Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 573 Difficult to Control
In late September, the autumn colors were gradually deepening in Beijing.

In cinemas, "Under the Hawthorn Tree" is still showing, and its box office has finally surpassed 100 million yuan before the National Day holiday.

During their break, Wu Chen and Liu Yifei also quietly contributed two tickets to the box office.

It must be said that Zhang Yimou's return to pure love stories this time is indeed able to touch most people's hearts.

At least, in the dim light of the cinema, Liu Yifei cried her eyes out, and when the movie ended, Wu Chen could still feel the wetness on his shoulder.

He looked at her red-rimmed eyes and gave her a strange look.

The latter blushed slightly, avoided his gaze, and said softly, "Director Zhang did a good job. It has nothing to do with me."

However, it's highly likely that "Under the Hawthorn Tree" won't be in the National Day film season.

In the cinema, posters for "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame" and "Reign of Assassins" have occupied all the most prominent positions, and promotional materials are everywhere, creating a tense atmosphere.

As they left the movie theater, Liu Yifei suddenly asked, "By the way, our film 'Love is Not Blind' is finished. What time slot do you think would be suitable for it?"

"Thirty-Three Days"

Wu Chen thought about it carefully.

The Qixi Festival period is long over, and November is traditionally a slow season, so it's a bit risky. Although Taobao launched Double Eleven last year, it was a little rushed.

There's no need to go head-to-head with blockbusters during the Lunar New Year season, especially since there's also Jiang Wen's "Let the Bullets Fly".

"If you want the best box office results, wait for next year's Valentine's Day season. The mid-to-late November release date is a bit rushed and not good enough."

Before Wu Chen could finish speaking and before Liu Yifei could even nod, his cell phone rang in his pocket.

When he took it out, the name on the caller ID surprised him.

It's Zhang Yimou.

Wu Chen was caught off guard when Zhang Yimou contacted him at this time.

It wasn't until the call connected and Zhang Yimou mentioned the name "Christian Bale" that he realized who it was.

"He."

“Yes,” Zhang Yimou’s voice was direct on the other end of the phone, “You should also know about the script of the novel of the same name that Brother Yan ordered, the one that the bureau has filed, ‘The Flowers of War’.”

I didn't change the original male lead's character design, so I plan to find a Hollywood actor who offers good value for money to play the role.

Wu Chen found it somewhat amusing upon hearing this.

It's not that I'm laughing at Zhang Yimou, but rather that the term "cost-effectiveness" has been used to describe Bale.

In Hollywood, Christian Bale is truly synonymous with "high cost-performance".

Forbes magazine once named him one of the "World's Ten Best Value Actors," saying that an investment of $1 can generate up to $55 in box office revenue.

“No problem, I’ll ask him and have him contact you.” Wu Chen smiled and agreed, then casually added, “But senior brother, your investment this time is a bit large.”

"Yes, a little."

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Yimou's voice carried a subtle hint of seriousness.

Zhang Weiping has already told him that he sold his house and took out a loan to invest 600 million yuan independently in this movie.

He had clearly mentioned that he was open to external investment, but Zhang Weiping completely ignored it, insisting on "exclusivity" and even rejecting the offer from China Film Group.

After hanging up with Zhang Yimou, Wu Chen didn't waste any time and, under Liu Yifei's curious gaze, directly dialed Christian Bale's number.

At first, Bell thought Wu Chen had asked him to act in a film, but he was somewhat surprised when he learned it was an invitation from Zhang Yimou. "Zhang? Yimou Zhang?"

If we're talking about the international recognition of Chinese directors today, besides Wu Chen, Zhang Yimou and Li An are the most prominent, while Chen Kaige pales in comparison.

"Yes, why don't you talk to him? See if you like the script."

“No problem! To be honest, I’m very interested in Zhang.” Bale’s tone was filled with excitement. “You may not know, but my first film, ‘Empire of the Sun,’ was filmed in China!”

"Oh!" Wu Chen exclaimed when Bell mentioned it.

If he remembers correctly, Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" was the first Hollywood blockbuster to receive full cooperation from the domestic government during its production.

"Is Director Zhang aiming for an international strategy?"

Liu Yifei listened from the side, very curious.

Zhang Yimou's new film is going to invite a top Hollywood actor to participate, which is definitely explosive news in the industry.

“Not entirely,” Wu Chen analyzed. “The original novel’s male protagonist was designed that way. But hiring Bale will definitely increase the overseas price.”

While Wu Chen and Liu Yifei were still discussing, Han Sanping's anger could no longer be concealed in the office of China Film Group.

"boom!"

He slammed a document down on the table.

"That Zhang Weiping! He's hoarding hundreds of millions of yuan for himself, isn't he afraid of choking on his own?"

This really angered him.

He politely sent someone to inquire about the possibility of joint investment, thinking that he could let bygones be bygones regarding the previous "Mountain Eagle" incident.

Not only did the other party ignore him, they also bluntly stated that New Pictures would be solely responsible for the 600 million yuan investment in "The Flowers of War"!

This is insane!
Shortly after, Zhang Yimou walked into the New Pictures office. Zhang Weiping was still muttering something to himself, but upon seeing him, he immediately went to greet him.

"So, can Wu Chen handle this?"

Although he disliked Zhang Yimou's private contact with Wu Chen, he had to admit that Wu Chen's influence in Hollywood far exceeded his own.

"Hmm." Zhang Yimou nodded.

"By the way," Zhang Weiping changed the subject, muttering, "that girl named Ni Ni, sign with our New Pictures. Your personal studio isn't really suitable."

He paused, then couldn't help but advise, "Yi, listen to me, cast Han Xiting as the female lead in 'The Flowers of War,' and just give that Ni Ni some other role to her."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yimou's expression immediately turned sour.

He recalled how Zhang Weiping had even tried to interfere with the script's content a few days ago, and the anger that had been building up inside him finally erupted.

"You can't just add whatever plot you want, or cast whoever you want to act!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was unusually firm: "The script isn't finalized yet, the content isn't even determined, and you're already casting the female lead?"

Then what's the point of having me as a director? Am I just going to be a tool for you to make money?

These words only made Zhang Weiping's face darken even more.

He watched Zhang Yimou's departing figure with a furrowed brow, remaining silent but inwardly grumbling to himself.

He has witnessed all the changes in Zhang Yimou over the years.
It seems that people are becoming increasingly difficult to control.
(End of this chapter)