Director of Photography Department of Huayu

News from the press conference for Chapter 352: The aftermath of "Lust, Caution"

On March 6th, the weather in Beijing was still chilly despite the warming trend.

Han Sanping was exceptionally excited early in the morning, shouting on the phone, "Is the time confirmed? Are all the attendees confirmed?"

"Universal sent me a message yesterday confirming that Bale's schedule is quite tight, but the others are fine. We accommodated his schedule and filmed a few days before the official start date."

As soon as Wu Chen finished responding, Han Sanping couldn't wait to chime in:
"Then what are we waiting for? Release the news today to warm things up! Oh, by the way, there might be some issues with 'Lust, Caution' tomorrow or the day after. You need to be careful and not make any public comments. Someone has spoken about this."

Wu Chen immediately understood.

Even Han Sanping is so cautious, which speaks volumes.

Springtime weather always carries a sense of hesitation and uncertainty, but the entertainment industry is already buzzing with activity.

March and April are usually considered the off-season for the film market.

However, in March of this year, the mainland film market experienced a rare mini-boom.

"National Treasure 2", "4 BC" and "The Golden Compass" are about to be released one after another, and "The Forbidden Kingdom", a collaboration between Huayi Brothers and Lionsgate, is scheduled for April. Blockbusters are coming one after another.

The promotional campaign for "The Forbidden Kingdom" was extremely exaggerated. As soon as China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group jointly released the news, major media outlets followed up with reports.

The Beijing Times' entertainment section first published a striking headline image, with a line of bold, black text leaping across the page:
[Wu Chen's new film "The Martian" is scheduled to hold its opening ceremony press conference in Beijing on March 28th; the all-star cast is generating immense anticipation!]

At the same time, other media outlets followed suit:
[Wu Chen's first major sci-fi film after winning the Oscars for Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film, "The Martian," will begin filming at the end of the month, with an all-star press conference to be held in Beijing.]

Industry media outlets have spared no effort in reporting on "The Martian," with coverage increasing several times over in a short period. However, this level of excitement may not even match that of the fans.

Fans who saw the report were already in an uproar on Tianya, Mop, Douban Movie, and Baidu Tieba.

Given the cast of "The Martian," if it's touted as an all-star press conference, then it's likely that only five people will be making cameo appearances.

"Hehe, I've always wanted to see what Scarlett Johansson is like, now I have the chance."

"That feels great, I've got several of my favorite actors all together!"

"This cast is really top-notch! When will the movie be finished and released? Can't you hurry up with filming?"

"."

For a time, even before construction had begun, the hype surrounding "The Martian" had already surpassed that of all other projects.

The most directly affected film is "The Forbidden Kingdom," which is still in its promotional period.

As a joint production featuring Jackie Chan and Jet Li, "The Forbidden Kingdom" should have outshone its competitors. Furthermore, Huayi Media had already laid out extensive promotional activities, including magazine interviews, TV appearances, and campus tours.
But the news of "The Martian" going viral from the very start of filming, with overwhelming coverage silencing the entire publicity department of Huayi Brothers for three minutes.

Fortunately, the press conference for "The Martian" didn't clash with the release date and premiere of "The Forbidden Kingdom," otherwise this would have been a truly undeserved disaster.

"Hey"

Seeing this, Lu Zheng sighed. He had tried to contact Wu Chen to try and get a role for Jing Tian, ​​but Wu Chen declined.

But just as the entertainment sections were filled with reports, another seemingly unrelated yet subtly influencing notice, much like the commendation given to "Black Peony," was quietly issued from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television to major film production companies, associations, and organizations: [Reiterating film censorship standards; 10 types of content must be prohibited!]

For a time, the industry was still speculating about the purpose of the document. The next day, news came that the advertisements featuring Tang Wei, who was the spokesperson for a certain brand, that were originally displayed on the subway and airport screens in some cities were all taken down overnight.

Her recent TV program recordings and fashion columns have also been temporarily pulled from the schedule.

Meanwhile, Tony Leung's endorsements continued as usual.

Li An was also unaffected.

In an instant, the sparks of public opinion were ignited:
"Is this matter only considered Tang Wei's responsibility?"

"So, the female lead bears all the responsibility?"

"Tony Leung and Anthony Wong are both fine, but she's withdrawing from the whole operation? Does that mean we can't make art films anymore?"

"."

When Ning Hao was discussing with Starry Night Pictures whether it was appropriate to file "Bad Genius" with the authorities for approval, he brought up this matter.

"To be honest, if that's the case, the film shouldn't have been approved in the first place. Looking back now, the bureau is somewhat embarrassed by its own actions."

"Chairman Han said not to discuss this unnecessarily. Let them say what they want in Hong Kong. We have to face the consequences now," Wu Chen reminded him, then shook his head.
"But you're right, this movie shouldn't have been allowed to pass in the first place. It's like making a German and Jewish version of the film; guess what would happen if you were standing on an American street right now?"

Ning Hao pondered for a moment, then shivered.

"Damn, am I going to get riddled with bullets?"

"What do you think?" Wu Chen chuckled, "Giving you a whole corpse is already being generous, and you call that a hornet's nest?"

"Damn it, stop talking, let's get back to 'Bad Genius'." Ning Hao quickly interrupted, "Is it even appropriate to submit it now? I heard that script review is now done in three stages. I should have submitted it earlier. How did this mess happen?"

"It's the same; it still needs to be reviewed after filming." Wu Chen said confidently, "We've paid attention to all the points in the script. Besides, compared to other films in Hong Kong, our sensitive points are nothing; it won't get censored."

"Okay, even if the bureau doesn't give me face, they should give you face, right? Anyway, you're the top screenwriter." Ning Hao chuckled.

Tang Wei's matter has caused quite a stir. Although Li An is not a good person, he still stood up at this time to defend Tang Wei and said a few words:

"We will help anyone who is on the film crew and encounters difficulties, and Tang Wei is no exception."

Lee even borrowed Hollywood media to issue this statement.

As a result, Wu Chen received a call from Zhang Yi that very evening: "Li An will no longer participate in the work of cultural and artistic advisors for the Olympic Games."

Wu Chen was somewhat surprised: "Senior brother, no way, you moved so fast!"

"Well, just so you know. Someone messaged him, and he gracefully backed down, keeping his advisor's name on the list. He's probably considered the matter closed."
Try not to comment on his movie; don't create trouble for yourself.

Zhang Yi specifically reminded him.

Keep in mind that Li An issued the statement in the morning, and then he received the news that evening, which gives you an idea of ​​his attitude towards the matter.
(End of this chapter)