Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 273 Journey to the West, Tencent Pictures
On the first day of the new year, Chen Shouzhe unleashed a major move.

You guys destroyed one of my big IPs, so I'll start an even bigger one, and I've even created a new IP.

Seeing Chen Shouzhe continue to publish books, many people are itching to get their hands on his books, because Chen Shouzhe is going to hold a book signing ceremony.

That's right, the novel *Investiture of the Gods* is going to be published. It will be published by Tencent's novel company, and there will be both online e-book and physical book versions.

What surprised many film and television companies the most was that Chen Shouzhe had reached a cooperation agreement with Tencent.

[It is understood that Shouzhe Pictures has submitted two new scripts: one for the film *Journey to the West: Havoc in Heaven*, and the other for the television series *Investiture of the Gods*.]

A rumor quickly appeared under the trending topics, but compared to other celebrity gossip and some variety show-related trending topics, this one didn't actually have a high level of popularity.

People who truly enjoy watching movies don't use Weibo much, and Weibo has indeed become quite outrageous in recent years, so posts don't get much discussion, but those who see them will click to take a look.

The film and television industry is keeping a close eye on it.

They are industry professionals who understand the true value of the film industry better than others, and their total revenue last year shocked the film and television industry.

The new year offers no way out, but new projects continue to be launched; it seems the big coffers are about to be activated.

The Journey to the West series will likely become the norm in the future, and it will be even safer than Ghost Blows Out the Light. Although Ghost Blows Out the Light has been suppressed for a while, its popularity has already taken off.

Chen Shou had scheduled the release of "Yunnan Insect Valley" for April, so releasing it earlier was fine.

This was also the result of his communication with his superiors. They did take note of the impact and could only allow him to release the film ahead of schedule. What happens next is up to him.

A Tencent announcement left many in the film and television industry feeling helpless.

[Tencent Video Announcement: Tencent Video will form a strategic partnership with Shouzhe Pictures to jointly develop the Ghost Blows Out the Light IP, launching a web series and online movie project!]

"Can't continue making movies for the big screen, and have to switch to online movies? Is that even allowed?" Inside Huayi, Wang Zongjun was filled with doubt after seeing the content of Tencent's announcement.

He also contributed to the cancellation of this IP last year, and even took the initiative to do so.

Although I offended Chen Shouzhe, it's like having too many lice and not feeling itchy anymore; it wasn't the first time I'd offended him.

Unexpectedly, Chen Shou handed over such a big IP to Tencent Video for development.

Internet companies have been developing since entering the film and television industry. Compared to Alibaba's bold moves, Tencent, although it is indeed spending money, has not achieved much.

Now, the only thing they have to offer is the Ghost Blows Out the Light novel in Chen Shou's possession, which can be considered a lucky find.

“He still has a movie that hasn’t been released yet, should we get rid of it?” Wang Zonglei said.

"Do you think he might go crazy?" Wang Zongjun asked.

Wang Zonglei immediately fell silent. Anyone would be upset if a movie with an investment of over 100 million yuan couldn't be released. Even if it were to be streamed online, given Chen Shouzhe's influence, the entire domestic film and television industry would likely face his wrath.

The higher-ups need to consider this top commercial director in China; they can't just shut him down all at once. Besides, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Huayi fired the first shot last year, and if he continues to stick out now, Huayi will definitely be the one to die. From now on, unless their movies are released at the last minute, they will always run into Chen Shouzhe's movies.

Just look at Feng Xiaogang's Fang Hua. It was expected to break 1 billion yuan, but due to scheduling conflicts, it would be a miracle if it broke 800 million yuan.

Both sides are resorting to underhanded tactics: you want me to reduce box office revenue, I'll make sure your movie can't be released.

The two sides went back and forth, seeing who would run out of steam first.

While handling company affairs, editing movies, and preparing for Journey to the West, time passed day by day.

I'm tired every day.

With less than two months until the Chinese New Year, companies are already summarizing their results. Three companies have a string of good news, and there's also a movie whose release date is uncertain.

Monday, December 1nd.

A breaking news item from the entertainment industry sent shockwaves through countless filmmakers.

[Film Bureau Announcement: The film script "Journey to the West 1: Havoc in Heaven," submitted by Shouzhe Pictures, has passed the script review and is permitted for filming!] The Journey to the West script has been approved!!

In an instant, countless companies began to take action. Production companies certainly wanted to get on board, while talent agencies hoped that actors would appear in the films.

This kind of movie is destined to be a big production, and with Chen Shouzhe personally directing it, the potential boost to the actors' market value is naturally incredibly attractive.

Chen Shou's phone kept ringing early in the morning, and since he couldn't turn it off, he had to silence it.

"Sweetie, Daddy's going to work."

Goodbye, Dad.

"How about a kiss?"

"mua, bye-bye!"

The little girl waved her hand, signaling Chen Shou to hurry up and go to work. She wanted to play in the snow later, but Chen Shou had been watching her at home and not letting her play. He couldn't wait for her to go to work.

When the car arrived at the company, Zhong Lifan was already there and had just hung up the phone.

“You couldn’t find me, so you came all the way here. You’re all so honest.” Zhong Lifan laughed.

"That shouldn't be the case, I already refused," Chen Shou said.

When he submitted the script, almost all the investment companies in the film and television industry called him, but he rejected them all. Even China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group rejected him. What good would it do to call Zhong Lifan?

“It was the head of the agency calling, asking about the audition,” Zhong Lifan said.

"I see. Let's have an open audition," Chen Shou said.

"A public audition?" Zhong Lifan asked in surprise. Chen Shouzhe's film hadn't had a public audition in a long time.

"Well, it's better to make a lot of noise." Chen Shou smiled.

“Okay, then I’ll talk to them.” Zhong Lifan nodded. Public auditions can generate buzz, which is indeed beneficial for film promotion.

Soon after, Liu Xiaobing arrived, Yang Mi also arrived, and a middle-aged man with a mole between his eyebrows also arrived at Shouzhe Film Studio.

"Chairman Ren," Chen Shouzhe said, shaking hands with the middle-aged man.

This Mr. Ren is not Mr. Ren of Shanghai Film Group, but the head of Tencent Pictures.

"Director Chen, we meet again." Ren Yuxin said, shaking Chen Shouzhe's hand.

"Yes, please come in."

Chen Shouzhe gestured for him to enter the conference room. Yang Mi and Liu Xiaobing were chatting and were somewhat surprised to see Chen Shouzhe and Ren Yuxin come in.

Ren Yuxin!

"Chairman Ren!"

"President Liu, President Yang." Ren Yuxin shook hands with the two men respectively.

"Director Chen, this time..." Liu Xiaobing and Ren Yuxin shook hands, but Liu Xiaobing looked at Chen Shouzhe.

Chen Shou nodded: "That's right, this time there are two more companies, including Penguin and Secret."

Liu Xiaobing never expected that Chen Shouzhe would make such a major reshuffle, kicking out both China Film Group and Guangxian Film Group.

"The budget for the movie has been calculated. The estimated production cost is 400 million, and we may add another 100 million depending on the situation. I'll guarantee 50%. How much do you need?" Chen Shou said, sitting on the sofa.

(End of this chapter)