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

Chapter 379: The director and lead actor of "A Trip to Hong Kong"!
March 18, 2012, the final scene of "Killer: Dragon".

Chen Jin was tied up with her hands behind her back and sat in an abandoned warehouse, her eyes fixed on Michael Nyqvist, the actor playing the villainous Russian mafia boss.

The two were filming a confrontation scene.

"One car, one dog!"

"It's just a dog!!!"

Enquist yelled at Chen Jin in a somewhat hysterical manner.

Just because of a dog, this madman almost wiped out his entire gang.

How could he possibly swallow this insult!

"Vigor!"

Chen Jin raised his head, and even though he had been captured and was covered in blood, he still appeared extremely arrogant.

Like a lion, with an incomparably sharp expression.

"I lost everything after my wife died!"

"Until that dog came to my door!"

"A final gift from my wife!"

"At that moment, I saw hope!"

"A hope that I will no longer suffer alone!"

Chen Jin seemed to be talking to himself, but suddenly his expression turned cold and his voice was filled with a hint of sharpness: "But!"

"But your son took it away!"

"They stole it from me!"

"Kill it in front of me!"

The voices grew increasingly angry, and in the end, Chen Jin was ready to break free and fight the person in front of her to the death.

The dialogue sounds cheesy, but it is indeed a killer's monologue.

Those who haven't experienced it obviously can't empathize.

"..."

Enquist had clearly had enough. It was just a dog; it's dead, so what? Why are you barking at me like that?!

A sense of déjà vu regarding class.

In Vigo's eyes, wasn't the dragon just another dog?
This segment was filmed in such an ironic way.

He waved to his two men beside him, completely disregarding the trivial matter; while Vigo himself simply picked up his suit jacket and prepared to leave.

The reason he listened to the top assassin Long's nonsense was because this top assassin was about to die.

For someone who is about to die, having worked together before, consider it an act of mercy before death.

Wow!

Vigo's men suddenly put a sealed, transparent plastic bag over Chen Jin's neck.

They wanted to suffocate him to death.

This is what happens when you offend the Vigo family.

Enquist straightened his suit, dusted it off, and then calmly went up the stairs; he didn't even glance at Chen Jin, who was struggling, who was pinned to the chair by several gangsters who held his shoulders and head down.

Her breathing grew heavier, and the transparent plastic bag tightly gripping her neck began to fog up. Chen Jin's eyes started to roll back, and her Adam's apple bobbed incessantly...

"Crack!"

That shout came from David Leitch.

The next second, several extras playing gangster henchmen immediately ripped the plastic bag off Chen Jin's head.

"Uh~~~"

Similar to the scene of someone about to die from respiratory arrest, Chen Jin, with her eyes rolled back, took a deep breath, and then her chest began to heave violently like a bellows.

"Huff...huff..."

He kept taking deep breaths, trying to make his lungs feel better.

"Chan, are you alright?"

Many people from the film crew gathered around, looking at Chen Jin with concern.

"Are you okay?"

Wan Qian even squatted down behind Chen Jin, patting his back and breathing along with his breath.

The two have a relationship that's more than just friendship, not like that of a couple, and the entire crew is used to it.

"It's nothing~~~"

Chen Jin took the water Chad handed him, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and waved his hand, saying, "I'm fine..."

"It's scary!"

"Hu~~"

Chad let out a breath and shrugged at David Leitch. Chen Jin works like a workaholic when filming; she even manages to make the feeling of sudden death so realistic.

"Glug~ Glug~"

After spitting out a few mouthfuls of water, Chen Jin finally recovered.

He squeezed Wan Qian's hand, smiled to indicate that she didn't need to continue patting her back, and then walked to the monitor to watch the footage that had just been filmed.

After carefully reading through everything and confirming that everything was correct, he picked up the walkie-talkie next to him.

"WRAP!"

"Ooh ooh ooh~~~"

The entire crew erupted in cheers after hearing Chen Jin shout that.

Finished!
The filming of "Killer: Dragon" took three months, and the last scene was finally filmed.

"It's not easy!"

Chen Jin also grinned.

Looking at my first film, which took more than three months to complete, I feel quite satisfied.

Regardless of the final product and box office results, at least it's finished being filmed.

In Chen Jin's view, this film was actually a trial run; he didn't expect it to be an instant hit, but rather to use this film as a starting point to leverage the entire series to shake up the global film industry.

The John Wick series clearly excels at this.

Moreover, it will allow Chen Jin to gain significant exposure in Hollywood and North America, becoming a key figure in her transition from domestic to international recognition.

"well enough?"

Wan Qian walked to Chen Jin's side and asked softly, her eyes full of worry.

Wan Qian felt that Chen Jin was really working too hard on set.

Even Wu Jing, who was watching from the side, gave him a big thumbs up.

The future of Chinese action films is finally here. No one is afraid of hardship when filming action scenes. They all get off the front lines with minor injuries and come back after recovering from serious injuries.

This is the spirit of Chinese action filmmakers—not a single one of them is a coward!

Many military choreographers are popular worldwide because the Americans can't do what they do.

"Okay!"

Chen Jin smiled at Wan Qian: "Thank you for earlier!"

"Why are you being so polite with me?"

Wan Qian rolled her eyes at Chen Jin, feeling a sense of unease between them—a relationship that was more than friendship but not quite romance.

But it's definitely not love; it's just mutual appreciation.

"Oh, by the way, I've booked your schedule for the next film!"

"Still the female lead!"

Chen Jin spoke to Wan Qian, whose face lit up with joy, utterly unable to believe it: "Really?"

"Doesn't your wife get jealous?"

If she didn't know she hadn't slept with Chen Jin, no one would believe she could consistently play the leading role in Chen Jin's movies.

"No, it's a perfect fit for the role!"

"She's the second female lead!"

"Tsk tsk, Lao Wan, you see, it actually worked for you to curry favor with Director Chen on set, didn't it?"

Wu Jing, who was standing nearby, came over and teased them.

During the past few months of filming, the group of actors developed a very good relationship.

Wu Jing will soon be directing "Wolf Warrior," a film invested in by China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), with Wu Jing receiving a share of the investment.

This effectively tied Wu Jing to his own ship.

Why do I always feel uneasy whenever you say that?

Wan Qian smiled and playfully punched Chen Jin: "Really?"

"Really!" Chen Jin didn't mean to prevent Zhu Yanmanz from playing the female lead; it's just that Wan Qian was indeed more suitable for the female lead in the movie "Train to Busan."

A pregnant wife.

Xiao Zhu can play the role of a student.

"Xiao Zhu, she's the female lead in the movie I'm about to film!"

"She's also the lead actress in several films that Director Zhang and the company have invested in; she has plenty of time on her schedule!"

Unlike Wan Qian, who certainly can't compare to Zhu Yanmanzi in terms of resources, Zhu Yanmanzi also serves as a producer.

"Be prepared!"

"This time, the role is much bigger than in our current film, and the investment is also larger; it's a commercial film!"

The more Chen Jin spoke, the more beautifully Wan Qian's eyebrows curved.

Working with Chen Jin for one year is equivalent to ten years of the previous job!
I'd be willing to sleep with him, but unfortunately this guy is a rock.

What kind of subject matter is it?

Wu Jing couldn't help but ask, "How about we arrange a cameo role for me too?"

"Sure, a zombie movie, wanna go?"

Wan Qian: "..."

Wu Jing: "..."

"I'm not kidding, it's a zombie movie, a disaster movie, it's very popular in the US right now!"

Chen Jin gave a general overview of the plot of "Train to Busan," but he hadn't actually decided which role he would play yet.

Although he experienced the life of the protagonist Seok-woo, the highlight of the movie "Train to Busan" was actually the second male lead, Sang-hwa!
A wrestler with an incredibly muscular physique, the same character that made Ma Dong-seok a global sensation.

A real man never looks back at a zombie.

One punch, and he's blown away!

The most manly man in the entire movie, an awesome presence.

"I've talked to Bale about this movie before, and I'd like to work with him again!"

Bale will continue to play the male lead, Seok-woo, a role that requires considerable acting skills; while Chen Jin will be responsible for promoting his stereotypical image as a kung fu star globally, aiming to become a young generation of Chinese kung fu star.

The female lead, Shengjing, is the character played by Wan Qian, who is Shang Hua's wife.

If Chen Jin were to play Ma Dong-seok's character and modify him into a fighting expert, then Wan Qian would play his wife.

"Play my husband!"

Wan Qian laughed domineeringly, and Chen Jin glanced at her: "You're dreaming. Apart from Hollywood stars who can surpass me, there's no one else in China who can play this role!"

"Hollywood can't find any talent, so I can only play the male lead!"

Chen Jin doesn't care about being the male lead or the second male lead.

Now all he needs to do is gain global fame; the role of Shang Hua, the second male lead, is undoubtedly more suitable for him than the male lead.

That's it.

The premise is that if Bale really does play the male lead, this movie will definitely have a chance in North America.

"Now, all we need is a director!"

Chen Jin's target was Wen Ziren, whom Meng Danqing had been supporting recently.

Chen Jin had already sent him the script for "Train to Busan," but he hadn't received a reply yet.

In Chen Jin's opinion, any director would probably be interested in this script, right?
Because it's not just about zombie popcorn, but also about love, humanity, and redemption; it's an anti-zombie film and has a very typical significance.

In Hollywood, where commercial zombie movies are all the rage, it would be a real surprise if such a film could actually be made.

"Can it be approved domestically?"

Wan Qian was still very worried.

"I don't know, but I set the story in Hong Kong!"

"If that doesn't work, we can recruit a few Hong Kong actors and make it a co-production. The bureau should be more lenient then..."

Chen Jin also made many changes to the main plot, trying to avoid unnecessary political vetting and trouble.

buzzing-

Just then, Chen Jin's phone rang.

Chen Jin had rested enough, while David Leitch and the others were directing the cleaning up of the set.

Speak of the devil, and he appears!

The call was from Meng Danqing.

"Hey, Lao Meng!"

Chen Jin walked to the side and pressed the answer button.

Meng Danqing's voice on the other end of the phone was clearly less confident than it had been a few days ago: "Brother Jin, Wen Ziren's manager just called me and said he's unavailable..."

"No availability?"

"Yes, he's preparing a low-budget horror film, and he's already signed a contract with New Line Cinema!"

"All right!"

Chen Jin shook her head, looking quite regretful: "Did his manager say anything else?"

"Brother Jin, actually I had someone inquire around, and it seems that James Wan doesn't think your script is good!"

Chen Jin: "..."

The truth is the sharpest knife.

Chen Jin knew that getting Hollywood directors to make movies wasn't that simple.

They're notoriously arrogant, even though they're of Chinese descent.

However, James Wan estimates that his ancestors were Chinese for 4-5 generations. He was born in Malaysia and grew up in Australia. Although he studied Chinese culture, he reached his peak right from the start.

His debut film, "Saw," made him a global sensation.

A director like that is someone you can definitely say no to Chen Jin.

But you're saying the script is no good?

Chen Jin couldn't tolerate this!
If you don't want to cooperate, you can find other excuses. The main character in this script wasn't originally created by Chen Jin, but is hailed by Koreans as the number one zombie film in the East.

Although Konishi Bang has always liked to boast, "Train to Busan" is indeed a classic zombie film.

It's definitely more artistic than pure zombie movies like "World War Z".

"Rigor Mortis" is at best a mindless zombie movie, while "Busan" at least gave me some deep thoughts about humanity and the pandemic.

"Brother Jin, actually CAA has other directors who are good at making horror movies. Would you like to consider them?"

Seeing that Chen Jin remained silent for a long time, Meng Danqing continued talking.

Just as Chen Jin was about to agree, she saw David Leitch directing alongside Chad.

A thought suddenly arose in his mind.

"Okay, send me a list of directors and I'll screen them!"

Although Chen Jin said this, she was already inclined to a different solution in her heart.

Chen Jin does not intend to direct the film "Hong Kong Trip" himself. He wants to focus all his energy on the "John Wick" series, which will not only establish his directorial reputation but also become his personal IP and commercial value worldwide.

Therefore, Chen Jin's plan for "Hong Kong Trip" was always to find a director who was good at this subject matter.

James Wan is definitely the first choice.

But now that this guy doesn't think much of me, even if I find another director to replace me, there will still be a period of adjustment.

And right now, there are two directors right in front of me.

David, Chad!
The two original founders of the John W. series.

Getting these two to collaborate on making "A Trip to Hong Kong" shouldn't be a problem.

Strictly speaking, Train to Busan is not a zombie movie. It doesn't have many horror or thriller elements; instead, it focuses more on fighting, tension, and a group portrait in a confined space.

A film that was 80% made in a train carriage.

For David and Chad, who made the John Wick series, it wasn't as difficult as they imagined!
Besides, isn't there someone to assist me?

"Bell!"

"We need to ask him if he's available!"

"If we can win him over, the movie will be halfway to success!"

Chen Jin seems to be trying to squeeze more money out of Bale. This year, "The Dark Knight Rises" greatly increased his popularity, and his participation is definitely a guarantee of box office success.

Originally, "Train to Busan" only grossed over $200 million in North America, and only $2000 million worldwide outside of South Korea.

It's not because the films are of poor quality, but because Southeast Asian films have a limited global audience.

But with Bell... everything changed!

With this in mind, Chen Jin already had a specific filming plan for "A Trip to Hong Kong" in mind.

(End of this chapter)