Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 286 Audition Requirements
For other companies, their Spring Festival film season ended early. Companies that didn't release any films breathed a sigh of relief, while those that did release films were waiting to die.

Caught between two blockbuster films, it had no hope of survival whatsoever.

On its fourth day of release, The Wandering Earth surpassed 400 million yuan, breaking Wolf Warrior's record for highest daily box office.

The record was broken after only six months, and Wu Jing was involved in both, although she did not invest in the film.

However, Wu Jing's appearance has increased the film's exposure considerably, and the production company will compensate him with some additional pay as a token of their gratitude.

The Mermaid is a sure thing, expected to break 3 billion at the box office, while The Wandering Earth is expected to break 4 billion. Both films are likely to get extended under the current extension rules.

The revised regulations for film postponement, introduced in 16, stipulate that the better a film's box office performance, the more likely it is to be postponed.

Both films performed so well at the box office, they're sure to get an extension, and they can make money every day they get an extension.

Each production company definitely wants to make this money; no one is willing to give it up.

Chen Shouzhe has already started auditioning here. Yesterday, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, some actors who had been notified came to Xiaoxiaomeng for auditions.

Chen Shouzhe, Guo Fan, Wuershan, Zhong Lifan, and one of Chen Shouzhe's personal photographers.

Five people auditioned in total. Guo Fan originally had a promotional task and came back from a show, but Chen Shou recruited him to come and audition for him.

Seeing three famous directors auditioning, the actors who came to audition were very nervous. They didn't expect that there would be three famous directors among the auditionees.

"Relax."

The only outstanding character in "Havoc in Heaven" is the Monkey King, and the actor auditioning today is also the Monkey King.

Chen Shouzhe needed an actor who was agile and petite.

Unlike the TV series, the movie version of Sun Wukong, played by Chen Shouzhe, intends to portray the monkey as ferocious and unruly, just like in the original novel. He initially tells Bodhi Patriarch that he is asexual, but later becomes arrogant and eventually wreaks havoc in the Heavenly Palace.

The actors needed to have martial arts skills and a ruthless attitude, so the selection process took a long time after the requirements were issued.

Despite receiving invitations from numerous martial arts schools across the country, Chen Shouzhe was still unsatisfied after selecting a few, feeling the actors lacked the ruthlessness that comes with power.

The day ended with little to show for it, but the entire film and television industry knew about the audition.

Many people have their eyes on the monkey character, but it's too difficult. You even have to wear costumes, so it doesn't matter what the face looks like. The main thing is the eyes and the fighting style.

Guo Fan slipped away; he still had to continue promoting the movie. He excitedly called early this morning to ask about yesterday's box office results, and Chen Shou congratulated him with a smile.

After "WALL-E", Guo Fan and Wu Jing both took off.

The film is destined to remain in film history; it's just a matter of how far it will go.

Everyone at the Guangxian branch is already at work; the company is very busy.

Xie Nan carried her bag and walked up to the elevator, where she saw Wang Changtian and the others. She was about to wait for the next elevator when Wang Changtian and the other executives waved to her.

They certainly wouldn't have been so polite to Xie Nan before, but Xie Nan is different now. She's the wife of a director who holds domestic box office records, and her movie is currently showing to great acclaim. Wang Changtian and the others naturally can't ignore her, so they invited Xie Nan into the elevator to be with them.

"Xie Nan, where's your Wu Jing?" Wang Changtian asked with a smile.

"He went to Xiaoxiaomeng early this morning. It seems Director Chen is holding auditions, and Wu Jing went to help out," Xie Nan said.

"An audition for Journey to the West?" asked a vice chairman next to Wang Changtian.

"Yes, the auditions started yesterday," Xie Nan nodded.

"You don't even know this?" Wang Changtian glanced at the vice chairman, his eyes showing some displeasure. What use is he if he doesn't even know this kind of information?

This vice chairman was also in a difficult position. Enlight Media hadn't been involved in any of Shouzhan Film's projects for a year, so how could he possibly know? Besides, what good would knowing be?

I can only watch helplessly as, damn it, it's not like it's you, Wang Changtian, who rejected their investment.

Now that they've bought Wanda Pictures, have theaters, and distribution, why would they need Enlight Media?

Faced with Wang Changtian's gaze, he decided to back down rather than argue with him to the end, as it wouldn't do him any good.

"Wu Jing went to help with casting. I heard Bao Beier also went to audition," Wang Changtian said.

"What did he audition for?" Xie Nan asked curiously.

“Sun Wukong,” Wang Changtian said.

"Uh!"

The thought of Bao Beier playing Sun Wukong is unacceptable. Xu Zheng already hates him for ruining his movie and damaging his reputation.

"What about Liu Yan? Isn't she on good terms with Chen Shouzhe?" said the general manager of Guangxian.

“She’ll go for another audition in a few days,” Xie Nan said.

"What role did she audition for? It seems there aren't many female roles in movies. The most outstanding ones are the Queen Mother of the West, Guanyin Bodhisattva, the Seven Fairies, and Chang'e," the general manager of Enlight Media asked. She was familiar with these roles, as Enlight Media has quite a few actors, and she hoped to compete for them.

There are quite a few people eyeing these roles, and many beautiful women hope to play them. Forget about the Queen Mother and Guanyin, the Seven Fairies are a possibility, but the competition for Chang'e is fierce, and many people predict that Yan Danchen will continue to play Chang'e.

Liu Yan is good at modern dramas, but if she were to play a fairy, she probably wouldn't be well-received, given that she is quite outstanding in certain aspects.

"It seems to be the Seven Fairies," Xie Nan said with a smile.

"I see. Let her give it a try. She and Chen Shouzhe have a good relationship." Wang Changtian nodded.

There was no light in Journey to the West, and there never will be.

Xie Nan arrived first, stepped out of the elevator, turned around and greeted them. He watched Wang Changtian and his group, and his smile faded a bit after they went upstairs.

"Sigh~ He only got what he deserved."

She continued going to work, while Wu Jing and Chen Shouzhe continued auditions, but after two days they still hadn't found a satisfactory candidate for Sun Wukong.

I decided to audition for other roles first. The other roles were much simpler; I just needed to make them look like stereotypical characters. For the monster roles, they required a burly physique, so the selection process was also straightforward.

For example, Sun Wukong's sworn brothers should all be shown on screen.

The selection process was progressing faster and faster, but the choice for Sun Wukong was still not finalized.

Both films have performed well at the box office these past few days, and the postponement has been approved. The authorities have not rejected the request, and even if they wanted to suppress it, they couldn't. Several production companies have put pressure on the films, and given the good box office performance, the postponement was inevitable.

"I'll leave the rest to you. I'm going to the United States and will make a decision after I come back from the Oscars," Chen Shou said.

“No problem,” Ursan agreed.

Chen Shouzhe was preparing to go to Hollywood. This time he was going with his assistant, not anyone else. He was going to present an award, not to receive one.

So when Yang Mi came to inquire, he refused. She was also preparing for the second part of the movie. The script had already been given to her, the actors were almost all cast, and filming would start immediately after the New Year, with the movie expected to be released in the second half of the year.

On the day of the Lantern Festival, Chen Shou bid farewell to his family and went to the airport with his assistant and others.

(End of this chapter)