Huayu Entertainment: You have been directing for three generations, are you comparing your qualifica

Chapter 168: Casting announced, scandals follow!

Upon landing in the capital, Tian Xiaole finally turned on her phone, which was buzzing with incoming text messages.

"What's going on?"

I saw the car that came to pick me up and got in before I started reading the text messages.

"Boss, many people have been asking about your schedule these past few days, and Chairman Han has also inquired about it several times."

Chen Zhixi, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and said.

It seems everyone is a bit impatient; they've already tasted the sweetness of co-productions.

"Let's go straight to China Film Group and secure the share first, so that no one else will have a say in it."

Tian Xiaole said without looking up, glancing at the message he had received.

Wang Zhonglei is really shameless; he still has the nerve to ask for a share of "Night at the Museum." He has no self-awareness whatsoever.

Ren Zhonglun of Shanghai Film Group is very direct; he hopes to continue the collaboration from the previous film and not leave them behind.

Tian Xiaole had anticipated the reactions from both companies: Huayi Brothers wanted to go public, and Shanghai Film Group wanted to achieve political success.

But getting on the bus is now impossible.

When Tian Xiaole arrived at China Film Group, many people recognized him. When they greeted him and talked about Hollywood news, they would jokingly say that he had brought some big projects, and they also benefited from the news.

Seeing Tian Xiaole walk in, Han Sanping took off his reading glasses and said irritably.

"You seem quite relaxed, but some people are getting impatient."

"Oh, who is it?"

Tian Xiaole asked a question and then started brewing tea.

"Who else could it be? Old Ren called, wanting me to put in a good word for him so he could continue to participate in the [Museum] project."

"So, Uncle Han, what are your thoughts?"

Tian Xiaole wanted to hear Han Sanping's opinion.

"There's no need to bring Shanghai Film Group, and Huayi Brothers can be excluded too, since they didn't include you in any of their projects. Wanda is also excluded. This time, it'll just be the two of us."

It's still the same Han Sanping, who still prefers to eat alone as always.

Night at the Museum grossed $5.6 million worldwide, after deducting distribution fees, theater revenue sharing, and various taxes.

The other investments of five million US dollars have yielded a return of more than twenty million US dollars, including principal and interest.

There are also subsequent DVD rentals and sales, merchandise sales, etc. Hollywood has a complete post-production revenue model.

Unlike in China, there are basically no other ways to make a profit besides copyright and box office revenue.

This is why domestic film and television companies all want to go overseas to earn US dollars, because the US dollar is indeed very attractive.

For Han Sanping, profits are secondary; the key is to promote culture overseas, which is the kind of achievement the higher-ups want to see.

Tian Xiaole thought for a moment and said, "Wanda should still be included. It's not good to kick them out for no reason. China Film will take Shanghai Film's share and contribute ten million US dollars."

"Is it really only a 30% share this time, and no other requirements have been mentioned?" Han Sanping asked tentatively.

"Uncle Han, 20th Century Fox is one of the eight major Hollywood studios, a monopolistic film company, and a notorious bully in Hollywood. It was only through my strong advocacy that we were able to retain our original 30% share..."

Tian Xiaole embellished the story of the negotiation process; otherwise, people would have thought this project was easy.

抨！
Han Sanping clenched his right fist and slammed it on the desk:

"Those sons of bitches, we'll deal with them properly after this project is finished."

Tian Xiaole was startled by the sound, but Han Sanping's action was heartwarming. Although he was a bit domineering, he was very protective of his own people.

He couldn't explain any further, and could only weakly say:
"Fortunately, the result was satisfactory."

"Okay, let's do it the way you suggested."

Han Sanping nodded, then talked about his trip to South Korea. He seemed disappointed when he heard that it was to collaborate on a gangster film.

Forget about investing in this kind of film, it's not even allowed to be imported.

Lunch was at the China Film Group cafeteria. It looked like a simple meal of three dishes and a soup, but the ingredients were anything but simple.

The news of Tian Xiaole's return to China quickly spread.

I received a call from Wanda asking them to come and sign a contract, but I turned down all the others, including Enlight Media and Yinghuang.

···
Wang Zhonglei stared at the phone that had been hung up on, his face grim, and could only sigh helplessly.

First, Fan Binbin made it clear that he would not renew his contract upon expiration, causing Huayi to lose its star performer.

Fortunately, he signed Zhou Xun, Fan Wenfang, and Liu Yifei, whom he considered already signed, filling the gaps in the talent agency department.

With co-production projects like "The Forbidden Kingdom" in hand, Huayi Brothers remains the leading private film and television company in mainland China.

If they don't get involved in the sequel to "The Museum," they'll probably be ridiculed by everyone, since they started it first.

"What did Tian Xiaole say on the phone?" Wang Zhongjun asked.

“We won’t sell even at a premium; the quota has already been allocated,” Wang Zhonglei said.

"If we can't get it, so be it. Our current projects are more important."

Meanwhile, Shanghai Film Studio.

Ren Zhonglun had just hung up the phone with Han Sanping, who was very direct: China Film Group had already secured the screening quota, so there was no need to bother Tian Xiaole anymore.

The next day, representatives from Wanda and China Film Group arrived at Xiaole Pictures to sign a contract.

The media had a keen sense of smell, and the news quickly made it onto major portal websites.

"The investment for the sequel to 'Night at the Museum' has been secured, but Shanghai Film Group and Huayi Brothers are no longer among the production companies."

···
A red-headed document caught Tian Xiaole's attention.

The Ministry of Culture and four other ministries jointly issued a document to cancel the policy that foreign investment must account for 75% of shares in pilot cities, restoring it to 49% as it was in 03.

Due to policy changes, a large number of foreign-owned cinemas have been forced to transfer some of their shares or completely abandon the domestic market, including Warner.

With Tian Xiaole's idea in mind, and by controlling cinema resources, Xiaole Pictures' film production business would be completely closed.

By the time they were ready to find someone to make their move, it was too late.

These cinemas were originally joint ventures, with many state-owned enterprises holding shares, and they were taken over by these same companies.

Private enterprises like Wanda, which are not short of money, simply renamed it Wanda Cinema.

After months of hype surrounding the casting of "The Forbidden Kingdom," Huayi Brothers held a press conference to officially announce the casting results.

The female lead, Golden Swallow, is played by Liu Yifei.

The second female lead, the White-Haired Witch, is played by Li Binbin.

What's most surprising is that Fan Wenfang, who auditioned for the lead role, didn't even get a part.

The media's focus instantly shifted to the three individuals, making this the biggest news story of the year.

Huayi explained that Fan Wenfang was not selected because of the policy on co-productions.

As for why Liu Yifei was chosen as the female lead, while her own company's artist played a supporting role, there was not much explanation.

Regardless of the reason for her selection, Liu Yifei's fans are incredibly excited. Their idol getting to work with two kung fu superstars is a great opportunity to step into Hollywood.

Li Binbin's fans were outraged. Why was their idol relegated to the second female lead, playing a supporting role to Liu Yifei, who has no film credits?

Meanwhile, fans of Ruby Lin and Cecilia Cheung were also upset, questioning why their idols were left out.

Liu Yifei's current situation is akin to the eight major sects besieging Bright Peak, being attacked by a group of female star fans.

Suddenly, a large number of negative news stories emerged.

Some questioned Liu Yifei's acting skills, arguing that she lacked experience on the big screen.

Many opinions also suggest that she obtained the role through connections and resources, rather than through her own abilities.

The various slanders and rumors surrounding her since her debut have been brought up again.

Liu Yifei's industry background wasn't strong enough, and yet she landed the lead role, instantly making her a target of criticism.

The targeted rumors are varied and include all sorts of things.

Li Binbin, who also won the second female lead role, was no less controversial, with numerous rumors circulating about her having various shady dealings with powerful figures in the industry. The rumors were widespread.

Fans of various female celebrities in China jumped into the fray, trying to muddy the waters and suppress the two who were about to gain momentum.

Liu Yifei called Tian Xiaole, and her tone sounded somewhat helpless.

"Senior Brother Tian, ​​I am really a woman. I have never had sex reassignment surgery. The news on the internet is all nonsense."

In 05, Song Zude "revealed" that Liu Yifei had undergone gender reassignment surgery and that she was born a man.

It's been brought up again recently, and the hype is getting more and more intense, with many people believing it.

"Haha, your explanation isn't very convincing, after all, I haven't looked into it either," Tian Xiaole joked with a laugh. "Oh, Senior Brother Tian, ​​you're so eager to understand me, could it be that I like you?"

Liu Yifei said casually.

"Heh, isn't it normal to like beautiful things?"

Tian Xiaole proved with his actions that you don't necessarily have to own the things and women you like, but you should get them.

"Then take it as a compliment on my beauty. Senior Brother Tian, ​​you have excellent taste."

"Stop being so vain, and take care of your current troubles first."

Tian Xiaole kindly reminded her that her family workshop didn't even have a professional in the industry and had a weak sense of crisis management.

"No one should believe such outrageous rumors. In a few days, no one should be mentioning them anymore."

Liu Yifei said nonchalantly, not yet realizing the seriousness of the problem.

This is being fueled by the companies behind other female celebrities, who are trying to smear her image and reduce their competition for commercial endorsements.

"If you let it go unchecked, they might spread other rumors about you, and if this continues, the false will become the true."

"If it's really that serious, then I know what to do."

Liu Yifei's voice became much more serious, indicating that she had taken the advice to heart.

"Oh right, I haven't congratulated you yet on getting the female lead role in 'The Forbidden Kingdom'. Lionsgate really values ​​this project; Huayi doesn't even have the right to suggest actors."

Hearing Tian Xiaole mention the role, Liu Yifei's voice brightened, and she said boastfully:

“I auditioned several times, and Director Minkoff was very satisfied with me. In the end, he decided to cast me.”

Hey……

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiaole roughly guessed that Liu Xiaoli was still keeping it from this silly girl.

At this point, it wasn't a good time to say anything more, since the roles had already been announced, and Liu Xiaoli and Wang Zhonglei were both willing to accept the situation.

It's tough on Liu Yifei.

"Then do your best in your performance. This project will be a huge boost for you and will get you into Hollywood's spotlight," Tian Xiaole encouraged.

"Yes, I know. This role is different from the previous ones; I'm playing a female knight-errant," Liu Yifei said playfully.

"Haha... I'll wait and see."

···
During Tian Xiaole's time in America, [Hunting] completed its first rough cut.

They filmed quickly, and they edited quickly too.

Because the footage was shot very well, there were no unnecessary or useless shots.

Wandering around to the post-production special effects department, James sent over two more groups of people. It seemed like the progress was a bit faster, but still very limited.

Many technologies start from scratch, requiring a lot of time for design, rendering, and setting up the underlying framework.

I asked Chen Zhixi to check on the progress of "The Eight Hundred". The warehouse, canal, and rented sets are all under construction and set up in an orderly manner, but the filming period is still far away.

Compared to Lu Chuan's [Nanjing], I heard that the investment has not yet been fully in place.

"Boss, when has Ying Huang confirmed the release date for [Ip Man 2]?"

"Let's stick with the summer release. Go to China Film Group and confirm it."

CJ's side launched the "New World" project and announced the news to the public. The script was provided by Tian Xiaole.

The name "Tian Xiaole" has become a guarantee of quality.

When the news reached China, and people learned it was a gangster film, they weren't very interested.

Ying Huang's reaction was quite intense; Huo Wenxi even called, her tone slightly coquettish.

They said this kind of script is very suitable for Hong Kong Island, so that people will think of her in the future.

Tian Xiaole ignored it. The film was destined not to be released in mainland China, and the Hong Kong market was too small, while the Southeast Asian market, particularly South Korea, was not weak either.

Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" has wrapped filming and is expected to be released in the second half of the year, which is incredibly fast.

I heard that during filming, the male and female leads used real guns and ammunition, and the level of explicitness was astonishing.

Tang Wei's boyfriend of two years, Tian Yu, initially supported her, but later broke up with her because he heard that the content of the story was too explicit and he couldn't accept it.

Zhang Ziyi is constantly in the news. She just made an appearance in Hollywood as a lifetime member of the Academy Awards, and recently she has been making headlines again because she previously said that she wanted to play the role of the White-Haired Witch.

She once again dominated domestic news headlines, this time with her foreign boyfriend in the NBA stands, passionately kissing him.

Registration for the new batch of art students has begun.

The Beijing Film Academy has gained a great reputation in recent years, and its directing department is becoming increasingly influential.

In terms of actors, there are international stars like Huang Bo, top domestic stars like Liu Yifei, and rising stars like Yang Mi. It's a cradle of talent, with a diverse range of actors.

In contrast, the Central Academy of Drama next door has strict requirements for students' roles. Unless it's a film by a famous director, they are basically not allowed to take on roles outside of school for the first two years.

The only advantage is that the directors at Beijing Film Academy like to use actors from the Central Academy of Drama; it's almost become a tradition.

After this year's admissions brochure was released, the admissions office of Beijing Film Academy was overwhelmed with visitors.

Using connections and back channels has become a common practice.

With tens of thousands of people vying for only thirty spots, the competition is incredibly fierce.

Tian Xiaole received a text message from Jing Tian, ​​informing her that she had applied to the Beijing Film Academy and was looking forward to the surprise she had mentioned earlier.

With her connections and existing career in the film and television industry, she was destined to take up a spot.

I thought the Beijing Film Academy was already outrageous, but the Central Academy of Fine Arts next door is even more insane, with tens of thousands of people vying for just eight spots.

The Film Bureau's official website has published a new list of scripts that have passed review.

"【Painted Skin】, a fantasy period romance film."

Director: Tian Zhuangzhuang.

In the screenwriter section, Tian Xiaole's name stands out.

There aren't many good commercial film directors in China right now. Tian Zhuangzhuang has been in the industry for many years and is also going to make a commercial film.

Criticism followed one after another. Older directors believed that Tian Zhuangzhuang should continue to pursue art films, as his commercial films were too empty and lacked artistic value in their core plots.

These conservative voices were quickly drowned out by the bustling market.

The internet is abuzz with discussion, and the domestic film market is showing signs of vitality, with directors busy making commercial films.

Tian Xiaole was also busy, receiving a series of phone calls inquiring about his investment.

Old Tian received more inquiries, since he has a wide network of contacts and knows many people.

In his study at home, Old Tian had a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he wrote another name in his notebook.

Tian Xiaole leaned over and took a look; they were all names of film companies, from mainland China to Hong Kong.

"Are these all debts of gratitude?"

"Ah."

Old Tian stubbed out his cigarette and began to explain to Tian Xiaole the connections he had with these film and television companies.

"Edward Pictures invested in 'Flying Kite,' Jiasheng Pictures invested in 'The Great Eunuch Li Lianying,' and Cultural Films was an investor in 'Spring in a Small Town'..."

China Film Group is involved in all of these film investments, making it a staunch supporter.

"Aren't they all willing to invest in 'Painted Skin'? Aren't they afraid of losing money?"

Tian Xiaole asked curiously.

"They don't want to invest in me; they want to use me to get close to you."

"I?"

Tian Xiaole was stunned for a moment, but quickly figured out the key point.

He is among the top tier of commercial film directors in China, even far ahead of others, and he also has Hollywood projects in hand.

He has regular partners for these film projects.

They all wanted to get on this ship.

"So what do you think?" Tian Xiaole asked.

"In the entertainment industry, the more friends you have, the better. Even if something goes wrong, there will be someone to lend a hand. But you have your collaborators, and these are all favors I've done for you. I'll explain things to them."

Tian Zhuangzhuang never imagined that introducing these people to Tian Xiaole would lead to such a large company and the current success; one must have their own network of friends.

"【Painted Skin】This project is my first commercial film. I will explain the profit and loss to them, and whether to continue investing is up to them."

(End of this chapter)