1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 229 "Mr. Zombie" Plan

There is no snow in Hong Kong in winter.

I heard that a director named Mai was going to make a movie called "Wind, Forest, Fire and Mountain" and try to make a heavy snowfall in Hong Kong. It sounded like a gimmick.

But the reality is that the temperature in Hong Kong has not changed much throughout the winter this year, and the Delonix regia trees are still full of red flowers and thriving.

The New Year is approaching.

Hong Xinbao also brought his brothers from Baohe to book a restaurant in Kowloon for a party.

"I have been flying around the world this year and have had few opportunities to meet you all. However, I will stay in Hong Kong for a while after the New Year. Brothers, please feel free to ask if you need any help."

At the dinner table, Hong Xinbao acted like a big brother, picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp with a strong sense of gangsterism.

The martial arts team represented by Magu Chen Long, Yuan Kui, Yuan Hua, and Zeng Zhiwei quickly raised their glasses and said a few words of compliment.

Zeng Zhiwei poured a glass of wine for Hong Xinbao and said, "Liu Jiarong wants to make a black comedy called "Lucky Times". He is now looking for investors and theaters. The budget is about two million. He called me a few days ago and said he wanted to cooperate with Jiahe."

Hong Xinbao asked: "What is a black comedy?"

Zeng Zhiwei thought about it and explained as simply as possible: "It's a story with ghosts and gods, and the plot is light-hearted and funny."

"Pick! It's just a copy of my "Ghost Fighting Ghost" series. There's no innovation at all."

Hong Xinbao put on a smug smile on his fat face and said loudly, "Two million is not a lot. I can talk to the company about it. But let Liu Jiarong go back and tell his boss Liu Jialiang that we are all in the same circle and there is no deep hatred. Don't continue to scold me in the newspapers in the future!"

Yuen Wah at the side said with a smile: "The two brothers have different ideas. Liu Jialiang scolds his younger brother more often."

The feud between Hong Xinbao and Liu Jialiang originated from the movie "Ghost Fighting Ghost". At that time, Liu Jialiang said that his spiritual kung fu insulted Chinese martial arts. The two of them had a verbal battle and filmed a movie against each other. It was very lively. This incident is no longer news inside and outside the circle.

"An old stubborn man who refuses to change!"

Hong Xinbao snorted and laughed, not taking his senior Liu Jialiang seriously.

In the world of fame and fortune, of course money matters, who would talk to you about tradition? Any of my movies now easily make over 10 million yuan at the box office, from Southeast Asia to America, while that senior is still filming the so-called "Wulang Bagua Gun", which is completely on the same level.

A few people chatted about some interesting stories in the circle at the table.

Zeng Zhiwei said: "The film market was good last year. The sequel to 'A Better Tomorrow' in 1991 actually earned more than 30 million yuan at the box office. When their cinema first opened, I even went to perform on the stage."

Hong Xinbao nodded and said, "The young boss of Jiuyi is indeed capable, but my movie Lucky Stars this year is also good, maybe it can break the record."

"The Owl and Dumbo" at the end of the year is a movie shot by Hong Xinbao and outsiders.

Jiahe's own Lunar New Year film "Lucky Stars" was delayed until after the Gregorian New Year, and was released on Valentine's Day after all the blockbuster films were taken off the screen.

Produced by He Guanchang, directed by Hong Xinbao, and starring the classic triangle of Chen Shilong, Yuen Biao and Hong Xinbao.

The box office exceeded 200 million on the first day of its release, and it has great potential.

Hong Xinbao could clearly feel that after this number came out, his boss Zou Wenhuai, who had a stern face towards him a few days ago, now had smiles on his face again.

In terms of the film production costs alone, not counting the actors' salaries, Hong Xinbao spent only over 3 million on this Lunar New Year film, which is definitely a cash cow in the boss's mind.

"Mr. Zou means that as long as the local box office of "Lucky Stars" can exceed 20 million, Jiahe can immediately start filming the sequel. 20 million box office will be enough. After the New Year, everyone can be ready to start filming at any time."

Hong Xinbao was very proud. He glanced at his companions and said, "In addition, Baohe is also planning to produce two dramas this year. I may not be able to handle them all myself. If there are brothers who want to be directors, please speak up."

The members of the Hong Clan looked at each other.

Yuen Wah said with a smile: "A rough man like me won't join in the fun, I'll just do my own job."

Several martial artists around laughed and echoed.

Zeng Zhiwei was a little tempted, but he held back and didn't say anything. Currently, in the Hong Family Class, everyone else has followed Hong Xinbao for three to five years, and there are also fellow apprentices like Yuen Wah and Yuen Kui who grew up with him. It is not yet the turn of the director for him, an outsider who just transferred from New One City.

"Brother, I want to try to make a movie."

The first person to take the initiative to take on the director position was Yuan Kui, one of the Seven Little Fortunes.

After Yuan Kui finished filming "Dragon Ninja" and "Blood Game" two years ago, he took a break from work and focused on being a martial arts instructor.

Hong Xinbao stroked his watermelon-head hairstyle and raised his chin towards him: "What kind of film are you planning to shoot?"

Yuan Kui said: "The action design of the fight scenes with Hu Huizhong in "Lucky Stars" is very good. When I went to the cinema to watch the premiere yesterday, the audience's response to this scene was also very enthusiastic. In the summer season, New One City released an all-female cast "Happy Ghost". I wonder if I can create a fashion action film with female fighters as the main character."

In the original timeline of the movie Lucky Stars, the fighting scenes between Hu Huizhong and Nishiwaki Michiko were particularly eye-catching. However, now Michiko has signed with 91, and the woman who competes with Hu Huizhong has been replaced by Cynthia Rothrock, the female martial artist who was not signed by Zhai Yuan when filming This Man From Earth.

After Yuan Kui finished speaking, the atmosphere at the table fell silent, and everyone was thinking about the feasibility of having a female fighter as the protagonist.

Kara Hui is undoubtedly the most famous female action star in Hong Kong at present, but her current contract is still with Chiu Chow, where she mostly shoots costume dramas, so her potential cannot be seen for the time being.

Yuen Wah scratched his head and said, "It feels like it will be very troublesome. These pretty girls have no martial arts skills. Yuen Qiu is good, but she's not pretty enough."

"Wow! You can even say such things. Be careful that Sister Qiu will kill you."

Yuan Kui laughed and joked, then said seriously: "Actually, the problem is not that big. Who of us didn't suffer when we were learning martial arts? These actresses want to be the protagonists, so of course they have to be prepared to be thrown and beaten. If they can't do well, we will replace them with the second one. At most, we will use doubles for the difficult movements."

Zeng Zhiwei smiled and said, "Let me do it. I started out as a stand-in for women!"

A group of martial artists burst into laughter. Although Zeng Zhiwei had just joined the Hong Clan, he had already made a good reputation in the team by being tactful and humble.

Hong Xinbao rubbed the fat on his face twice and said, "Adan, this is a good idea. I can first ask the company to invest. Do you have a general direction for the story now?"

Yuan Kui considered and said, "I'm not sure about the idea yet, but I should consider making a police and gangster action movie. In the past, female police officers in movies were all exposed and funny, but this time, they will be replaced by a nimble senior sister."

Zeng Zhiwei interrupted and said, "Why not call it "Royal Sister"?"

The title of the film "Royal Sister" sparked a discussion among a group of men. One pervert jokingly suggested changing the name to "Big Boobed Policewoman Fights Pervert", while others suggested that Yuan Kui simply use the name of the character played by Hu Huizhong in "My Lucky Stars", "Ba Wang Hua".

Another thin-looking man next to him raised his hand towards Hong Xinbao when everyone had finished laughing.

"Brother, I also want to open a play this year."

Hong Xinbao glanced at him.

The man who was talking was his personal photographer Liu Guanwei, who first helped him shoot "Mr. Zan and Zhao Qianhua" and later also participated in "Ghost Fighting Ghost", "People Scaring People" and "Prodigal Son". To be honest, Hong Xinbao didn't really want Liu Guanwei to be the director.

I gave him a chance a few years ago and let Liu Guanwei shoot his debut film "No Moves Are Better Than Moves", but it ended up being a box office flop.

In recent years, Liu Guanwei has been working as a photographer, and Hong Xinbao doesn't think he has made any progress in his directing business.

But he is the eldest brother after all, and he will not offend his younger brother in public.

Hong Xinbao smiled and asked Liu Guanwei: "Tell me what you think."

Liu Guanwei said: "I think your previous fantasy kung fu films still have potential to be further explored."

Hong Xinbao frowned when he heard this: "Not good, right? I have already scheduled several dramas this year, so I may not have time to play the leading role..."

…………

"A ghost movie with zombies?"

Shi Nansheng was a woman after all, and she couldn't help but frown when she heard the words "gods, monsters, and zombies."

At the same time, people are skeptical of Zhai Yuan's attempt to fully explore new genre films.

At least the filming of Wong Fei Hung had the foundation of decades of Hong Kong Kung Fu films, but supernatural Kung Fu films have only been around for a few short years. Even the founder of this genre, Hong Xinbao, gave up on this subject. His last film, "Man Frightens Ghost", only grossed over 6 million at the box office. There really was no future for it.

Is the boss a little bit off?
Not only Shi Nansheng, but Xu Qi and Wu Yusen also felt that this plan was unreliable when they heard about it.

Only Wang Jin looked thoughtful after hearing this, muttering, "Mr. Zombie... I think I've heard this name somewhere before."

Zhai Yuan smiled and reminded, "It's a newspaper serialized version, a novel written by Huang Ying."

Wang Jin nodded in understanding: "I remember now, but I remember his story didn't have an ending."

"Mr. Vampire" had its original novel as early as 1982. The "Ghost King" Huang Ying serialized an opening in a newspaper at the time. Although the story had a bad ending halfway through, it still introduced several key characters such as Uncle Jiu, Wencai, and Qiu Sheng.

Zhai Yuan of later generations learned about this information. After Huang Ying helped Liu Guanwei's screenwriter team create "Mr. Zombie", he took advantage of the popularity of the movie and continued to write the complete novel. However, it was still far from the plot of the movie and was more inclined to his usual dark style. For example, the female ghost Xiaofeng was beaten to ashes by the Bagua mirror, and Uncle Jiu was scratched by a zombie in the end. He looked pale and drank glutinous rice porridge at the end, leaving an open ending that he might turn into a zombie.

"There is indeed no ending. Another dead eunuch."

Zhai Yuan made a joke and then said, "But I think the story is good and can be adapted."

Shi Nansheng and his colleagues were still not interested in this subject, believing that the film would most likely result in a loss, and suggested that Zhai Yuan consider it carefully.

Zhai Yuan said: "Don't think of it as a fantasy Kung Fu movie. Why not just create a zombie movie? Wouldn't that be better?"

Shi Nansheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Boss, you are deceiving yourself."

Zhai Yuan smiled and said, "Then it's decided! Put "Mr. Vampire" on this year's filming schedule. It's not easy to set up the set in Hong Kong, so let the crew go to the mainland to shoot."

Hong Kong is too small, so filmmakers at that time had to go overseas to shoot big scenes. The original version of "Mr. Vampire" was filmed in Hukou Old Street in Taiwan. Zhai Yuan's relationship with that place is too bad now, so he simply put the set in the mainland.

When Shi Nansheng and the others heard that he had even decided on the filming location, they knew that he was determined to shoot this movie, and they all smiled helplessly.

You can do whatever you want if you have money!

Shi Nansheng glanced at the three directors in the office and asked, "Who should be the director?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yusen, Xu Qi and Wang Jin all looked away, raised their heads to the sky and acted as if it was none of their business.

Zhai Yuan sneered when he saw this, what a bunch of ungrateful people.

"Liu Zhenwei who applied a few days ago is quite good. His film 'The Haunted Cop Shop' has a very low budget and can be filmed at any time. I will give him the script of 'Mr. Vampire' after the New Year and then discuss the details."

He couldn't quite remember whether Liu Guanwei would complete this zombie film this year or next year, but at least for now he hadn't heard of any news that Jiahe would continue to shoot this type of film. He had to get ahead of the other party as soon as possible, and also do it with a legitimate reason to prevent any future troubles.

"Also, please help me contact Huang Ying. I will pay 10,000 yuan to buy out the beginning of his novel Mr. Zombie. I will have nothing to do with him in the future."

President Zhai spent 10,000 yuan to buy the beginning of an unknown novel. His act of spending money lavishly once again made several people in the office roll their eyes.

In fact, it doesn't matter whether the novel is purchased or not. Zhai Yuan will definitely follow the original version of the script, and he will have to let Liu Zhenwei take over, make a complete storyboard script and then lead the crew to the mainland to ensure that he will not make any changes during filming.

The names of the characters that I mainly bought were Jiu Shu, Wencai, and Qiu Sheng.

By the way, you can also put an advertisement in the newspaper in advance to tell people outside that you are going to make this movie. In case the collision between the two people on the bridge is just an accident, you can spend 10,000 yuan just to use the names of a few characters. Maybe in the future you can even gain a reputation for respecting the original creators.

It’s a pity that Huang Ying is not a novel master at the level of Jin Yong, otherwise he would be a bigger topic.

Zhai Yuan looked at Xu Qi and asked, "Old Xu, do you want to film your movie Once Upon a Time in China in the new year?"

Xu Qi said: "Whatever, it depends on the needs of the filming. It doesn't matter where I go."

Zhai Yuan said yes, and then looked at Wang Jin: "Fatty, please help me contact Hui Yinghong to see if she is interested in coming to the company to be a martial arts instructor."

Wang Jin asked in confusion: "Female martial arts director?"

Zhai Yuan nodded and said, "I plan to train a few female fighters, and then maybe shoot a drama with an all-female cast."

Yang Ziqiong is now missing, and Zhai Yuan feels that he has an obligation to take up the banner of revitalizing Hong Kong's female fighters!

And the female fighter can do the splits and stuff, ugh...

The plan to train female fighters apparently received more support than filming "Mr. Vampire". Shi Nansheng and others nodded and thought it was reliable.

The fighting scenes between Hu Huizhong and Cyndi Wang in "My Lucky Stars" were also watched by the main creators of Jiuyi. It is indeed a new track.

After Zhai Yuan finished explaining these things, he looked at the housekeeper again and said, "Contact all the current artists in the company and ask them to come to the studio tomorrow to learn a new song. There will be a Spring Festival Gala in Yindu this year, and I will take them to the stage."

Shi Nansheng asked curiously: "What new song?"

"I'm about to create now, so this is it~"

Zhai Yuan waved his hand and walked out of the office, humming an unknown tune: "Gently wake up the sleeping soul~ Slowly open your eyes..."

(End of this chapter)