Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 286 The turmoil continues
In Beijing, early in the morning, the Hollywood storm unsurprisingly swept across the country, especially news related to Wu Chen, which immediately dominated the homepages of major portal websites.

News about "Black Swan" and Wu Chen dominated major sections of Sina Entertainment, such as "Entertainment News," "Movies," "Mainland Blockbusters," and "European and American Superstars."

The headlines, like those in Hollywood tabloids, are extremely eye-catching:
[Wu Chen's new Hollywood film "Black Swan" embroiled in casting controversy; Scarlett Johansson suspected of "backdoor admission"?]

Scarlett Johansson spotted at Blumhouse Studios; director Wu Chen reportedly meets actress secretly!

[Gossip! Competition for the lead role in "Black Swan" intensifies, with Scarlett Johansson embroiled in rumors of being pre-selected.]

【.】

In no time, domestic movie fans and netizens were bombarded with this trending topic as soon as they woke up.

"Damn, I thought Wu Chen did something wrong. This title and content are completely unrelated."

"I was tricked into clicking by the title, but this is really how the entertainment industry in Europe and America works! Amazing!"

"Interesting, much fiercer than ours. I reckon it won't be long before everyone's tearing each other apart. Who would believe there's no one deliberately stirring things up?"

"."

Meanwhile, Gong Li was sitting in the study of the villa, having just finished reading some film offers sent by her assistant. To be honest, none of them truly satisfied her.

Given her current status, even if she can't get a Hollywood leading lady role, she should at least get an important supporting role, otherwise it would lower her status.

However, roles for women are already scarce in Hollywood, and getting decent resources is even more difficult.

She sighed, put the invitations aside, and casually opened the news. She was immediately greeted by news about "Black Swan".

All sorts of gossip, dazzling and varied, including things like "getting in through connections," "meeting in private," and "being pre-selected."

A knowing glint flashed in her eyes.

She knows all too well what's going on in Hollywood; behind this is definitely a power struggle between A-list and near-A-list actresses and their agencies.

"Oh, what a pity," Gong Li muttered to herself.

When it came to a big project like "Black Swan," her first thought was to try to get Wu Chen to take on the role, but unfortunately, there weren't many suitable roles for her in the script.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Beijing, in Liu Yifei's villa, the room was quiet.

On a summer morning, the morning light shines through the gauze curtains onto the soft pink sheets on the bed, filling the air with a sense of warmth.

Liu Yifei was half asleep, her breathing even with a touch of adorable laziness.

Wearing pink cartoon pajamas, her long legs were slightly curled up, her smooth knees tightly gripping the blanket, slightly exposed, as white and tender as solidified cream.

She twitched her nose slightly, then suddenly rolled over, burying her face in the pillow and letting out a lazy hum, clearly not wanting to get out of bed.

"Boom boom boom!"

There was a knock on the door.

"XiXi, something's happened!" Shu Chang's voice came through the crack in the door.

Liu Yifei wrinkled her nose slightly and rolled around lazily on the bed.

But Shu Chang's knocking didn't stop. "Open the door quickly, something's happened!"

"Changchang, what are you doing so early in the morning? Can't you let people sleep? You better have something to say, or I'm going to strangle you!" Liu Yifei walked angrily to the door in her slippers, her nose slightly wrinkled, looking both cute and fierce.

"Still sleeping? Something big has happened in Hollywood! I just saw the headline saying Wu Chen secretly met with Scarlett Johansson." These words instantly woke Liu Yifei from her sleepiness, her eyes widening in surprise: "Really? Are there any photos?!"

"I heard it from a rumor."

Shu Chang was startled by Liu Yifei's murderous gaze. She carefully opened her laptop and, under the watchful eyes of a pair of round, bulging eyes, clicked on the gossip article and quickly flipped through two blurry pictures.

One image shows Scarlett Johansson wearing sunglasses and a mask as she hurriedly leaves Blumhouse Films.

The other photo shows Wu Chen and Jason Blum walking out together in a blurry image.

“Sing!” Liu Yifei’s beautiful eyes suddenly turned dangerous.

"I'm a little sleepy, I'm going back to sleep first." Shu Chang quickly took a few steps back, ready to run away.

"Heroine, spare my life!"

Soon after, Shu Chang's shouts could be heard.

Liu Xiaoli was also confused; why were these two up so early?

At this moment, Wu Chen was also puzzled: "That's strange, why are you more than an hour earlier than usual today?"

"Hmph, it's all because of you." Liu Yifei snorted lightly, and Wu Chen could imagine the scene of Liu Yifei's mouth being covered with a baby after that snort.

"Honestly, what's your relationship with Scarlett Johansson?"

Hearing that cute yet fierce tone, Wu Chen couldn't help but chuckle: "What could possibly be a relationship? You know she was out in less than half an hour."

"Huh?" Liu Yifei was initially confused, but after a while, she realized what she meant and couldn't help but exclaim:

"Wu Chen, you huge pervert, I'm ignoring you!"

"Hurry back, or I'll get jealous!"

"Hmm?" Wu Chen chuckled, it was the first time he had ever heard someone openly admit to being jealous. He said with a hint of indulgence, "Okay, almost there!"

"Mmm, hurry up, I need to go back to sleep. Shu Chang woke me up, that big idiot."

Liu Yifei said this while hugging her blanket and quickly fell asleep; sleep time is clearly very important.

Wu Chen was also seriously considering who to audition for. After thinking it over, he finally selected four people: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Keira Knightley, and Anne Hathaway.

Jessica Alba and Amy Adams both have a sweet look. The former has a strong background in commercial films but is clearly lacking in art films. The latter, although a solid actress, would need a breakthrough to play a dark role given her sweet image. Who knows if this breakthrough will bring huge pressure during filming?

With four people, that was pretty much it. Wu Chen then sent an email back to Paramount.

As for the second female lead, Wu Chen glanced at the list.

Although the competition was fierce, everyone knew the real focus of the film was on the female lead. However, some took a different approach, such as Mila Kunis.

In the following days, Wu Chen immediately communicated with Paramount about the remaining matters. He naturally would not participate in the audition schedules for the actors; otherwise, what would be the point of having a producer?

When asked about the preparations for "Black Swan," Paramount gave a precise answer.

If the actors' schedules can be coordinated smoothly after the auditions, filming could begin as early as October. It mainly involves the female lead and second female lead's scenes, and the scenes of the other actors can be completed in a very short time. Even the so-called male lead won't have a chance to shine. Wu Chen didn't pay any attention to this role and let the Paramount producers choose the right person for themselves.

Wu Chen then prepared to return to China.
(End of this chapter)