Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 538 How can we play like this?
In the Los Angeles evening, the sky seemed to be dyed by fire, with the clouds shimmering with deep red and orange-gold light.

Outside the Universal Studios building, lights have been turned on one by one.

At that very moment, the homepage of Universal Pictures' official website suddenly refreshed, and a line of huge white text appeared on a black background:
"Interstellar".

Below, the list is displayed line by line:

Director: Wu Chen;
Screenwriter: Wu Chen;
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Liu Yifei, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine.
Planned release date: August 2011.
The cast list has been confirmed; Liu Yifei's name is placed after Matthew McConaughey, immediately following the character description.
Within minutes, the newsrooms of North American media outlets were ablaze.

Push notifications, faxes, and emails to reporters came in quick succession, with subject lines being typed out at lightning speed:
Universal Pictures announces cast for Wu Chen's new film "Interstellar"—the biggest original 3D sci-fi film since Avatar!

Following Avatar, Hollywood welcomes its second original 3D epic, a $200 million production in which Wu Chen will take humanity's gaze to the stars.

[Interstellar cast confirmed: Matthew McConaughey, Liu Yifei, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine]

【.】

Liu Yifei's name was mentioned multiple times in the report, but mostly as part of the lineup.

At this point, the media's greater interest was focused on the film's positioning: Could *Interstellar* usher in the era of 3D science fiction and continue its box office miracle?
After all, Avatar is still raking in box office revenue worldwide, with the numbers being broken every day.

The myth of a $26 billion blockbuster has not yet ended, and now, another original 3D sci-fi blockbuster has slowly begun to unfold.

Under the cover of night, in the CNN studio, the host held a printed list, speaking excitedly:
"I believe this will be the most anticipated film of the 2011 summer season!"

Director Wu Chen, who returned from Berlin earlier this year with both the Golden Bear and Silver Bear awards, and who tackled a sci-fi blockbuster last year, is now turning his attention to a 200 million dollar sci-fi epic. Can he create another miracle?

Wu Chen's overseas fans are extremely excited at this moment, especially after seeing the news of the release date, and they are frantically forwarding it on forums and social media.

"I hope they won't follow Cameron's example and skip a deadline next August."

"Don't worry, Wu is always a quick shooter. He can make movies very fast. Back then, he only took fifteen days to make 'Buried'!"

"Haha, don't let him see you say that, or he might send you a lawyer's letter! That's the biggest mockery a man can receive."

He's not that petty.

"."

At that time, it was still early morning in the capital.

In April, it was still early, and the soy milk and fried dough sticks sold by street vendors were steaming hot.

The editors from several portal websites had just pushed open the office door with their breakfasts and hadn't even settled in when their phones rang and their cell phones sent messages at the same time.

"The lineup was just released on the official Universal website!"

"real or fake?"

"Confirmed, the banner on the official website features Matthew McConaughey, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain, and Liu Yifei, and she's the female lead; it's right behind Matthew McConaughey's."

The office erupted in chaos.

Someone, still chewing on a fried dough stick, almost choked and rushed back to their workstation to turn on their computer, coughing as they did so: "Quickly, get the press release down! Sohu, NetEase, and Tencent are all redesigning their websites!"

Another editor carried the soy milk and ran all the way, sweating profusely, steam rising from the plastic bag:
"Damn it, Wu Chen always does this, either in the middle of the night or early in the morning, doesn't he let people live in peace!"

The young editor was so anxious that he slammed his fist on the table:

"Damn it, I even wrote an article last week saying that Liu Yifei might be involved in the film, but the editor-in-chief deleted it because he thought it was unreliable!"

The people around were laughing so hard they couldn't stand up straight: "Quick, check the recycle bin, see if it can still be salvaged!"

In just over ten minutes, the headlines on the front pages of major portal websites had been changed from the prepared articles:

[The cast of Wu Chen's $200 million sci-fi blockbuster "Interstellar" has been revealed, with Liu Yifei starring alongside Matthew McConaughey!]

[Liu Yifei takes on the lead role in a $2 million sci-fi blockbuster – Wu Chen's new film "Interstellar" is set for release next summer!]

From Inception to Interstellar, Liu Yifei has achieved a new milestone!

[Chinese director leads the charge in another epic sci-fi film, setting sail on a new interstellar journey!] The editors' hands ached from typing so many news articles.

Meanwhile, on Weibo, topics like #InterstellarCast#, #LiuYifeiInterstellarFemaleLead#, and #WuChenLiuYifeiReunite# quickly climbed to the top of the trending searches.

Netizens who had just woken up saw the trending topic and instantly became alert.

"I remember Liu Yifei seemed to be frequently seen on the set of 'Love is Not Blind' recently, but she didn't seem to go to Hollywood."

"Are you stupid? Wu Chen is the director. Why would he need to do a test? Besides, Wu Chen brought in this project himself."

"The second female lead in 'Inception' hasn't even been released yet, and now we have a female lead, and it's a $200 million production, even more expensive than 'Inception'!"

"."

Compared to the surprise and excitement of netizens, the real ones who were stunned were actually the entire film and television industry.

Especially the actresses.

Looking at the news headlines that flooded my screen this morning, I was stunned for a long time and couldn't come to my senses.

"How are we supposed to play like this?"

In the early morning in Shanghai, the mist along the Huangpu River had not yet dissipated.

Li Binbin had just discussed with Li Xue, who came to visit the set, the important matter of entering Hollywood after filming "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan". The latter also suggested that she strengthen her relationship with Deng Wendi.

And then this happened first thing this morning.
"Sis, forget it, we can't compete with her, and besides, we can't compete with her resources either."

Li Xue was immediately discouraged.

I'm almost done with the game, and this production quality still managed to win over the female lead, so what else can I say?

"I don't know how much she's paid, but it should be at least higher than Zhang Ziyi's."

Li Binbin muttered to himself.

After getting rid of Zhou Xun and acquiring "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan," what she wants most now is to replace Zhang Ziyi in the international arena, especially since Zhang Ziyi has fallen on hard times.

"Deng Wendi might know something."

Li Xue spoke slowly, and Li Binbin thought for a moment, then, out of curiosity, dialed Deng Wendi's number.

"Envious?" Wendi Deng was sitting in her Beverly Hills mansion, with a freshly opened copy of Variety beside her.

How could she not understand Li Binbin's thoughts?
"Universal Entertainment didn't disclose Liu Yifei's salary, but given the scale of the film, she'll definitely be paid the equivalent of a Hollywood A-list actor, probably around the same price as Anne Hathaway."

After hanging up the phone, Li Binbin and Li Xue looked at each other, their faces filled with envy.

At the same time, the crew of "The Warring States" were discussing news about "Interstellar".

Lu Zheng stared blankly at the news and the discussions around him for a while.

He was well aware of the huge wave caused by Interstellar.

Countless people in the industry are discussing it, some with envy, others with jealousy; global media are buzzing about it, and netizens and fans are engaged in heated discussions.
Thinking of this, a bold idea came to him.

"Uncle Lu, what's wrong?" Jing Tian walked over cautiously and slowly because he was wearing elaborate and heavy silver tassels.

Lu Zheng looked up at her and asked, "Nothing. What are your thoughts on hearing about your senior sister Liu Yifei?"

Jing Tian was stunned for a few seconds before he reacted, and an uncontrollable look of envy appeared on his face.

Seeing this, Lu Zheng had his answer.

Damn it, people in China don't care about money right now, and it's fine to play the game in circles, but do they think people overseas don't care about money?
He didn't believe it.

He had to force himself to create a major international production and push Jing Tian to the forefront.
(End of this chapter)