Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 283 Official Announcement of Collaboration, Sweeping Through Hollywood
The breeze from the Huangpu River, carrying the unique moisture and warmth of summer, gently brushes past the windowpanes, causing the green plants on the windowsill to sway softly, and dappled sunlight flows through the office.

Ren Zhonglun had just hung up the phone when the smile on his face lingered for a long time.

The conversation he had just had with Wu Chen made him hum a little tune.

When will Shanghai Film Group have the resources to produce a Sino-US co-production A-list sci-fi blockbuster with an investment of nearly 100 million US dollars?

Previously, Han Sanping had boasted a lot about the Hollywood A-list blockbuster "Now You See Me" at meetings and in front of him, and now Shanghai Film Group finally has the opportunity to participate.

As for money? Losses? They're not even on his radar right now.

On the one hand, Shanghai Film Group has invested in so many films throughout the year, but less than 40% of them are profitable.

On the other hand, Wu Chen himself was the director of this movie, so he had to do it with his eyes closed no matter what.

Moreover, he had learned that Tong Gang of the Film Bureau greatly admired the story of this co-production.

With this thought in mind, Ren Zhonglun touched the phone on the table and casually dialed Han Sanping's number.

"Old Han, did you tell me about Director Wu's co-production?"

Universal Pictures has already started recruiting at NASA, and we also need to quickly bring in people from NASA and engineers from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation to assemble the project's scientific advisory team.

Ren Zhonglun appeared to be discussing official business, but Han Sanping, who knew him well, knew he was just showing off.

He wasn't too happy about having Shanghai Film Group involved in the project, but he didn't have any objections.

After all, given that this is an international space-themed film, and portrayed so positively, it's not unreasonable for Shanghai Film Group to participate, even if it takes away a lot of the glory from China Film Group.

"I'll find someone at the space agency. The Aerospace Technology Research Institute is in Shanghai, you handle that." Han Sanping was too lazy to waste time arguing with Ren Zhonglun, so he hung up after the casual conversation.

The project for "The Martian" has quietly begun, and arrangements are underway. However, issues such as market share and distribution are the focus of future negotiations among the companies.

A few days later, the internal teams of several companies began to slowly make contact.

For co-productions like this, negotiations alone can take a long time, but that doesn't hinder the preliminary preparations.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, it was morning.

Inside the conference room at Paramount headquarters, a thick stack of contract documents was neatly piled up in front of Wu Chen.

The meeting room was quiet, with only the soft scratching of pens on paper echoing in the background.

Wu Chenzheng and his legal and accounting teams carefully reviewed each contract clause, meticulously checking every word.

Paramount's Rebecca Sarkin watched quietly from the opposite side, a hint of a smile in her eyes.

Finally, as the last page of the agreement was signed, Rebecca Sarkin stood up with a smile and extended her hand: "It's been a pleasure doing business with you!"

Wu Chen grasped her hand: "It's a pleasure working with you."

“By the way, Wu,” Rebecca leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice, “I heard that Universal is preparing a hard science fiction film. If it’s suitable, Paramount could also consider getting involved to help you share the risks.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Chen couldn't help but smile. The image of David Lyndon's scathing critique of Paramount a few days ago flashed through his mind, claiming that the company "particularly likes to hijack deals, and the industry suffers greatly because of it."

Clearly, the scene where Spielberg was led by DreamWorks to join forces with Paramount is something Universal still resents to this day.

"let me consider it."

“By the way, we’ll spread the word,” Rebecca Sarkin reminded Wu Chen before he left.

That afternoon, Paramount Pictures' official website homepage.

A bold black title line stands out prominently:

Paramount Pictures has announced a collaboration with Best Picture winner and Palme d'Or Special Award-winning director Wu Chen, officially launching the "Black Swan" project!
The main text is concise and formal: "Black Swan," a new project directed by Wu Chen, the director of this year's Special Palme d'Or winner, will be produced and distributed globally by Paramount Pictures.

This film is adapted from a spin-off script written by Wu Chen during the production of "Black Peony". The story is full of artistic tension and psychological suspense, and will showcase the director's unique visual style and profound insight into the characters.

Paramount will fully support the project's global distribution and will work closely with the directing team.
Shortly after Paramount's announcement, mainstream media outlets that partnered with Paramount began reporting on it, and the news quickly spread throughout Hollywood.

[Wu Chen's new adaptation of "Black Peony," titled "Black Swan," has landed with Paramount!]

Following "Get Out," the talented Chinese-language director returns with "Black Swan."

[Black Swan is adapted from the art film "Black Peony," which won the Special Palme d'Or at this year's special Palme d'Or, and tells the story of a ballet dancer.]

【.】

With Paramount's deliberate promotion, the popularity of "Black Swan" has rapidly increased, and Wu Chen's fans have immediately gone wild on various film review forums and social media, with comments scrolling by:

"I'm very curious about who will be cast. I remember that 'Black Peony' won the Best Actress award at this year's Cannes Film Festival."

"I like Wu Chen's thrillers, Paramount should announce the release of 'Black Peony' soon!" "OMG! Wu Chen + psychological suspense, a movie worth looking forward to!"

At this time, especially on the emerging social media platform Twitter, Wu Chen's supporters among the Black community launched a full-scale attack.

"Yooo, Wu Chen! You're my bro! You're a shoo-in for the box office champion, no doubt about it!"

"support!"

"We support Wu Chen!"

“Your black fans are really supportive of you. Why don’t you cast a black actor in Black Swan? That would be a wonderful idea,” Jason Blum joked, looking at the comments on Twitter.

Because the Black community is indeed very skilled in the art of language, constantly using terms like "brother."
“Paramount will kill me!” Wu Chen couldn’t help but laugh out loud upon hearing this.

Imagine a Black actor performing a segment from "Swan Lake"—the aesthetic appeal of that scene is simply overwhelming.

You'll probably be very busy these days.

"Oh? Why?" Wu Chen was taken aback.

“You probably don’t know how appealing these kinds of movies are to actresses, just watch,” Jason Blum said with a smile.

At this moment, most of the actresses in Hollywood had their eyes immediately drawn to this news.

In the afternoon sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Hollywood talent agency CAA headquarters, an actress hurried down the marble staircase, a phone in one hand and a coffee in the other, her eyes revealing an undisguised longing.

Inside the meeting room, printed copies of the "Black Swan" project synopsis were spread out on the table by the executives, marked with red pens, analyzing the script's potential artistic merit, the director's box office appeal, Paramount's resource investment, and most importantly, Wu Chen's current box office and award success.

After all, that's what their agency does. The moment these resources appear, they have to analyze their value and quickly start securing roles for their artists.

"Black Swan," an adaptation of the Palme d'Or-winning film "Black Peony," is a highly artistic work that has received rave reviews in Europe and Asia since its release. A female-centric film, it has the potential to contend for an Oscar for Best Actress.
"Especially director Wu Chen, who won the Oscar for Best Picture and the Special Palme d'Or at Cannes this year, and whose films have been box office hits worldwide for several years in a row. He has never missed an award since his debut. This film is an excellent opportunity for any actress who wants to win an award."

Who had the power to cast the female lead in this movie?

"I heard it's in Wu Chen's hands, but Paramount has also retained some authority to focus on both sides!"

After the meeting reached its conclusion, everyone could only manage a wry smile.

There are quite a few actresses who would be suitable for this movie, including CAA.

Even though they found out that Paramount needed near-A and A-list actresses, internal competition had already begun.

Not only CAA, but also WME, UTA, ICM, and other top agencies held emergency internal meetings immediately to compile lists of their near-top and top-tier actresses.

"Quick! Call Natalie and let her know her chance has come!"

"Jennifer just got back from Mexico? Turn down that boring commercial film and get her in touch with Wu Chen and Paramount first."

"Keep an eye on Kate's situation too, and have her agent on call 24/7!"

"."

Meanwhile, actresses of suitable age who are either near-first-tier or first-tier actresses are bombarded with phone calls from their agents, whether in the dressing room, on set, or just coming out of a party.

"The Black Swan project is perfect for you! It's a psychological thriller, a female-centric film, and directed by Wu Chen! It's an Oscar contender for Paramount. We're already in contact with Paramount and Wu Chen, so you'd better be prepared!"

"You absolutely have to seize this opportunity. This movie is tailor-made for the Oscars; it's a stage for leading ladies!"

Sure enough, while chatting with Jason Blum, his phone was immediately ringing off the hook.

Jason Blum shrugged and glanced at Wu Chen, as if to say, "See, I told you so."

Wu Chen chuckled, surprised by the speed of information response from Hollywood. At that moment, his phone rang with a call from Ethan Kessler, an acquaintance of CAA.
"Wu!"

Wu Chen knew the other party's purpose. Being the first agent to contact him, Wu Chen showed some patience: "One of your actresses?"

“No, it’s my boss. I don’t have any suitable people under me, so he asked me to do it, and I couldn’t refuse,” Ethan Kessler said helplessly.

"Which actress?" Wu Chen asked instinctively.

Natalie Portman, best known for her role in "Léon: The Professional," has a background in dance, having started dancing at the age of four and performing with a local dance company.

"Okay, send it to my email, I'll take a look!" Wu Chen nodded.

Just after hanging up, another call came in: "Hello Wu! This is Sophia from WME. Our actress Emma is a big fan of your work. Could you arrange a meeting?"

"Director Wu Chen, hello! I'm Kelly from UTA. We have an actress here who just won a Golden Globe Award, and she's really looking forward to the opportunity to participate in your new project."

(End of this chapter)