Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 358 Yin and Yang Return, Preparing to Start Filming

On the evening of March 28, the afterglow of the press conference continued to resonate, and the entire domestic film and television industry seemed to be in a frenzy.

That evening, almost all major portal websites featured a news special on their homepage about the launch of "The Martian," and soon after, various newspapers followed suit.

The next morning, before dawn, people were already waiting outside the newsstand to buy the day's entertainment news.

The Southern Metropolis Daily, in its entertainment section, subtly wrote the following under Wu Chen's statement that he didn't care about the rankings:

"While some people are still preoccupied with the rankings of yesterday's list, others have already set their sights on the stars and the sea."

Throughout the entire passage, no names are mentioned, yet everyone knows who the words are alluding to.

The Beijing News took a sharper approach: "Take it easy. Art is ultimately about perspective."

The moment the copy was released, everyone burst into laughter.

Although it did not explicitly target the Taiwanese media, it effectively responded to their previous sarcastic tone.

Netizens left messages one after another:

"The mainland media did a great job of being sarcastic this time; the people on the island are really embarrassed."

"Who told them to be so petty? Now they've been proven wrong, haven't they?"

"Haha, this is called using a lower dimension to attack."

"Li An is probably driven crazy by his own people."

Taiwanese media had no choice but to turn around and quickly dial Li An's number in New York.

On the other end of the phone, Li An was silent for a moment, his voice as gentle and modest as ever:
"Films aren't judged by rankings, and I've never cared about any lists. Director Wu Chen's works are very innovative, and I also really like Director Zhang Yimou's works."

His tone remained consistent, which was a deliberate attempt to give the Taiwanese media a way out, making it difficult for other media outlets to find anything to sensationalize.

Several Taiwanese newspapers quickly published Li An's response, hastily ending the topic.

However, the incident did not end with the withdrawal of the Taiwanese media.

On the morning of the 29th, as Wu Chen and others were preparing to begin filming "The Martian," the official websites of the China National Space Administration and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation simultaneously released statements, officially endorsing the film.
"The Martian, a film co-produced by major film companies in China and the United States and directed by Wu Chen, is a science fiction film that fully demonstrates human courage and the spirit of space exploration."

As the first international hard science fiction blockbuster led by a Chinese director, "The Martian" has received in-depth participation and technical support from the China National Space Administration and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The space scenes and technical details presented in the film will truly reflect my country's space strength and further demonstrate the lofty mission of the space industry and the human spirit.

We eagerly anticipate the smooth completion of filming and its early release to audiences!

This statement has once again shaken the industry.

The endorsement from state media means that the film is not just a big-budget commercial production, but is also seen as a window to showcase China's aerospace strength and cultural soft power.

What's even more alarming to the film industry is that this also implies that the film's release date is not something that can be easily shaken by ordinary films.

"I wonder when Wu Chen's film will be released. I hope it doesn't clash with the release date. If it does, we'll definitely have to change the release date."

Many production companies in the industry are secretly pondering this.

Inside Huayi's office, Wang Zhongjun frowned and closed the statement in front of him, looking utterly helpless.

During this period, they tried to generate buzz for "The Forbidden Kingdom" every two days, but no matter how hard they tried, it wasn't as effective as "The Martian".

The Forbidden Kingdom is supposed to be released at the end of next month.

Although they brought together Jet Li and Jackie Chan, the film still speaks for itself through the director's voice.

Actors can boost box office sales, but directors determine the quality and scope of a film, especially directors like Wu Chen who have developed a distinct personal style and enjoy high audience recognition. Their influence on a film's appeal far surpasses that of actors. "Let's avoid the limelight of 'The Martian' for the next couple of days and not waste publicity resources," Wang Zhongjun sighed, looking up at Wang Zhonglei. "By the way, Lionsgate saw the finished film; what was their feedback?"

Director Rob Minkoff said the results were excellent and he was very confident.

Wang Zhonglei relayed Lionsgate's reply.

"Okay, that's fine then." Wang Zhongjun silently breathed a sigh of relief.

However, what the two were unaware of was that, far away at Lionsgate headquarters in Hollywood, Michael Burns and Jon Fehrheimer were holding a special internal meeting, the main topic of which was "The Forbidden Kingdom".

Even the director, Rob Minkoff, wasn't among them.

"To be honest, The Forbidden Kingdom was just so-so." Michael Burns shook his head slightly, looking somewhat dissatisfied. "The director's editing skills were mediocre, and the storyline was too weak."

The executives nodded slightly. They weren't fools; the actual situation of a commercial film was much easier to understand than that of an art film once it was completed.

"It shouldn't be too important. Our selling point is the first collaboration between Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Seeing them together will sell tickets, and their fans will support it. This kind of movie is just about hitting a 'short-term market window.' As long as it can break even in the global market in three weeks, that's fine."

"The publicity strategy remains unchanged, let's leave it at that for now. By the way, speed up the preparations for 'Now You See Me 2,' this movie is much more important than 'The Forbidden Kingdom.'"

"."

At this time, the crew of "The Martian" successfully arrived at the Hongya Martian landform area in Chaidan Town, Qinghai.

After leaving Chaidan Town, the vehicle traveled northwest along the national highway, and the surrounding scenery became increasingly desolate.

The reddish-brown hills undulate and stretch endlessly, barren of vegetation, exposing rocks and gravel that gleam with a faint reddish luster in the sunlight.

The vast Gobi Desert stretches into the distance, silent as a wasteland forgotten by the world, inspiring a sense of desolation.

After the car came to a complete stop, everyone got off one after another.

Christian Bale walked onto the empty Gobi Desert, squinted as he looked around, and couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"This place really looks like a scene filmed in space. I thought only Jordan had such Martian-like scenery."

Jiang Wen, Gong Li, and the others also stepped forward, their mouths slightly open.

"How did you get this approved and have it taken?" Jiang Wen asked.

"Yes, with the support of the space agency, and of course the crew was also very careful, spending a lot of money to protect the area and prevent damage while filming here."
Furthermore, some of the equipment used in the filming of "The Martian" will be handed over to the nature reserve after filming is completed, so they can use it as tourist attractions.

Wu Chen explained with a smile.

"No wonder!"

Chadwick Boseman looked around, his expression slightly shocked: "Wu, are you sure we haven't already landed on Mars?"

"Haha, it would be great if we really landed on Mars, then we wouldn't have to build sets." Wu Chen chuckled, his gaze drifting towards the temporary camp the film crew had set up in the distance.

The crew's temporary accommodation was not far away, with several large shipping containers converted into dormitories and equipment warehouses neatly arranged, and camera vehicles and construction vehicles scattered around. The staff were busy transporting filming equipment into the temporary set.

The red landscape contrasts sharply with the simple buildings, making it seem as if it were truly the scene of humanity's first arrival on Mars, struggling to build a survival base.

"The scenery is so beautiful!" Liu Yifei looked at Wu Chen, then at the scene before her, and couldn't help but sigh.

Gong Li stood next to Liu Yifei, looking down at the red sand clinging to her shoes: "That's the good thing about our cameo role—the scenery is beautiful, so we can treat it like a vacation. But if we were to stay here for two or three months, we'd be in real trouble."

Everyone laughed.

As dusk fell, the red sun slowly sank below the horizon, making the red cliff landscape appear even more eerie and magnificent.
(End of this chapter)