Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 365 The King of Kung Fu, Main Cast and Crew

In April, the wind in Beijing is still chilly despite the warm weather, and spring willow catkins have begun to float in the air. Meanwhile, in the Hongya landform area of ​​Chaidan Town, the sun is scorching during the day, but the night is still bitterly cold.

It was on this land that resembled Mars that filming for "The Martian" was in full swing.

The global premiere of "The Forbidden Kingdom" was held on April 16th, and it was a grand affair.

So much so that Han Sanping and Ren Zhonglun are already planning where to hold the premiere of "The Martian".

As the pinnacle of domestic co-productions, with a production costing 100 million US dollars, the scale can only be even more grand. How could we lose in this aspect?
Wu Chen knew their plan, chuckled, and did not object.

At this time, the premiere accounts for a large part of the film's promotion.

Whether a film is a blockbuster or has appeal largely depends on the scale of its premiere and the coverage of news coverage.

The following day, almost every entertainment media outlet's front page was dominated by this action co-production:
"Li Lianjie and Jackie Chan team up for the first time on screen, igniting the audience," "Lionsgate Huayi Brothers' mega-production receives a standing ovation at its premiere," "A model of co-production, simultaneously released globally—'The Forbidden Kingdom' is officially coming soon."
There wasn't a single negative comment, and all the major forums were filled with praise.

Even Time magazine wrote an article specifically stating: "Jackie Chan and Jet Li are timeless symbols of kung fu movies; they will never go out of style."

As a result, there were many different opinions among the crew.

"Isn't this going a bit too far? How come there's not a single negative comment?"

"What do you think? How many of those media outlets aren't partner media?"

"Sigh, I wonder how well the filming will turn out."

"Why don't you wait until it's released in China and we can watch it together?"

"You go first, I'm busy, I have to keep an eye on things."

Even Jiang Wen, looking at Wu Chen, grinned and jokingly asked, "Do you think this movie is really that good?"

Wu Chen casually replied, "How would I know? Another day, after we finish work early, you can drive to the city to take a look."

"Am I out of my mind to drive all the way to see this? It's not even my type of movie."

Jiang Wen rolled his eyes, picked up the script, and started thinking about the next scene.

Meanwhile, in Beijing, the light comedy "Magic Phone," starring Shu Chang, is currently airing in prime time on CCTV-8, with ratings soaring and generating constant buzz.

Every night, Liu Yifei would sit in front of the TV with Shu Chang and watch the show together, laughing so hard they were doubled over.

"It's so funny! I can't help but laugh when I hear them call her 'silly girl.' I'll watch it with you again when you come back." On the other end of the phone, Liu Yifei was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe, accompanied by the sound of the TV drama.

"Sissi. Ah."

Shu Chang was clearly in the next room, followed by giggling and tickling sounds, and then Liu Yifei's voice, both amused and exasperated:
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please stop tickling me, please forgive me, I won't laugh anymore, okay? Trust me, I'm a professional."

Hearing Liu Yifei's cheerful voice, Wu Chen couldn't help but smile.

Meanwhile, Ning Hao, who had been searching for a suitable actor to play the male lead, took a look at "The Underground Sky" on the recommendation of the casting director and immediately began discussing it with Xing Aina.

“Huang Xuan.” Xing Aina glanced at his demeanor and performance and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Hey, you know what, his image is really quite suitable for this movie!”

"Yes, I feel the same way. Besides, his performance in 'The Underground Sky' was quite good, much better than some of the younger actors. I think it's worth a try."

"Should we ask Director Wu for his opinion?"

As soon as Xing Aina finished speaking, Ning Hao approached Wu Chen.

"Huang Xuan? How did you find him? He seems really good." Upon hearing this, Wu Chen's eyes flashed with Huang Xuan's image, and he gave an affirmative reply.

"Hehe, I just saw this in a movie called 'The Underground Sky'."

Ning Hao chuckled, and Xing Aina couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.

Good news kept coming. Just as Ning Hao was inviting Tony Leung Ka-fai and Huang Xuan, the bureau officially approved the script for "Bad Genius," with the approval process taking less than a month.

Compared to other projects that take months to complete, this speed of several years for special projects can be described as "giving the green light".

The speed of the approval process is the envy of many in the industry.

Of course, at this time, the actors in the industry are more concerned about the project.

With a director who has invested hundreds of millions of yuan in a commercial project, and Liu Yifei joining the cast, this project looks like it has great box office potential.

Box office revenue is proof of commercial value and is indispensable for actors.

Ning Hao acted swiftly, and together with Starry Night Pictures, they released a statement:
"Bad Genius" has been officially approved by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, and the project has officially entered the preparation stage. Some key roles have been confirmed, and auditions have been extended to several roles.

The project has entered the pre-production stage and is expected to officially begin filming this summer.

This statement effectively put an end to the restless thoughts of many people.

"They invited someone again. Who did they invite?"

"Wow, how did it happen so fast? They sent out invitations without even sending any news."

"How come not a single word has been leaked? They're keeping it so secret!"

"What the hell? I just found out about it, and they're already telling me I've been invited to audition?"

Time flies. In mid-April, filming for "The Martian" in Chaidan entered its second phase.

The highly anticipated film "The Forbidden Kingdom" has finally been released in Chinese theaters.

The film made a grand entrance with a high number of screenings, with major cinemas even showing it five times during prime time.

Unexpectedly, just two days later, major film forums and film review sections were flooded with criticism.

"What the heck? What are they filming?"

"It's all thanks to Jackie Chan and Jet Li that the show is being carried; the plot is practically written by an elementary school kid."

"Undoubtedly a terrible movie; Hollywood is making kung fu films like cartoons."

"Damn, this ruins the chance for Jackie Chan and Jet Li to appear together."

"."

Even before the advent of Weibo, this kind of concentrated collapse of reputation still swept through Tieba, forums, and portal comments.

Huayi Brothers originally thought they could kill two birds with one stone with the gimmick of "Kung Fu Universe", but they did not expect that the domestic audience's reaction was completely different from that overseas.

"What's going on? North America is cheering, but China is full of criticism?"

Wang Zhonglei spent the entire morning pacing back and forth in his office, his phone ringing non-stop. The public relations department, the publicity department, and the theater chain coordination were all in an uproar.

The only slightly comforting thing is that the North American box office was decent.

In its opening week, The Forbidden Kingdom grossed over $2100 million in North America, unexpectedly topping the box office.

The problem is that by the tenth day of its release, the total box office was only over $3800 million, and the trend was clearly weak.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere within Lionsgate was not so relaxed.

In a Los Angeles conference room, Vice Chairman Michael Burns stared at the box office comparison chart, sipping his black coffee and frowning.

"It broke 20 million in the first week, then dropped by more than 50% in the second week, and is now just over 30 million. Globally, it won't break even in three weeks."

He put down his cup and looked at the senior executives in the production department.

"Our production cost this time was $70 million, and with marketing and distribution, the total investment is close to $100 million. At this rate, there's no chance of breaking even in North America; we can only hope for future copyright fees."

"Are you considering making a sequel?"

“Not considering it for now.” Burns’ brow remained furrowed. “We’re not publicly commenting on a sequel, but from a return on investment perspective, it’s unnecessary.”

This is a huge difference compared to the revenue of "Now You See Me".

"This performance means we won't recoup our investment globally in three weeks. Although the box office in North America is barely acceptable, we'll probably have to wait for copyright revenue to make a profit."

"So, will there be a sequel?"

"It's not for the public to see for now, but there's no need to make a sequel."

Several high-ranking officials nodded, understanding each other without saying a word.

Meanwhile, Han Sanping, far away at the China Film Group headquarters, was remarkably relaxed. He sipped some Biluochun tea while chatting with Wu Chen on the phone.

"Looking back now, it was definitely a wise choice for me to give up on 'The Forbidden Kingdom.' I didn't expect that foreigners would enjoy it so much."

Han Sanping spoke with a tone of relief. If it had been China Film Group that invested in this, who knows how many people would have attacked China Film Group, especially directors and experts.

"There are inherent cultural differences between China and the United States. If the subject matter they're exploring is made too complex, foreign audiences might not understand it. But if it's made too simple, it won't be very appealing to domestic audiences."

Wu Chen smiled and casually replied.

Amidst a chorus of complaints, May arrived.

However, this window of opportunity is not ideal for "The Forbidden Kingdom" because "Iron Man" is coming out to steal the box office.

The casting for "Bad Genius" had already been completed, and the corresponding creative information had been reported to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

"So, I'm going to announce it now. No objections, right?" Ning Hao asked with a cheerful smile.

This is Wu Chen's first film role.

Who else in the industry besides him can direct a movie starring Wu Chen? Just thinking about it is exciting.

"Let's announce it," Wu Chen smiled. He understood Ning Hao's thoughts perfectly well. For him, it was his first time acting, and it was quite a novel experience.

"Got it!"

Ning Hao acted swiftly, joining forces with Starry Night Pictures and Enlight Media to announce the production information and main cast of "Bad Genius" that evening.

Movie: "Bad Genius".

Production companies: Starry Night Pictures, Enlight Media.
Screenwriters: Wu Chen, Ning Hao, Xing Aina, Yue Xiaojun
Main cast: Liu Yifei, Huang Xuan, Shu Chang, Tony Leung Ka-fai
Special appearance: Wu Chen.

(End of this chapter)