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Chapter 356 The director also got excited.

One day later, at noon.

In the teacher's dormitory rented by Cao Sheng at Huizhou Teachers College, Cui Xinyu was reporting the latest progress of "The Mistake of Deception" to Cao Sheng.

"Boss! Andy Lau has provided us with several director candidates. His agent said that we need to finalize the director selection first before we can finalize the cast. The director candidates his agent mentioned are Johnnie To, Er Dongsheng, Chan Ho-xin, Chan Ka-hang, and Lau Wai-cheung."

While giving her report, Cui Xinyu looked at a document and read out the general information about the directors.

"Director Johnnie To is skilled in gangster films and is one of the representative figures of Hong Kong police and gangster films. 'Drishyam' also has the characteristics of a police and gangster film, so they think Johnnie To should be able to make this film well."

"Director Er Dongsheng has a diverse style; he can make art films as well as action films..."

"Chen Kexin also has a diverse style, and can shoot both commercial films and art films."

"Chen Jiashang has directed films such as 'King of Beggars' and 'Beast Cops,' and his style is equally versatile..."

"As for director Lau Wai-chung... he directed the 'Young and Dangerous' series. I don't know why Andy Lau's agent recommended this director. Maybe, maybe he felt that the style of 'Drishyam' was a bit similar to 'Young and Dangerous'? Boss! I don't think this director is suitable."

After saying that, she closed the document in her hand and looked at Cao Sheng.

Cao Sheng sat in front of the computer, drinking tea as he listened to her report.

After she finished speaking, Cao Sheng smiled, amused by her opinion.

She felt that Liu Weiqiang was not suitable for "Drishyam"?
Indeed, if you only look at Lau Wai-kwong's representative work "Young and Dangerous", you might think that this director is not suitable for "Drishyam".

"The Murderer" mainly tells the story of saving one's family.

It's too far removed from the theme of "Young and Dangerous".

But as a reincarnated person, Cao Sheng knew that the original "Infernal Affairs" was co-directed by Lau Wai-kwong and Alan Mak.

How is the quality of "Infernal Affairs"?
The original timeline has long been established.

This film is hailed as the savior of Hong Kong cinema.

Before this film was released, Hong Kong cinema had been decimated by Hollywood blockbusters. Top stars, directors, and behind-the-scenes staff in the Hong Kong film industry either went to Hollywood to seek opportunities or came to the mainland to make bad films and make easy money.

Many people say that Hong Kong cinema is finished.

The release of "Infernal Affairs" showed everyone that Hong Kong films could still produce such high-quality works, and it seems that Hong Kong films are not yet finished.

It gave a lot of confidence to people in the Hong Kong film and television industry.

Therefore, it is hailed as a work that saves the world.

Is the style of "Infernal Affairs" similar to that of "Drishyam"?
Overall, they definitely don't look alike.

In terms of story structure, complex character relationships, artistry, and commercial appeal, "Infernal Affairs" surpasses "Drishyam" by a significant margin.

However, the difficulty of filming the movies and what they need to present are similar.

However, compared to "Infernal Affairs", the story of "Drishyam" is thinner. The dual protagonists of "Infernal Affairs" made the filming of this movie more difficult.

Therefore, Cao Sheng believes that Liu Weiqiang, who was able to direct "Infernal Affairs" well, is actually the most suitable person to direct "Drishyam".

"You underestimate Liu Weiqiang!"

Cao Sheng chuckled and said to Cui Xinyu.

Cui Xinyu was a little surprised, "Oh? You think he's suitable for filming 'Drishyam'?"

She found it incredible.

Cao Sheng: "Want to make a bet?"

Cui Xinyu frowned. "What are you betting on? You really think this director is suitable for this movie? His representative work is 'Young and Dangerous'! Haven't you seen 'Young and Dangerous'?"

Cao Sheng: "If he can make a good film..."

At this point, Cao Sheng glanced at her figure, a playful thought suddenly arising in him. "During the movie's run, before you come to report to me every day, you'll change into a maid outfit. Dare to bet?"

"Maid outfit?"

Cui Xinyu's face didn't turn red. Instead, she looked at Cao Sheng with a puzzled expression. She clearly didn't understand what kind of punishment it was to wear a maid outfit.
"That's the bet?"

Her questioning look made Cao Sheng chuckle.

He didn't actually intend to do anything to her; he just wanted to make a joke.

Surprisingly, she didn't understand the joke's reference.

The fun was instantly diminished by more than half.

"This is it! Want to bet?"

He asked with a smile.

Cui Xinyu frowned and thought for a moment, "Then how do we judge whether this movie is well-made? Based on the movie's reviews or its box office? If we judge based on the box office, then we have to wait until the movie ends to see the final box office, right? But you just said that during the movie's run, you want me to wear that maid outfit..." Cao Sheng: "Let's look at the first week's box office data and reviews! So, are you willing to take the gamble?"

Cui Xinyu: "..."

After a few seconds of silence, Cui Xinyu smiled wryly, "Boss! Don't you think it's a bit frivolous to decide on the director like this? Just because of a bet with me, you're going to choose this director to make this movie? What a waste! This script is so wonderful. If you really want to see me in a maid outfit, I'll wear it for you tomorrow, okay? There's no need to joke about this script."

"I don't accept handouts! I won't look at this maid outfit that I didn't win!"

Cao Sheng said this while suppressing a laugh.

Cui Xinyu was speechless.

"Are you really going to hire this director to direct? Are you sure?"

"Yes, let's go with him! Hopefully, Andy Lau can persuade this director to come."

……

That night.

The script for "The Murderer" ended up with Liu Weiqiang.

Because the script was sent by Andy Lau's agent, Liu Weiqiang took it very seriously. Andy Lau's agent is not just an agent; he is the head of a film and television company and also serves as Andy Lau's agent.

This is the treatment of a superstar.

Moreover, when Andy Lau's agent sent the contract to Liu Weiqiang, he specifically stated: "This is a script specially tailored for Andy Lau. The screenwriter is Zhongyuan Yidianhui, who has the highest screenwriting fee in the past two years. Andy Lau has already been decided as the male lead!"

This one sentence made Liu Weiqiang take the script very seriously.

Firstly, Andy Lau's star power is well-known. Regardless of the critical reception of his films, his pre-release promotional efforts are incredibly effective, with many media outlets spontaneously promoting his movies.

Secondly, Liu Weiqiang had heard the name "Zhongyuan Yidianhui" more than once or twice in the past two years.

A mainland Chinese novelist crossed over to screenwriting and his works became instant hits, including "Kung Fu Jungle," "Ong-Bak," "If You Are the One," "A World Without Thieves," "Pacific Rim," "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," "Twilight," and many more.

The box office and critical reception of the films that have already been released are getting better and better.

The recently released film "A World Without Thieves" has grossed 1.86 million yuan in mainland China, temporarily ranking first among Chinese-language films in the annual box office.

Ong-Bak grossed $4700 million in North America. The global box office is not yet available because the film is currently showing in some countries. However, this film not only made Zhao Wenzhuo an international superstar, but also made director Tsui Hark an international director. It is also Tsui Hark's highest-grossing film to date.

With such a brilliant track record as a screenwriter, how could director Liu Weiqiang not pay attention to Zhongyuan Yidianhui?
If he didn't feel he couldn't compete with Xu Ke, Huang Baiming, Hong Jinbao, and others, Liu Weiqiang would have long ago sought out a scriptwriter from Zhongyuan.

And now?
The script by Zhongyuan Yidianhui came to him on his own initiative, asking him to direct it. How could he not take it seriously?
He declined his social engagements for the evening, went into his study, turned on his computer, and previewed the script for "The Murderer's Tale".

As a director, when he reads a script, he likes to imagine the scenes described in the script in his mind.

He can tell whether a script is good or not after reading it for a while.

He can quickly judge whether a script's plot can create exciting cinematic visuals.

The script for "Drishyam" did not disappoint him.

Unlike Andy Lau.

When Andy Lau was reading the first part of the script, he felt very uncomfortable and found it difficult to immerse himself in the story.

However, Liu Weiqiang, as the director, thought the story was fantastic from a director's perspective! He felt that the story effectively portrayed evil, and if the female lead was chosen to be more attractive, it could even present a unique kind of violent aesthetic, which would excite many viewers. He believed that when the film was released, many viewers would definitely buy tickets to see the story.

When he saw a scene in the middle of the script where the protagonist, Ahua, used cinematic montage to create various pieces of evidence that his family was not at the crime scene when the crime occurred, his eyes widened in surprise, and his expression became much more vivid.

When he finished reading the last part of the script, his reaction was not much better than Andy Lau's when he read the script.

The male protagonist actually managed to exonerate his wife and daughter?
Did they successfully deceive everyone?
This was somewhat of a departure from his understanding. When he was making the "Young and Dangerous" series of movies before, he never dared to let the main characters in the movies have a good ending. He deliberately set the theme of "Young and Dangerous" as "what goes around comes around" as a warning to the audience not to get involved in gangster activities.

But in Zhongyuan Yidianhui's novel "The Mistake of Deceiving the Heavens," the murderer ultimately escapes justice, which is truly remarkable!
Movies with such an ending are extremely rare even in the global film industry.

It brought a great shock to his no-longer-young mind.

At the same time, he felt excited.

I really want to direct this movie and make such a special film my own work.

As a director, he is not afraid of unique scripts, but he is afraid of scripts that are mediocre and lack distinctive features.

The only thing that could stop him from making unique films is "not being able to release them".

He's willing to make films as long as they can be released.

Just like when he directed "Young and Dangerous".

Although the ending of the script for "Drishyam" is quite surprising, the script deliberately sets the story in India, which does not affect its release in China.

(End of this chapter)