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Chapter 520 The Script for Stephen Chow
About half an hour later.

In a private room of the restaurant on the second floor of the Oriental Sunrise Hotel.

Cao Sheng and Zhou Xingchi chatted while eating, accompanied by Cao Sheng's assistant Wang Jing and Zhou Xingchi's agent Chen Zhengyu.

Cao Sheng found Stephen Chow to be very shy, not good at speaking, and spoke quite slowly, which was very different from his image in the movies.

But his agent, Chen Zhengyu, is very talkative.

The atmosphere at the table was mainly maintained by him and Wang Jing.

After all, Cao Sheng wasn't a man of many words.

Chen Zhengyu: "Mr. Cao, do you know? Our Xingzai has been wanting to meet you for a long time, right, Xingzai?"

Stephen Chow smiled and nodded, "Yes! It's a pity I've been filming the Legend of the Demon Lord lately and can't get away."

Cao Sheng smiled and corrected him, "Mr. Chen! We mainland movie fans like to call him Master Xing. I'm really not used to you calling him Little Xing."

Chen Zhengyu chuckled lightly, "Is that so? Actually, we call him Master Xing in private, but he's not used to it and insists that we call him Little Xing, saying that's what everyone used to call him."

Stephen Chow smiled and lowered his head to pick up some food.

Cao Sheng: "The past is the past. Who didn't have a nickname back then? Right?"

Chen Zhengyu nodded and looked at Stephen Chow, "Master Xing, what do you think? Even Cao Sheng says so, you should get used to the new way of addressing him as soon as possible, haha."

Stephen Chow glanced at him, then smiled at Cao Sheng. "Mr. Cao, the movie 'Legend of the Demon Lord' has finished filming. Director Tsui Hark has taken the film back to Hong Kong for special effects and post-production. Do you have any good scripts recently? I hope we still have the opportunity to collaborate! What do you think?"

Chen Zhengyu chimed in, "That's right! Mr. Cao, our Mr. Stephen Chow is currently considering the script for his next film. If you could collaborate again, it would be perfect. You can rest assured about the script fee; we will definitely pay you the market price."

Cao Sheng looked at him, then at Zhou Xingchi.

I recalled Stephen Chow's works from the previous few years in the original timeline.

He vaguely remembered that "Kung Fu Hustle" was released around 2005. He didn't watch it in the cinema, but rather in the summer of 2005, sitting in an internet cafe and watching it on a computer.

The reason he remembers this time is because he got chickenpox that summer. Getting chickenpox in his twenties left a deep impression on him, and he even remembers what he did during that time.

It's 2002 now.

Shaolin Soccer was released last year.

In the original timeline, after the release of "Shaolin Soccer," Stephen Chow did not release any new works for several years until around 2005 when he finally released the film "Kung Fu Hustle."

It's easy to imagine how much time he spent searching for a script for his next film after "Shaolin Soccer".

And now?
The movie "Kung Fu" hasn't been released yet.

Stephen Chow is working with Cao Sheng on a script.

In the blink of an eye, Cao Sheng had two options in mind. One option was to write the script for "Kung Fu" and give it to Stephen Chow to direct. In that case, the movie should be released one or two years earlier than in the original timeline.

Another option is to give Stephen Chow another script, such as "Crazy Stone," which he had already written. Feng Xiaogang didn't like this script. Ning Hao, the director from the original timeline, has only just embarked on his directing career and hasn't yet developed his directing skills. Feng had previously asked people to inquire about Ning Hao, but they couldn't find him, which shows Ning Hao's current status in the industry.

Can Stephen Chow direct "Crazy Stone" well?

Cao Sheng wasn't quite sure.

But he felt it should be possible.

Although the comedic style of "Crazy Stone" is different from what Stephen Chow is good at.

However, Cao Sheng has not been able to find a better candidate.

Moreover, he remembered that in the original timeline, Stephen Chow had been meticulous in his work since "Shaolin Soccer," and the pace of producing new films had slowed down.

Cao Sheng believed that the most important thing is to be serious about everything.

Given Stephen Chow's current meticulous approach, even if "Crazy Stone" weren't a comedy, he would likely still be able to produce a decent result.

At this moment, both Stephen Chow and Chen Zhengyu were waiting for Cao Sheng to express his opinion, so Cao Sheng didn't have time to think it over slowly. After a slight pause, he smiled and said, "I currently have a comedy script on hand, and another one that I'm currently working on after watching Stephen Chow's 'Shaolin Soccer,' which inspired me to write a kung fu script. Why don't you take a look at the comedy script that I've already written? As for the kung fu script, I'll let you take a look at it after I finish writing it."

Stephen Chow was surprised.

Chen Zhengyu was pleasantly surprised and quickly stood up, raising his glass with both hands to toast Cao Sheng, "Mr. Cao! I'd like to toast you on behalf of Stephen Chow! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Zhou Xingchi glanced at Chen Zhengyu, smiled, and stood up with his wine glass in hand. "Zhengyu! I'm right here, why would I need you to toast me? Mr. Cao! I'll toast you, please feel free to do as you please."

Before Cao Sheng could respond, Zhou Xingchi tilted his head back and finished the glass of baijiu.

Cao Sheng then realized what was happening and quickly stood up to raise his glass in return.

……

afternoon.

Cao Sheng has already gone back.

Stephen Chow and his entourage stayed at Oriental Rising Sun Hotel.

In a suite, Stephen Chow held the script for "Crazy Stone," which Chen Zhengyu had just printed out, in both hands, frowning as he carefully read it. Chen Zhengyu, holding another script, sat not far away, also reading attentively.

Chen Zhengyu has less patience.

The abrupt plot development of "Crazy Stone" made him frown frequently, and the look of doubt in his eyes grew stronger.

He couldn't keep going for long. He frowned, put down the script, and looked at Stephen Chow.

But Stephen Chow was still intently reading the script.

Chen Zhengyu opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

Mainly because he saw that Stephen Chow was watching very intently, he habitually didn't dare to disturb him.

Meanwhile, seeing how intently Stephen Chow was reading the script made Chen Zhengyu wonder if he hadn't yet reached the most exciting parts of the story.

He has great faith in Stephen Chow's judgment when it comes to comedy.

In addition, he also believes in Nakahara Yidianhui's talent in scriptwriting.

With this mindset, Chen Zhengyu forced himself to focus on the script again and try to concentrate on reading on.

Finally, as he read on, he saw that the seemingly unrelated plot points in the early part of the script were connected.

Comedy effects began to appear frequently.

This is a completely different style from Stephen Chow's comedies.

The essence of Stephen Chow's comedy lies in his personal performance style.

However, the comedic effect of the script for "Crazy Stone" mainly comes from the clashes between different plot points.

A look of surprise appeared in Chen Zhengyu's eyes.

The look of doubt vanished.

He looked more and more intently, and gradually, he completely forgot about Stephen Chow not far away.

Until he finished reading the entire script, he looked up and saw Stephen Chow, who had already finished reading the script and was squinting in deep thought.

Chen Zhengyu hesitated before asking, "Mr. Stephen Chow, what do you think of this script?"

Zhou Xingchi came to his senses, looked at Chen Zhengyu, and smiled, "We really made the right choice coming to Huizhou. Cao Sheng's script is indeed as good as its reputation."

He paused, then continued, "I originally thought the script he gave me would either be in my usual comedic style or in Feng Xiaogang's comedic style. After all, they have collaborated more than once in the past two years, so he should be very familiar with Feng Xiaogang's comedic style. And I have made so many comedies before, so he should also be familiar with my comedic style. Therefore, I wouldn't be very surprised if he wrote a comedy script in either of these styles for me."

But this "Crazy Stone"...

At this point, he smiled wryly, “It seems to be a third style of comedy that has never appeared in Chinese-language films before. It reminds me of the British film ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ released a few years ago. This script is probably imitating the comedic style of that British film.”

I never imagined that Cao Sheng, a writer from mainland China, so young, would not only be so proficient in novel writing but also so knowledgeable about film, even having seen British comedies. I truly admire him now.

Chen Zhengyu was stunned.

In particular, Stephen Chow mentioned the British film "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," which he had absolutely no idea what kind of movie it was.

But he believes in Stephen Chow's understanding of comedy.

After listening, he thought for a moment and then asked, "So... Mr. Stephen Chow, are you going to film this script? You said yourself that the comedic style of this script is different from your previous comedic styles. Are you confident that you can film it well?"

Stephen Chow looked down at the script in his hand.

After watching for a while, he smiled and said, "Since filming 'Shaolin Soccer,' haven't I already decided to transition into directing? In terms of acting, 'Crazy Stone' can continue my previous acting style. It just so happens that in recent years, I haven't been as uninhibited in my acting as before. This script... can allow me to make up for my shortcomings in acting through directing skills."

He paused for a moment, then added, "It's also a good opportunity to prove my directing ability! Audiences have seen so many of my films with similar styles, so maybe this one, 'Crazy Stone,' will be a refreshing surprise for them."

Chen Zhengyu smiled and comforted him, "Master Stephen Chow, you're too modest. I think your acting is more mature now, how could there be any shortcomings?"

Stephen Chow shook his head and said self-deprecatingly, "It's really not as good as before. Before, I was happy inside, so I could smile brightly when I was acting, and I could walk with a light step. If I wanted to portray someone who was lustful towards a beautiful woman, I could even make my eyes light up."

But now? When I was filming "Shaolin Soccer," I knew I couldn't recreate the feeling I used to have. An actor who isn't relaxed inside can't portray a spirited and energetic performance. Now, even my smiles look tired; how can I possibly convey a sunny and happy feeling?

Chen Zhengyu remained silent.

As Stephen Chow's manager, he had a lot of contact with Stephen Chow.

He has personally witnessed the changes in Stephen Chow over the past few years.

Since leaving the Heung family's film company and starting to prepare for the filming of "Shaolin Soccer," Stephen Chow has felt increasing pressure every day.

On the one hand, he had to repeatedly consider the filming process.

On the other hand, he also had to find ways to overcome the numerous obstacles that the Xiang family had placed against him in the Hong Kong film and television industry.

It's like dancing in shackles; if he doesn't dance well, it'll be hard for him to survive in this industry.

How could he possibly maintain his previous mindset?
He can only become more and more taciturn.

(End of this chapter)