It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 148 New Project... Decided! Let's go for the prize! (Seeking monthly votes)
After seeing Jason Blum off, Lü Rui didn't rush to Warner Bros.

The screening of "I Am Legend" is scheduled for tomorrow. This afternoon, he plans to take care of the work piled up at the company first.

First, there are the employees' pay slips.

With the launch of a major film project with a $1.5 million investment, the company's number of employees has increased significantly compared to before.

When it was first established, Ruixing Film Studio had only a dozen or so employees, but now it has grown to more than 30.

However, the salaries of the newly added employees did not put too much pressure on the company.

As long as the "I Am Legend" project continues, all employee salaries can be "reasonably" paid out from the project.

"Have the finance department print out the fourth quarter payroll statement as well, I'll sign it together."

As Lu Rui gave his instructions, he glanced through the glass window at the crowded office space outside and added, "The company will continue to increase staff in the future; this place is too small."

Peter, have the real estate agent look around and see if there are any suitable office buildings nearby. Just rent one, about three floors should be enough.

“Okay.” Peter nodded in agreement and turned to leave.

After finishing the payroll matters, Lü Rui didn't rest and immediately got busy with other tasks.

He turned on his computer and first checked the registered copyrights of the novels and screenplays, then sorted them out by category.

I'm too busy right now, I really don't have any spare time.

Otherwise, it would be more appropriate for novels like "Twilight" to be adapted into screenplays and registered in the database.

After finishing his work at the company in the afternoon, he didn't rest in the evening either, as he still had to remotely arrange some domestic affairs.

Liu Xiaoli called precisely at the right time, her tone serious: "Director Lü, we've made up our minds. Let's change our nationality back."

This decision was naturally the result of careful consideration by both mother and daughter.

The box office for "Taken" is still rising and it looks like it's about to break the domestic box office record of "Titanic".

This is naturally a good thing for all the producers and stakeholders.

However, Liu Yifei, the female lead, has faced a new round of targeting due to issues such as being the female lead in a 3 million yuan box office hit, her birthday party, and her role in "Sunny Sisters".

After becoming an adult, they became even more ruthless towards their enemies than before!
Meanwhile, her nationality has also been repeatedly brought up as a point of discussion.

The entertainment industry is a place of fame and fortune, and with fame and fortune come conflicts!

No matter how powerful your backing is, you can't stop others from smearing you, especially if you have weaknesses.

The most vulgar comments online are: "She's an American, why does she get such good resources in her own country?"

But what they don't know is that Liu Yifei's donations and charitable work are no less than those who claim to be "great, glorious, and righteous"!

"Alright, since you've made your decision, let's proceed with the procedures."

Lü Rui respects their choices.

While it's true that not changing one's nationality makes it easier to develop one's career in Hollywood and abroad, it's perfectly fine to change it back.

Because in the coming decades, as the domestic economy develops, the opportunities in the mainland film and television industry will be no less than those in Hollywood.

What's more, isn't there Ruishijie right here?
Even if I want to break into Hollywood later, I won't lack resources.

After ending the call, Lü Rui casually browsed the internet to check out the latest news from China.

While Huayi Brothers and Orange Sky Entertainment are locked in a fierce battle, Rongxinda is playing dead and remaining silent...

Meanwhile, Starshine wasn't idle either, declaring that he would shelve the Yellow Cloth, and the two sides were on the verge of going to court.

Meanwhile, the 11th Huabiao Awards ceremony was just held, and Zhang Ziyi won the Huabiao Best Actress award for her role in "House of Flying Daggers"!
"The Prestige" won the Best Feature Film Award along with nine other films released at the same time. Han Sanping took the stage to give a speech on behalf of Lü Rui.

At the same time, the Venice Film Festival was also in competition.

Li An's performance in "Brokeback Mountain" has been highly praised by European and American media, and he is considered a strong contender for awards!
"Jingle Bell!"

The phone rang again.

Lu Rui picked it up and saw that Shen Ao's name was displayed on the caller ID.

He pressed the answer button: "Hello?"

"Brother Rui, Fu Biao is gone."

"What?!" Lu Rui's pupils widened suddenly. "Wasn't everything fine at the beginning of the year?"

He remembers clearly that not long after filming "Remote Control", Fu Biao underwent a second liver transplant and had been recuperating in the hospital ever since. How could he suddenly be gone?
"I heard it's because the lesions have metastasized and worsened." Shen Ao was also shocked, after all, the two had just spoken on the phone not long ago.

Of course, Fu Biao also apologized to him for not being able to help with the film promotion, but unexpectedly, less than a week later, he received the terrible news.

"Sigh," Lu Rui sighed, then pressed, "When is the funeral?"

"A memorial service will be held at Babaoshan Funeral Home on the 15th of this month."

"Okay, I understand. When I get back, please go to his house on behalf of the company and see if there are any difficulties you can help with."

"Okay, I'll go now."

After hanging up the phone, Lü Rui felt a strange sense of melancholy.

Last month it was Gao Xiumin, and this month it's Fu Biao...

Neither of them is actually very old.

But life is unpredictable, and illness is something we can't escape.

In a daze, a thought suddenly popped into my head.

If conditions allowed, he really wanted to make a film about illness and redemption...

His gaze fell on the computer screen, and he subconsciously moved the mouse and clicked on the document marked with the word "Reality".

An article titled "Buying Time: The Story of Ron Woodruff's Global Smuggling of Illegal Drugs and Hope" popped up.

This is the prototype of the later Hollywood masterpiece "Dallas Buyers Club"!

This article was published in 1992. He had previously arranged for Peter to buy the copyright in advance, hoping to "buy at the bottom".

In a previous life, the movie adapted from this article helped Matthew McConaughey win the Best Actor Oscar.

This is a very standard award-winning film.

Coincidentally, Lü Rui didn't plan to continue making commercial films; instead, he wanted to make a realistic film to compete for awards.

"How about filming this?" he muttered to himself, a slight thought stirring within him.

As if sensing his thoughts, the system, which had just recently distributed the rewards, suddenly gave a new prompt:
[Ding! Please translate the Hollywood movie "Dallas Buyers Club" into Chinese and pass the Film Bureau's review.]

[Reward upon completion of the mission: C-level talent "Jean-Marc Vallée's directing techniques of 'invisibility of perspective style' and 'realism of cinematic language'"]

Upon hearing these two prompts from the system, Lü Rui made a decision instantly.

shoot!
Just film about illness and redemption!
The system has already issued the task; if we don't take the picture now, when will we?

However, translating Dallas Buyers Club into Chinese is not easy.

The original version touched on many sensitive topics, including AIDS, drugs, homosexuality, transgender issues, and scandals involving the Food and Drug Administration.

Let alone in China, even abroad, it would be extremely difficult to film this!
If the original script were made in China, even with all of Lü Rui's connections, it wouldn't pass censorship; that's a matter of principle.

Unless he, like Tian Zhuangzhuang and Jiang Wen, risks being banned from directing and bypasses the Film Bureau to submit the completed film directly to the film festival for review, it is unlikely that it will be made.

But the consequences are far too severe.

Therefore, localization cannot completely copy the original version; it can only borrow a part of the framework and then take the domestic national conditions as the foundation.

Suddenly, another movie title popped into Lü Rui's mind.

"Dying to Survive"!
This film is actually quite similar to "Dallas Buyers Club," and both deal with the themes of illness and redemption.

"How about we combine the plots of these two movies? Take the best from both and discard the worst?"

The more Lü Rui thought about it, the more feasible it seemed!
After thinking for more than half an hour, he suddenly slammed his hand on the table: "Let's do it!"

He wasn't embarrassed at all about preemptively seizing the future "opportunities" for Han Sanping's daughter.

The other person is currently studying at a foreign language school, and it's still a long way from them taking the postgraduate entrance exam at Beijing Film Academy.

At worst, we can make it up to her by giving her a film project that's just as good as "Dying to Survive" after she finishes her master's degree and starts her internship.

Just do it!

He opened a new document and immediately began working on the script outline.

First, he carefully recalled the plot of Ron Woodruff's struggle for survival against the FDA and pharmaceutical companies in "Dallas Buyers Club," and the journey of Cheng Yong from a small-time oil vendor to a "medicine god" in the hearts of patients in "Dying to Survive."

He then combined the exploration of systemic social problems in *Dallas Buyers Club* with the portrayal of the plight of ordinary people in *Dying to Survive*. This approach retains the struggles and self-redemption of the characters in the former, while incorporating the helplessness and transformation of ordinary people in the face of reality in the latter.

The protagonist is an ordinary person who lives in poverty and suffers from a terminal illness.

By chance, he came into contact with some patients who were also suffering from serious illnesses but were desperate because of the high cost of medicine.

Driven by the will to survive, the group worked together to find affordable treatments amidst the complex medical environment in China.

During the process, they not only had to face investigations from regulatory authorities, but also had to outwit and outmaneuver unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies...

In terms of character development, Lü Rui drew inspiration from the nuanced portrayal of Cheng Yong's personality transformation in "Dying to Survive," allowing the protagonist to go from initially being solely driven by the desire to save his life and make money to being moved by the patients' experiences and gradually taking on the responsibility of bringing hope to them.

At the same time, he also drew inspiration from the genuine friendship between Ron and his transgender friend Ryan in "Dallas Buyers Club" to create a group of partners with different personalities but equally kind and brave, who support each other on their journey to help patients.

In terms of thematic expression, the new script not only shows the helplessness of patients in the face of illness, but also highlights their persistent desire for life.

Like the two original works, the central theme is to provoke profound reflections on society, medicine, humanity, and many other aspects...

"Jingle Bell--"

The sudden ringing of the telephone interrupted Lü Rui's thoughts.

This time it was Hou Hongliang who called.

After the call connected, the other end reported: "Chairman Lü, the 'Soldiers' Sortie' project team has been set up. I've brought in Kang Honglei, the director of the TV series 'The Passionate Years'..."

The report concluded nearly ten minutes later.

“Very good, let’s proceed according to your plan.” Lü Rui didn’t detect anything wrong with it.

Like "Crossing the Guandong", "Soldiers Sortie" also belongs to the genre of serious drama.

In his memory, this drama was also a typical example of a huge hit and bestseller, and it remains a classic even years later.

Therefore, he had no objection to Hou Hongliang's arrangements, and was even more confident in the drama than Hou Hongliang was.

Actually, "Soldiers Sortie" wasn't a first-hand product, but rather a "second-hand product".

Before I arrived at Ruishijie, a small company had already bought the copyright to the original work.

Unfortunately, because the story lacked a star-studded cast, romantic subplots, and a complex storyline, the copyright reverted to Lan Xiaolong's hands. He eventually brought it to Ruishijie, where it happened to be targeted by Hou Hongliang.

Perhaps because of his many years working at Shandong Film Studio and his own military career, Hou Hongliang has a special fondness for military-themed works.

The two sides hit it off immediately.

"There's still a crucial issue." Hou Hongliang called not only to report on his work but also to ask for help.

"what is the problem?"

Lu Rui was a little confused. The money was in place, the project was set up, so why not just cast the actors and start filming?
"Because the drama involves a lot of military equipment, we had to ask the August First Film Studio for assistance."

It's an industry consensus that military-themed films can't be separated from the August First Film Studio.

The August First Film Studio has a very strong background. Although it cannot provide much assistance in terms of commerce, it is very useful for "endorsement" and coordinating military equipment.

"Shandong Film and Television can't help?" Lu Rui remembered Hou Hongliang saying that Shandong Film and Television was going to reach a strategic cooperation with Ruishijie.

"This project has nothing to do with them; Lan Xiaolong brought it over himself," Hou Hongliang explained simply.

"Okay, I understand. I'll let China Film Group know and ask Han Sanping to help with the introduction."

For Lü Rui, this matter was not difficult to handle.

These days, state-owned film studios are all struggling, including the August First Film Studio.

When legitimate military projects come knocking on their door with ample funding, they have absolutely no reason to refuse.

Of course, those kinds of "anti-Japanese war dramas" are an exception.

After hanging up the phone, Lü Rui called Han Sanping directly and explained the situation.

"Haha, it's nothing," Han Sanping said, quite happy to be able to help. "Leave it to me. I'll just give you a heads-up and I'll get it sorted out within three days."

"I'm relieved to hear that."

"Hey! Don't say that. China Film Group has gained both fame and fortune by following you, so it's only right that I help you." Han Sanping, who had made a name for himself at the Huabiao Awards, was especially grateful to Lü Rui at this moment.

After the award ceremony, the leader praised him for more than a minute in front of all his colleagues. He really gained a lot of face!
Lu Rui wanted to get closer to him, so he offered him several big-budget movie offers.

After the Dallas Buyers Club is translated into Chinese, he'll inevitably have to pull strings; we need to make him happy first.

The two chatted for more than half an hour before hanging up.

It was already past 11 p.m. in Los Angeles, so Lü Rui put down his phone and took a shower.

He lay back in bed, temporarily putting work aside, and browsed the news for a while.

Actor Fu Biao passed away from liver cancer at the Armed Police General Hospital in Beijing. A memorial service will be held on the 15th of this month, which will be hosted by director Feng Xiaogang.

"The action/fantasy film 'The Banquet,' directed by Feng Xiaogang and starring Zhang Ziyi, Ge You, Wu Yanzu, Zhou Xun, and Huang Xiaoming, is currently in production."

Huayi Brothers officially announced several TV series projects, including "Legend of Jiaqing", "Midnight Song" and "Young Warriors of the Yang Clan".

""Mo Gong"..."

Among the major portal websites, Huayi is currently making the most frequent and significant moves.

While it appears to be expanding its business, it is actually mitigating the impact of Wang Jinghua's departure.

The two brothers were extremely cunning.

Although new projects are emerging one after another, a closer look reveals that Huayi is not actually the largest producer in these projects.

For example, the biggest producer of "The Banquet" was Sony Columbia.

"A Battle of Wits" was funded by Hong Kong investors.

However, through Huayi Marketing, these projects became controlled and invested by them, and they monopolized all the fame and profits.

It's fortunate that Huayi's "brand" is resounding enough; otherwise, if any of the many project producers were to throw a cup as a signal, more than a dozen axemen would rush out and smash Huayi's brand in no time!

Thinking of this, Lü Rui suddenly remembered "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

In the words of later netizens, Huayi is like "Ding Yuan, the governor of Bingzhou", Orange Sky is like "Dong Zhuo", and Wang Jinghua is like "Lu Bu".

I just wonder who will become the "fourth party" next?
Or perhaps "Lu Bu" set up his own faction?
History has a way of repeating itself...

Time soon came to 12 o'clock.

After turning off the computer, Lü Rui closed his eyes and lay on the bed, but he couldn't fall asleep at all.

As the year draws to a close, the Chinese entertainment industry has been in constant turmoil, with some companies busy expanding and others venturing into new avenues...

Although Vision is making progress, he always feels that he can do even better!
Film, television, animation... production is all underway.

So, shouldn't we make up for all the shortcomings in post-production, special effects, visual effects, and marketing?
In addition, there is something even more crucial:
—Theatrical releases!
He has always felt that production companies are just employees in the film and television industry chain, while platforms and terminals are the real "bosses".

He was particularly envious of Wanda's strategic layout.

The film industry will develop rapidly over the next twenty years, but its ceiling is limited.

Moreover, making movies is extremely risky and very easy to lose money, which is far less profitable than establishing a theatrical distribution network and seizing the terminal market in advance.

Commercial real estate + cinemas! This is an absolutely profitable business with huge potential over the next twenty years!

Most importantly, if they can truly gain a foothold in the theatrical market, they can not only reap the benefits when the film market heats up, but also force production companies to strengthen their industry influence...

Investing in cinemas is too difficult and costs far more than making a movie! It's not something that can be done easily.

"How about we try going public?"

After this thought popped into his head, Lü Rui's mind became even more chaotic.

In its previous life, Huayi chose to go public in order to realize its "ambitions" and accelerate the company's development by raising funds from the stock market.

However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Going public can indeed make money, but there are too many uncertainties!
One wrong step could lead to utter ruin!
Interests and risks have always been intertwined...

"call!"

Half an hour later, Lü Rui breathed a sigh of relief, suppressing his chaotic thoughts.

He probably already has a plan in mind.

However, you can't get fat in one bite; forcing yourself to eat will only make you choke.

There's no use thinking about it now. Let's focus on doing our best in the present and take things one step at a time...

(End of this chapter)