I am a literary giant in Europe

Chapter 570 Don’t look back
Yes, why?
Monica Bellucci fell silent.

It's clear that "I Am Legend" is a good story.

Moreover, the structure is already very well-established, so why change it? Why turn a male-centric monologue into a female-centric monologue?

This means that many things need to be adjusted.

Why?
If it were Sophie Marceau, Liu Jin might agree.

But she...

Monica Bellucci, on what grounds?
unless……

It might not even work!
After all, she was ten years older than Liu Jin.

"Monica, get a good night's sleep and give me an answer tomorrow."

Or, let me know when you have an answer. I'll keep this story for now until I think I've found the right people to work with. But until then, let's get through the Cannes Film Festival first.

"cope?"

Monica couldn't help but laugh.

Being a member of the Cannes jury is an honor.

But when it came to Liu Jin, the situation became one of having to deal with things.

"We're setting off by boat on Friday. If you're interested, come along."

My senior classmates will be going too… They're always at school, they're practically turning into bookworms, it'll be good for them to relax.”

"By boat?"

"Yes, let's start from Lion Bay."

As Liu Jin spoke, he yawned.

"Make yourself at home, don't be too reserved, it's very safe at home."

"OK!"

Liu Jin went upstairs.

Monica sat in the living room, watching the static on the television screen.

After a long while, she took out her phone and dialed a number.

……

Liu Jin then returned to his bedroom and turned on his computer.

Sitting in front of the computer, I was thinking of writing a few scenes, but suddenly my thoughts became chaotic.

Sophie's situation isn't good. Although she didn't say anything, you could tell she actually wanted his help.

A movie flashed into my mind.

It's a movie starring Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci.

However, these works were filmed after 08.

Don't look back.

Ne te Retourne
how to say?

A terrible film.

It's not that the actors are bad, it's that the director is bad.

Marina de Van, a director, screenwriter, and actress born in 1971.

Third-rate actors, third-rate directors, second-rate screenwriters...

Probably so.

He graduated from the Department of Philosophy at the Sorbonne University and served as the screenwriter for the thriller film "Look at the Sea".

She appeared in Ozon's "The Family of Lost Souls".

He directed his first film, "Audition," in 02; in 09, he wrote and directed the drama film "Don't Look Back," which was a poor success.

Yes, but it's a hundred times better than "When Love Becomes a Habit".

The concept of "Don't Look Back" is quite good; it's a thriller/suspense story involving split personality and self-awareness.

A female writer (played by Sophie Marceau) and her husband run a happy family of four. But one day, Jenny suddenly feels unbearable pressure and discovers that everything around her is beginning to change.

The house, her husband, her two daughters, and even she herself, all felt strangely unfamiliar.

At the same time, her marriage with her husband became increasingly strained.

She discovers that her appearance has changed, and she has become a woman with exotic features (played by Monica Bellucci) named Marina, with black hair and large, bright eyes.

By chance, she saw a childhood photo in her mother's house, and then traveled to Italy to find the truth.

The truth is: Marina was an illegitimate child born in Italy and adopted by a French family.

On her way back home, she was in a car accident. Only she and her adoptive mother survived, and she lost her memory as a result. Out of her longing for love, she subconsciously regarded herself as her adoptive mother's biological daughter, Jenny, and lived as Jenny.

Recently, as she began writing a story about her childhood, fragmented memories were awakened.

This also led to his confusion in the real world, with his personality constantly switching between Jenny and Marina. He had to find a balance in his existence under the combined influence of these two personalities...

Yes, that's the story!
It's actually quite interesting...

However, the original director's handling was fantastical, showing off skills for the sake of showing off skills, but confusing montage with normal narrative techniques.

The confusion can cause the logic of cause and effect to be turned upside down.

The early stages were deliberately suspenseful and dragged on, while the later stages were rushed, making the whole story full of loopholes.

This story was likely inspired by Sjeslovsky's "The Double Life of Thomas C.".

When Liu Jin watched it in the original timeline, he didn't feel it very strongly.

But after his rebirth, his film viewing experience increased once again, and when he recalled this movie, he could find many traces of Ozon.

In particular, it was influenced by Ozon's 1998 film "The Family of Lost Souls".

Anyway, I haven't seen any of Marina's other works.

The reason I watched this movie back then was entirely because I was attracted by Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci. It's a pity that these two pretty faces gave such effortless performances.

Liu Jin decided to fill in some details and make some revisions to the story.

So he didn't sleep a wink all night, constantly making adjustments after finishing the story outline and synopsis.

Before I knew it, it was dawn.

The sound of footsteps outside brought Liu Jin back to his senses.

It's probably Monica who's woken up!
He didn't go to say hello, but instead carefully reviewed the revised outline and synopsis once more.

Then I opened my email and sent the document to Sophie Marceau.

I checked the time; it was eight in the morning.

It must have been late at night in America, and Sophie Marceau was probably still awake.

This woman is a night owl.

It's strange, isn't it said that staying up late is the enemy of beauty?

These women often stay up late, but they don't seem to be affected much.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Jin dialed Sophie Marceau's number.

Are you asleep?

"Not yet, we just finished a night shoot."

“I sent you a story outline and synopsis to your email, but I really don’t have time to finish the script. If you’re interested, you can find someone to improve it. If the script is fine, I can produce this film under the name of SNEG, and you can be the executive director… Hmm, I’m planning to ask Ozon to direct it; he’s quite free lately.”

There was a moment of silence on the phone.

After a moment, Sophie laughed and said, "Amos is getting more and more amazing now. He can even call Director Ozon over whenever he wants."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Remember to check your email."

I'm sailing to Cannes on Friday. If they can't reach me, I'm probably at sea.

"What's wrong with Monica?"

"Um, she wants the adaptation rights to 'I Am Legend,' and wants to change the male lead to a female lead."

I don't see any problem with it, but the question is, on what basis? After all, I'm worried about her ability to carry the box office alone.

In the original timeline, "I Am Legend" grossed 550 million worldwide.

That's Will Smith!
No matter how much Liu Jin disliked this person later, it must be admitted that during this period, his ability to single-handedly carry the box office was too strong.

There's no way around it, there are just too many homies!

He's Black.

And Black people tend to stick together particularly well when it comes to this kind of thing. Their core support base is incredibly strong...

If it were Monica instead, putting everything else aside, would those women who constantly shout feminist slogans be more supportive than Black people?
Liu Jin expressed his doubts!
This is a story involving 5.5 million yuan in box office revenue.

Liu Jin likes women, but he would never spend 5.5 million to please them.

……

"Sophie, who called? They seem to be in a good mood... Let me guess, some young male writer, right?"

"Lisa, please show some respect to a Pulitzer Prize winner and a bestselling author whose books have grossed over four billion dollars worldwide, okay?"

"OK, OK!"

Lisa Azulos smiled and nodded.

"But is the power of a single phone call really that great?"

If someone were here…

Sophie Marceau rolled her eyes and said helplessly, "Lisa, is tonight's filming over?"

"it's over!"

"Then I'll leave first..."

"So urgent? Could it be that the Pulitzer Prize winner is here?"

"No, he sent me a story outline and told me to find someone to improve the script."

If the script satisfies him, he'll invest. I'll go back and see what the story is.

"Together, together!"

Lisa's eyes lit up, and she quickly said, "Perfect, I also want to see what the Pulitzer Prize winner's story is like."

"Forget about it, he's planning to talk to director Ozon."

Lisa was a little disappointed when she heard this.

But then he laughed and said, "It's alright, it's good to broaden one's horizons."

Ozon, she definitely can't compare.

But at the same time, she was also very curious about the story Sophie Marceau told her.

……

"Me, working with Sophie?"

For breakfast, Liu Jin and Monica rode their motorcycles, taking the two big guys to 16 Tor Street in the old town, a restaurant with a 60-year history.

Breakfast is mainly French and Italian style.

Liu Jin ordered a croissant, a plate of scrambled eggs, a few pieces of potato stewed with rosemary, two grilled sausages, and some beans.

Monica's choice was simple: a cappuccino and a croissant.

"Eat so little?"

Monica laughed and said, "It's an Italian custom to leave room for lunch and dinner."

How can someone who eats so little have such a great figure?

Liu Jin pursed his lips and then began to eat heartily.

"So, you wrote a synopsis for Sophie last night so she could refine the script?"

"Yes!"

"what story?"

"I'm back now, I'll send it to your email."

"So what are your plans for today?"

"Yes, write the script!"

"What script?"

"Béart has been urging me to write the script for the biopic about Ms. Piaf many times. If I don't finish it soon, she'll come after me."

This guy is a real womanizer.

But he really does spoil women, no wonder Sophie still had feelings for him even though she knew he was a playboy...

Monica's eyes revealed envy.

Vincent Cassel was also a man of great talent.

He is proficient in directing, acting, and screenwriting.

But he was so engrossed in his own world that he didn't care about her predicament.

He's a French man, too...

Monica felt a little embarrassed, then sat down opposite Liu Jin and watched him wolf down his food. Suddenly, she couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"The way you're eating doesn't look like something a billionaire would do."

Liu Jin took a sip of orange juice and couldn't help but laugh.

"Etiquette is all an act; being well-fed is what really matters!"
So-called etiquette is nothing more than a pretentious thing created by rich people to show off. Try starving them for three days and see if they still have any etiquette. Besides, I'm a foreigner, and I don't get involved in those so-called high society circles.

As long as you're happy..."

"You are open-minded."

"It's not that I'm easygoing; deep down, I'm just an ordinary person."

"Hehehe, he's just an ordinary person with a net worth of hundreds of millions... Ah, I'm not talking to you anymore, watching you eat makes me hungry."

As she spoke, she beckoned the waiter over and ordered a lavish breakfast.

Then he took off his sunglasses and started eating heartily.

They sat in the corner, unnoticed.

The waiter recognized Monica and was about to scream when he saw Liu Jin put his finger to his lips.

"Shh!"

The waiter was taken aback.

His eyes lit up immediately.

"You are, Mr. Amos?"

"you know me?"

"Not really, it's just that in Toulouse, you seem to be the only Asian man who can dine with Ms. Bellucci like this."

"You are really good at talking."

Liu Jin couldn't help laughing.

……

After breakfast, Liu Jin and Monica signed the waitress's autograph and left a generous tip to thank her for not disturbing their breakfast.

I walked the dog around the streets for a while, and then took a motorcycle back home.

"You really have unique tastes, riding a motorcycle around everywhere like this."

"Convenient!"

Liu Jin laughed and said, "If you're driving, parking is always a hassle."

However, you should feel honored!

"How to say?"

“You are the first female passenger in my Ural train.”

Monica couldn't help but laugh.

"Then I am truly honored."

What are your plans for the future?

"Well, since we're going to Cannes anyway, I might as well go with you and take a boat."

"Okay, we'll go to Gryzan on Wednesday, and then leave on Friday!"

Monica nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, she felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation, as if all the fatigue of the past had vanished!

……

(End of this chapter)