Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 439 This Year's Drama King, "Fooling" Jiang Wen

That evening, Wu Chen received a call from Mu Deyuan.

He had no objection to holding lectures on science fiction films at the school, but then suddenly remembered something and postponed it a little:
"Teacher, summer vacation is coming soon, and new students will be enrolling in the second half of the year. How about we schedule them for the second half?"

"The second half of the year?"

Mu Deyuan was slightly taken aback; he didn't have any time requirements.

Moreover, the second half of the year seems even better, partly due to the enrollment of new students, and partly because it will boost admissions for art exams in the following months.

"Whatever your schedule."

Meanwhile, "Lurking" also officially concluded its run on CCTV, and the media subsequently released the finale's viewership ratings:

The CCTV-8 drama series "Lurking" has concluded its run with a perfect ratings, achieving an average viewership rating of 8.3% and winning the top spot in ratings for the first half of the year!

The moment this figure was released, it caused a huge stir in the industry.

This viewership rating almost certainly makes it the top-rated drama on CCTV this year.

It's worth noting that last year's top-rated drama, "The Legend of Bruce Lee," only had a 7.9% approval rating, while this year's CCTV opening drama, "Going West," only had a 6.9% approval rating.

Overall TV drama ratings have been declining in recent years; it's no longer like the early 2000s when ratings could easily break 10%.
Its 8.3% viewership rating was only slightly lower than that of "Bright Sword" in 05 and "Qiao Family Courtyard" in 06.

This has made not only the film industry envious, but the television industry is also incredibly envious.

Starry Night Pictures is a newcomer to the TV drama industry, but it has already overturned a number of TV dramas in the first half of the year, and its ratings on CCTV are equivalent to the best drama of the year.

Cai Yinong of Tangren Media looked at the final ratings statistics for "Lurking" and found it hard to believe.

This is even better than Tangren's many years of deep cultivation in the field of TV dramas.

"Alas, it's a pity we didn't cooperate with Tangren Media."

Cai Yinong sighed, saying that although Tangren is not bad in the field of TV dramas, it has almost no foundation in the film field, which is a fatal blow to its artists.

There's no way to escape this limitation.
The door was gently pushed open, and Liu Shisi walked in.

She was dressed simply, and her face showed signs of fatigue due to her tight promotional schedule.

"President Cai."

"Poetic thoughts".

Cai Yinong snapped out of his daze, raised his hand to gesture for her to sit down, and softened his tone:
"You need to put more effort into promoting 'Chinese Paladin 3.' This series has the foundation of the first generation, and the audience's emotional connection to it is still there. As long as we play the nostalgia card well, I believe you won't be able to compete."

Cai Yinong stopped abruptly at this point, swallowing back the name he was about to utter.

There's no comparison now.

It's just that the other party stopped working in the TV drama field; otherwise, many people might not be able to make a name for themselves now.

Liu Shisi naturally knew what Cai Yinong meant by taking back his words, and then nodded.

Cai Yinong frowned: "Oh, right, where's Brother Hu? Did he go to see Yang Mi again?"

"Yes, they'll start from the other side and meet us at the information point."

"."

Meanwhile, Wu Chen met with Ma Ke, Ying Huangyang, Shoucheng, and Jiang Wen in the Taimiao workshop.

It has to be said that Jiang Wen and Ma Ke, both second-generation matchmakers, are somewhat similar in personality.

As soon as the group met, the latter began to boast: "As long as it's a story about Jiang Wen, I can tell how good it is after listening for three minutes."

Director Wu, General Manager Yang, don't you agree?

Wu Chen wasn't disappointed: "I was involved in the screenwriting, and I have to say, it's a good story."

That being said, if he remembered correctly, Ma Ke lost everything on his next film because of that same overconfidence, almost to the point of fainting. As Wu Chen finished speaking, Yang Shoucheng's eyes lit up. He was now even more confident. Besides, Jiang Wen had become quite famous this time, so he figured the global rights would sell for a good price in the future. He chimed in:

"I've always believed Jiang Wen's story."

"By the way, have you come up with any ideas for the role? I heard you've polished the script pretty much to the point." Wu Chen asked specifically, and the other two were also very interested.

Jiang Wen's new film has an investment of over 100 million yuan, so the casting is naturally very important.

"I do have an idea; I'm planning to put together an all-star lineup: Ge You, Chow Yun-fat..."

"Mr. Yang, how much does Chow Yun-fat cost?"

"Based on his current salary, it's probably around 30 to 40 million."

"It's really expensive!" Wu Chen complained, and Ma Ke nodded in agreement.

If Wu Chen hadn't brought it up, they wouldn't have said anything, but since Wu Chen brought it up, they naturally had to nod in agreement.

These are all investments, and the return on investment depends on the ratio of input to output.

"Aren't you the biggest star right now? You starred in a 500 million yuan box office hit. Are there any actors in China who are bigger than you?"

Wu Chen asked a question in return, and Jiang Wen hesitated for a moment, stroking his chin and muttering to himself, "What you said seems to make sense."

"Maybe it could even become a 600 million yuan lead role."

Wu Chen added quietly, and Ma Ke and the other woman's eyes lit up immediately.

The box office figures are too tempting.

The industry's biggest names, highest-grossing directors, and leading actors are all here. To be honest, they don't know how they're going to lose this round.

If we lose, it feels like we might as well quit the film industry.

"Hey, Lao Jiang, don't think about it now. Tonight it's my treat, let's have a meal first."

Ma Ke immediately stood up and greeted the others.

Seeing this, Wu Chen knew that the final choice depended on Jiang Wen's decision. He had already guided Jiang Wen as much as he could, and it wouldn't be appropriate to interfere too much in the casting process, so he didn't say anything explicitly.

While they were having dinner, Jiang Wen was still pondering the matter. Finally, he couldn't help but nudge Wu Chen and ask, "Aside from Chow Yun-fat, who do you think would be a better fit for the role of Huang Silang?"

"Tony Leung Ka-fai is also good. I worked with him in 'Bad Genius'. He is just as good as Chow Yun-fat in terms of acting skills, especially in multifaceted roles like Wong Si-lang."

On one hand, there's the dignity and confidence of a country gentleman; on the other, a cunning, cold-blooded, and ruthless villain. Tony Leung Ka-fai is more suitable. My judgment is still sharp.

Jiang Wen nodded, quite agreeing with Wu Chen's boast: "That's true, otherwise how could you have chosen me from a bunch of people to play the role in 'The Martian'?"

"Bragging?" Wu Chen's eyes held a hint of teasing.

Jiang Wen chuckled and then started talking to Wu Chen about the suitability of the actors for the roles.

As for Liu Zi, it would be best if Zhang Mo could get rid of him.

"His dad asked me to get him a role, and I thought it was a small role that would be suitable."

"A very good relationship?"

"That's not so good."

"That's settled then. How could you let personal relationships cloud your judgment and allow such an important film to be delayed? Let's choose another one; this one isn't suitable."

After returning home from dinner, Jiang Wen went straight to his study. Zhou Yun brought in tea and, seeing him deep in thought as he looked at the cast list, couldn't help but ask:
"Didn't you make all the arrangements a few days ago?"

"Hi, I chatted with Wu Chen today, and it seems to make some sense."

Jiang Wen felt like he was already a 500 million yuan box office superstar, and his global box office was about to reach 400 million US dollars, so why did he need an All-Star?
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yun couldn't help but nod: "Director Wu certainly has a good eye."

(End of this chapter)