I was just thinking about taking the arts exam and you said I've been playing supporting roles

Chapter 367 Chen Jin's Greatest Ambition!
In fact, Zhang Yimou's future new employer had the same idea as Chen Jin.

In other words, Zhang Yimou spearheaded a Sino-US co-production to produce a super commercial blockbuster.

However, he took the wrong path.

"Great Wall"!
A film jointly invested in by four major Chinese and American companies—LeEco, Universal, Legendary, and China Film Group—cost $1.5 million and boasts a star-studded cast including Hollywood's hottest stars Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal, as well as domestic talents like Andy Lau and popular idol Lu Han.

The theme is also closely related to Chinese culture, and the Great Wall is a well-known tourist attraction in the world, which can be seen from the moon.

Strictly speaking, the film is actually successful, but it received poor reviews and extremely low ratings, making it a representative work that dissatisfied both Chinese and American audiences.

It's even less appealing to people in both countries than "The Forbidden Kingdom" was back then.

Despite the fact that Jackie Chan and Jet Li collaborated on "The Forbidden Kingdom," Americans generally found it quite good, giving it a passing grade. It also performed well at the North American box office, grossing over $5000 million.

However, "The Great Wall" is indeed an absolutely terrible movie with no bottom line.

Zhang Yimou even broke down and didn't want to continue filming at one point; because even he knew the film was rotten.

How can you know something will be terrible halfway through filming?!

Capital had no choice but to bite the bullet and enter the market in the end.

It should be noted that Zhang Yimou's screenwriting skills are inherently poor, and like "The Forbidden Kingdom," he hired several foreigners as screenwriters, which was destined to be unpopular with the Chinese market. How could foreigners possibly understand Chinese culture?
The fact that Chinese and American actors were basically split equally among the cast led to an imbalance between the two sides.

Therefore, when Zhang Yimou was filming "The Great Wall," he filmed it in separate parts. As he was filming, he must have known that the movie was going to fall apart.

Don't assume that a director has no judgment about his own work!

The more talented a director is, the better they can control a film crew, but because... Zhang Yimou lost control.

He can't handle foreigners.

In the end, there was no other way but to say that Chinese films were Chinese films and Hollywood films were Hollywood films. How could they unify the style?

The film's release felt particularly disjointed.

But why was it successful? Because of the box office. "The Great Wall" grossed nearly 4 million US dollars worldwide, 11.73 billion RMB in China, and nearly 5000 million US dollars in North America. It certainly didn't lose money; in fact, it made a small profit.

However, the final box office may differ from the initial predictions of the four companies, which were $5 million to $10 billion.

Regardless, with Zhang Yimou leading the way, this path of Sino-US cooperation can be profitable, provided that... the quality of the films is up to par.

If you can't make money, you'll ruin your reputation, won't you?

In other words, if "The Great Wall" had a rating of 7 or even higher, its box office would definitely have been better.

If the quality is good enough to win over both China and the US, the box office performance is definitely not going to be bad.

In fact, there is a successful example right now in front of Zhang Yimou and Chen Jin. The original timeline did not analyze why "Jinling" was successful because of Zhang Weiping and LeTV, Zhang Yimou's new partner.

At least, it was originally considered a success in China, with a box office of over 6 million yuan, and it was a war disaster film.

It wasn't successful internationally because of the obstruction from the Japanese. It was only shown in 20 theaters in North America, so how could it become a hit?
There's nowhere to screen your film.

A Hollywood superstar in a movie doesn't feel out of place at all, and the movie even gets a rating of 8+!

The story of "The Great Wall" feels out of place to foreigners, with a disjointed plot, because it doesn't tell a Chinese story.

Since it's a Sino-US collaboration, and a Chinese director was chosen to direct it, and it incorporates Chinese elements, it must be led by Chinese people, including the screenwriter and lead actors.

The upcoming "Ne Zha 2" has already set a precedent for Chinese films going global. Telling a story that is truly Chinese is the key. If Chinese audiences buy into it, overseas platforms will naturally follow suit, because the core of blockbuster films is universal.

Why should the global market be dominated by Hollywood? Culture is inherently diverse.

***
"I plan to make a live-action movie about Journey to the West!"

Chen Jin spoke to Zhang Yimou beside her, saying that this had always been Chen Jin's most arrogant vision.

After experiencing "Havoc in Heaven," I had previously talked with Zhang Jianya, the director who was originally going to make a Journey to the West series. With the future success of the animated film "Ne Zha 2," the world's number one IP live-action movie already has its own hype.

Although it's true that if the filming goes wrong, she'll definitely be heavily criticized, and Chen Jin's reputation, which she has built up over the years, will face a decline and collapse.

But how will you know it can't be done if you don't try?

If "The Wandering Earth" succeeds, it will allow domestic special effects companies to make great progress. All their efforts afterward will be focused on this live-action Journey to the West IP!

Regardless of the final outcome, Chen Jin has to take some photos.

Journey to the West?

Zhang Yimou clearly didn't expect Chen Jin to bring up such a topic.

Journey to the West... is very difficult to film.

The main reason is that the TV series is too classic, and it's not easy to surpass the characters or make the plot stand out; most importantly, it's the special effects!

Storytelling, special effects, acting—this film lacks the fundamentals; who would dare to attempt it?

But it is precisely this kind of subject matter that is key to going global.

Hollywood scripts are simply not suitable for Chinese audiences.

It must be a screenwriter from our own country, a product of our own culture, and a lead actor. Adding a Western Hollywood star, perhaps to boost box office revenue, can have a very different effect.

In fact, this is easy to understand.

In many future Hollywood blockbusters, as long as Chinese people are involved, even in supporting roles, the film's box office will not be low, because marketing and promotion will help.

Netizens will also check it out to see if it's salty or salty.

Why can't Hollywood stars do this?
Money makes the world go round; if you pay enough, you can get him to play the second or third male lead, and some people who are short of money are willing to do so.

It's just that the investors think it's not feasible, and the established foreign investors feel it doesn't match their status.

"These special effects alone are something that not just any company could do, right?"

"Investing in it certainly won't be cheap!"

Zhang Yimou clearly felt that Chen Jin was talking nonsense.

It's not just a script issue.

Of course, what Zhang Yimou is most worried about is acting skills.

Nobody can play that monkey.

Even Teacher Liu wouldn't be an option, because filming a movie is indeed different from filming a TV series.

The performances on the small screen are not magnified like those on the big screen, where even the smallest expressions are revealed to viewers like under a microscope; while television dramas can be a bit lazy, movies can be a bit more subtle, and what you see in the cinema is truly vivid.

If your acting skills are lacking, you simply can't handle the role; that's a fundamental requirement.

Therefore, the script is secondary.

"grind!"

"Ten years of honing a sword, until it reaches a satisfactory level!"

"If we were to actually make this kind of movie, it definitely wouldn't be something that could be completed in just one or two years!"

"At least 4-5 years!"

Zhang Yimou's approach of making one film a year is definitely not suitable, so Chen Jin had to give him a heads-up and also tell him not to have the idea of ​​making several films every year.

This old guy just wanted to film too much; the original timeline was disrupted, and he became obsessed with making money.

Now, he obviously doesn't have such worries, so giving him the Journey to the West project is still feasible.

Chen Jin's expectation is... a 4-5 year cycle, just like Nezha, with the most important part being the later stages.

Chen Jin wasn't actually worried about the script or the performance.

He can play a monkey, and his first film will definitely not be "Havoc in Heaven," but "The Birth of the Stone Monkey," just to test the waters.

For the West Sea Dragon King, you could find a foreigner to wear a mask, similar to Marvel heroes or Avatar characters.

This involves several important characters, including the Bull Demon King and Bodhi Patriarch.

The second part might be "Havoc in Heaven". This can only be prepared after the birth of the stone monkey is successful. Moreover, if the first part is successful, the second part will be a natural progression!
The adaptation follows a similar path to Nezha, with a conspiracy theory in Heaven, a crisis in Flower Fruit Mountain, and the climax of the first film being the monkey's heroic act of saving his monkey descendants.

At that point, it could rival Marvel and create its own Journey to the West universe. Add a "Havoc in Heaven" post-credits scene; if done well, it could easily replicate the box office success of "Ne Zha 2" much earlier than expected.

Chinese people will definitely buy tickets to support it.

But Zhang Yimou... lacks confidence!
"Difficult!"

"If you really want to make this, you need to find a top-notch scriptwriting team!"

"Teacher Liu might not be able to perform..."

Zhang Yimou was actually thinking about the feasibility of this project.

If the actors, special effects, and script were all in good condition, "The Birth of the Stone Monkey" could indeed be a film that shakes the industry.

We'll see that in the future with "Black Myth".

The popularity and appeal of monkeys are absolutely undeniable.

Conversely, collaborating with Hollywood teams results in a hodgepodge, which stems from a lack of cultural confidence.

To gain acceptance from North American audiences, a foreign writing team was hired... This applies to The Forbidden Kingdom and The Great Wall.

Even domestic audiences aren't buying it, how can you expect to win over foreigners?

Which movie didn't become a global phenomenon after being a huge hit in North America?
Titanic, Avatar, Marvel, and so on are all examples of this.

Domestic filmmakers are still too sycophantic and have too weak knees.

Chen Jin wanted to do the opposite. After creating a phenomenal sensation domestically, it would be much easier to release the film overseas than to release it simultaneously worldwide.

However, we need to prepare the voice-over, publicity, and other work in advance.

The unexpected success of "Ne Zha 2" has led to a lack of promotion and distribution overseas. Even the subtitled version can draw foreigners to the cinema, so you can imagine how much more box office revenue overseas would have been if it were a dubbed version.

"As long as you agree, the script and actors are not a problem!"

Chen Jin didn't immediately say he could play the monkey, because Zhang Yimou might not have believed he could.

"Let's talk about it after I finish filming 'The Criminal Lu Yanshi'!"

"For a blockbuster film that everyone knows, we definitely need to use the latest equipment. You're putting pressure on me, aren't you!"

Who wouldn't want to make this kind of movie?

But you also need to be able to shoot it well.

Zhang Yimou is all too aware of the consequences of not making a good film, which is why he doesn't dare to take on just any directorial role.

Hong Kong directors aren't afraid of criticism, so they dare to make money.

For example, films like "Havoc in Heaven" and "The Monkey King 2" released a couple of years ago had strong casts, special effects based on theatrical presentations, and terrible plots and acting, yet they still managed to win the Spring Festival box office championship for two consecutive years.

This is enough to show how deeply monkeys are ingrained in people's minds.

"I'm not trying to put pressure on you!"

"I really want to make a special effects-driven live-action commercial blockbuster that belongs to our country!"

"My childhood dream!"

"Don't get your hopes up. Which director would dare to confidently say they can make a good film on this subject?"

Anyway, Zhang Yimou wouldn't dare.

"Hey……"

It's a pity that Guo Fan is going to make "The Wandering Earth".

Chen Jin will do it herself... Fine, she'll do it herself!

"Here's what we'll do, Director Zhang, you'll direct the big scenes, the kind where the monkeys and their monkey minions face the heavenly soldiers and generals!"

"Can you take me with you? Come visit the film set whenever you have time, and I'll give you a credit reference."

"what do you think?"

Ding Dong!

At that moment, the airport's public address system announced the flight's departure.

Let's chat on the plane!

Zhang Yimou pointed to the passage, and Zhang Mo and the others also started to get up; Chen Jin was surprised to see... fellow travelers.

The film crew of "White Deer Plain" was also shortlisted for the main competition of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.

Director Wang Quan'an stood there, and Chen Jin quickly waved to him, who smiled back.

He had just been chatting with Zhang Yimou, so he didn't feel comfortable coming over. Both professionally and personally, he should definitely greet his senior from his own college. His future wife, Zhang Yuqi, leaned against him, looking very affectionate.

Chen Jin had seen some news about the future. It seemed that in two years, Bald Old Wang would be implicated in a sex scandal, his house would be ruined, he would be released from prison and have a two-day, two-night battle with his ex-wife, and then they would divorce.

All I can say is 666, it's unbelievably awesome.

"Director Zhang!"

Wang Quan'an indeed stepped forward to greet them and introduced Zhang Yuqi, who was standing next to him.

Chen Jin didn't have a good impression of this woman. After shaking her hand briefly, he lined up to enter the cabin.

Soon after, Chen Jin and Zhang Yimou sat in the same row of first class, while Zhang Yuqi and the others were quite far away.

"Keep talking!"

"Someone will pick you up at the airport when you arrive in Berlin!"

Zhang Yimou picked up his phone, glanced at it, and then immediately turned it off.

"Back then, China was able to assemble so many actors and directors to film 'Journey to the West' and 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' so we could try it too!"

"Back then it was a TV series, now it's a movie, with several directors working together, brainstorming ideas, what do you think?"

It wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing to have Zhang Yimou listed as the chief director and Chen Jin as well.

At that time, Guo Fan and a few other young directors can also get together.

In short, they put their efforts into something else entirely, applying the same determination they had for making a good "Journey to the West" series back then to the film.

"Looks like you've been thinking about this for a while now!"

"Hahaha!"

Chen Jin wasn't afraid of being laughed at. Ever since experiencing "Havoc in Heaven", the Journey to the West series had always been the craziest idea in Chen Jin's mind.

While the current box office market and special effects are not ideal, the project has been approved for filming... If it's to be filmed properly, it will definitely take 3-5 years.

Just like how "The Wandering Earth" took 4 years to make.

We need to start preparing now so that it can become an instant hit when it's released.

That way, the sequel to "Havoc in Heaven" will be even more popular.

Actually, filming it was quite simple.

Because of the proofing and operation in the first part.

"Let me think about it. If you need to find someone to work on the script, I suggest that the original 'Journey to the West' TV series team could also participate!"

"Of course, I'll take that as your agreement?"

"script!"

Zhang Yimou spoke rather loudly.

This is probably the only fatal flaw in his filmmaking career.

(End of this chapter)