Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 121 A Father and Son Movie
Before coming to the United States, Chen Shouzhe had not yet decided which movie to make, but a phone call with Tao Le reminded him of a scene.

A scene of a man walking down the street, tears streaming down his face, clapping his hands in front of the sky.

Chen Shouzhe instructed Lu Sen to begin preparations, while he himself started drawing the film's storyboards.

The script already existed; Chen Shouzhe remembered all the excellent films. With years of experience honing his scripts, he wrote more fluently and soon drew out storyboards one by one.

A week later, the pre-production work for the film was complete.

"Boss, all we need now is actors," Lu Sen said.

“I need a father-son duo of Black actors,” Chen Shouzhe said.

“When you mention Black actors, the first one that comes to mind is Will Smith. He’s an outstanding American actor and fits your criteria.” As the producer, Lu Sen had already read the script and recommended an actor to Chen Shouzhe.

“Then contact him and ask him to come to the company,” Chen Shou said.

“Okay, will the remaining actors go through the guild?” Lucien asked.

"Let's decide on the lead actors first."

The next day, Will arrived at Blue Star Films. Seeing the small film company, Will and his agent both felt that they might have been scammed.

“Bob, are you sure you’re not mistaken?” Will asked his agent beside him.

“Hey buddy, this is the right place. Look, there’s still a sign hanging up there,” Bob, the agent next to him, shrugged.

“I’ve read the script, and I’m really interested in it, but I’ve never heard of this company before. I should look it up,” Will said.

“Buddy, we can check it now.” Bob picked up his phone and started looking at it.

“My God, Bob, you’re not a good agent at all,” Will complained. He had already told him yesterday, and now he was only now using his phone to look up the other person’s information.

If it weren't for the fact that they grew up together and rapped together, he would have kicked him away.

“Buddy, I’ve found out. This company has changed owners. A few years ago, it was taken over by an Asian man,” Bob said.

"An Asian? I should have left if the script wasn't so good," Will said.

“No, Will, we can’t leave. This Easterner is no ordinary man. He’s Shou Zhe Chen. You might have heard of him,” Bob said excitedly.

"Guardian Chen? The screenwriter of the Columbia Disaster Trilogy?" Will's eyes widened as he realized something.

“That’s right, brother, it’s him, we made the right choice,” Bob said happily.

"Then what are we waiting for? A magical director who made a $400 million movie with just tens of thousands of dollars!" Will exclaimed excitedly.

The two men, accompanied by bodyguards, entered the gates of Blue Star Company. Lucien greeted them and poured them two cups of coffee using the latest coffee machine.

"Will, what do you think? Are you capable of handling this role?" Chen Shou asked.

“I’m fine with that, but I need a partner, a little boy?” Will said, taking a deep breath after reading the script. The script was excellent, and he liked it very much.

“Yes, you need a son,” Chen Shouzhe nodded.

"Could my son act in it?" Will asked.

"Oh? How old is your son?"

“Six years old,” Will said.

“That would be suitable, and it would allow you and your son to work together more seamlessly,” Chen Shou nodded.

“That’s great,” Will nodded.

"You can recommend actors to me. If I think they're suitable, I won't look for other actors. After all, I haven't been in the US for long, and I haven't had much contact with Hollywood actors," Chen Shou said.

“I know a few friends who would love to act in it,” Will nodded.

"Take a look at the contract, buddy. Based on your current value, here's your compensation, plus your son's share of the pay," Chen Shou said with a smile.

The main cast has been finalized, and pre-production is underway, but the choice of the female lead, Chen Shou, is a bit of a surprise.

“Sandy,” Chen Shou exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the leading lady recommended by Will.

“Chen, it really is you! I thought Will was lying to me. This is amazing, this is our second time working together.” Sandy came up and hugged Chen.

"Yes, this is our second collaboration. I'm relieved if it's you," Chen Shou said with a smile.

"Thank you, Director, you've found me another job," Sandy said with a smile.

Sandy directed "2012," and Chen Shouzhe was the assistant director at the time, completing part of the filming tasks, including Sandy's. Unexpectedly, Will recommended her. Since they were old acquaintances, there was naturally no problem.

The film is already in the preparation stage, and the news will naturally leak out. Chen Shouzhe was already being watched by some media when he appeared in the United States. He is now a calling card to the outside world and has considerable fame both at home and abroad.

When news broke in Hollywood, domestic media outlets immediately shared it.

[From The Hollywood Reporter: Renowned Chinese-American director Chen Shou-zhe is preparing for his new film in the United States and has begun casting.]

This news quickly became a trending topic on Weibo. The last time Chen Shouzhe directed a foreign language film was "The Man from Earth," which caused quite a stir. Unexpectedly, Chen Shouzhe directed another foreign language film after two years, and suddenly countless eyes were turned to the other side of the ocean.

Many actors are starting to get restless. Think about Huang Xiaoming and Li Baibing. Their value skyrocketed because Chen Shouzhe's films went international. If they could participate in Chen Shouzhe's foreign films, it would undoubtedly be an even better way to increase their value.

Film companies seeing this news could only sigh helplessly. They also wanted to make foreign-language films, but the question was, was there even a way? It's not that no company had tried; the results were disastrous. Everyone knows the US dollar is valuable, but who can actually earn US dollars?

Few people in the film and television industry can do that, and Chen Shouzhe is one of them. Moreover, he is not the same person he used to be. When he was filming "The Day After Tomorrow", many companies could bully him. Now, let anyone try to bully him.

Respect is earned through one's own efforts, not given by others.

They knew they couldn't get involved, so they simply stopped thinking about it and stopped looking.

Out of sight is pure.

Ordinary people didn't care and left comments under the news, even asking if domestic actors would be used and recommending actors. For example, Liu Yifei has many fans who urged Chen Shou to work with her.

Even though Chen was abroad and couldn't be reached by phone, people still managed to contact him through various channels.

Chen Shouzhe doesn't plan to use domestic actors; this movie isn't suitable.

Apart from the main character and his child, the other people are not particularly noticeable.

However, now that it has gained media attention, it will definitely attract even more media attention.

More information was unearthed the next day.

[It is reported that director Chen Shouzhe's new film is titled "The Pursuit of Happyness," with a budget of $6000 million. It will be a co-production between Blue Star Films and Columbia Pictures.]

With an investment of 60 million US dollars, or nearly 400 million, there are only two films in China with such an investment. Chen Shouzhe has also produced another one overseas, making countless film and television companies envious.

"Another 400 million. As expected of Director Chen, his first film is a 400 million one."

"Judging from the title, it's not some special effects movie, so why is it so expensive?"

“Use US dollars as US dollars. There are 60 million US dollars there, and there are also 60 million US dollars in China.”

"The prices over there are really high."

"Labor is more expensive."

"Why make foreign language films? It would be so much better to make them in Mandarin."

"It is said that the movie is based on a real person, so it can only be filmed abroad."

There was a lot of discussion online. Although Chen couldn't answer the phone, he was grateful to Tencent because he could use the software as long as there was internet access.

"Forget about it, there's nothing suitable for you." Chen Shouzhe answered a video call.

"So direct? Not even an audition opportunity?" Zhou Xun said to the screen.

“Yes, some unimportant roles are even more unnecessary and a waste of time,” Chen Shou said.

"Alright, then I wish you great box office success," Zhou Xun said.

"Thank you," Chen Shou said.

"Tch, you think I'm praising you...?"

Several more familiar people called to inquire, but Chen Shou refused them all.

The film preparation was very fast, and everything was ready in two weeks. Because the filming locations might require road closures, the locations had been communicated in advance to avoid trouble. He remembered that there had been a lot of trouble when filming this movie, and he had even been sued.

Actor Will recommended quite a few, and the rest were recruited through the Actors Guild by posting information about supporting roles.

In the United States, guilds are a very powerful force, and it is easier to build relationships through them.

Wherever there are people, interpersonal relationships are inevitable.

In this country, money has a strong allure, and a film with an investment of 60 million US dollars was able to begin filming smoothly.

Chen Shouzhe was already very familiar with the process. Although Will was a rapper, he was a rare acting expert among black people. In addition, due to their father-son relationship, Will was already able to teach his son how to act without Chen Shouzhe having to say much.

Chen initially planned for three months, but the result exceeded his expectations, and all the filming was completed in just over a month.

The drama series doesn't have complicated scenes, so the progress has far exceeded Chen Shouzhe's expectations. As long as the actors are fine, the filming speed won't be slow.

"Walker, I'll leave the post-production to you guys. I don't think there's much left to edit," Chen Shou said.

"Chen, I'll say it again: stay in Hollywood. It's a better fit for you here." Walker came to the airport to see Chen off.

Three days after filming wrapped, Chen Shouzhe was already planning to go back. He had been away for two months and it was time to go back and see the company. There were still a lot of things to take care of.

"Walker, it's not like I'm not coming back. I'll be back in the second half of the year. Remember to treat me to a meal then," Chen Shou said.

"Come on, you work for Warner Bros. I really don't think you need to give the script to Warner Bros. It would be much better to give it to us," Walker said, scoffing.

"Hahaha, there's an old saying in Walker China, 'Don't bite off more than you can chew,' which means don't eat too much."

"Alright, I'll find some time to visit that ancient and mysterious country."

"Welcome, buddy."

(End of this chapter)