Who are you calling "little fresh meat"? I'm the king.

Chapter 736 April (23)

Shen Yan actually turned down quite a few project offers...

Many of them are relatively 'important' movies.

Bona Film Group, Edko Films, and Huayi Brothers have all extended offers to him!
The most sincere offer came from Huayi Brothers, who even proposed entrusting them with the production of Akira Kurosawa's posthumous work, "The Mask of the Black Death"...

Akira Kurosawa, the Emperor of Cinema!
In 1970, Akira Kurosawa's drama film "Train Mania," adapted from Shugoro Yamamoto's novel "The City Without Seasons," was a box office failure.

He borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates to make the movie, but it failed at the box office. The interest compounded, suffocating him, and he attempted suicide by cutting his wrists, but fortunately he was rescued.

During that period, many viewers and self-proclaimed new directors pretended to sigh and grieve for him!
But who could have imagined that the following year, this veteran director was invited by the Soviet Union to film "Dersu Uzala," which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film!
After the filming of this movie was completed, at the invitation of the Soviet Union, Akira Kurosawa wrote a screenplay called "The Mask of the Black Death," based on Edgar Allan Poe's novel "The Mask of the Red Death." It was originally planned to be filmed in the Soviet Union as the second installment of the Japan-Soviet cooperation.

Akira Kurosawa teamed up again with Masato Ide, the renowned screenwriter he had worked with on films like "Red Beard" and "Dersu Uzala," to begin writing screenplays in 1977. The two later collaborated on the famous films "Kagemusha" and "Ran."

However, the filming plan was shelved, and in the end only the script remained.

It's a complete script, adapted from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Mask of the Red Death." The story is simple: a plague ravages the world, but the count in the castle and his decadent courtiers continue their revelry. Then the plague transforms into a red death, mysteriously manifesting as various people to commit its evil deeds…

"The Mask of the Black Death" tells the story of a cruel prince who builds a shelter in his castle in an attempt to escape the catastrophe during a Black Death-ravaged Europe.
When the prince held a masquerade ball at midnight, a person wearing a red mask sneaked into the ball. It turned out that this mysterious person with a red mask was the incarnation of the Red Death. In the end, the prince and the nobles could not escape this catastrophe...

This script is sure to make a great movie: death, thriller, darkness, violence, and gothic style!
You can also see decline, desolation, gloom, eeriness, and even a touch of beauty...

But this kind of theme is... outdated!
It doesn't quite fit Shen Yan's aesthetic.

Huang Zhonglei said, "We'll only feel at ease if you direct this movie... Don't worry about the box office, we won't mind if it loses money!"

Shen Yan asked curiously, "Why not ask Zhang Yimou? He's a huge fan of Akira Kurosawa!"

Huang Zhonglei looked troubled and said, "We've already partnered with Xiaogang..."

Well, two tigers cannot share one mountain!
One more thing... Zhang Yi has always had a rift with the Beijing entertainment circle...

After all, Wang Shuo, the former head of the Beijing entertainment circle, once declared, "Zhang Yimou should be eliminated!"

Shen Yan... refused.

The reasons are readily available: no availability!

……

In April, "Hot Pot Hero" and "Saving Suspect" were released one after another...

The male lead of "Hot Pot Hero" has been changed to Liao Fan, the second male lead is Hu Ge, the third male lead is Sun Yizhou, and the female lead is Liu Shishi.
The reason for casting Liao Fan is mainly because he has a bandit-like air about him, which is perfect for the lead role!

Okay, the main reason is that Shen Yan doesn't like Chen Kun.

In addition, the four major gangsters—Wang Yanlin, Qu Chuxiao, Gong Jun, and Xiao Zhan…

The reason I chose these three is because they are from Sichuan and Chongqing.

Wang Yanlin is a contracted artist with Yixin Entertainment.

The female lead was played by Tan Songyun.

The reason is the same: Tan Songyun is from Sichuan!
The box office performance was quite good; it grossed over 4 million yuan in just ten days.

The critical reception of "Saving Suspects" was slightly worse than that of "Chongqing Hot Pot," but it still grossed over 400 million yuan in just six days...

As of April 29th, before the release of "Finding Mr. Right 2," "Chongqing Hot Pot" had grossed 4.69 million yuan, while "Saving Suspect" had earned 680 million yuan...

However, "Saving the Suspect" only received a 6.8 rating...

Moreover, neither film topped the monthly box office; that honor went to *The Jungle Book*, directed by Jon Favreau and based on Rudyard Kipling's *The Jungle Book*.

After two Iron Man films, Jon Favreau experienced the failure of Cowboys & Aliens before returning to Disney to direct The Jungle Book and The Lion King, both of which were box office hits!
Later, he also directed the Star Wars television series, The Manlodda!
He wasn't just the director of "The Manloda," but also the producer and executive producer; you could say he created the "The Manloda" series...

Losing to The Jungle Book... is understandable!
By the way, Jon Favreau is also a comedian. His most famous role is Monica's wealthy boyfriend in Friends, who later became obsessed with Ultimate Duel!

……

The crew of "The Wandering Earth".

They are currently filming the main scene: the death of Han Zi'ang!

Han Zi'ang's death was necessary.

According to the plot, Han Zi'ang's sacrifice is an important part of the plot development. His character is set up to drive the plot forward, especially his heroic behavior in the face of crisis.

This sacrifice is part of the plot design and cannot be easily avoided by simply adjusting the plot.

However, Han Ziang was saved by Zhao Zigang at the cost of his life—Zhao Zigang struggled to kick open the elevator door, threw Han Ziang out, and then the elevator hook and fasteners came loose, causing Han Ziang to fall directly down…

However, before he died, he took off his helmet and glanced at the Earth…

After filming this scene, Ng Man-tat immediately got up from the ground: "How was it, director..."

"Great...this one's approved!"

The staff immediately presented flowers: "Congratulations, Uncle Da, on wrapping up filming!"

Wu Mengda accepted the bouquet and said cheerfully, "Alright, I'm done filming. You guys keep shooting!"

Shen Yan checked the time: "...We should eat now, Uncle Da, why don't we have a meal together before you go?"

"to make!"

Oh, the cast of "The Wandering Earth" has been upgraded, after all, Shen Yan and Wu Jing are the main actors!
With such a main cast, the supporting cast, if not an all-star lineup, is at least made up of familiar faces.

Tim and Li Yiyi have been replaced by Zhu Yilong and Peng Yuchang...

To better fit the character, Tim's name was changed to A Dong.

Wang Lei still contacted Li Guangjie.

Peng Yuchang is one of the eight players signed by Ji Xiang...

Actually, compared to the filming environment of the original "The Wandering Earth", this version is a huge upgrade.

First, with more funds, the props and costumes were upgraded...

Simply put, it means you don't need to wear an exoskeleton protective suit weighing 80 or 60 pounds!

The original version was custom-made by Weta Workshop, requiring 18 screws for fixation, and needs to be worn for 16-18 hours a day, with each time it needs to be taken off and put on taking 2-3 hours…

The exoskeleton protective suits were provided by Aoshark Intelligent and each one has a serial number.

The key price is also much cheaper than Weta Digital's!
Moreover, taking it off and putting it on is very simple—it only takes half an hour at most!

Then you won't need to wear diapers for the photoshoot.

By the way, the 2000-square-meter soundstage next door has been rented by the crew of "The Wandering Earth"...

I heard the investment is 5000 million...

(End of this chapter)