The Birth of the Best Director

The box office revenue from Chapter 172 can be stacked, allowing you to draw an epic medal.

……

Lu Zhiyuan spent a few leisurely days at home.

His return to his hometown last year caused a huge sensation, with all sorts of relatives and friends practically wearing down his doorstep.

My parents felt very proud.

But once you've experienced something like this, that's enough.

The family genealogy has already given Lu Zhiyuan a separate page, which can be considered the highest achievement.

So, they decided not to go back to their hometown this year to avoid too much commotion, and chose to spend the New Year quietly in Xi'an.

After the Chinese New Year, Mom went back to work, and Dad went back to school.

Lu Zhiyuan was home alone.

He plans to stay until the 14th and return to Yanjing on Valentine's Day.

Because on the 15th, Nazha was going to the Beijing Film Academy to take the entrance exam, and Lu Zhiyuan promised her that he would go and support her.

Naza's current artist contract is with Dilraba's studio.

As long as an artist is a member of Dilraba Studio, no matter how much money they earn, Lu Zhiyuan's Yuankun Media can get 40%.

Naza worked diligently to earn money for herself, so Lu Zhiyuan naturally had to give her face.

It's not a big deal.

……

I'm lying at home, watching TV all by myself, feeling utterly bored.

Suddenly, Lu Zhiyuan received a call from Xin Yukun.

"Bro, I came to Xi'an to visit you. It's been so long since I've been back, tell me, where's the fun stuff to do? Tonight, I'm going to have a blast!"

Xin Yukun's inexplicable arrival in Xi'an puzzled Lu Zhiyuan.

What are some fun things to do in Xi'an?

Brother Kun has been living in Xi'an for many years, how could he not know?
It's obvious that Brother Kun's visit this time has ulterior motives.

There must be something they want me to do, which is why they took the initiative to come to my door to express their sincerity.

"I'm not going to treat you to a huge meal. At most, I'll buy you a meal. Don't go too far."

Since Xin Yukun rarely comes to visit, Lu Zhiyuan naturally wants to show him the utmost hospitality.

He couldn't possibly invite the other person to a nightclub for a massage; at most, he would treat them to a lavish meal at a hotel not far from his home.

……

That night.

Inside a private room at a luxury hotel.

This hotel has some connection to Jing Tian's family.

Jing Tian's birthday party was also held here last time.

Lu Zhiyuan arrived early after booking a private room.

I thought I was only inviting Xin Yukun to the banquet.

However, when he pushed open the door, he found that in addition to Brother Kun, Zhao Shanshan and Miss Jing Tian were also in the private room.

In addition, Liu Shishi and Dilraba were also there.

Even Hanikezi came.

Everyone's here!

What's going on? This is clearly not right.

Seeing Lu Zhiyuan's shifty eyes, Xin Yukun smiled and pulled him to his side: "Brother, with your intelligence, you should have guessed why we're here, right?"

"I guessed it. I just didn't expect that you all would agree on the same thing."

Lu Zhiyuan nodded, first looking at Zhao Shanshan, then at Miss Jing Tian, ​​both of whom were looking at him with expectant eyes.

Everyone's opinion has clearly reached a consensus.

What else could he do?
After Lu Zhiyuan sat down, Hanikezi immediately came over and poured him a glass of mango juice: "Teacher, thank you for your hard work. Let me massage your shoulders and legs."

The little girl's desire to please Lu Zhiyuan was practically written all over her face.

Miss Jing Tian watched with a smile, not jealous at all.

Hanikezi was only 13 years old and was Lu Zhiyuan's disciple, who had undergone a mysterious ritual, making her practically their daughter.

"I know what you're thinking."

Why would Xin Yukun gather so many people together and choose this time to come to his doorstep?
They definitely want him to split the movie "Pacific Rim" into multiple parts so that they can make as much money as possible.

The longer this IP is maintained, the more merchandise they sell.

If they only make three movies and then stop, how much money will they lose?
"Tell me, how many parts do you want me to break the movie into?"

In fact, over the past few days, Lu Zhiyuan had been mentally rehearsing the plot structure and approximate length of the film.

Even though he tried his best to compress it, he still wanted to tell the story clearly and present this historical background as magnificent as a mythical epic.

It will take at least 200 minutes!

It's been over three hours.

It's far too long for a commercial film.

Around 120 minutes, just right.

Lu Zhiyuan's idea was to make it into two parts.

"Brother, I knew it, we're on the same wavelength."

Hearing that Lu Zhiyuan wasn't so insistent, Xin Yukun immediately laughed, put his arm around Lu Zhiyuan's shoulder, and raised an eyebrow at the others.

See that?

I told you, he's incredibly smart. When he came in and saw so many of us gathered together, he instantly understood what we wanted to do.

"That's right. I went back and wrote the script based on the ideas you told me. I quickly discovered a problem."

"It's really too difficult to compress such a huge story into a movie. My skills are limited. After filling in some details, I found that after finishing it, it became a trilogy."

"Pacific Rim: Dark Night"

"Pacific Rim 2: Interstellar"

"Pacific Rim 3: The Final Judgment"

After saying that, seeing Lu Zhiyuan looking at him with a puzzled expression, Xin Yukun began to explain: "The setting you gave me is too complicated. If it were made into a movie, many stories would be difficult to explain if it were compressed into the film."

"If we could make a trilogy, I think that would be perfect."

"Moreover, I feel that making only one film is a huge waste."

“We can absolutely turn this series into another Star Wars-level IP. Our mecha figures, VR gaming glasses, and various derivative products will definitely sell like hotcakes all over the world.”

The Star Wars IP is worth tens of billions of dollars!

This series, which began in 1977, has spanned nearly 40 years and become a memory for two generations.

Thanks to Lu Zhiyuan's meticulously crafted prequels, "Upgrade" and "Real Steel," which became wildly popular worldwide, the entire robot world was portrayed as incredibly realistic.

Now, the magnificent, cosmic battlefield of Pacific Rim has finally appeared, and it is full of epic grandeur.

Humanity is ready to fight for this.

Since it's an epic battle, how can it only be made into one movie?

Such a waste!

We must make more movies and make a lot of money!

"Brother, let me explain slowly."

Seeing that Lu Zhiyuan remained silent, Xin Yukun knew that Lu Zhiyuan probably didn't object in principle, but he needed to find a good reason to persuade him.

It's easy!
Having been friends with Lu Zhiyuan for so many years, Xin Yukun knows very well that although Lu Zhiyuan is very eccentric when he is doing art, he is a very reasonable person in ordinary times.

He is also very considerate of other people's feelings.

"Let's start with the first movie, Pacific Rim: Dark Night. My script was conceived like this..."

"In this movie, Hani is still the main character. Following the vast world depicted in 'Real Steel,' she will pilot the 'Qin Palace Guard,' assisted by the AI ​​robot Reba, to fight against the first Apostle monster."

"Due to the shortcomings of the first-generation mechs, such as being difficult to control, lacking firepower, and being hard to kill the Apostle monsters."

"Humanity went through a lot of trouble and came up with a plan to lure the apostle monsters from the Pacific Ocean all the way to Antarctica, well, not necessarily Antarctica."

"In short, there is such a place."

"There are glaciers, volcanoes, and the gray-brown rocks you mentioned, which will meet your requirements for the image."

"Our mech hunters will do everything they can to lure the monsters near the volcano, and then the human army will plant super nuclear bombs in the volcano in advance."

"Detonate it as soon as the monster arrives."

"A nuclear bomb combined with a volcanic eruption will kill the monster instantly."

"However, as bait, Hani will also die here, fulfilling her destiny as the hero-king Oedipus."

"Then, Reba, as an AI robot, shed a tear because she witnessed the death of her close companion, Hani."

"At this moment, Dilraba's character arc is perfectly completed, evolving from a cold AI robot into a human being with emotions."

"In the darkest of times, she shone with the light of humanity."

"The above is the main content of Part 1."

"Next, I've prepared two Easter eggs as a teaser for the sequel."

"The first Easter egg is that after killing this apostle monster, humanity achieved a breakthrough in super genes, leading to a major explosion in life technology."

"After a brief period of glory, humanity suddenly discovered that wormholes had not disappeared, but had instead expanded."

"The expansion of the spacetime wormhole has drastically affected the Earth's magnetic field, causing the Earth's atmosphere to disappear rapidly."

"According to scientific calculations, there are at most 200 years left before the atmosphere completely dissipates."

"After seeing this scene, the audience should feel a great sense of urgency and anticipation. They'll be waiting for our second film to be released."

"The second Easter egg is what you mentioned: a mysterious signal that passed through countless monsters and even through a time wormhole, slowly drifting out and being intercepted by Earthlings."

"In that case, the core conflict will be fully detonated in the second part, and humanity will be forced to leave Earth and rely on the time travel ability of wormholes."

"But there are so many monsters on the other side of the wormhole... We have to lure those monsters out and kill them one by one."

"Just thinking about it makes me realize that the second movie will definitely be a big-budget production. There will be hundreds of monsters, and I wonder how long it will take to kill them all. The scenes will definitely be very intense."

After Xin Yukun finished speaking, he felt his mouth was dry and took a big gulp of his drink.

Cool.

"Kun-ge is awesome!"

After a moment of silence, Reba was the first to clap and give Xin Yukun a thumbs up.

If this movie grosses over $10 billion, she will receive a $2000 million salary, plus endorsement fees that are comparable to her salary.

Earning $40 million a year is close to 300 million RMB.

If she can make three films, she could earn 10 billion RMB.

You can choose to retire right now!

In the future, I will have three children, named Wuyou, Wulu, and Wuchou.

"Brother Kun, the script is well written!"

Liu Shishi also gave Xin Yukun a thumbs up.

She felt like she had indeed stumbled upon a windfall.

Although her role as a scientist wasn't part of the main cast, it was still an important supporting character.

As long as this movie continues to be made, she, as a human scientist, will one day shine.

Moreover, there's this Hollywood blockbuster that's brought up from time to time to keep its presence felt.

Her commercial value will also become quite considerable.

"Although Kun Ge wrote the script based on the teacher's inspiration, the characters are vivid and lifelike. Kun Ge, I will never say bad things about you again."

Hanikezi was also very happy.

Originally, according to Lu Zhiyuan's original plan, she was supposed to die at the beginning.

However, Xin Yukun expanded her role, and at least for now, in "Pacific Rim 1", she is still the main character.

Since filming "Real Steel," Hanikezi has truly enjoyed the joy of being a big star.

When she was in class, every day after school, at least several hundred people would scream wildly whenever she appeared at the school gate.

She receives countless gifts every day.

Although Zhao Shanshan and Jing Tian did not speak, they both looked at Lu Zhiyuan expectantly.

“Ah Yuan, I think the plot that Brother Kun wrote is sufficient for a commercial film.”

"Besides its commercial appeal, there are also some discussions about human nature in it. For example, the character of Dilraba, her awakening of self-emotion, also involves some philosophical reflection."

"A clone, after being injected with an AI chip containing human memories, would be considered a normal human being?"

"The movie doesn't provide an answer, but it aligns with what you said: philosophical ideas shouldn't have clear answers; they should be ambiguous enough to allow the audience to discuss them and increase the movie's discussion value."

After Jing Tian finished speaking, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

So nervous.

It's like being suddenly called on by the teacher to answer a question during class.

She actually started discussing philosophy and art in front of Lu Zhiyuan, how absurd... Kun Ge and Shan Shan, how could they have come up with such a task for her!
However, for Jing Tian...

Both she and her family hope that she can continue to appear on screen as Miss T, a top human sage.

"Ah Yuan, making more sequels would be good for all of us."

Zhao Shanshan also advised Lu Zhiyuan.

For Zhao Shanshan, making one more film means earning countless more at the box office.

They can also sell more derivative products.

Why not?
Her relatives and friends, as well as the factories that manufacture for her, will be extremely grateful to her.

"I cannot agree to that in principle."

Upon hearing Lu Zhiyuan's words, the expressions of the people present immediately darkened.

Knew it.

This guy is a cold, emotionless robot. He only wants to pursue his art and doesn't care about money at all.

This splitting of the film makes its artistry disjointed, lowering its artistic quality by three levels.

What to do now?
Even if they had the complete script and artistic concept, they couldn't make it if Lu Zhiyuan wasn't willing to film it! That's the essence of a classic film!
Even if I clearly tell you the story, you still can't film it!

I don't have that ability, understand?

Therefore, at the celebration banquet, Lu Zhiyuan didn't care at all and told others about the film's concept and artistic thinking.

Because others can't take these pictures!

You can't even follow the trend.

Because he created the whole world, and even if others try to imitate him, they can't capture his essence.

"but……"

Suddenly, everyone's ears perked up.

Previously, their biggest worry was that after Lu Zhiyuan had said a lot, he would say "but," because that meant he was about to start criticizing without any mercy.

However, Lu Zhiyuan's "but" is now truly wonderful.

In an instant, everyone looked at Lu Zhiyuan expectantly.

"But we are family. With your support, I made two sci-fi blockbusters that I wanted to make."

"During this time, you gave me your full support and helped me pursue my dreams."

"And today, since I have the ability, let's all make more money..."

"If Dilraba can maintain her popularity for a few more years, she might be nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars again."

"Honey was able to become one of Hollywood's top child stars before he turned 18."

“Tian Tian could also be popular on screen as the cool and capable Miss T.”

"Although I feel that there shouldn't be too many compromises in making art... there's one thing that Brother Kun said that's very true."

"If all the plot of this story were crammed into one movie, it would be too crowded."

Seeing that the others were almost ready to cheer, Lu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Okay, although I disagree in principle, we can try making one first."

"Let me make this clear from the start. If the results aren't good, you'll have to listen to me for the next two parts. You can't make any more unreasonable demands."

If it were just a mecha hunter from the Qin Palace Guard, Lu Zhiyuan could compress all the plot points of these stories into a movie.

The problem is that there are also Jaeger hunters from several other countries.

The other party also needs some storyline.

So, there's nothing we can do about it.

Commercial films sometimes require compromises.

Moreover, doing so would also benefit him.

With the trilogy stacked together, popularity will continue to accumulate, which is equivalent to being able to consistently win three S-level prizes.

Three years later.

The domestic box office is likely to reach over 30 billion yuan.

When that time comes, the movies he makes might have even higher box office returns, and could perhaps even break the box office record of "Avatar".

“Ah Yuan, I knew you would understand me. Everyone says you’re a robot, but only I know that you are actually very gentle.”

Miss Jing Tian called out happily and ran over to give Lu Zhiyuan a big kiss on the cheek.

"Brother, thank you for letting me make a lot of money. Once I've made a lot of money, I'll take care of you!"

While everyone was in a good mood and not paying much attention, Dilraba secretly hugged Lu Zhiyuan and gave him a hard kiss on the cheek.

"You brat, it's all drool. Get away from me."

Lu Zhiyuan laughed and cursed a few times before pushing Reba away.

Seeing this, Miss Jing Tian looked at Dilraba's face with a strange expression for a few moments, but ultimately said nothing.

She was actually aware of Dilraba's little scheme.

This is no way.

Our own robots are so amazing, who wouldn't like them?

Happy today.

This young lady will be magnanimous this once.

Liu Shishi was stunned to see Reba dare to take advantage of Lu Zhiyuan in front of Miss Jing Tian.

She wanted to do it too, but she didn't have the guts.

"Brother, I knew you'd figure it out."

"Actually, many viewers might not have understood your previous setup."

"That's what you told me too. A movie that can't be understood by a 12-year-old is not a successful commercial movie."

"You've crammed so much information into one movie. I suspect a 12-year-old's brain would explode after watching it."

"Breaking it into a trilogy makes it easier for children to discuss it continuously and spread it on social media. As time goes by, the audience will become more and more fascinated by the world in the film."

"I believe that the box office of this trilogy will be higher with each installment."

It's impossible for him to fall flat on his face.

Xin Yukun had blind confidence in Lu Zhiyuan's filmmaking abilities.

Regardless, he felt that "Pacific Rim: Dark Night" was still a very exciting story.

Hanikezi, who was willing to sacrifice himself, became the hero-king Oedipus.

Reba, the AI ​​clone, was initially devoid of humanity, focused solely on logical analysis, and as cold and robotic as she was. However, she ultimately shed a tear, deeply moved by the sacrifice of Hanikezi's character, and her humanity and emotions were restored.

This scene will definitely move the audience deeply.

Just like Lu Zhiyuan himself.

Before we called him out today, everyone was prepared to be rejected and then get a severe scolding.

Surprisingly, he eventually agreed.

Sure enough, he wasn't so heartless; it's just that some people weren't important enough for him to abandon his principles.

And the people sitting here right now are almost all the most important people in his life.

"Hey."

"I just took a few ideas from all your ideas and wrote a script, and I think it's super awesome."

"Brother, you're a genius."

Xin Yukun sighed.

Even though he forcibly downgraded the artistic merit of "Pacific Rim: Darkness" by three levels.

He felt it was more exciting and meaningful than most movies on the market.

Especially the final Easter egg.

Information transmitted from inside the wormhole allowed Earthlings to discover, through spectral analysis, that a habitable planet existed on the other side of the wormhole… The interstellar migration plan officially began!
The story ends here; if he were a viewer, he'd probably go crazy!
Why did Lu Zhiyuan decide to make a movie?

This made him lose confidence in becoming a director, so he could only do behind-the-scenes work, act as a producer, and do casting work on the side.

Engaging in artistic creation?
Tell me, what do I do?
Lu Zhiyuan had already destroyed my self-confidence!

……

Lu Zhiyuan was very quiet during the meal.

Everyone was quite happy that they could make a trilogy, and at least for the next five years, their lives looked bright.

However, seeing Lu Zhiyuan remain silent, these people felt a little embarrassed.

It's as if they forced Lu Zhiyuan to abandon his artistic principles for their own benefit, and I feel somewhat sorry for Lu Zhiyuan.

"Tian Tian, ​​I'm leaving now. Please make arrangements for me."

Before leaving, Lu Zhiyuan noticed that Jing Tian was dressed rather thinly, so he thought for a moment, took off his scarf, and wrapped it around Jing Tian's neck.

"Ah."

Jing Tian nodded, looking at the scarf wrapped around her neck. It was warm and still carried Lu Zhiyuan's unique scent.

She suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

It's her fault.

She knew perfectly well that Lu Zhiyuan was a crazy artist who would do anything to pursue art.

But now, for her own benefit, she wants Lu Zhiyuan to change.

"Dilraba, come here for a second."

After Lu Zhiyuan left, Miss Jing Tian arranged for everyone else to stay at the hotel upstairs.

After a while, she called Reba out.

"Sister-in-law Tian Tian, ​​I didn't mean it. You can believe me. I just couldn't help myself."

Once outside, Reba immediately admitted her mistake.

Just now, in front of Jing Tian, ​​she kissed Lu Zhiyuan hard.

This is a bit too much.

Miss Jing Tian called her out; surely she wouldn't make her kneel down and beg for mercy?

"I know you couldn't help yourself. You couldn't control yourself at all."

Jing Tian snorted coldly and said with an icy expression, "Have you ever heard the saying? Shakespeare said that the look of love in someone's eyes is harder to hide than the crime of murder."

"You think you can fool me with your little tricks?"

Reba's heart skipped a beat.

Is it that obvious?

I'm an Oscar-nominated Best Actress, and my acting is so good, how did you even notice?
Reba feels that she usually pays close attention to this aspect.

She just didn't want to provoke Jing Tian's hostility.

"Sister-in-law Tian Tian, ​​let me explain..."

Dilraba felt that Jing Tian was usually quite silly and cute. She thought that if she could persuade her a few times, she could get through this and then quietly stay by Lu Zhiyuan's side in the future.

At this point, she doesn't ask for anything else.

"No need for explanations. Just tell me, when did you start liking him?"

Jing Tian crossed her arms and looked at Dilraba with a very calm gaze.

The more this happened, the more terrified Dilraba felt.

She knew that she would likely have a hard time escaping unscathed today.

Whether she backs out or not doesn't matter, since Jing Tian can't do anything about it anyway. The main thing is that Reba is worried it will cause trouble for Lu Zhiyuan.

At this moment, she decided to take all the blame upon herself, just like Oedipus the hero.

Yes, I like him!

Dilraba went all out and stopped pretending, boldly meeting Jing Tian's gaze.

“Sister-in-law Tiantian, you are a woman too. You should know very well that when we women like men, it’s often an irrational love at first sight, then an unforgettable and unforgettable experience.”

"Only men weigh the pros and cons and talk about feelings developing over time. To put it bluntly, men don't understand love at all; they just want to find a new toy."

After stating her position, Dilraba prepared to try and defend Lu Zhiyuan.

She sighed softly and said to herself with a touch of self-pity, "Unfortunately, I like him, but he doesn't like me. He just treats me like a new toy."

“Look, after he asked me to film ‘Upgrade,’ he immediately went to Hani and even held some kind of mysterious ceremony with Hani, just like getting married.”

“I think he definitely likes Hani.”

Reba silently apologized to Hanikezi in her heart.

In order to safely get through this ordeal, she had no choice but to sacrifice Hanikezi. After all, Hanikezi was only 13 years old, and Jing Tian certainly wouldn't make things difficult for him.

"You are very self-aware."

"He just treats you like a new toy."

Miss Jing Tian snorted a few times, looked Dilraba up and down, and then said, "From now on, keep an eye on him for me."

After saying that, Miss Jing Tian took off the scarf around her neck and put it on Reba: "It's quite cold outside, don't catch a cold, little sister."

After doing this, Miss Jing Tian turned and left.

Dilraba froze on the spot.

What do you mean?
what happened?
Alita, the battle angel with an IQ of 250, was momentarily confused.

After a while, Reba came to her senses and murmured, "Does this count as having received authorization from the Empress? Can I do this openly from now on?"

……

on the way home.

Lu Zhiyuan silently asked himself a question.

"System, what was that hint you gave me? The box office revenue of the entire movie series can be combined to draw an epic medal? Are you sure you're not kidding me?"

If "Upgrade," "Real Steel," and the "Pacific Rim" trilogy were to be combined, the box office should exceed $40 billion, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

If we're lucky, we might even hit $50 billion.

This series should be the sixth highest-grossing film series in history.

The top 5 are: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Harry Potter, James Bond series, and Fast & Furious.

Just now, when we entered the hotel and Xin Yukun proposed to film a trilogy, the system gave Lu Zhiyuan a hidden mission.

It seems like the system is guiding him to create his own movie series and build a robot universe!

At this moment, in response to Lu Zhiyuan's question, the system provided an answer after a few seconds.

--"Can!"

After receiving a positive response from the system, Lu Zhiyuan asked no further questions.

His S-level talent was already something he coveted.

Epic medal, what is that? Just hearing the name makes me excited!
Doing art is very important.

However, extracting rewards from the system is more important.

This is the foundation of his reputation.

……

"A trilogy? I need to think about it carefully."

"Kun only knows how to write screenplays, he doesn't know anything about movies. If you really make a film like this, there won't be any artistic flair at all."

"At the very least, we must make full use of Emmerich's aesthetics of destruction."

(End of this chapter)