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

Chapter 385 Batman is like a green recruit in front of him!
Chen Jin contacted Bell immediately and took the copy to his... hotel.

He has already joined the film crew, but the filming is taking place near Hollywood.

Because "Killer Dragon" is not the final cut and lacks dubbing, subtitles, etc., there is absolutely no risk of it being leaked. There is no problem at all in taking it to a hotel and playing it on a computer.

Chen Jin is quite considerate; she even provided English translations for herself and Wan Qian.

At this point, dubbing was much faster than subtitles, because Chen Jin herself speaks English, so she only needed to say a few words.

Wan Qian didn't have many lines, so it was actually quite easy to record. As for Wu Jing, a professional voice actor was hired, which was arranged from the beginning.

"Chris, let me make this clear from the start, this is a rough cut, although it's only 2 hours long..."

"No post-production work has been done!"

Once Chen Jin arrived at the hotel, he spoke with Bell, who shook his head slightly: "I understand. Let's check it out first. Should I call a few more guys over? Don't worry, they're absolutely reliable, my brother!"

After thinking about it, Chen Jin did not refuse.

Inside the presidential suite, Chen Jin met Bale's so-called brothers—Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, and Michael Costigan, the producer of "Out of the Furnace".

The director was indeed the least well-known one; Bale didn't call him over. Although the two of them claimed in front of the media that one had his eye on him at first sight and the other was the only one suitable, Bale was actually interested in the script.

A simp who ends up with nothing is probably not what Bale calls a "bro" yet!
There's definitely a reason why this guy couldn't get any roles even in Hollywood.

It's very likely someone with connections.

On the other hand, the people he summoned were all highly accomplished.

The director and the film itself are not very famous, but the lead actors and producers are already very well-known and will be renowned worldwide in the future.

Actually, Bale was able to take on this project because of two reasons: the script and the producer.

Michael Costigan is quite influential in the industry. Among the films he produced, the most famous is undoubtedly Lee An's "Brokeback Mountain," which swept the Oscars and Venice Film Festival, followed by "American Gangster," which was a double success at the Oscars and the box office.

Several of his works in recent years have performed quite well, such as the Alien prequel "Prometheus," which will be released this year and has grossed more than 4 million US dollars worldwide... Chen Jin knew what Bell meant; this Costigan was also one of the partners on the list.

If he takes a liking to "Hong Kong Trip", with his extensive connections in Hollywood over the years, securing a collaboration with one of the six major studios will be no problem at all.

But you can't be too obvious; just call out to him alone.

So he called over the two other lead actors besides himself.

Woody Harrelson will become a global sensation with "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," and Casey Affleck will win the Oscar for Best Actor a few years later with "Manchester by the Sea"—both are incredibly talented individuals.

It wouldn't hurt for Chen Jin to get to know him beforehand. Although it's difficult for Chinese people to integrate into the Western world, if you have the ability, you can earn respect.

Unlike actresses like Zhang Ziyi, who are only used because of the investors, other actors naturally won't think highly of them either.

Now Chen Jin brings her works and scripts with her... this is the best proof of her strength.

In the West, knowing a producer might be more useful than knowing a director.

Unless the directors are Cameron or Spielberg, the producer has the ultimate say in a project.

Just like "Out of the Crucible," there was only one director and more than ten producers, all of whom needed to make decisions. Among them was Leonardo DiCaprio, who also invested money.

The Hollywood circle that Bale is currently in is already at the very top level.

With the release of "The Dark Knight Rises" this summer, he has become a global superstar, and his market value will rise even further, second only to Hollywood top stars like Leonardo DiCaprio.

Currently, Bale is still quite far from the level of Leonardo DiCaprio. For example, DiCaprio has already started investing and has entered the Hollywood capital circle; while Bale is still working hard to make movies, trying to win more Best Actor awards to expand his influence.

Therefore, in Bell's view, Chen Jin's script was actually a roundabout way to achieve his goal.

Taking over the Asian market might also allow them to launch a counterattack against the US!
Don't be fooled by his complete immersion in acting; he has a team behind him, and this project clearly plays a significant role in his team's plans.

Because there are relatively few idiots in any think tank. These days, Hollywood's market in China is growing bigger and bigger, and it has surpassed Britain, France, Japan and South Korea to become the second largest market in North America.

The recently concluded films "Transformers 3" and "Mission: Impossible 4" clearly reflect this point.

……

"Hey, Chan, I know you!"

"I never expected that the project Chris was talking about was yours?"

When Costigan arrived at Bell's presidential suite, he immediately became very enthusiastic upon seeing Chen Jin.

This is actually a common trait among many American producers; these guys are always very polite to many actors, after all, they rely on actors and directors to make money for them.

Producers wield considerable power in North America and are naturally generous with their praise for actors of value.

Chen Jinzhen thought that this guy was only using the formal "I've heard so much about you" approach because he was a Chinese actor who was somewhat useful. After chatting for a while, she discovered that... this guy actually knew her.

It gave off a rather flattering feeling!
“Last year at Venice, I also had a film nominated, ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night.’ I regretfully missed the premiere of ‘Life Matters’…”

Costigan shrugged, his previously awkward words now perfectly sealed: "If it were the premiere now, I'd definitely buy a plane ticket and head over immediately, since we've become acquainted!"

"Hahaha!"

Everyone present was amused by this guy, and Chen Jin was also greeting the other two bros.

Perhaps these two will have the opportunity to collaborate in the future. After all, they are both well-known actors who have won Oscars. If they get to know each other now, it will save them the trouble of going through an agency to cast roles in the future.

"Did you introduce me to me?"

After a few people sat down, Chen Jin couldn't help but secretly ask Bell.

He assumed that Bell had told Costigan about him, which was why Costigan was so concerned.

"not at all!"

“I talked to him about the ‘Hong Kong Trip’ project before, and he was quite interested. Now that you’re here, I said let’s take a look at your other project together…”

Bell spoke quickly, and Chen Jin finally felt relieved.

The reason Chen Jin asked this question was because she wanted to confirm some things. If they came here because of Bale's sake, then watching the movie today wouldn't yield any beneficial results. Even if the final product was terrible, the other party would probably still offer some high-sounding explanations.

But now that it's really about a project, the other party should seem more genuine.

"Alright, let's take a look at the new work that Chan has been preparing for the past six months!"

"Even though it's unfinished, he seems quite confident!"

Bell even started bragging to Chen Jin, who quickly waved her hand and said, "No, no, no, I didn't say that. I just released it to get everyone's feedback!"

"Wait a moment, I'll have someone bring in some more specialized equipment!"

"I always feel like something's missing when I look at this TV..."

Although the TV in the presidential suite is 60 inches, it is already a popular high-end plasma product on the market.

But as a producer who is used to seeing all kinds of big screens, watching IMAX... it's really a bit of a torture for him to watch this kind of "home product".

Chen Jin mainly just wanted Bell to see it; she didn't think much of it.

Bale's idea was simpler: since the two of them were going to watch anyway, they might as well have the producer there and watch together, saving him the trouble of running around to different places.

No problem, Chen Jin arrived too quickly, and the two of them didn't reach an agreement.

A short while later, Costigan called over a few of his men to bring over a professional projection device, which the workers were already setting up.

It must be said that these producers are much more knowledgeable about appreciation than the actors themselves.

"Chris, has the North American release date for Batman 3 been set?"

During a break in the workers' equipment installation, Costigan casually asked the question, treating it as a casual chat.

Not to mention Bale, even Chen Jin standing to the side understood that this guy was not asking casually; almost the whole world now knows that Batman 3, also known as The Dark Knight Rises, is the biggest hit this year.

It has the potential to dominate the global box office. Moreover, everyone in the industry knows that this kind of movie is definitely going to be a summer blockbuster, whether in North America or China.

"not yet!"

"main……"

Bell glanced at Chen Jin, smiled, and said, "It seems there's been a problem with synchronization on the Chinese side!"

That must be an excuse.

Bale's release schedule is very important because there are so many movies released every week, so things can change every week.

For blockbusters like "The Dark Knight Rises", the release date is set six months in advance. Some, like Disney, with its deep pockets, will set the release date 1-2 years in advance, and in the future, even 3-4 years in advance.

Take Avengers, for example. The fourth installment just finished airing, and the fifth one is already scheduled for 2026, not to mention the sixth one... This kind of maneuvering is to secure release dates in advance, intimidate competitors, especially the other five major studios, and tell them to do what they want and not make things difficult for themselves.

I told you three years in advance that the film would be released on this day. If you want to be on your own platform's hot list, you can schedule it for another time.

The Dark Knight was certainly intended to be the same.

However, instead of announcing it to the world like Disney did, Nolan kept it a secret, which gave other competitors in the market a headache.

I'm terrified of running into someone on the same day and dying instantly.

After all, Costigan has a "Prometheus" movie coming out, which is his big project this year. He's betting everything on this project. If it clashes with the release of The Dark Knight, even the Alien series won't be able to compete with Nolan and Batman.

Nolan's global influence is now second only to Cameron, and even greater than Spielberg's.

But what Bale said wasn't entirely wrong; Warner Bros., the investor in "The Dark Knight," was indeed in talks with China about a global release.

"Transformers 3" and "Mission: Impossible 4" have both grossed over 10 billion RMB in China, making the six major film studios extremely envious. Now everyone wants to make money in the mainland, and the six studios have all contributed their big projects to China Film Group.

China Film Group's imported film library is indeed not enough to accommodate all the movies.

You used to ignore me, but now you're completely out of my league. Nolan's first Batman film, Batman Begins, was even shown in mainland China, and the second one was also filmed in China. In the end, he made a bad point in the movie.

Therefore, a second part was not planned.

At this critical juncture, Warner Bros. had no choice but to desperately plead with China Film Group and the Film Bureau to make an exception for them.

However, given Hollywood's recent aggressive expansion in China, a "Summer Domestic Film Protection Month" has been introduced, during which imported films will not be able to secure release dates. Warner Bros. wants to see if they can find a special way to do so.

Including the current case of Costigan, Fox, the producer of "Prometheus" and also one of the Big Six, is also in talks with China.

Sony also has one—The Amazing Spider-Man!
……

China Film Group is perfectly aware of what these Hollywood investors are planning.

Seeing their own brothers enjoying the spoils, they wanted to take advantage of this summer vacation to come to China and make a fortune.

Previously, China didn't have much money, so Hollywood didn't take it seriously. Now, it's definitely the world's second-largest market, and that's only temporary. We don't need to spend much on marketing and promotion to get a large share of the money.

Which company wouldn't want to please them?
Costigan subtly probed Bell, even including the promotional schedule for "The Dark Knight Rises" in his questions. Bell just smiled, thinking how useful it was to use the censorship in mainland China as a shield.

"Alright, boss!"

With the workers having finished their adjustments, Costigan could only sigh slightly.

There's no other way but to wait until "Black Knight" gets a release date before "Pu" does; however, the price of doing so is that we're in a very passive position.

It has a significant impact on publicity and promotion.

Chen Jin was the least stressed among them, since it had nothing to do with him. "Jinling" was going to be released in North America next month, and Europe had been promoting the film these past few days. Berlin, being a lucky place for "Jinling," became the first stop for its global release.

Then Italy, France, Britain... I don't care about box office numbers, I just want the whole world to know about the concept of "The Holocaust".

"This is a Hollywood project..."

Chen Jin introduced some information about "Killer: Dragon" to Costigan. Although Costigan wasn't very interested, he still pretended to listen attentively.

He came to meet Bale at the invitation, but in fact he was just trying to find out the release date of "Black Knight". He didn't take Chen Jin's "Killer: Dragon" to heart.

On the contrary, he was somewhat interested in the "Hong Kong Trip" project, which Bale had mentioned to him.

boom!
A car crashed straight into the roadside steps.

The opening credits of "Killer: Dragon" had already started playing on the projector in front of us.

Chen Jin, who plays the assassin Long, is seen rolling out of the car clutching her chest, her hands covered in blood. She appears to be seriously injured and looks quite disheveled.

He staggered to the steps in his suit and sat down against the wall.

I took out my phone and opened a video.

That was a picture of his wife kissing him before they got married.

And so the story unfolds.

It's an easy-to-accept plot opening, and everyone can guess the storytelling technique used in this part—deliberately leaving suspense and hooks at the beginning.

Why is the protagonist injured? His wife may have died... This is where the anticipation comes from.

Just as many people present had expected.

The dragon's wife is dead, and this guy misses her terribly, to the point that he lives a life of debauchery every day.

Until he received a dog that his wife had ordered for him before she passed away.

Life began to have color.

Seeing this, even Bell himself thought it was pretty average.

A perfectly standard and clichéd Hollywood-style commercial film opening.

I'd give it a barely passing grade.

Even a veteran like Costigan received a negative review; if it weren't for Bell and Affleck watching intently, he would have started yawning.

I could guess how the plot would unfold.

until--

Long single-handedly killed 35 thugs who came to silence him!

1vs35!

This number isn't the most outrageous; after all, in many popcorn blockbusters, Thanos snaps his fingers and kills half the universe.

The most outrageous scene was actually Chen Jin's fight scene where she faced off against 35 opponents.

That real sense of immersion, atmosphere, and even the feeling of being suffocated and having every pore on your body open up in an instant.

"..."

Kostigan even sat up straight, glanced at Chen Jin beside him, and then looked at the 100-inch projection screen in front of him with a shocked expression.

This guy is really good at fighting!
That's so violent and exciting!
But... he likes it!

At this moment, Bale was completely stunned by the fight scene he had just witnessed, leaving him expressionless.

He thought of the role in "Hong Kong Trip" that he had talked about with Chen Jin not long ago.

He actually had some reservations about Chen Jin's portrayal of the second male lead, Shang Hua, wondering if Chen Jin was capable of handling the role of a martial arts expert.

He, Batman, really wanted to try out the role.

But now... Bale knows why Chen Jin chose this role.

Because in front of Chen Jin, his Batman action scenes looked as ridiculous as a green recruit!
(End of this chapter)