Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 694 New Year's Film Season

As soon as Lu Yang received the project approval for "Lost and Found," he rushed into Wen Muye's office with the document still smelling of ink.

Wen Muye, in his early twenties, was staring blankly at a stack of missing person documents when he looked up and saw Lu Yang's hurried appearance. His fingertips were still trembling slightly: "Senior brother, what's going on?"

Lu Yang slammed the approval document on the table: "The project is approved!"

"You really filmed it?"

"Of course! Otherwise, why would I have come all this way to tell you the good news?"

The "Lost and Found" project had already passed smoothly within the company. The only uncertainty was censorship, as the subject matter was special and prone to crossing the line.

Lu Yang pulled up a chair and sat down: "Hurry up and pack your things. We're flying to Hong Kong this afternoon to see Tony."

Tony is Liang Jiahui.

Wen Muye stood up abruptly, causing the coffee cup on the table to wobble: "Go now? I'm not ready yet..."

He frantically flipped through the notebook on the table: "I've only written half of the analysis on the character, and there's also the interview outline for the real-life inspiration, Guo Gangtang..."

"Don't worry, I'm here."

Lu Yang patted him on the shoulder: "Tony isn't the kind of person to put on airs. He'll definitely want to talk to you about your understanding of the character. If you, as a director, are less knowledgeable than him when he first read the script, he definitely won't take the role..."

At four o'clock in the afternoon, in a high-rise apartment building in Central, Hong Kong, Tony Leung Ka-fai, wearing a simple cotton shirt, held the script of "Lost and Love" in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed.

He seemed oblivious to the shimmering Victoria Harbour outside the window, his fingers repeatedly tracing the words "Guo Gangtang's Fifteen Years of Searching for His Son."

"Tony."

Lu Yang and Wen Muye sat on the sofa next to them, as if they were waiting for judgment.

Wen Muye nervously gripped the hem of his clothes. It wasn't the first time he had met Liang Jiahui, but the aura that the other man exuded over many years made him feel somewhat uneasy.

Tony Leung raised his head, a gentle smile on his face, and stood up to shake hands with them: "Ah Yang, this must be Director Wen, right? You're young and promising."

"Hello, Teacher Liang, this is Wen Muye." Wen Muye's voice was a little tense: "What do you think of the script?"

"Just finished watching it."

Tony Leung placed the script on the coffee table, his tone revealing undisguised surprise: "This is actually a true story? Fifteen years, riding a motorcycle across most of China, that kind of perseverance... it's truly remarkable."

He looked at Wen Muye, his eyes full of seriousness: "Director Wen, what message do you want to convey through this story?"

Wen Muye took a deep breath, his tension dissipating somewhat, and began to explain his thoughts: "I want to talk about the 'search' itself. It's not just about Guo Gangtang searching for his son, but also about the people he meets on his search for relatives; they are all searching for their own hope. I don't want to deliberately be sentimental; I just want to film the most authentic state so that the audience can see the struggles and perseverance of these parents searching for their relatives."

Tony Leung Ka-fai nodded in agreement, saying, "Truth is the most powerful thing. 'Lost and Love' is a good script, I'll take it."

Lu Yang watched from the side, feeling a little relieved, but he still had to say what needed to be said.

He cleared his throat, his tone hesitant: "Tony, there's something... I have to be honest with you. The pay for this film probably won't be very high; it's a realistic subject, so the budget is indeed limited."

Tony Leung paused, his hand holding the teacup still, and looked at Lu Yang.

Wen Muye's heart leaped into his throat. He knew Tony Leung's status; he was on par with Jackie Chan. In Hollywood, his salary was in the tens of millions of dollars, and even a cameo role in China would cost tens of millions. As for himself...

"Director Zhang provided a solution."

Lu Yang's voice lowered even further: "The base salary is 100 million. If the film is profitable, the company will distribute 50% of the profits to all the cast and crew. As you know, the box office performance of this type of film is too uncertain, so we..."

"None of this matters."

Tony Leung put down his teacup and waved his hand to interrupt him.

Lu Yang and Wen Muye were both stunned, thinking they had misheard.

"Tony, you..."

Lu Yang wanted to say something more, but Tony Leung looked at him seriously and said, "Yang, after so many years of acting, money is no longer the most important thing to me."

The important thing is whether the story has meaning and whether the characters have soul. This Guo Gangtang has a kind of tenacity, and I want to portray him well.

Wen Muye's eyes welled up with tears, and he was too excited to speak.

He originally thought it would take a lot of effort to persuade the other party, and was even prepared to be rejected, but he did not expect Tony Leung to be so straightforward.

"However, I have a request."

As soon as Tony Leung changed the subject, Wen Muye immediately perked up his ears.

"I will be involved in the entire process of collecting information. I need to interview the real-life figures, visit the family-finding websites, and even go to see the motorcycle riding routes. Otherwise, I won't be able to write the biography."

"Biography?"

Wen Muye was somewhat surprised, though he certainly knew what a biographical sketch was.

Writing character biographies can help actors quickly get into character. Many older generation actors had the habit of writing character biographies, but nowadays very few actors can still persist in writing them, especially big names like Tony Leung Ka-fai.

"Correct."

Tony Leung nodded: "Every character has their own past and habits. Guo Gangtang has been riding motorcycles for fifteen years, so his hands must have calluses, his posture will be different from ordinary people, and even his tone of voice will carry the vicissitudes of wind and rain. These details are not imagined out of thin air, but have to be found in the materials and dug out from life."

Lu Yang laughed and said, "I knew you were so serious about the role, Tony. No problem, the data collection team is all set up, we can start tomorrow."

After leaving Leung Ka-fai's house, Wen Muye let out a long sigh of relief; the back of his clothes was soaked with sweat.

"Brother Lu, thank you so much. I was so nervous that my heart was about to jump out of my chest."

He said somewhat embarrassedly, "I was always worried that I was too inexperienced to handle these big names, but I didn't expect Mr. Liang Jiahui to be so approachable."

"That's just how Tony is. He's serious about art, but very easygoing with people."

Lu Yang patted him on the shoulder: "Don't underestimate yourself. The fact that your script moved him means your story has power. By the way, I will be the nominal producer of this film."

"You're a producer?" Wen Muye looked at him in surprise. "But don't you already have the 'Hurricane 3' project on hand?"

"It's alright, that's how Senior Brother Zhang Chen taught me back then."

Lu Yang said with emotion, "When I first became a director, I was even less experienced than you, and my senior brother personally took on the role of producer, shielding me from a lot of trouble. This is what inheritance is all about. We filmmakers have to help each other. He helped me back then, and I'm helping you today. One day, you'll be helping others..."

Lu Yang patted him on the shoulder again: "With me here, you don't need to worry about those trivial matters on set. Just focus on making the story well."

Wen Muye's eyes reddened, and he nodded vigorously: "Senior brother, I will definitely not let you down."

Preparations are proceeding smoothly.

Tony Leung Ka-fai kept his word and worked tirelessly with the data collection team every day.

They went to Guo Gangtang's hometown, Liaocheng, Shandong, visited the dilapidated bungalow where he used to live, and listened to his neighbors talk about his life before he searched for his son.

They went to a volunteer association for finding missing children, chatted with other parents who were also searching for their children, and recorded their joys and sorrows.

Tony Leung Ka-fai even learned to ride a motorcycle and practiced with the team in the suburbs every day, never complaining even when blisters formed on his hands.

Half a month later, the day finally arrived to meet Guo Gangtang.

When the tall and thin Guo Gangtang walked into a teahouse in Jinan, everyone fell silent.

He wore a faded jacket, his face was weathered, and his eyes showed a hint of weariness, but even more so, an indomitable tenacity.

“Brother Guo, hello, I’m Wen Muye, the director of ‘Lost and Found’.” Wen Muye stood up first and extended his hand.

Guo Gangtang grasped his hand, his voice a little hoarse: "Thank you for still thinking of me. So many years have passed, I thought no one would care about us who are searching for our relatives."

Tony Leung Ka-fai stood up, walked to Guo Gangtang, and bowed deeply: "Brother Guo, it is my honor to play you. I am also a father, and I have two daughters. I can understand your pain of losing your child, and I can also understand your feelings of not giving up for fifteen years."

Guo Gangtang looked at Tony Leung Ka-fai, and his eyes instantly reddened.

He had met too many people in his life—some sympathetic, some indifferent, some even questioning his self-promotion—but no one had ever solemnly told him he was "honored." Fifteen years of pent-up emotions erupted at that moment; he covered his face, tears streaming through his fingers.

"Thank you... thank you."

Guo Gangtang choked up as he said, "I don't ask for anything else, I just want to use this film to let more people know how difficult it is to find relatives, and to let those abducted children return to their parents as soon as possible."

Tony Leung patted him on the shoulder and said firmly, "Brother Guo, don't worry, I will do my best to tell your story well and pass on your perseverance to more people."

Sunlight streamed through the windows of the teahouse, illuminating several people.

...Then on December 4th, "The Orphan of Zhao" was released, kicking off the Lunar New Year film season.

Then, on December 10, Inception was released.

A week later, "Let the Bullets Fly" was released, and another week later, "If You Are the One 2" was released.

The Lunar New Year film season is called the "Lunar New Year film season" not only because it is close to the Spring Festival, but also because it always creates box office miracles.

Data shows that the combined box office revenue from the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival film seasons often accounts for one-third of the total annual box office revenue.

With such a "golden track," it's no wonder that all the big-budget films are rushing to be released, even at the cost of fierce box office competition.

Throughout December, the film industry's attention was focused on these four blockbusters, and they dominated almost all media resources.

The names of these four films were featured on newspaper entertainment headlines, television variety show promotions, outdoor advertising screens, and even in street conversations.

The directors tirelessly traveled to major cities across the country for promotional tours, cheering on the film.

In this promotional battle, the poetry prodigy seemed to be working exceptionally hard, but also appeared somewhat awkward.

His previous film, "Mei Lanfang," which he claimed was to rival the classic "Farewell My Concubine," ultimately failed to break 100 million yuan at the box office. This result inevitably made him less confident when talking about his "box office appeal."

In contrast, Xiao Gangpao is full of confidence. His previous film, "If You Are the One," was the first movie in his career to gross over 300 million yuan. Regarding the sequel, Xiao Gangpao said frankly, "It should be better than the previous film no matter what." This confidence has also inspired many viewers.

Inception maintained its popularity thanks to the original cast and crew of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, becoming a hot topic among viewers.

Star Entertainment adopted a similar strategy to Original Space in promoting "Inception," mainly emphasizing its mystery and profoundness.

Did the spinning top eventually stop?
Did Cobb eventually return to the real world or remain in the dream world?

In short, they used all sorts of tricks to package "Inception" as a mind-bending film.

As for "Let the Bullets Fly," it was also quite popular.

Behind "Let the Bullets Fly," there is an interesting anecdote about Jiang Wen: Before this, although Jiang Wen's works had an outstanding reputation, their market performance was not satisfactory, and there was even a saying that "every film he made lost money."

It is said that when an investor visited Jiang Wen's film set for the first time, he was treated with great fanfare—a Mercedes-Benz convoy led the way, and security guards surrounded him.

But when he came to the set for the last time after filming was finished, he was the only one there, and he took a taxi. The contrast was so stark that it was both funny and sad, and it also proved how expensive it was for Jiang Wen to make this movie.

Just as the four blockbusters were locked in fierce competition, Mission: Impossible 4 officially ended its run in the mainland market after two months, accumulating a total box office of 9.8 million yuan, almost breaking the 10 billion yuan mark and becoming the highest-grossing film of the year. As for whether any film in the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival seasons can surpass it, that remains to be seen.

Its performance in North America was equally impressive, topping the box office for three consecutive weeks with $3.1 million in box office revenue, and its global box office revenue exceeded $6 million, once again proving Tom Cruise's box office appeal.

Paramount was excited to hold a celebration party, but unfortunately, all the main creators were busy promoting "Inception," which was also an agreement between Paramount and Warner Bros., so the celebration party had to be postponed.

December is the end of the year, and many companies will hold year-end summaries and performance reviews, and film and television companies are no exception.

Golden Harvest Pictures was the first to announce its 2011 film slate, with "Project Eagle 3: Chinese Zodiac" at the top of the list.

Directed by Zhang Chen, starring Cheng Long.

This is a sequel to Jackie Chan's "Project Condor" series, continuing the adventure action style, and also the second collaboration between Jackie Chan and Jackie Chan.

Fans remember that the last time the two collaborated was on the masterpiece "2012", which became the highest-grossing Chinese film in history.

Fans are eagerly anticipating this collaboration on "Project Eagle 3".

Golden Harvest's second film announcement is "Nobody's in My Eyes," a new work focusing on the martial arts genre.

People are still wondering why Golden Harvest is still stubbornly making martial arts films, given that martial arts films have been declining in the last two years and look at how badly "Reign of Assassins" flopped.

Then someone discovered Zhang Chen's name on the behind-the-scenes list.

With Zhang Chen personally writing the script and Chen Xi revealing at the opportune moment that "Arrogant" is the opening work of Golden Harvest's martial arts universe, the crowd immediately erupted in excitement.

Another cinematic universe?
In recent years, the concept of a cinematic universe has been heavily promoted in the West, mainly by Marvel.

However, people were surprised to find that when it comes to cinematic universes, China is number one.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe's first film, Iron Man, was released in 2008, but the Secret Service's Taken, was released in 2006.

Furthermore, Zhang Chen has developed the Mech Monster Universe. When it comes to cinematic universes, Hollywood has to call Zhang Chen "dad."

Following Golden Harvest's announcement of its New Year film slate, Star Entertainment also released its own blockbuster film slate for 2011.

Star Entertainment's latest film slate only includes two titles:
One is "Lost and Found," directed by Wen Muye and starring Liang Jiahui.

Another film is "Taken 3", directed by Lu Yang, with a star-studded cast including Liang Jiahui, Chen Daoming, Zhang Jin, and international superstar Angelina Jolie.

As soon as the news broke, fans of the Hurricane series cheered.

"Angelina Jolie really is in it!"

"They weren't lying, they really are collaborating with Mission: Impossible!"

"The Syndicate will be the villains in Hurricane 3!"

A heated discussion about "Hurricane 3" quickly erupted online. "Pacific Rim" fans were heartbroken, as they had hoped to see "Pacific Rim 3" in 11, but it seems that this is impossible.

However, fans of "Taken" are happy. In the past two years, the "Taken" series has maintained a stable pace of "one main film and one spin-off film", releasing one film a year, allowing the audience to watch to their heart's content.

Hurricane 3 was a big hit, and then people became curious about another film, Lost and Love.

"The lead actor is a powerful actor like Leung Ka-fai, but I've never heard of the director, Wen Muye. What kind of mysterious new work is this?"

Faced with questions from the outside world, Zhang Chen simply stepped in personally to explain in detail:
"Lost and Love" focuses on the theme of "anti-trafficking" and is adapted from a real child abduction case. Tony Leung Ka-fai plays the father who is searching for his abducted son. In order to better interpret the role, Leung Ka-fai immersed himself in the life of the real person three months in advance.

At the same time, Zhang Chen also launched the "Weibo Anti-Trafficking" public welfare campaign on Weibo, calling on netizens to pay attention to the issue of child trafficking.

Zhang Chen's move quickly triggered a chain reaction, with many celebrities forwarding and supporting it. The topic of "anti-trafficking on Weibo" soon topped the trending search list, causing a huge public outcry.

This left other film companies in the Lunar New Year film season feeling both envious and helpless: "The media resources during the Lunar New Year film season are already tight enough, and Zhang Chen jumping out at this time to do charity work and promote his new film is simply stealing the spotlight!"

However, given Star Entertainment's strength and the positive nature of their charitable activities, they could only worry in silence.

This wave of "anti-trafficking on Weibo" quickly spread and soon became a hot topic of national interest, with several people discussing it.

Chen Kexin happened to see this scene.

After learning the whole story, Chen Kexin suddenly had an epiphany and turned to discuss it with his wife, Sandra Ng: "What do you think about us making a movie on a similar theme? The topic of human trafficking is both socially significant and currently trending, so it's sure to make money."

Sandra Ng poured cold water on the situation, saying, "Have you forgotten how 'Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame' died? Zhang Chen was able to suppress even such a blockbuster. Do you want to be blacklisted for the same subject matter as him?"

Sandra Ng's reminder was clearly something Lili was thinking; the National Day holiday had only just ended.
Golden Harvest boycotted "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame," causing the 100 million yuan investment film to flop. Even with Liu Yifei and Li Binbin's support, it was useless, and Huayi Brothers' stock shrank by more than 50%.

This battle also made Hong Kong people see Zhang Chen's strength. He was no longer just a director, but a "real big shot" with absolute power in the film and television industry, whose word could decide the life or death of a film.

But Peter Chan has a deep passion for the subject of child trafficking, saying, "Wife, I think this subject has great potential..."

Seeing her husband's firm attitude, Sandra Ng had no choice but to relent: "Alright, alright, I'll ask Sister Mani. She's familiar with Zhang Chen, so I'll have her sound out what she thinks."

The "Sister Mani" mentioned by Sandra Ng is none other than Mani Fok, the second-in-command of Eagle King Entertainment, who has a long-standing working relationship with Zhang Chen.

Huo Wenxi quickly dialed Zhang Chen's number and got straight to the point: "Director Zhang, Ke Xin recently saw your 'anti-trafficking' campaign on Weibo and was moved by it. He also wants to make a movie on the topic of anti-trafficking."

Knowing that you're already preparing for "Lost and Found," and worried about potential misunderstandings due to similar themes, I specifically asked to ask for your opinion.

Zhang Chen was taken aback. In the original timeline, there was indeed a controversy over the "theme overlap" between "Lost and Found" and Peter Chan's "Dearest".

In an interview with Phoenix Entertainment, Peng Sanyuan, the original director of "Lost and Love", mentioned that Huayi Brothers was a little worried because it was her first time directing. When preparing for "Lost and Love", Xiao Wang, the general manager of Huayi Brothers, discussed with her about hiring a producer. She then suggested two candidates: Chen Guofu and Peter Chan.

Later, they gave the script for "Lost and Love" to Peter Chan, but he said he couldn't come. But to Peng Sanyuan's surprise, after refusing to produce "Lost and Love," Peter Chan started filming "Dearest," a film on the same subject, and "Dearest" was released before "Lost and Love."

Zhang Chen could have refused, but he felt it was unnecessary, so he generously stated: "Promoting anti-trafficking is a good thing. The more works that focus on this issue, the more people will pay attention to child safety. I wholeheartedly support it. There's no question of overlapping themes. Everyone should make their own films; it's healthy competition."

Originally empty, Chen Kexin disregards martial ethics and rushes to release the film first to grab attention.

But in this life, Zhang Chen didn't believe he would dare to do that again.

If he dares to resort to underhanded tactics, Zhang Chen will blacklist him.

If it's fair competition, Star Entertainment isn't afraid of anyone.

(End of this chapter)