Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 273 Taking the Hook? The Blockbuster "Warriors of Heaven and Earth"! The Best Partner for Films Going Global is an Aircraft Carrier!

“Miss Qin, I’m in Japan on official business.”

"Mr. Ma, I came to Japan for tourism."

"Okay, then you can do your thing."

"Mr. Ma..."

Ma Xun left immediately, as if he had made up his mind.

Qin Lan was completely stunned, because she really didn't expect such an outcome.

She had, of course, dressed up carefully for this "chance encounter".

It's hot in Tokyo right now, so you can dress more lightly.

She is a model, and has even won awards, so she has a good sense of style. She can choose what clothes to wear to express what she wants to convey.

Just like now, she's wearing a sporty outfit that shows off her flat stomach and sexy belly button, as well as her two small but incredibly bouncy breasts... paired with her pretty face and big eyes.

She exudes a youthful and sexy vibe from head to toe.

To be fair, she's 22 years old this year, which is indeed the best time of a woman's life.

This outfit brings out all her best features; normally, she would definitely be able to win over a man.

Even if you can't win her over on the spot, she'll definitely attract men's attention.

Qin Lan has this confidence, and she certainly should have it.

As an award-winning model, then she should...

what?
what?
gone? !
Before I could even react, Ma Xun was already gone.

He didn't even glance at her.

Although it was hot in Tokyo, a slight breeze made Qin Lan's heart feel extremely cold.

No!

We can't just let it go!
……

Ma Xun certainly had important business to attend to; the face value of this Japanese yen was quite substantial.

With "Shaolin Soccer" currently showing, he really earns hundreds of thousands per minute.

So far, this movie can be considered a success.

Ma Xunke has two other movies to his name, and Ge Luming is in Japan again.

This time, we're going to talk about the American version of "The Others," or more accurately, "The Others."

So, he met up with Dashan and Ge Luming again at the izakaya.

The three met, and without much conversation, ordered drinks and started chatting.

"This horror movie is great, really great!"

"Oh, it seems you have something to say."

"There's really no way around it, the pressure this year is just too much. 'Pearl Harbor' is coming to Japan, and I, we..."

Da Shan started by pouring out his grievances.

Simply put, the Japanese right wing doesn't want these films to be released.

The movie "Pearl Harbor" is coming to Japan, and of course it should.

Ma Xun naturally had to view the issue from the perspective of the victorious nations of World War II.

But according to Da Shan... the fact that our movie "Devils on the Doorstep" was able to sell well is also closely related to this movie "Pearl Harbor".

It must be emphasized that Japan has actually been rewriting history and has been denying the past.

Don't underestimate this small matter. Just look at how these young people in Japan reacted afterward, and you'll see that it had an effect.

A group of beasts have been raised who know nothing about the truth of history and even think they are innocent victims.

Actually, if we look at this from a global perspective...

It's not just Japan; South Korea has gone even further, using mythology as its history textbook.

Later, the young people of this country truly believed that their stolen nation was a superpower, that many things in China belonged to them, and that Yi Sun-sin was truly the world's greatest general.

That's how it's written in Korean history books.

The people of this country are generally not very intelligent. Korean history books openly state that Dangun lived for over 8000 years and was their ancestor, and they believe it.

This person's IQ is definitely not high.

In addition, there is a certain Ukraine.

The history books those kids learn are even more fantastical; they turn black into white.

In fact, at the very beginning of the 21st century, the seeds of many things that would happen twenty years later were sown.

A generation grows up every twenty years. Once this generation grows up, the result will be exactly what happened later.

Live it!

Ma Xun was inwardly sneering, but at the moment, even if a film like "Pearl Harbor" was sold to Japan, those guys couldn't stop it.

And so on... Wait a minute, Ma Xun's phone rang.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Jiang Wen's.

Ma Xun's heart skipped a beat. "If a friend came, would you two be offended?"

Da Shan and Ge Luming had already started drinking, so they readily agreed.

So Ma Xun gave the address to the person on the other end of the phone.

Soon after, Jiang Wen arrived at this izakaya.

"Oh my! Haha... Good wine indeed."

Jiang Wen knew Da Shan, and he had met Mina before, as did Ge Luming.

After all, Ge Luming is a senior executive at Columbia Pictures in Asia and comes to China frequently.

Everyone laughed heartily, and the atmosphere was wonderful.

Before long, they started talking about Pearl Harbor and Devil on the Doorstep.

Da Shan remained unchanged, saying, "Those old men really have some nasty things to say!"

Old man, Ma Xun immediately thought of that Shintaro Ishihara.

This guy is a celebrity in the Japanese literary world. The major Japanese literary awards, the Akutagawa Prize and the Naoki Prize, are given by the Japan Literature Promotion Association, and he is an important member of that association.

His younger brother was even more famous than him, a superstar in Japan during the 1970s and 80s, and there's even a memorial hall dedicated to him after his death.

And Ishihara is the Governor of Tokyo, a position he held for many years, so he wields considerable power.

So, Ma Xun simply mentioned this Shintaro Ishihara.

"Ah, this..." Upon hearing this, Da Shan seemed to sober up.

I understand, it must be this old guy.

At this moment, Jiang Wen asked, "Mr. Dashan, what is your own opinion?"

That's a good question.

Da Shan took a sip of his drink and then said very formally, "History is history. It should be what it was originally. Doing it this way now will definitely cause problems! Unfortunately, I am just a nobody."

After hearing this, everyone drank without saying a word.

In fact, most people of Dashan's age have correct values, although of course there are definitely quite a few scoundrels.

But twenty years later, there were even more bastards and beasts.

Don't try to reason with these guys. Just wait for the right moment. They owe us a debt, and we should avenge them.

It's not that the time for non-reporting has not arrived!
And now, Ma Xun is making a killing.

He certainly made a lot of money.

And so, the four of them started talking about "Devils on the Doorstep" again.

Jiang Wen was very talkative, and everyone spoke in Mandarin, which Ge Luming and Dashan could understand. At first, he was a little reserved, but once he realized they could understand him, he immediately opened up and started talking.

Da Shan and Ge Luming were completely bewildered by what they said.

"Jiang Wensang, we must have the opportunity to work together again!"

"That's for sure."

"Mr. Jiang, do you have any new film plans? Our Columbia Pictures is open to investing!"

Good heavens, this guy actually fooled two investors?

Ma Xun couldn't help but glance at him.

Jiang Wen, being quite worldly-wise, said, "No, we can't forget Brother Ma!"

Not bad, at least you have some conscience.

Ma Xun actually knew from the beginning that Jiang Wen was also a master of deception.

Later, when he made movies, the Eagle Entertainment company was completely fooled, giving him money to squander. Many people may not know that "The Sun Also Rises" is supposed to be an art film, but it ended up costing nearly 100 million yuan.

Because he was filming in Xinjiang, he somehow started doing all sorts of explosion and fire scenes, which weren't shown in the movie later on; they were probably all cut by him.

But these are very expensive.

As for the movie "The Sun Also Rises".

It's understandable that many people don't understand it.

Many people also say that this is the culmination of Jiang Wen's cinematic art.

Having thought about it too much, Ma Xun decided to bring his thoughts back to the present.

This is the perfect time!

"Gentlemen, since we've come this far, I propose that we jointly invest in a historical epic! Let Director Jiang Wen direct it..."

Ma Xun drew out the last syllable of his sentence.

Da Shan and Ge Luming were obviously confused, but Jiang Wen understood.

"I'll play the male lead!"

This guy knows in his heart that he can't be a director anymore.

Upon hearing this, Dashan and Ge Luming were both very pleased.

"Si Guoyi!"

"Very good!"

Both foreigners were very excited, and Ge Luming even thought of a key point.

"Why don't we let Mr. Ma direct it?"

Right!

Ma Xun can also direct movies.

Da Shan was a little stunned.

But Jiang Wen was good at seizing opportunities. "That's right! Our Director Ma is also an excellent director. Actually, I heard that the movie 'Postmen in the Mountains' was actually directed by Director Ma. I know Huo Jianqi well, and he mentioned this to me."

Good teamwork!
Ma Xun's face broke into a smile; he couldn't quite keep it up.

But Da Shan's expression immediately changed. "That's wonderful! That's wonderful! Mr. Ma, please!"

Alright, this thing has taken the bait.

In fact, Ma Xun's original plan was just to fool Ge Luming.

In the original timeline, it was the Wang brothers from Huayi Brothers, along with He Ping and Jiang Wen, who managed to convince Ge Luming and Columbia Company quite effectively.

Now, let me, Ma Xun, do it!
This was something we'd been planning for a long time, and now it's perfect!

Ma Xun took a big gulp of wine and said, "I can tell you three something: the Chinese mainland film industry is about to explode!"

I actually have a film that has become a key reform experiment. If it succeeds, then there will be big moves in the future.

I won't go into the details of its significance.

My point is simple: we should make a big production!

The idea of ​​making a big-budget production has been around for a while now, like with "The Emperor and the Assassin," right?

Another film that should start filming this year is "Hero" directed by Zhang Yimou.

Okay, let's not talk about this anymore.

Now, with the help of Professor Jiang Wen, and with funding from two large foreign companies, I am fortunate to have her.

If we don't make a blockbuster, it would be a real shame!
And if you're going to make a blockbuster, then of course you have to make a historical blockbuster.

I think that China's history is glorious and splendid, and among the most glorious dynasties, besides the Qin and Han dynasties, the Tang dynasty is the most glorious.

Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou both made films about Qin Han.

Let's film a story about the Tang Dynasty!

Although I don't know much about history, I remember that in the late Tang Dynasty, there were still Tang soldiers in the Western Regions.

I'm certain this story is absolutely moving and incredibly exciting.

This story could definitely be made into a blockbuster!
By the way, the movie that director Zhang Yimou is going to make is called "Hero". If we make it, how about we call it "Heroes of Heaven and Earth"?
"What do you three think?"

What a passionate and inspiring speech!

Ma Xun's words stirred the blood of the three men.

"well said!"

I think it's OK!

"Sbarasi!"

Without further ado, cheers!
With a clink of glasses, the four of them finalized the deal for a blockbuster film with an investment of at least 100 million yuan.

As for "Warriors of Heaven and Earth," it probably won't be the original version.

Ma Xun will definitely tinker with this film.

Never mind, let's have a drink first.

……

When we came out of the izakaya, everyone was drunk.

They said goodbye to each other and went home.

But Ma Xun and Jiang Wen ended up together.

When they reached a small bridge, Jiang Wen suddenly stopped.

"I didn't expect that our teamwork would be so good."

"Indeed, Professor Jiang Wen, I never expected you to help me like this."

"No, I'm helping myself too."

What are your thoughts on this movie?

"I have no idea what your story is."

"It seems that there was a remnant of the army in a city in the Western Regions at that time, but they never surrendered and fought for decades."

"Really?"

"I don't remember very clearly, but it definitely happened."

"Great! This story is good... By the way, is the movie 'Devils on the Doorstep' really okay?"

As Ma Xun mentioned earlier, he inexplicably wanted to combine "Heroes of Heaven and Earth" with "The Last Transfer in the Northern Desert of the Tang Dynasty," the latter being an excellent short film.

Jiang Wenyuan's "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" actually has the feel of this short film, and is roughly the same time, except that he shot it like a Chinese Western film.

He Ping was the first to create this Chinese Western film.

His film "Swordsman of Double Flag Town" was very impressive back then.

It had a great influence on many filmmakers in Hong Kong; even Stephen Chow watched it and praised it highly.

The original director of "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" was He Ping, and now it's my turn, Ma Xun.

Let's do a proper job and make some changes.

Now, Jiang Wen has brought up "Devils on the Doorstep" again.

Ma Xun then simply incorporated "Pearl Harbor" into his discussion.

Actually, it's quite obvious that the Japanese film industry didn't want this film at all.

But there was no other way but to import it.

The company behind the movie "Pearl Harbor" is called Jerry Bruckheimer, and as you can tell from the name, it's a private company.

In fact, Jerry is the big financial backer of Michael Bay; they collaborated on films like "Bad Boys" and "The Rock".

However, this company itself is not considered a major Hollywood studio.

Even so, the Japanese film company still had to buy the rights to the film.

Jiang Wen was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then said, "Is it easier for you to sell the film 'Pearl Harbor' than for us?"

Ma Xun nodded, adding, "This film is much clearer than yours; it clearly shows how to fight the Japanese devils."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wen burst into laughter.

"Yes, because the United States has aircraft carriers, and a lot of them."

Jiang Wen's words can be seen as an explanation for why films like "Pearl Harbor" could be sold in Japan, and why the Japanese were unable to resist.

Ma Xun replied with a smile, "We'll have it sooner or later."

After saying that, the two of them burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)