Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 336 concludes, announcement to follow.

The audition went smoothly.

The audition room door slowly opened, and Jiang Wen stepped out.

The day's experience felt somewhat surreal to him, but it was indeed a double celebration.

Zhou Yun stood at a distance, watching him approach. Noticing his strange expression, she couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Wen waved his hand, indicating that they would talk about it later.

The production team needs to keep many things confidential until they are ready to announce them.

The two quickly left the teaching building, got into the car, and drove away.

As the car slowly drove out of the school gate, Jiang Wen couldn't help but look behind him through the rearview mirror.

At this moment, outside the teaching building, numerous media reporters were still waiting in the cold wind, all looking on with excited and anxious expressions, their eyes fixed on the entrance of the teaching building.

"The auditions are over for today, right? Wu Chen and the others should be coming out by now."

"I heard that the male lead's audition actually ended a long time ago, but the other auditions were a bit delayed. I just asked a student from the Beijing Film Academy, and they said they're all over now."

Several reporters were whispering amongst themselves when suddenly, the photographer at the front of the crowd shouted, "They're here! Quick! Get ready!"

The media immediately swarmed in.

The main entrance of the teaching building opened, and Wu Chen, Han Sanping, Ren Zhonglun, David Lyndon, Jason Blum, and others walked out one after another.

A barrage of flashes erupted as reporters, holding recorders and microphones, surged forward, bombarding the crowd with questions:

"Director Wu, has the male lead been selected for today's auditions for 'The Martian'?"

"Director Wu, could you give us an update on today's audition for the male lead? Did he perform better than expected?"

"President Han, President Ren, regarding the male lead in this Sino-US co-production, do China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group have any preferences?"

Wu Chen calmly raised his hand, making a gesture to calm down, and the noise in the room quieted down a little.

"Thank you to all the reporters for waiting for so long today," Wu Chen said with a smile, his tone gentle and steady. "The entire audition process for 'The Martian' went very smoothly today. Although there was a small mishap, all the candidates for the male lead demonstrated a very professional level."

"Director Wu, has the production team finalized the cast? Will there be a second round of auditions? When will the results be announced?" someone asked again, seizing the opportunity.

"There will be no second round of auditions; the male lead will be selected in this round, but the specifics are still under evaluation," Wu Chen responded cautiously. "As for the announcement time, we can only say that we will announce it to everyone as soon as we have a definite result."

"Director Wu, what was that little mishap you mentioned earlier?" A reporter, who had clearly been listening attentively, quickly grasped the key point.

Wu Chen smiled, not being led astray: "This... will remain a secret for now."

"."

Seeing this, Han Sanping added, "Please understand, we cannot disclose more information before the results are released."

Seeing that they couldn't get any specific information out of Wu Chen, the reporters quickly shifted their focus, bombarding David Lyndon and Jason Blum with questions:

"Mr. David, are Universal satisfied with the actors' performances today? Which one are you most satisfied with?"

David smiled and said with restraint, "We are very satisfied. We did see some very good performances, but we still need to discuss the specifics further."

Jason Blum just smiled and didn't add anything further.

Seeing that further questioning was pointless, the reporters could only take photos instead of pursuing the specific candidates.

Wu Chenchao nodded slightly to the media, then led everyone to the vehicle arranged by the production crew. The car doors closed, and the reporters dispersed, quickly gathering to one side to organize the information they had gathered and prepare their press release for the evening.

As night fell, major portal websites and media outlets arrived as scheduled, releasing news about the completion of auditions for "The Martian".

Although the production team has been tight-lipped, the casting of "The Martian" has become a match for the media to stir up public opinion, igniting the speculation and tracking enthusiasm of the entire entertainment reporter circle.

[Casting Storm: Auditions for "The Martian" Concluded; Wu Chen Refuses to Reveal Cast; Cast to be Announced Soon]

Based on the current audition list for "The Martian," the number of candidates from the Central Academy of Drama far surpasses that from the Beijing Film Academy.

The Beijing Film Academy was bustling with activity today as auditions for "The Martian" were held behind closed doors!

【.】

Although the Beijing Film Academy made many appearances, some media outlets still stirred up trouble. After seeing the reports, Wu Chen couldn't help but sigh that they were truly experts.

After this audition, it's clear that it's very lonely for actors to get into Beijing Film Academy; the Central Academy of Drama has a much larger proportion.
Meanwhile, the alumni group of the Central Academy of Drama was already buzzing with activity, with messages coming in one after another. Many people directly tagged Hu Jun and Liu Ye, trying to get some information out of them.

Even several teachers who rarely speak in the group chat popped up, showing concern and anticipation.

After all, the Beijing Film Academy is currently riding high, with not only directors making strong bids for the Oscars, but also actors achieving breakthroughs. If the Central Academy of Drama is overshadowed again this time, it will be ridiculed to death.

Keep in mind that there were five students from the Central Academy of Drama audition this time. If they were to be snatched away, it would be incredibly embarrassing.

At that moment, Liu Ye and Hu Jun happened to be sitting in a restaurant owned by an acquaintance in Sanlitun. They were having a meal together after the audition to relieve the anxiety brought on by the audition.

The two met while filming "Lan Yu." Although it was a film full of gay romance, their relationship blossomed during that time, and they became very close.

"Senior, I feel it's hopeless. Director Wu was expressionless when I auditioned." Liu Ye shook his head with a smile.

"It was the same when I was acting. I heard that Director Wu's expression didn't change much, so you can't tell from this."

While they were talking, the two would occasionally take out their phones to check messages because the production team had told them after their auditions that they would be notified of the audition results within two days.

This is also a common practice for many established film crews.

The director often has the answer on the spot, but will not express his opinion on the same day.

Firstly, it's to protect the actors' feelings and prevent them from being "eliminated" the moment they leave the audition room. Secondly, it's to prevent the spread of negative publicity and the perception that the production team is "disrespectful."

The next morning, the industry was still filled with speculation about the casting of the male lead for "The Martian." Reporters and agencies continued their inquiries, and online forums for film and television were updating at an astonishing rate.

However, even greater interest is rapidly accumulating.

With the Oscars countdown underway, analytical articles and predictions dominate portal homepages, with debates raging over whether "Black Peony" will win Best Foreign Language Film, whether Wu Chen will win Best Director, and whether Liu Yifei will become the first Chinese actress nominated for Best Actress.

Key members of the "Black Peony" crew are also quietly preparing to go to Hollywood.

Each film typically has a quota applied for by the production company. In addition to the director, producer, main actors, and nominees, the official allocation also includes 8 to 12 additional invitation slots with real names.

As the only Chinese-language film to make it to the Oscars in recent years, China Film Group and Enlight Media naturally wouldn't let this excellent opportunity slip by. After all, if they missed this chance, they didn't know when the next one would come. So they invited a maximum of 12 people, forming a team of nearly 20.

"Let's announce the casting news for 'The Martian' before the Oscars, and coincidentally, we'll also be informing the agencies of the audition rejections."

During the meeting, Han Sanping looked at Wu Chen.

Now that most of the major preparations for "The Martian" have been completed, only the casting remains.

"Then let's announce it this afternoon."

(End of this chapter)