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Chapter 232 Stealing the script?
Cheng Long’s current situation is a bit delicate.

On the one hand, his former employer Golden Harvest has not been doing well in the past two years and is burdened with debt, so the support it can provide him is not as strong as before.

On the other hand, since the movie "Rumble in the Bronx" starring him entered the North American market in 95 and achieved a box office of more than million US dollars in North America, his personal career has reached a new level.

In the following years, the Hong Kong films he starred in, such as "Police Stories 4: Simple Task" and "A Good Man", frequently won the annual box office championship in Hong Kong, but their box office in North America was not as good as "Rumble in the Bronx".

In 98, he went to the United States to star in "Rush Hour", which earned million US dollars in North America, ranking seventh in the North American annual box office.

This movie put him on the cover of Time magazine and established him as a top action actor in Hollywood.

But last year's "Who Am I" did not do well at the North American box office, and the global total box office was 8000 million, which is also amazing, but it is far behind "Rush Hour".

"Rush Hour" grossed 140 million US dollars in North America alone, and "Who Am I" grossed 80 million RMB. How can this be compared?
Therefore, he is now very cautious in choosing new movies.

Eager to consolidate his position as a top Hollywood action actor.

He was not very interested in the script handed over by his old agency Golden Harvest.

If he hadn't heard that this script was written by Zhongyuan Yidianhui, he wouldn't have bothered to read it.

He had an impression of Zhongyuan Yidianhui.

He had read the script of "A Man's Martial Arts" before and liked it very much. However, he did not grab the script because the role of the male protagonist Xiahou Wu was not as outstanding as Feng Yuxiu, and it was a pure Hong Kong film.

But since then, he has been impressed by the name Zhongyuan Yidianhui.

I became a little interested in the script of "Ong Bak".

But I am only slightly interested in the script itself, and I don't think it is suitable for me to act in.

He has no interest in pure Hong Kong films anymore.

I just want to make a co-production.

Because only co-productions can open up the North American box office market.

As long as a movie can open up the North American market, the total box office of the movie can differ by more than ten times.

but……

As the plot of Ong Bak unfolded before his eyes, he was soon surprised because he found that the protagonist of Ong Bak actually went to Chinatown in the United States. He went to Chinatown in the United States not long after the story began? Is this going to unfold in the United States?

This is the way of co-production!
His eyes lit up.

There is a characteristic of Cao Sheng's scripts, perhaps because he is a novelist, but his scripts have strong storytelling and emotional expression.

Unlike some scripts written by professional screenwriters, which are cold and seem like playing with building blocks, actors need to study them carefully to appreciate the charm of the story.

Cao Sheng's script has a strong novel flavor.

Reading his scripts, it is easy to feel the emotions of the characters in the story and the tension as the story progresses layer by layer.

Cheng Long, who is not used to reading novels, felt his blood boiling when he read the script of "Ong Bak".

The fighting scenes in the script were not boring written by Cao Sheng. He wrote specific ways to deal with each opponent according to their body shape and kung fu characteristics.

For example, when facing a thin and fast opponent, the hero used stillness to overcome movement, and after withstanding two attacks from the opponent, he seized an opportunity and suddenly gave the opponent a hard blow, knocking the opponent down instantly and unable to get up again.

For example, when facing an opponent with a strong physique, great strength and strong ability to withstand blows, the male protagonist will mainly avoid the opponent and consume his physical strength. When the opponent's physical strength is reduced, he will find an opportunity to kick the opponent in the crotch and blow his balls apart.

and many more.

The more Cheng Long watched, the more he enjoyed it.

When he finished reading the entire script, there was still a smile on his face.

He likes this script very much. There are a lot of action scenes, which suits him.

There are many funny plots, which suit him well.

There are also many head-on confrontations, which are also suitable for him. At least, he feels that it suits him.

The only thing that didn't quite suit him was that the male lead in the script was much younger than he is now.

As for the Bajiquan that the male protagonist is proficient in?
He didn't think it was a problem.

Although he doesn't know how to do it, he can learn it by finding a martial arts instructor who is proficient in Bajiquan.

Just like when he was filming "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" and "Drunken Master" in the past, when he was filming those kung fu movies, he didn't know those kung fu, but he learned them after practicing more.

He is not afraid of hard work when making movies.

For the sake of the movie, he is not afraid of jumping off a building, so why would he be afraid of suffering?
"Boxing Master..."

Murmuring these two words, he stood up and paced back and forth in the study, his eyes full of thought.

He wondered if this movie had the potential to open up the North American market?

First of all, the theme of the movie is to recover the stolen head of the Buddha statue.

The United States is a religious country. In a movie like this where someone fights for what he believes in, American audiences should be able to easily understand the protagonist's motivation for fighting.

Secondly, this story takes place in Chinatown in the United States. The location and actors should be able to make American audiences feel involved.

Again, the funny plot in the movie should also be liked by North American audiences. Who doesn’t like funny plots?

and also……

I!
Jack Cheng!
There are already many audiences in the United States who like my movies. If I star in "Ong Bak", North American audiences will probably be interested, right?
He started out with kung fu movies.

I have a fondness for authentic kung fu movies.

In recent years, although he has opened up the North American market, the kung fu elements in his films are far less than before.

This made him feel a little regretful.

However, the script of "Ong Bak" is a pure kung fu film.

"Try it!"

He stopped, muttered to himself, and turned to look at the mobile phone on the desk.

Regardless of what time it was, he walked over, picked up his phone, and dialed the number of Jiahe boss Zou Wenhuai.

"Boss Zou! I like the script of Ong Bak. Can you please ask the screenwriter to modify the script to make it suitable for me to star in it?"

Zou Wenhuai readily agreed, "Okay, okay! Sure! Of course! As long as you're willing to play the leading role, the script can definitely be changed!"

Golden Harvest's current situation is not as good as before. Seeing that the company is mired in debt and unable to extricate itself, while its own ace star Jackie Chan is soaring higher and higher, with his reputation and box office in the international film scene becoming more and more dazzling, Zou Wenhuai is very anxious.

Having lived for most of his life, he feels that if he continues like this, Cheng Long will fly.

If Cheng Long flies away, is there still hope for Golden Harvest?
In this situation, Jackie Chan was interested in starring in the movie "Ong Bak". Although Zou Wenhuai had not yet communicated with Zhongyuan Yidianhui, he had already agreed to the request to modify the script.

As for whether Zhongyuan Yidianhui agrees to modify the script?

He doesn't believe that if Cheng Long is to star in the film, then there is still the screenwriter who is unwilling to modify the script?
Even if the other party is unwilling, can't you just find a way to make him/her willing?

(End of this chapter)