertainment thought it was very good after watching it. They think it can take at least 4000 million at the box office. But they said that if the lead actor was not Asian, the box office might be even better..." Zhang Chen sneered: "What arrogant bastards~"

Fan Binbin has already gained some fame in North America. "Eden Lake" and "The Shallows" made her a familiar face in North America. I dare not say how famous she is now, but at least in the horror film circle, some people remember her.

"Yeah, they are a bunch of bastards."

Diane's stance is very positive, she stands on the side of her boss without thinking.

He knew his boss had been working to bring Asian actors to the North American market.

“Post-production is in progress, and our Cube is responsible for about 30% of the special effects work~”

Diane spoke easily, and you could tell she was in a good mood.

"We made this part ourselves, is that okay?"

What Zhang Chen feared most was that Cube had never taken on similar special effects production before, and if it failed to handle it, it would ruin its reputation.

Diane puffed out her chest confidently: "No problem. In fact, I was just about to tell you that I think there is a lot of room for development in special effects, but we don't have enough manpower. We can barely handle this job now, but we can't handle anything bigger. Boss, if we have enough funds, I suggest we take over the previous Activision company..."

Diane's eyes were full of expectation when she said this. Zhang Chen knew that special effects made money. The next ten years would be an era of explosive growth for special effects, and special effects would be very profitable.

"But didn't you say before that Activision was not short of money?"

Activision Special Effects Company, he remembered this company, which was founded by several young people and even had its own patents.

At that time, Zhang Chen was also very interested in this company, but the Cube was more cost-effective.

"They were not short of money at the time, but now they are. Two of the five founders want to cash out their shares and they came to me specifically a few days ago..."

"How much are they asking?"

"200 million US dollars, the combined shares held by the two of them account for more than 51%..."

Zhang Chen didn't say anything, and Diane immediately started to raise the price: "Boss, if you are interested, I think I can reduce the price a little more. Besides, we have the controlling rights, and after we get the shares, we can immediately reorganize with the special effects department of the Cube..."

Zhang Chen was somewhat tempted, but did not make a decision immediately. He had recently spent a lot of money purchasing copyrights and had also produced two movies. He had spent a lot of money but had not seen any income yet.

Seeing that Zhang Chen didn't say anything, Dai An tactfully didn't continue the topic and instead started talking about the weather.

When we arrived at the parking lot, this time it was not a Cadillac, but an Audi.

"Or rent it?"

"Well, but after our movie is released, we will have our own car~" Diane seemed full of confidence.

Zhang Chen likes her as an all-round female warrior.

The driver first opened the car door and helped Zhang Chen get in, then Dai An, and finally got in after putting the suitcase in the trunk.

The car started slowly and drove steadily towards the company. On the way, Diane talked about "Hold Your Breath".

"I have almost chosen the candidates according to your requirements. The director has found Federico Alvarez according to your instructions. He is currently a new director and has not produced many works, only two short films. However, after watching the short films, I think his directing skills are quite good..."

As a former producer, Diane still has some basic vision and can tell the level of a director.

Zhang Chen nodded. Federico Alvarez was the director of the original film "Hold Your Breath". This film was a standard low-budget thriller. The scene was set in a house. It could be said to be extremely simple. It was no exaggeration to say that any director who was not too bad could make a good film...

The only reason I went to Federico Alvarez was to buy insurance.

"This is the information of the relevant actors..."

As she spoke, Diane handed a folder to Zhang Chen. Zhang Chen opened it and took a look. There were actually only two main characters, the blind old soldier and the female thief. The rest of the thieves' accomplices and the kidnapped woman were all minor characters. With the reserve of actors in Hollywood, any actor could play the role well.

Zhang Chen focused on the male and female protagonists.

The blind old soldier is the absolute protagonist of this drama. As long as he performs well, the movie will be 80% successful. The role of the female thief is more to set off the blind old soldier, but there are also quite a few shots.

Zhang Chen picked up the first piece of information - Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Many people may not know who this name is when they see it. Let me put it another way, Negan, the most charismatic villain in "The Walking Dead", is the one who beat Glenn to death with a baseball bat.

Now you should remember who it is.

Seeing that it was this guy, Zhang Chen couldn't help but take another look at Diane, and at the same time, he felt more recognized for her abilities.

Diane thought Zhang Chen didn't know Morgan, so she explained, "You may not know this actor very well, but he has actually appeared in many movies, but mostly feature films. This year he also starred in "Supernatural" and "Grace's Anatomy", and he is quite well-known. I think he is very suitable for the role of a blind veteran, but he is a little expensive..."

"How much is his salary?"

“Three hundred thousand dollars, the most expensive among all the actors, but he is also the most experienced, so I think he is worth it.

Director Alvarez's director's salary is 15 US dollars, and the female lead's salary is . By the way, the female lead is not a complete newcomer, she has worked in a movie before, and she was actually the female lead I originally chose for "Eden Lake"..."

Zhang Chen seemed to remember something and continued to flip through the information. Sure enough, the name of the actress listed at the back of the female lead's information was Blake Lively.

When the project of "Eden Lake" was first launched, his first choice was Zhang Yimou, but the deal was not finalized for a long time, so Diane recommended Blake Lively.

Finally, Fan Binbin was chosen.

I didn't expect to end up here again after so many twists and turns.

(End of this chapter)