Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 262 The Heavenly Pay

According to netizens, diners who had been secretly watching them from inside the restaurant learned about Chen Shouzhe's identity.

They never imagined that so many of the movies they had watched were written and filmed by Chen Shou.

No wonder Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon were so respectful and polite to Chen Shou.

The allure of a world-class director is immense, offering not only financial rewards but also enhanced fame.

Some people live for a name. Now, if you were given the chance to create a separate page for your family tree, would you be willing to take the plunge?

I believe no Chinese person would give up an opportunity to make their name in history, even if it meant taking on seventeen more gangs single-handedly.

After reading the script, the two looked at each other.

"Director Chen, I have to admit, the script is too excellent, so I accepted it," Leonardo said with a smile.

"That's good." Chen Shouzhe breathed a sigh of relief.

"Matt, are you still hesitating? If so, I can recommend others to Chen," Leonardo said with a smile.

“Idiot, I just finished reading it. The script is excellent. It’s about two people with two different fates, a struggle between their stances and their humanity. One lives in darkness but yearns for the light, while the other lives in the light but keeps falling. Leon, which role do you choose?” Matt said.

“Billy,” Leon said with a smile.

"Then I'll choose Colin?" Matt laughed.

"It seems you both have your own ideas. Now that you've made your decision, I feel a lot of pressure regarding your current salaries," Chen Shou said with a wry smile.

From the moment he invited the two, he was prepared. Neither of them were cheap. Leonardo DiCaprio's salary was as high as 30 million US dollars, while Matt Damon's was relatively cheaper, around 20 million US dollars. He offered him 20 million US dollars for The Great Wall.

“My salary isn’t high,” Matt laughed. “It’s mainly Leonardo DiCaprio. His salary has skyrocketed since he won the Oscar. I think we should consider replacing him.”

"Go to hell, my salary is indeed a bit high, but Director Chen, believe me, it's absolutely worth it," Leonardo said confidently, and he truly had that confidence.

“Since that’s the case, I’ll state my terms: I’ll submit this film for next year’s Oscars.” Before Chen Shou could finish speaking, Matt’s eyes lit up, and Leonardo’s raised glass paused for a moment.

The Oscars still held appeal for him; even if he only won one, he wouldn't consider it too much, especially since the way he obtained his Oscar had been constantly criticized as being obtained through begging.

He won the Academy Award by torturing himself and pleasing the old men in the academy.

For him, it was no different from begging; he wanted to win the Oscar for Best Actor and become a true movie star through his acting skills.

Chen Shou's use of the Oscars as an example indicated his intention to conduct public relations. They had participated in award PR campaigns many times and were very familiar with the process. The PR fees were not low; the goal was to reduce their salaries.

This is an unspoken rule in Hollywood: production companies spend real money on public relations for the Oscars, which greatly benefits the actors, who should reduce their salaries.

Some actors even take on roles for free in order to win awards and boost their fame. Before Leonardo could speak, Matt said, "Director Chen, you're aiming for an Oscar again! That's fantastic! I think we can discuss the salary further."

"Thank you, Matt. What do you think, Leonardo?" Chen Shou looked at Leonardo.

“I think we can reduce the price, but I want a share of the box office revenue. I can’t afford to pay the current price for most movies. I can’t just bankrupt a production company. My team now operates on a revenue-sharing basis. As far as I know, Director Chen’s films have never lost money,” Leonardo DiCaprio said.

Matt looked at Leonardo DiCaprio with envy. He was also entitled to discuss profit sharing, but talking to Chen Shouzhe was clearly wishful thinking. Chen Shouzhe's films had never lost money. Matt knew not only about Chen Shouzhe's achievements in the US, but also that Chen Shouzhe was a top-tier commercial director in China, the kind who could easily crush their films.

He could only keep his salary low, the kind that only pays a basic salary. Leonardo DiCaprio could choose between a box office revenue share and a base salary.

Why are actors unwilling to lower their billing order? Status represents money. If you're ranked lower, once a notice is issued, you'll never be able to hold your head high again.

“Okay, I’ll have the company’s general manager discuss the specific share with your team. And Matt, you too, your salary is already quite high, it can be the same as Leonardo’s.” Chen Shou nodded. Before coming, Lu Sen had already told him that if it was for the sake of competing for an Oscar, Leonardo’s salary could be reduced a bit, but not too much, after all, he is one of the world’s top actors, one of the best actors in the hearts of countless people.

They must be treated well. In addition to their salaries, they should also receive a share of the film's revenue. The specific amount will depend on the team's discussion.

“That’s great, maybe the box office revenue sharing will allow me to earn even more,” Matt laughed.

The waiter continued to serve them food, and the three chatted happily, mainly about movies. Chen Shou shared his thoughts with the two, and they could tell that the movie had already been filmed in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong version is called "Infernal Affairs," while the American version is called "The Departed," which translates to "Infernal Walker."

After being livestreamed online for a while, many people in China who like to bypass internet restrictions quickly translated the livestream from the foreign website into Chinese.

[Chen Shouzhe met with Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon, seemingly to discuss the script]

The hashtag immediately appeared at the top of Weibo, attracting countless people to read it. People in the film and television industry saw the hashtag early in the morning and clicked to read it.

"Is Chen Shouzhe's new movie such a big production? Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon?" Wang Changtian had just arrived at the company when his secretary showed him the contents of her phone, along with some photos. The photos showed Chen Shouzhe, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon chatting happily at a dinner table, clinking glasses with each other. There were two notebooks next to them, clearly scripts.

Such a high-profile move must be for the sake of the movie. They've already hired top international stars before filming even started, so the movie's budget must be quite high.

Domestically, only Chen Shouzhe dares to do this internationally. Even if they have the money, they might not be able to invite the two to join the film.

The failure of The Great Wall is still fresh in our minds; who would dare to easily start a large-scale co-production?

"They should invite one of the two, otherwise the price is too high. Leonardo DiCaprio's publicly stated price is already 30 million US dollars, which is about 200 million domestically. Matt Damon's is 20 million US dollars, which is 150 million. Their combined salaries are as high as 350 million, which is too expensive," the secretary said, shaking her head.

“That’s true.” Wang Changtian nodded.

Other film and television companies felt the same way, believing it was impossible to invite both of them to star together, and that they would have to choose between Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon.

(End of this chapter)