Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 371 Major Revisions to "Incense"? Tong Liya and Li Xiaoran Share the Rain and Dew?

"Terror Live Stream? Is that really its name?"

"Yes, that's the name, The Terror Live."

"This name sounds very straightforward, it doesn't mean anything."

"Indeed, it's not high-class, but this is Ma Xun's latest project."

"Where did you get the information?"

“Zhang Ziyi’s brother is talking about it everywhere now.”

"Huh? Why?"

"Because, hehehe... Zhang Ziyi went to audition, but she didn't get the part. I bet she's furious."

"Haha...this is interesting."

Just after the Spring Festival, the Wang brothers received some interesting news.

The new project they'd been keeping an eye on, Ma Xun, turned out to be a 'horror movie'.

The Terror Live, judging from the title, what kind of movie could it be?

What's even more interesting is that this news was leaked by Zhang Ziyi's older brother.

Clearly, Zhang Ziyi was unwilling to swallow this insult.

She must have failed the audition; she must have felt that she should have easily landed the role.

However, there is one rather strange point.

"Is this movie directed by Wang Xiaoshuai?"

"Yes, he'll be the director."

"So, he'll make a horror movie?"

"Well, I'm not too sure about that. Anyway, the eldest brother of the Zhang family didn't say much. I guess Zhang Ziyi himself doesn't know much about the content of this movie either."

The Wang brothers really couldn't figure this out.

Wang Xiaoshuai is someone who usually makes art films, so why is he making a horror film this time?
I don't understand this, but thankfully, it's probably not that important.

The Wang brothers now harbor deep hatred for Ma Xun.

Since they have a new project, we certainly can't let it pass us by!

So...

"Should we try to win over Zhang Ziyi?"

"That's a good idea, so..."

"Director Feng's new film?"

"If Zhang Ziyi can join the team, then what else is there to say?"

"But, for this new film... who will they cast? Or, who will play a supporting role to whom?"

"This……"

The Wang brothers' idea was good, but upon closer examination, they found it wasn't so easy to implement.

Because Feng Xiaogang's new film is called "A World Without Thieves".

This movie is based on a novel of the same name, written by Zhao Benfu.

He personally won the Mao Dun Literature Prize, but this novel did not win the prize.

However, after Feng Xiaogang saw this work, he had the idea of ​​adapting it.

Currently, the film "Cellphone," invested in by Huayi Brothers, may not even reach 3000 million yuan in box office revenue due to the pandemic.

Let's say it's 3000 million. That might only be enough to break even, since the initial advertising investment was a bit too high.

So, they definitely hope to boost morale with a new film and turn a profit.

"A World Without Thieves" is indeed a very good choice, so the casting process naturally had to be of a high standard.

It has been confirmed that Andy Lau, a superstar from Hong Kong, will be the one in the role.

The Wang brothers are really going all out.

In addition, Chen Guofu from Taiwan happened to be there, and the female lead was his lover, Milk Tea.

Then, the Wang brothers finally managed to persuade Li Bingbing to be their supporting actor.

These two really made a lot of promises to Li Bingbing, saying that she would have many roles in the future, all of which would be played by her as the female lead.

Moreover, this is Li Bingbing's first collaboration with Director Feng, so starting with a supporting role isn't a bad thing.

In addition, that character was quite outstanding.

Actually, Feng Xiaogang was interested in Li Bingbing mainly because she played a police officer in the movie "Going Home for the New Year" back then.

Ok?
Is Li Bingbing a policeman in this drama? ...It seems like he'll have a chance to wear a police uniform.

Regardless of the circumstances, the current character arrangement for "A World Without Thieves" can be considered very secure.

If Zhang Ziyi were to join...

Whom should we target?
Zhang Ziyi definitely has to play the lead role.

The Wang brothers originally intended to try and win over Chen Guofu, who was no ordinary person in Taiwan's entertainment industry.

This……

Unexpectedly, before the Wang brothers could even comment on Ma Xun's new movie, they themselves had already gotten themselves into trouble.

"How about we make Li Bingbing suffer a little more?"

"Then... how about we increase that character's screen time? Make him a character similar to the female lead?"

"This……"

"Let's try to win them over first."

The Wang brothers had long intended to win over Zhang Ziyi.

These two have big ambitions; they're currently recruiting heavily.

They also have a lot of ideas about Zhou Xun.

In short, it would be best if all the top stars in our Chinese entertainment industry were under Huayi Brothers' management.

These two are too ambitious; they'll get into trouble sooner or later!
……

The news about the movie "The Terror Live" has been leaked, but it hasn't affected Ma Xun much.

He continued to prepare step by step.

We're still in the midst of the pandemic, so whether we can start filming... depends on where the film set is located.

If we blur the time and space context this time, then we should go to a city in Southeast Asia.

If that's the case, then the impact isn't that significant.

So, the most important thing for Ma Xun and Wang Xiaoshuai is still the casting issue.

Wan Qian has been confirmed as the female anchor, and she has also gained Zou Tao's approval.

Indeed, if we let her be like Xia Dan, Ma Xun's goal will be achieved.

But what about others?
Although, The Terror Live is a rather unique film.

That is to say, at least 8% of the scenes were performed by this 'anchor' alone in front of the camera.

But we still need other roles.

For example, what about that guy with the security bomb?

Wang Xiaoshuai immediately suggested a candidate.

"Huang Bo! He's quite good! Look at his face, he's perfect for playing a villain!"

Faced with Wang Xiaoshuai's statement, Ma Xun was speechless for a while.

It's not that Huang Bo can't play a villain, but the problem is that Ma Xun has already cast Huang Bo as the lead in several of his dramas.

If we cast him as a villain, it will definitely affect those shows.

Don't underestimate this point. Actors really shouldn't easily change their roles, especially from good guys to bad guys.

Many actors in the industry always play villains, not just because of their appearance. Many production teams hire actors who always play villains precisely because they want them to always play villains.

That's true, because the audience can easily immerse themselves in the story as soon as he appears.

"No, let's find someone else."

"Who could that be?"

"The key point is that this character is not purely evil. He is actually just an ordinary person who was forced to choose this path."

Ma Xun's statement is correct. In our film "The Terror Live," the real reason the villain planted the bomb was a demolition dispute that led to the destruction of his family and the death of his loved ones.

Of course, there were bound to be twists and turns along the way, but overall...

It's best to choose someone who doesn't look too bad to play the role.

Well... that's quite a coincidence.

While Ma Xun and Wang Xiaoshuai were discussing this, someone came to recommend himself.

"My dear Brother Ma, I'm really doomed lately. There's no hope anywhere I go."

Yes, due to the impact of the pandemic, the number of film crews starting work has indeed decreased significantly.

And this person... was none other than Sha Yi.

Sha Yi is quite handsome now, but his Northeastern accent is really strong.

Wang Xiaoshuai was delighted when he saw it.

"He's not bad! Look at his appearance, he doesn't seem like a bad guy!"

Hey, you know what, Sha Yi actually got what he wanted.

"Huh? There's a chance? Haha..."

This guy is unbelievable! His voice and accent are such a waste of his title as the most handsome guy at the PLA Academy of Arts.

Ma Xun, however, was pleased with the outcome and, upon reflection, thought it was indeed a good idea.

Moreover, this time we're focusing on a high-energy plot twist.

The movie "The Terror Live" will definitely surprise many people.

It's not just about revealing that secret; there's a very clever design involved. Now that we have this major villain, what's next...?

While Wang Xiaoshuai was happy, he started chatting with Ma Xun about another matter.

"Boss, isn't it a bit inappropriate of you to not give Zhang Ziyi any face?"

"What? Why should I give her face?"

Ma Xun's self-righteous demeanor made Wang Xiaoshuai reluctant to say anything more.

However, the image of informing Zhang Ziyi of the audition results flashed through Ma Xun's mind.

"Excuse me."

"What? What do you mean by 'sorry'?"

"You're just not right for me."

"Why?!"

“It just doesn’t fit.”

"Ma Xun, I want a reason."

"The reason is that someone is more suitable than you."

"I do not believe!"

Zhang Ziyi's expression at that moment was exactly like that of a female leopard with her anger at its peak.

Ma Xun, however, insisted on his decision.

"That's how auditions are. I know you're determined to get the part, but the world doesn't always go the way you want it to."

Honestly, he felt he was incredibly patient to have Ma Xun say so much.

He had never done this before.

However, Zhang Ziyi was also very assertive, "Ma Xun, why do you always disrespect me like this?"

Ma Xun said with a hint of helplessness, "This is not a matter of saving face. If it's not suitable, it's not suitable. It has nothing to do with saving face."

"You... hum!"

Zhang Ziyi stormed off in a huff.

To be honest, Ma Xun just said: So what if I don't give you face?
But this time we really put our heart into making the film, so let's be honest.

In any case, Ma Xun did not deliberately target Zhang Ziyi.

In fact, judging solely from the audition results, let's completely disregard the fact that Wan Qian and Xia Dan look somewhat alike.

Just looking at the broadcasting style alone, Wan Qian is better than Zhang Ziyi.

Isn't that obvious?

Actually, Zhang Ziyi's acting skills are quite good, but her basic skills are not strong, which is why she was last in the class of '96.

And right now...

Damn it! Why am I thinking so much?!

I, Ma Xun, have absolutely no need to give Zhang Ziyi any face.

Besides, I've done everything I could to be kind and righteous.

All that needs to be said has been said.

Therefore, I stopped thinking about it.

Now that the two main characters of "The Terror Live" are settled, the other characters will be easy to handle as well.

Wang Xiaoshuai can choose anyone.

As for the reason why the 'big villain' in the movie planted the bomb, we will naturally make a short story about it.

It's just a demolition story, so... let Wang Xiaoshuai handle it himself.

Ma Xun simply went home to rest.

result……

"Brother Ma~" Li Dabai... cough cough, is Li Xiaoran back living in the courtyard again?
"You really are..." Faced with Xiaoran clinging to him, Ma Xun verbally denied it, but his hands...

I must say, it feels really good.

"You, all you ever do is take advantage of others."

Xiao Ran covered her chest with both hands, not giving Ma Xun a chance to take liberties with her.

"How did I gain an advantage?" Ma Xun was blatantly lying.

I was just feeling the touch.

"They didn't even choose that movie."

Xiao Ran's coquettish anger was truly a feast for the eyes.

Ma Xun smiled and said, "You're not quite right for the movie 'The Terror Live' yet. Don't worry, there will definitely be other opportunities."

Actually, Li Xiaoran wasn't really angry; what she wanted to hear was Ma Xun's words.

Because this statement represents future resources.

Xiao Ran then let her guard down.

Just as Ma Xun was about to enjoy himself, the phone rang.

Who could possibly pick such a bad time!
Fortunately, Xiaoran can't fly anymore, so she answered the phone first.

Huh? It's Tong Liya.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Boss, I found a movie."

"So fast? You're not just trying to fool me, are you?"

"No, I've seen the script now, and I think the story is pretty good."

"Script? What script?"

"It's called 'Incense,' and by the way, the screenwriter and director are the same person, Ning Hao."

Upon hearing this, Ma Xun's expression turned strange.

I never expected to run into that bad monkey like this.

"Incense"... If it were any other film, Ma Xun would really be very interested.

Someone once commented on Ning Hao, saying this:

His best film is "Incense".

Yes, although the total cost of this movie was only 40,000 yuan, and the plot is not long.

However, later films like "Crazy Stone" and "Crazy Racer" are actually very similar to this film, "Incense".

Later, many people said that Ning Hao plagiarized, saying that "Crazy Stone" plagiarized Guy Ritchie's "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels".

To be honest, these two films can't be considered plagiarism, but there are definitely homages.

To be honest, "Crazy Stone" actually plagiarized more of his own film, "Incense".

"Incense" is also a dark comedy, and although the film is short, it is very well made.

Ning Hao's real plagiarism was actually in the movie "Mr. Red Carpet" twenty years later.

This is definitely a copy.

However, the original film wasn't very popular in China; it was called "The Square."

This film was directed by Ruben Östlund and is also translated as "The Square".

Anyone who knows anything about movies and has seen both films can be certain that they are plagiarized.

The stories seem different, but the composition, color scheme, and transitions are all quite similar... otherwise, they wouldn't be so awkward.

True fans of Ning Hao will definitely be able to see that "Mr. Red Carpet" is very different from his previous film style.

Speaking of "Incense"... Ma Xun is really interested in it.

Moreover, while he couldn't say he was particularly familiar with the film, he certainly knew it like the back of his hand.

Now the opportunity has come... Great!

Ma Xun immediately said to Li Xiaoran, "Now there's an opportunity, are you going to seize it?"

Without hesitation, Xiaoran nodded and said, "Of course! I'll definitely act in any of Brother Ma's movies!"

And here come the resources.

So, while Ma Xun was on the phone, Xiao Ran was hugging him from behind, those two...

This phone call felt really strange.

"Okay, I trust you. I can invest in Ning Hao and his movie."

"That's great!"

"The script and stuff..."

"Boss, you want to see it, right? That..."

"I must change!"

"Well... he said it's no problem."

Sure enough, Tong Liya made the phone call in front of Ning Hao.

So……

"Why don't you just bring the script over?"

"it is good!"

Tong Liya had no idea that if she brought the script over now, she would be reading it at night.

Xiao Ran heard that the girl on the other end of the phone was coming, and...

"Brother Ma~"

She couldn't resist kissing him down there.

Wanting to get a bigger share of the blessings, huh? What a cunning thought...

(End of this chapter)