Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 230 intercepts "Interstellar"?
The official Governors Ball was held on the third floor of the Kodak Theatre.

Wu Chen, Jason Blum, and David Lyndon of Universal all sat down.

Both of them frowned slightly upon hearing Wu Chen's idea.

"Kip Thorne's scientific conception?"

David Lyndon asked again, "Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Wu Chen smiled and nodded slightly.

"Wait a minute, I remember this project was a science fiction project initiated by Linda Obst, now..."

Jason Blum couldn't quite explain it at the moment, after all, he wasn't entirely knowledgeable about everything in the industry.

David Lyndon made a phone call right in front of the two men, and then, under their watchful eyes, said, "Linda Obst is the initiator, and the project is currently in Paramount's hands."

"Paramount? That's really bad news."

Jason Blum shook his head. Falling into the hands of the Big Seven Hollywood studios was definitely not a good thing for them.

It will be quite difficult to get this project from Paramount.

"The good news is that the rights haven't 100% fallen into Paramount's hands yet; it's currently in a 'cooperative development' phase, and we haven't even reached the stage of hiring a screenwriter."

David Lyndon spoke slowly, his mind racing.

The main problem is that Wu Chen's range is too wide. Kip Thorne's scientific concept is clearly going in the direction of science fiction films, but Wu Chen's previous films, even "Now You See Me", have shadows of thrillers.

Jason Blum didn't think too much about it; after hearing the news, he breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as a screenwriter hasn't been hired to write the script, there's still plenty of time.

In Hollywood, screenwriters writing scripts for production companies are considered to be in an "employment" relationship. The copyright of the script belongs to the production company, not the screenwriter or the director.

Once this is finalized, the copyright of the story will belong entirely to Paramount, which means there will be virtually no room for maneuver.

It's important to know that one of the seven unwritten rules of Hollywood is a red line: copyright is inviolable.

In this situation, if they could successfully buy out the script rights from Paramount, it could potentially create a classic case of "epic negotiations + capital seizure of power".

Of course, if the project has been abandoned/frozen, the original developer has withdrawn, and the copyright holder is eager to cut their losses, there is still a chance to acquire it, but this situation is not common.

“In this situation, we need to negotiate with Linda Obbs first; she’s at the Vanity Fair party today. But she’s very picky about directors!” David Lyndon added.

"She's not just picky; she's known in Hollywood for her pickiness and caution when it comes to directors."

Jason Blum smiled and shook his head, but looked at Wu Chen, "But Wu, you can give it a try. She doesn't look favorably on ordinary directors, but you're different."

Jason Blum now clearly has a lot of confidence in Wu Chen.

Especially now that Wu Chen has won an Oscar for Best Picture, even the most discerning producers will have to think twice.

"There may still be obstacles. This project is quite special for her, which is why she approached Spielberg from the beginning."

David Lyndon received the message from his subordinate and slowly began to speak.

Although he had reservations about Wu Chen's choice of this science fiction project, it did not prevent him from helping Wu Chen. Regardless of success or failure, Universal could choose to place a bet.

From his perspective, however, he would prefer Wu Chen to choose a more comfortable area, as this would maximize the chances of making money.

Wu Chen nodded slightly upon hearing this.

He knew all along that the project "Interstellar" was difficult to secure, and he had also calculated the timing carefully; otherwise, he wouldn't have waited until after the Oscars to take action.

The biggest challenge lies with Linda Obs and physicist Kip Thorne.

This idea, which originated in 1997, embodies the two people's expectations for the crossover of science and culture, and for this reason, they are extremely picky about the choice of director.

After discussing it, the group headed directly to Beverly Hills after the official banquet.

This is the scene at the Vanity Fair Oscar party, a star-studded event.

As the winner of Best Picture tonight, the Get Out crew was naturally the top choice for invited guests at several Oscar celebration parties.

At the entrance, a private passageway paved with silver-gray velvet is surrounded by exquisite light stands, with flashing lights constantly flashing like a tide.

Wu Chen, Jason Blum, David Lyndon of Universal Pictures, and the rest of the crew arrived together, immediately attracting the attention of a large number of photographers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Wu Chen, the winner of tonight's Best Film Award!"

As soon as the host introduced the event, spontaneous applause and cheers erupted from the audience.

Wu Chen, dressed in a perfectly tailored dark black suit, appeared relaxed and composed as he slowly entered the main hall under the flashing lights.

Surrounded by celebrities in various gowns and tycoons of haute couture suits, Wu Chen exchanged pleasantries with several fashion magazine editors, film producers, and heads of well-known actors' unions.

"Wu, congratulations!"

"congratulate!"

Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, and other acquaintances came forward to congratulate Wu Chen, and both gave him a big hug.

"Thank you!"

“You’re so brave, you know? I was completely stunned when I saw you stand up,” Christian Bale exclaimed.

At that moment, in addition to acquaintances, another person with whom he had a connection stepped forward.

Zhang Ziyi.

She wore a white dress that revealed her breasts, her hair flowing down her shoulders. She was holding her new boyfriend's arm, and her gaze immediately locked onto Wu Chen, who was not far away.

Seeing this, several Hollywood celebrities made way for her, partly out of courtesy and partly because of Wu Chen.

Zhang Ziyi's eyes flashed, as if she had also realized the impending change.

She hadn't received any special treatment at the party before, but now, just because she and Wu Chen were from the same country, and he had become an "Oscar-winning director," everyone instinctively made way for her when she stepped forward.

This difference in identity made her feel an unprecedented sense of distance from reality.

By the time Wu Chen realized what was happening, Zhang Ziyi already had an incredibly excited expression on her face, congratulating Wu Chen: "Director Wu, congratulations! Really, this is so exciting!"

Wu Chen smiled and nodded, "Thank you."

She smiled and lightly touched Wu Chen's glass with her wine glass: "Director Wu, I really hope to have the opportunity to work with you in the future." Just then, Jason Blum leaned close to Wu Chen's ear and whispered: "Linda Obbs is over there."

Wu Chen's eyes flickered, and he followed Jason Blum's gaze.

His real purpose tonight was not to socialize. He nodded to the crowd and then walked to another place.

It was a quiet corner where a silver-haired woman was sitting with several old friends from the industry around a gold-plated high table, the atmosphere serene.

“Global has informed you that you want to take over, but the rest is up to you.” David Lyndon walked over and whispered to Wu Chen.

“Hello, Ms. Aubus.” Wu Chen smiled and extended his hand.

"Hello!" Linda Aubus greeted him politely, shaking his hand while sizing up Wu Chen, but without the usual Hollywood-style small talk.

The others knew that the two had something to discuss, so they greeted Wu Chen and then left.

At this point, only Wu Chen and Linda Aubus remained.

Congratulations!

Wu Chen smiled slightly: "Thank you, but I think you deserve more congratulations than I do tonight. I heard that Scientific American wrote a column about your tenth anniversary of collaboration with Professor Thorne."

Linda raised an eyebrow, a hint of interest in her eyes: "Very few people know about that article."

“Science is about the limits of the known, while film is about the imagination of the unknown!” Wu Chen replied with a smile, and this sentence finally made Linda’s expression change.

Because these were her words inside, she didn't expect the other person to actually read them, and then slowly nodded.

Linda Aubus looked at Wu Chen with great interest: "Do you know the origin of this story I have?"

"I'd like to hear the details." Wu Chen didn't really know much about this. If we were to really delve into it, given Linda Obs' age, it would probably all be ancient history.

"More than 20 years ago, I went on a blind date with Kip Thorne."

These words left Wu Chen completely stunned.

Wow, you two have quite a story to tell.

"Although we didn't end up together, after we met, we started thinking about how to make a science fiction film that incorporated the mysterious properties of black holes and wormholes. That's how we came to have what you now call Kip Thorne's scientific concept, even though it was only eight pages long."

Wu Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, and he immediately sensed something was wrong.

Because when Linda Aubus said that, she wasn't suggesting he take over; rather, she was advising him to back down.

Wu Chen knew very well that this was not the story she told Spielberg.

Although Spielberg is still considering whether to direct, even if he decides, it will ultimately fall through due to DreamWorks' issues.

He won't only have this one chance to direct "Interstellar," but once Spielberg officially retires, the chances will only be worse than they are now.

Because he's not just facing Paramount anymore, but also Warner Bros., which is behind Nolan.

Linda Obbs, resting her chin on her hand, said: "I'm curious, you're the hottest director in Hollywood right now, having just won Best Picture for a thriller."

"If you want to direct a film in the industry, you can choose almost anything as long as the conditions aren't too demanding. Why are you interested in this project that 'has no Star Wars action and no explosive climaxes'?"

Wu Chen looked into Linda Aubus's eyes but didn't rush to answer.

He paused for two seconds before slowly speaking, his tone unhurried: "Because I understand you, and I understand myself!"

Linda raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly surprised by this turn of events.

Wu Chen smiled faintly and continued:

"I know you might think I'm trying to prove myself by taking advantage of the Oscar buzz and challenging myself with a new genre. But I have to clarify that it's not about proving anything."

I made Get Out because I wanted to express some of the fears hidden beneath the surface.

I chose this story because I know that black holes, gravity, and the curvature of time are things that you and Professor Thorne have spent decades trying to explain.

However, to the average viewer, they may seem cold, distant, or abstract.

You can't make an average viewer understand these things, but I can. I understand you. If your ideas are like the poetry of scientists, then I am someone who can translate them into human emotions.

Wu Chen's confidence left Linda Aubus somewhat uncertain.

She didn't actually care whether the project made money or not, because it wasn't a traditional business project to begin with.

What she cares about is whether the film can accurately present complex physical theories.

Therefore, the directors she sought out had to respect science, possess narrative structure, visual control, and emotional depth; they were practically "idealists of science fiction films."

That's why she went straight to Steven Spielberg from the beginning.

Spielberg is capable of not only creating emotional science fiction films like "E.T." and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," but also possessing the depth and breadth of films like "Schindler's List," which allows him to undertake such a grand and unconventional project.

Even A-list directors like Ron Howard, Robert Zemeckis, and James Cameron might not be a good fit for her.

Aubus looked at Wu Chen, his tone tentative:
"I remember that most of the films you've made are thrillers, and even your commercial films are purely commercial movies with magic tricks. Can you even understand black holes?"

Wu Chen didn't answer, but instead asked, "Ms. Aubus, what do you think a black hole is?"

Aubus shook her head with a smile; she didn't want to answer, she just wanted to hear Wu Chen's response.

Wu Chen spoke in a low voice, his tone neither hurried nor slow:
"A black hole is a place where the right to explain is lost."

It's like a loved one passing away, a lover leaving the universe without answering, leaving you standing there all alone.

It's more like a place forgotten by time. I once thought that if the universe had tears, they would look like black holes: silent, yet devouring everything; unassuming, yet influencing all things.

He raised his eyes and looked directly at Linda Aubus:

"We look at it not because we want to conquer it, but because humanity is unwilling to forget it."

You ask me if I can understand black holes?

I haven't calculated its formula, but if we're going to talk about black holes, we should talk about their relationship with humans, about how a person can transcend the gravity of time to respond to an unfinished call.

I haven't finished studying general relativity, but I know that the reason humans look up at the stars is not to understand the universe, but to find a way to explain themselves in the darkness.

That's why I wanted to film it.

(End of this chapter)