The only sun in Huayu

Chapter 95 The Grand Plan! Smash Old Deng!

Does he need to verify it? Is he qualified?
Han Sanping understood Shen Shandeng's meaning, and with mixed feelings, remained silent for a long time.

Shen Shandeng looked out the window through the bedroom glass.

He was naturally pleased to have beaten "The Creation" at the box office, even forcing Paperclip to "respond".

Everyone around him thought it was amazing that he had "forced" the other party to this point.

But thinking about it carefully, isn't it only right to detonate a carefully packaged sugar-coated bullet?

This is just a belated, minimal counterattack.

It was a cleanup that should have been initiated by more people and much earlier.

We won, it was only right and proper.

It would be an injustice if we didn't win.

The view outside the window didn't seem like skyscrapers, but rather like the dark and bloody years on the pages of history.

The history within, which should have been the color of blood, an inviolable foundation, is now shrouded in gray.

A hero's name is tarnished.

Shen Shandeng remembered the name Zheng Pingru, which was given to her by her father Zheng Yue. It meant "Do not underestimate the delicate and weak," hoping that his daughter would be as resilient as a pine or cypress.

It's not Wang Jiazhi, nor the fictional character played by Tang Wei who struggles between lust and national hatred.

Rather, it refers to the real, bright, brave, and ultimately tragically martyred female martyr from history.

And behind her, her family members, who also sacrificed their lives for their country.

The whole family were loyal and brave.

Their blood, their unyielding spirit, their sacrifice and perseverance.

Decades later, it has become material for some people to weave a story about the complexities of human nature and the entanglements of desire, which implicitly contains understanding and sympathy for traitors.

It was also given the name of "art," wrapped in the gold leaf of international awards, in an attempt to cram it into the minds of a generation.

This is more than just absurd.

This was a complete and utterly disgusting humiliation for Shen Shandeng.

As a director and a storyteller, he felt humiliated.

As a Chinese person, and as someone who knows and reveres that period of history, he felt an intense anger and shame.

This disregard and distortion of history and heroes could actually happen, and was even once praised as "high-class" by some people.

What a blatant distortion of the truth!
Shen Shandeng picked up the statement and explained it to Han Sanping.

"I'm saying this old man doesn't speak the truth much, and I'm not just talking nonsense."

“Look, he used the word ‘extraordinary’ to acknowledge the box office miracle, but avoided directly defining the film’s artistic value by only using the word ‘achievement’.”

"It is still trying to maintain its discourse power as the 'artistic high ground,' which is also the tone of the whole article."

"'Changing the market landscape' alludes to 'The Sin' being taken off the screens, 'young' refers to my lack of experience, and 'the pulse of local audiences' attributes the success of my film to the market, while avoiding any mention of its artistic merit."

"The word 'unique' seems neutral, but it actually emphasizes that if it's not their 'high-class' aesthetics, then it's not art. The word 'impact' mentioned later clearly carries this meaning, only emphasizing strong sensory stimulation."

"The historical details are once again implied to the historical issues of 'The Creation of Evil'. The term 'historical details' can be interpreted as rigorous or as looking at something with a magnifying glass."

"‘Unquestionable confidence’ sounds like a compliment, but in the context of ‘The Creation’, ‘unquestionable’ emphasizes that I, as a young director, am too assertive and can easily extend to ‘arbitrary’, ‘extreme’, and ‘radical’."

“‘Challenging the rules and the audience’s perception’ defines me as a challenger and a rule-breaker. In fact, I just did something very normal. The abnormal thing is not me.”

"'Appearing out of nowhere' is a sudden attack, catching them off guard in a fast and fierce way. 'Taking notice' carries a condescending observation, scrutinizing me as an 'outlier,' a reckless barbarian, an intruder."

"I'll say it again, I just did what I was supposed to do, I'm not the abnormal one."

"The word 'unique' was used again later, emphasizing that it was a 'footnote of the times' rather than a 'benchmark' or 'model,' thus successfully defining 'The Supervisor' as a phenomenon."

"The penultimate sentence, still in a high-handed manner, acknowledges my box office success, but then points out that box office success is nothing, thus bringing back to their grasp of the 'art' standard, namely 'deeper accumulation and broader perspective'."

"It's still classified as a phenomenon. To put it more bluntly, it negates the audience. The audience's liking and their votes with real money don't count unless they meet their own set of artistic standards."

"The last sentence, 'Success is just the beginning,' negates my achievements again. Then, they link natural landscapes like 'mountains and rivers of light and shadow' and 'distant echoes' with their 'artistic standards,' thus elevating the status of their so-called 'artistic' pursuit."

"If you combine this with the previous 'sensory stimulation,' the difference in quality becomes even more apparent, placing me in a low position."

"What does this show? They're not convinced! Not just in their hearts, they haven't even put in the words!"

We're all in the film business; who can hide those little schemes from us?
How many hooks are left in an article?

If Shen Shandeng is not firm and assertive enough, these subtle hints will immediately become explicit statements.

Han Sanping compared the statement with the facts and found that it was indeed true.

He truly deserves to be called an art master; he is indeed very knowledgeable.

"This behavior itself is a sign of bowing down, and that's the key point."

From Han Sanping's perspective, the current situation is something he never dared to imagine before.

Shen Shandeng was speechless. Old Deng had never won before, and after winning by a small margin, he started to overthink things: "Of course it's not enough! Let me be frank, even if we completely and utterly admit defeat, we can wait another ten years, or even less than ten years, just a few more years."

"The reason for the success of 'The Du Gong' could be what this statement says: it succeeded because of sensory stimulation, plus a bit of luck."

"It's not impossible that 'The Evil' cleared the release schedule, allowing 'The Eunuch' to succeed."

Han Sanping exclaimed in astonishment, "It can't be that bad, can it?"

Shen Shandeng countered, "Isn't this what's happening right now—a hero's story turning into this?"

Shen Shandeng said in a low voice, "That's how literary battles are. It's all about who's more shameless. In fact, as long as you live the longest, the right to interpret things is in the hands of the survivor."

Han Sanping asked directly, "Do whatever you want, but remember what you said: there are some things you can do but can't say."

Shen Shandeng was slightly surprised: "I thought you would try to persuade me."

"Don't try to persuade me, it's best to kill them all." Shen Shandeng remained calm, which reassured Han Sanping.

There are more people who support Shen Shandeng, but there is a lack of people with Shen Shandeng's niche who have stepped forward.

Han Sanping cautioned: "This is a dispute over your directors' artistic philosophies."

Shen Shandeng nodded repeatedly, indicating that he had learned something.

If we're talking about Yin, then Lao Deng Yin is the best.

Oh, so he's an artist. Isn't it normal for artists to insult each other?
"Don't worry, I'm not in a hurry. I'll play along with him for a while. His statement has misled countless people in the arts and media, and even..."

"Uh, cough cough." Han Sanping gestured for him not to mention it.

Shen Shandeng readily agreed, saying, "In short, I will definitely accept the favorable terms offered by the other party." Han Sanping couldn't help but feel smug.

There's always someone who can subdue another. The group from "The Sinner" are really in for a rough time with Shen Shandeng.

"By the way, in the end, these people are the ones who are interfering with us, mainly in terms of our works. When you have time, you might as well think about a sequel to 'The Eunuch' and 'Brotherhood of Blades'."

Han Sanping said meaningfully, "As long as you remain existing and continue to grow stronger, some perceptions cannot be distorted by them."

Even if Han Sanping doesn't mention the upcoming film projects, Shen Shandeng will.

"The Eunuch" has been a box office success, while "The Sinner" has been defeated in terms of both the film itself and its influence.

Although it hasn't been completely eradicated and there's a risk of it resurfacing, it has, for the time being, indeed become a stinking mess.

It's time to push the front line further.

As long as the front line keeps pushing forward, "radical" will become conservative. Since we're already being criticized for being radical anyway, we might as well be truly radical.

Shen Shandeng said, "My idea is to start by creating a cinematic universe, starting small and gradually expanding."

Han Sanping held his breath.

"After the success of 'The Eunuch,' the 'Brotherhood of Blades' project was no longer the top priority."

"My first choice is a sequel to 'The Eunuch.' My idea is to take a middle ground, not following the timeline of the first part, but designing the plot around the tenth year of Jiajing's reign, after the investigation of the Liu Bapi case."

"The story doesn't need to be too complicated, just a simple plot. The main focus should be on the special effects and fight scenes. The visual effects should be more stunning and powerful."

"After the second movie is finished, we'll see how it goes. If the word-of-mouth is good, we might make another one."

"We shouldn't rush to push the timeline forward. After the sixteenth year of Jiajing's reign, especially after the fire during the southern tour in the eighteenth year, the Jiajing Restoration took a sharp turn for the worse."

"In this timeline, the plot is bound to be sad, so we'll have to wait."

Han Sanping was so shocked he couldn't speak. Good heavens, the "Governor" series already has at least three parts. He was just hoping for a sequel!

He's being conservative again!
"What do you think?" Shen Shandeng asked.

Suppressing his excitement, Han Sanping said as calmly as possible, "I respect your creative autonomy. I have great confidence in you, kid."

No, who are we taking advantage of?

Shen Shandeng thought that he was still young and needed Lao Deng's support, so he held back for the time being: "The sequel to 'The Eunuch' can be done slowly. Sharpening the axe will not delay the work of chopping wood. Let's first improve the 'The Eunuch' universe."

“Take Jiajing out separately, including ‘The Great Rites’, ‘Jiajing Restoration’, and ‘Emperor Wanshou’ from the end of Jiajing’s reign.”

“Jiajing is not the best choice. Lu Bing, played by Wu Jing, is the most suitable character to stand out on his own.”

"When the sequel to 'The Eunuch' is released, Chen Kun and Wu Jing will be the two male leads."

"I'm the kind of person who's all talk and no action. I'm confident with Chen Kun, but I can't say for sure with Rong Xinda. I need to let them know that I have plenty of options."

"Moreover, within the same dynasty and the same cinematic universe, the timelines are roughly the same, which greatly reduces production costs."

"If the individual films about 'Lu Bing' and 'Jiajing' are made, the characters can be further developed. Then, a sequel could be made to combine them, and it's not impossible to have three male leads."

"At the same time, it can also be used to gauge market sentiment."

Will the audience accept the timeline of the mid-to-late Jiajing period?

"Let's test the waters with individual films featuring 'Lu Bing' and 'Jiajing.' If they're successful, everyone will be happy, and it will add to the success of the sequel to 'The Eunuch.'"

"Even starting from the timeline after the first part of 'The Eunuch,' in the seventeenth year of the Jiajing reign, they filmed a case involving the investigation of the female lead Xu Zhicui's father. They said that Chen Mo was in seclusion and couldn't catch up with the breakthrough to the Grandmaster level, so Lu Bing came to investigate."

"Manage expectations well. When the project is first initiated, explain that it is a character film. If it fails, learn from the experience. Keep the cost in the tens of millions, and the possibility of losing money is not high."

"If it works well, we can make a solo movie about Su Xiaoxiao."

Shen Shandeng's idea was that with "The Grand Eunuch" in hand, he would have the world at his fingertips.

The box office performance of "The Eunuch" is very likely to break 300 million. The second film will maintain the exciting and thrilling tone of fighting against darkness and will not be too bad. Its performance will definitely not be bad.

As long as we have the trump card of "The Eunuch", we can take our time with the other solo films.

"Factory Manager, do you remember what I said? Our history itself has a lot of appeal, much like Hollywood superheroes. Once we've finished it, we can either make solo movies or create crossover events with the characters."

Shen Shandeng patiently explained.

After all, Marvel hasn't really taken off yet; Iron Man hasn't even been released, let alone a cinematic universe.

Shen Shandeng noticed that Han Sanping had stopped moving again: "Factory Director, what do you think?"

Old Deng, give us some feedback!

Han Sanping on the other end of the phone had already quickly taken out paper and pen to take notes.

Dude, how many movies are there already?

Shen Shandeng, this little Deng, is definitely not fooling him!
"China Film Group respects the director's creative freedom."

Han Sanping spoke with difficulty, trying not to appear too undignified.

Shen Shandeng continued, "As for 'Brotherhood of Blades,' I plan to proceed after the 'Eunuch Cinematic Universe' has taken initial shape."

"By then, a large number of talents will be trained, and technological expertise will be accumulated."

"Moreover, the characters can be linked with 'The Eunuch.' For example, Wu Jing's Lu Bing could have his ancestor's role played by him. Chen Kun could also find an ancestor."

"This will reduce the cost of 'Brotherhood of Blades', minimize the risk, and greatly increase the chances of success."

"Once the first film about the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties is completed, we can start making films about people from that era, such as Chang Yuchun and Lan Yu. Their names are beautiful, and we can capture the most exciting moments of their lives."

"Then, there were many more options."

"It could further expand the cinematic universe of other dynasties in the Ming Dynasty, or it could move towards an emperor series, such as a personal film about Zhu Yuanzhang."

"Starting with Zhu Yuanzhang, we can extend the series to other high-profile dynasties such as Qin, Han, Tang, and Ming, including Qin Shi Huang, Liu Bang, Emperor Wu of Han, and Li Shimin."

Shen Shandeng can only say that the legacy left by our ancestors is too substantial!
He didn't even need to make up a story; the outline was already provided!

As Han Sanping listened, he became less optimistic; the pie in the sky was too big.

You need to write a written agreement! You need to write a written agreement!
We can't lie to this old comrade who's over fifty!

"Wait for me, I'll come find you."

Han Sanping hung up the phone.

He immediately had Liao Yun cancel his afternoon schedule and headed to the hotel where the "The Eunuch" film crew was staying.

Liao Yun: "."

As the head of China Film Group, you should at least show some restraint!

(End of this chapter)