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

Chapter 408 The First Meeting with Cheng Long!
After several days of back-and-forth with the relativity side, Chen Jin's tough stance clearly forced Kavanaugh to make some concessions.

The reason for this is actually himself; he is also very optimistic about the prospects of "Killer: Dragon".

This movie was indeed very avant-garde.

Whether it's the fight scenes, the action sequences, or the overall production quality, the film truly sets a new benchmark for action movies.

He had a feeling that this movie... would very well create its own whirlwind in North America, so Kavanaugh was going to try his luck at Universal and persuade them to help arrange the release of "Killer: Dragon".

At least, in the initial release phase, they can secure an ideal number of theaters.

Moreover, it must be released during the summer season.

This is somewhat challenging, but Kavanaugh is willing to give it a try; at the same time, he has already instructed his staff to contact some theater managers in North America to start screenings of "Killer: Dragon" as soon as possible, so as to determine more theaters for its initial release.

Before a film is released in North America, there are countless screenings, mainly to give theater managers confidence or to allow them to assess the commercial viability and market potential of a film.

If someone is willing to take a gamble, or feels that a film has a good future, they will arrange for a premiere screening, which can also increase the number of premieres.

And this is the result Chen Jin wanted.

"Ryan, thank you for your honesty!"

"I really don't want this to be our last collaboration!"

The necessary pressure must be applied, and nice words must be said; Chen Jin still believes that the Americans want to make money.

It wasn't that he trusted Kavanaugh's character.

He simply believes in his own work.

Good movies are like commodities; someone will definitely value them, because that's their worth.

After finishing his call with Kavanaugh, Chen Jin felt relieved. Next, he needed to focus on preparing for the filming of "Hong Kong Trip." The script was still being revised, but... he would have to wait for Jackie Chan to arrive.

Since he agreed to play the scavenger in "Hong Kong Trip", Chen Jin has been chatting with him frequently, so she finally waited for him to come to North America.

Chen Jin has not yet reported this matter.

He will hold a global press conference when the time is right to announce that Jackie Chan, Christian Bale, and he will star in "Hong Kong Trip".

At that time, this news alone will cause a global sensation, not to mention the others.

"Boss, who are we going to pick up at the airport?"

David and Chad arrived at Chen Jin's rented apartment, looking quite tired. It was clear that the two of them had been very busy these past few days, preparing for various filming matters for "Hong Kong Trip," and they were practically working themselves to the bone.

However, their own boss actually called them and asked them to pick someone up from the airport while they were so busy.
Who the hell has such a big deal of influence?!

David was actually unwilling, but Chen Jin was his boss, and this first time directing was all his appointment.

So the two of them put aside what they were doing and rushed over.

"Jackie Chan, another lead actor in our film 'Hong Kong Trip'!"

Although Chen Jin spoke in English, Cheng Long used Chinese pronunciation, just to tease the two guys.

"Cheng Long?"

Chad paused for a moment, while David next to him was also pondering the name.

Let two directors take on one role...

"and many more?"

"Who? Jackie Chan? Is that Jacken Chan?"

David Leitch, an action fanatic, suddenly realized what was happening and, seeing Chen Jin's smile and nod, became quite excited.

"Oh God, kkkk!"

"Jacken Chan!!!"

David yelled, "You're saying our movie has another lead actor, Jacken Chan?!"

"Boss, you're not lying to me, are you?"

"You...you really did it?"

David called out with great skepticism, after all, Chen Jin had indeed mentioned a few days ago that she wanted Jackie Chan to play the scavenger, but David felt... that was a bit unlikely.

Chad, standing next to him, looked equally incredulous: "My God, Jacken, the lead actor in my movie is Jacken!"

This truly thrilled the two of them.

There's no way around it. Just like how many Chinese people admire Hollywood stars, many Americans also greatly admire Jackie Chan. Both sides still have strong biases when it comes to foreigners, especially since Jackie Chan does indeed have a huge number of fans overseas.

Anyone who enjoys action blockbusters has likely seen several movies starring Jackie Chan, especially the Rush Hour series.

This film is Jackie Chan's representative work in North America, and at least several hundred million people have seen it.

This includes DVD players and streaming viewers.

"Okay, so are we still going or not?"

"go with!"

"must go!"

“gogogo!!!”

The two of them were completely impatient and pulled on Chen Jin's sleeves as they walked toward their car.

Chen Jin was amused by the two guys' smirks.

You can actually see some of Jackie Chan's influence just by looking at their faces.

Asking him to play a role this time was indeed a brilliant and timely choice. With him and Bale on board, Chen Jin is bound to be elevated in status. Although both of them knew this, they were actually willing to accept it.

The script was indeed very appealing to them, especially since it was written by Chen Jin, and the roles he offered were quite good.

He didn't even say he would play the lead role; instead, he gave it to Bale.

This shows that they genuinely wanted to make a good film, so there's no question of them trying to boost their own status. Making a film inevitably involves trade-offs regarding fame, and Jackie Chan actually hopes that China can produce another action superstar on the international stage.

Jackie Chan is absolutely sincere about this; he has said it on various occasions more than once.

……

The car sped along the highways of Los Angeles. Inside, David and Chad were clearly ecstatic, humming along to songs the whole way, having obviously forgotten how reluctant they had been to come.

Clearly, they didn't want to talk about their current work, which kept them so busy they didn't even have time to rest.

They are like fans, excited about meeting their idols; this kind of anticipation is indeed the happiest, purer and more enjoyable than the feeling after actually meeting the person.

Soon, they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport.

"Boss, what time is Jacken's flight?"

Chad asked from the side.

Chen Jin took out her phone and showed him the message Cheng Long had sent her before boarding the plane yesterday: "Arriving around 10:30, about half an hour away!"

"Half an hour, yes!"

"I'll be able to see Jacken in half an hour!"

David stood to the side, clenching his fists and pacing around the arrival area, looking no different from a madman.

The fan culture abroad is so intense that even a filmmaker can be so fervent.

Time passed by, second by second.

By 10:30, David and Chad were already standing at the exit, staring intently down the passage, looking like they couldn't contain themselves any longer.

"The flight is at 10:30, so it will arrive here at least at 10:40 or 10:45..."

Chen Jin was talking to the two idiots, but no one answered him.

The two of them stood like statues waiting for their husbands to appear, gazing at the exit.

Finally, a figure familiar to Chen Jin appeared at the end of the exit passage.

If it's not Jackie Chan, then who is it?
"Jacken!"

"Jacken Chan!"

David and Chad were already yelling and screaming, and it was too late for Chen Jin to stop them. Damn it!
How could I have forgotten about those two idiots shouting? So when the group of people at the arrival gate heard the shout, almost everyone looked in Cheng Long's direction at the same time, and then... chaos ensued.

Several people surrounded him, wanting to get Jackie Chan's autograph.

There weren't the fanatical fan groups typical of China. The foreigners were quite well-mannered, mostly taking photos, posing for pictures, and asking for autographs.

As expected of an international superstar, Lao Long displayed great manners and refinement, fulfilling the wishes of his fans one by one.

He smiled and nodded and put his arm around everyone's shoulder.

"How the hell did I bring you two disgraceful pieces of trash out here?"

"Will you die if you don't shout?!"

Chen Jin cursed at the two traitors who rushed towards Cheng Long without any sense of loyalty, while watching Cheng Long being surrounded by countless people.

It probably won't be done in less than an hour.

The flow of people is getting bigger and bigger.

"Hey~~"

Looking at the empty space around her, Chen Jin really wanted to shout, "I'm a star too! I'm Jin Chan, a Venice Film Festival Best Actor, and Instructor Li in the hit movie 'The Flower of War'!"

Unfortunately, it was all for naught. Even though "Jinling" was a hit, it didn't make him famous at all.

Chen Jin remains largely ignored in North America.

He shouted at the airport, but no one paid any attention, let alone asked for a photo or autograph.

This is the difference.

A very real difference.

After waiting for about half an hour, Chen Jin finally saw David and Chad, who were carrying Cheng Long and looked very excited, walking towards her.

The two of them acted as if they had won a battle, and seemed to be taking credit for their victory.

It's as if it's saying, "Look, boss, I've brought you the person you're looking for."

Chen Jin should thank these two.

"Brother Jin—"

"Big brother, please don't call me that, I can't stand it. Just call me Chen Jin, or Jinzi!"

This was actually the first time Chen Jin had met Cheng Long.

However, the two had been on the phone for the past few days, so they weren't awkward when they met; on the contrary, they felt like they had known each other for a long time.

"These two said they were with you, so I came with them!"

Once in the car, Cheng Long smiled and pointed to David and Chad in the driver's seat and passenger seat, respectively.

However, he spoke to Chen Jin in Chinese, so neither of them could understand him at all. They were just very excited and would occasionally turn around to look at Cheng Long.

He looks like a wild monkey.

"Yes, let me introduce you!"

Chen Jin suddenly switched to English, pointing to two people and saying, "David, David Leitch, one of the directors of our film!"

"Jacken, I've been a fan of yours for over ten years. I've seen so many of your movies!"

David was quite smug about Chen Jin's introduction.

Jackie Chan quickly bent down, stood up, and stepped forward with a smile to shake hands: "Hello, David, it's a pleasure to work with you!"

"It's my honor!"

David was driving along, shouting, "I can't even imagine how excited I'll be during filming, with Jacken Chan starring in the movie I'm directing!"

Alright, you've gone a bit overboard.

Chen Jin gave him a disgruntled look, then pointed to the passenger seat and said to Cheng Long, "Chad, Chad Starsky!"

"He's also one of the directors of our film!"

"Jacken, I'm a stunt coordinator, and I've studied your action scenes!"

Chad was more reserved than David, but not much better. Before Jackie Chan could even speak, this guy interrupted.

Moreover, he took the initiative to get up from the passenger seat and climb into the second row, reaching out to shake hands tightly with Cheng Long, showing no intention of letting go.

"Wow, a stunt coordinator, I think we can have a good talk!"

Cheng Long is clearly a good conversationalist.

Chad laughed: "Of course, we definitely have a lot to talk about. I fell in love with this job after watching a lot of Chinese action movies. To this day, I still enjoy watching Chinese action movies. Ask the boss, he knows everything!"

"..."

Chen Jin never expected these two guys to be so talkative.

I didn't realize those two were such tough guys!
"Yes, Chad is very good at designing action sequences. He and Sun Nuo designed the action sequences for my directorial debut, 'Killer Dragon'!"

"They're both assistant directors!"

Chen Jin was talking to Cheng Long. Actually, he had already mentioned this to Cheng Long on the phone before, but he brought it up again so that Cheng Long could learn more about these two people.

After all, they'll be working together for another month or two.

If the script were rewritten, Jackie Chan's scenes would definitely take about a month to complete.

Chen Jin had already discussed this with Cheng Long, and he had a gap of more than three months ahead of him.

"That's great! It's clear that you get along very well with many teams in Hollywood, Chen Jin!"

"This is especially important in Hollywood!"

After Cheng Long finished talking with David and Chad, he turned to Chen Jin.

"It's alright. Some Americans are a bit extreme, but the vast majority are pretty good!"

"Filmmakers should be more pure-hearted, but as for capital... hahaha!"

Chen Jin and Cheng Long laughed at the same time.

They certainly understand what kind of people many American bosses are, such as Kavanaugh and Harvey, who are all about money.

This is a common problem in capitalist societies.

Although Chen Jin and Cheng Long are both bosses, and Cheng Long is known for being stingy, they still have to do a lot of favors.

Jackie Chan, in particular, would take on roles even when he knew they were bad movies, because he couldn't escape the complexities of human relationships.

This is something that some American celebrities and bosses can be quite ruthless about.

"Brother, what do you think of my suggestion to you before? I'm planning to increase your role as a scavenger, add some background information, and explore your character arc more deeply. If it goes well, we can make it into two parts!"

This has always been Chen Jin's idea. Cheng Long thought for a moment and said, "I definitely have no problem with this suggestion, but we still need to see the script and the filming. I looked at the previous script, and the story is already very complete!"

"Yes, here you are! People from the lower classes also need to be portrayed properly!"

“If you read my script carefully, you should know that the character I play, Shang Hua, symbolizes the middle class, the character Bale plays represents the social elite, and the character you play represents the lowest class!”

"Of course, there are also students, children, civil servants, and so on..."

"Although this is a zombie movie, it is an ensemble drama that reflects the humanity of people in the post-apocalyptic world, and it has two layers of meaning!"

Cheng Long nodded repeatedly at Chen Jin's words.

He understood what Chen Jin was saying.

"Alright, let's revise the script first, and I'll talk about it after I've read it!"

Jackie Chan did have requirements regarding the role, because Chen Jin had told him that his opinion would be sought for this project.

The two chatted in the car, with David and Chad occasionally chiming in. They soon arrived at the hotel that Chen Jin had booked for Cheng Long. In fact, Cheng Long also owned property in North America, but as the "host," Chen Jin still booked him a presidential suite.

To show respect.

Most importantly, they still need to go eat in a little while, as they will be gathering the entire crew of "Hong Kong Trip" tomorrow for a pre-filming mobilization and meeting.

Bear Grylls will also be participating!
(End of this chapter)