Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 644 Delayed? Everything's in chaos, everyone's panicked.
On the night filming wrapped, Wu Chen didn't choose a five-star hotel. Instead, he booked the entire venue at a seaside food stall on Xiamen Island to celebrate the crew's success.

As night fell, a gentle sea breeze blew, and the table was laden with freshly caught seafood cooked in the simplest way, accompanied by the clinking of beer glasses.
"Director Wu is truly a native of Guangdong; he really knows how to choose a place. The food here is so much better than in the hotel—it's simply delicious!"

"Haha, it was the landlord who rented our villa who introduced us to it." Wu Chen stood up, raised his beer glass, and addressed everyone present.

"Thank you all for your hard work these past few days! I'd like to raise a glass to you all!"

After that, drink it all in one gulp.

"Not at all! This part on Xiamen Island was probably the easiest part of our entire filming process."

"Yes, it's very relaxing. Looking forward to the finished product!"

Amidst everyone's laughter and cheers, the filming of "The Warmest Thirty Days of My Life" came to a complete end.

What followed was naturally a lot of post-production work and a deluge of media coverage.

Filming for "The Warmest Thirty Days of My Life," starring Wu Chen and Liu Yifei, has wrapped up in Xiamen.

From Shanghai to Xiamen, Wu Chen's new film wraps up filming, featuring a cast of veteran actors; it may become the most anticipated romance film of the year!

【.】

However, Starry Night Pictures has another big production yet to be completed, namely "Painted Skin 2" directed by Lu Yang.

The day after Wu Chen returned to Beijing, he made a special call to inquire about the progress.

"Almost there, we're wrapping it up. I estimate it will all be resolved this week." On the other end of the phone, Lu Yang's voice carried a hint of fatigue, but also couldn't hide his excitement.

For this filming location, he led the crew all the way to Yamdrok Lake. Although the altitude sickness and weather caused a lot of delays, the filming results were better than expected.

"No rush, take your time, and be careful." Wu Chen smiled upon hearing this.

It's perfectly normal that the filming of "Painted Skin 2" was slow.

In pursuit of the best visuals, the production team moved between several locations, from the grasslands of Inner Mongolia to the sacred lakes of Tibet, unlike the film he was working on, "The Warmest Thirty Days of My Life," which only required moving between the easily accessible cities of Shanghai and Xiamen.

However, what really worried him at this moment was another film.

I opened my email inbox, and there it lay quietly, from the project manager at Industrial Light & Magic.

The email detailed the timing issues encountered during the post-production of "Interstellar," especially the 3D conversion process.
Because Interstellar contains a large number of unprecedented cosmic wonders rendered based on real physical models.

Images such as the distorted light around the black hole "Gargantua" and the visual effects of traversing a wormhole have a data volume and complexity that far exceeded expectations.

When performing high-precision 3D conversion, in order to ensure that the spatial sense and depth of field of each frame achieve the best effect, the time required to render a frame is nearly twice as long as originally planned.

This means that if the current quality standards are maintained, the entire post-production cycle will be delayed by at least two to three months from the originally scheduled August release date.

After reading the email, Wu Chen replied, saying that he would go to Los Angeles as soon as possible to discuss the follow-up matters with them and Universal Pictures in person.

Actually, for him and Universal Pictures, this is not a big deal; at worst, it's just a delay.

In Hollywood, it's perfectly normal for blockbuster films with budgets of hundreds of millions of dollars to be delayed due to technical issues.

James Cameron's Avatar was delayed no less than three times due to technological innovations and the complexity of post-production.

For movie fans, it simply means they'll have to wait a little longer.

But for major global film studios that have been closely watching the release date of "Interstellar," this is nothing short of a "Sword of Damocles" hanging over their heads.

It's already June, and normally, a blockbuster film scheduled for release in August should have started releasing promotional materials by now.

However, apart from the release of some materials last year, there has been no news about Interstellar since then, except for normal reports.

This immediately sparked a huge wave of speculation worldwide.

On Weibo in China, the hashtag #WillInterstellarWillBeDelayed# immediately topped the list of trending topics.

"No way, no way? Please don't let it fall through! I've been waiting since last year!"

"It's June, and we haven't even seen a trailer or a new poster yet. It's hard not to be suspicious..."

"Wu Chen, please say something! I've been looking forward to this movie for so long, ever since Avatar I've been counting on it!"

Some knowledgeable movie fans have even started calculating the post-production timeline for "Interstellar".

"Interstellar wrapped filming last September, so it's only been a little over eight months. Considering the insane post-production cycle of Avatar, it's feasible to finish a special effects blockbuster of this caliber in eight months, but if even the slightest problem arises, it could be in jeopardy."

"It's probably still because 3D rendering is too time-consuming; the situation isn't looking good."

Domestic film companies planning to release films during the summer and National Day holidays are feeling particularly uneasy.

"Oh my god, if it really gets delayed, how many months will it be? I really hope it doesn't clash with my movie!"

"Oh no! I specifically changed the release date from August to avoid 'Interstellar,' but what if it doesn't go out of theaters in August and jumps directly to the National Day or Lunar New Year period? Does that mean we'll have to move again?"
That would be hilarious!

"Now we can't set a release date! Sigh...we have to be at the mercy of others!"

Everyone panicked immediately.

After all, going head-to-head with Wu Chen's film would be a pure act of sacrifice, and no one wants their hard-earned movie to become cannon fodder in someone else's box office records.

This situation is not only happening in the country, but also in Hollywood.

[Variety: The Silent Interstellar – An Unknown Hanging Over the Global Summer Blockbuster Season!]

[The Hollywood Reporter: August or Delay? Universal Pictures Faces Difficult Decision, Several Studios Plan to Postpone Release Dates!]

[Deadline: Sources say Interstellar is facing post-production challenges and may be delayed]

[IGN: Fans petition Universal Pictures: We're willing to wait, please give Interstellar enough time!]

Everyone is watching Universal Pictures and Wu Chen's moves. The entire second half of Hollywood's film season has been thrown into chaos because of this movie.

Just then, Wu Chen received a call from Han Sanping.

It wasn't for "Interstellar," but for "The Founding of a Republic," which is scheduled to be released in mid-June.

"Mr. Han, what's the premiere date again?"

"Number 8, in Beijing. How about it, do you have time?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Chen felt a bit uneasy.

"I can't guarantee the timing. I have to go to Los Angeles."

"For Interstellar?" Han Sanping's tone also became serious.

"Well, we need to extend the timeframe later on, and I don't know if we'll have to postpone it. I need to go over and renegotiate with Universal." Wu Chen smiled, his tone quite relaxed.

"Alright, then business comes first. Come when you're free, otherwise it's fine."

Han Sanping also knows that Interstellar is definitely more important at the moment.

He was also anxiously awaiting the final news about the film.

The next morning, Wu Chen made a low-key appearance at Beijing Capital International Airport.

But his "low profile" was completely ineffective in the face of the ever-present media.

A large group of reporters quickly surrounded him at the VIP entrance.

"Director Wu, is your trip to the United States for 'Interstellar'?"

"Director Wu, will 'Interstellar' be released as scheduled in August? Can you give us a definite answer?"

There are rumors online that the film's post-production needs to be delayed. Is that true?

Wu Chen, wearing sunglasses, waved at the camera and said succinctly:
"This trip was indeed to check on the post-production progress of the film. However, I cannot disclose specific details at this time, so please wait patiently for official announcements."

Just as Wu Chen boarded his flight to Los Angeles, news of his appearance at the airport spread across the internet at lightning speed.

Wu Chen flies to Los Angeles! Suspected to be for "Interstellar"!

[Is a delay inevitable? Wu Chen responds for the first time at the airport: Everything is pending official announcement!]

This has made all production companies, both domestic and international, even more panicked, regardless of whether they have already chosen a release date...

(End of this chapter)