Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 310 Movie Revealed, The Allure of the Mainstream Theme

Director La left Shouzhe Film Studio with a dark expression, and Chen Shouzhe didn't see him off, which meant they had broken off relations and would keep their public and private lives separate from now on.

Of course, he didn't dare to say anything harsh in front of Chen Shouzhe. Chen Shouzhe told him to go find Jin Dun and Hai Yi. Would he dare?
Definitely not. Even if both companies offered it, Chen Shouzhe wouldn't agree. He would even make them choose between China Film Group and Chen Shouzhe.

Even a fool could see that offending him, Director La, was nothing. State-owned enterprises can never be decided by one person alone; he was merely an agent.

There are plenty of capable people at China Film Group; it won't be much different without him.

Chen Shouzhe didn't dwell on the issue, and Zhong Lifan and the others didn't care either, continuing with their own lives.

The film project is progressing smoothly. The script has been submitted to the Film Bureau for review, and China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group have learned about the specific details of the film through their connections.

"Operation Red Sea is another adaptation of a real event, and it's also an evacuation operation." Inside China Film Group, Chairman La was listening to his secretary talk. There was someone sitting in front of him drinking tea. It was no outsider, but Han Sanping, the former chairman of China Film Group. Although he didn't get promoted, he still had a position at China Film Group as a special consultant.

"Haiyi and Jincheng both got involved? I heard you went to watch over the film studio yesterday? Did you get it?" Han Sanping asked with a smile.

"No, he won't give it to us, and he even said he doesn't owe China Film Group anything," La Dong said angrily.

“Yes, does he owe China Film Group? On the contrary, China Film Group owes him more. The favors they did for him back then have long been repaid, and were even settled when ‘2012’ was released,” Han Sanping said.

It's still a bit sad to talk about this. Back then, when "The Day After Tomorrow" wasn't made into a co-production, both China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group put pressure on Chen Shouzhe, both openly and secretly. Later, Chen Shouzhe was almost forced to go overseas.

After this incident, their relationship cooled considerably, which led to the creation of "Kung Fu Hustle." It was only because China Film Group provided him with sufficient protection that they were able to bring him back; otherwise, Chen Shouzhe would have almost gone abroad.

So Han Sanping is right, they don't owe China Film Group anything anymore.

If we're talking about personal relationships, Chen Shouzhe's relationship with Chairman La is just so-so, but he has a good relationship with Vice Chairman Wang and Han Sanping. Chairman La hasn't helped Chen Shouzhe in any way over the years.

They're partners when they want a share, but when they want your help, you're powerless to help.

Wanting everything? Dream on.

Now that Chen Shou has invested in Wanda Pictures, he has the backing of theater chains and the support of Tencent. With the strong support of these two major companies, he has abandoned other film companies.

"Operation Red Sea is a mainstream commercial film, which has a great impact on China Film Group. Chairman Han, can you persuade Chen Shouzhe?" Chairman La asked, unwilling to give up.

"You know his personality; once he's made up his mind, there's no going back. Besides, what can you offer him? Enlight Media can't offer anything and isn't willing to give up its shares, which is why Chen Shouzhe kicked it out. Now forget about continuing the cooperation; you'll never see China Film Group or even Shanghai Film Group again. I heard Ren Zhonglun told you that, right? Old Ren is really something; he's in a worse situation than you. He's even going to be resented by Chen Shouzhe. What a despicable act," Han Sanping said with a chuckle.

"Really?" La Dong asked in surprise.

"Don't think he'll be fine this time. Chen Shouzhe will definitely retaliate against him. He'll either block Wanda's screenings or surround Shanghai Film Studio's movies after they're released. He'll definitely do that." Han Sanping knew Chen Shouzhe well; he was vengeful and would definitely take action.

Mr. La was somewhat shocked, not expecting that the second-largest state-owned enterprise would be targeted. The thought that China Film Group might also be involved made his expression grim.

If it's targeting China Film Group, then there will be internal disagreements within the company.

After all, the internal organization wasn't united, and there were quite a few people eyeing his position.

Thinking of this, La Dong was unwilling but helpless. After all, Chen Shouzhe had already become powerful and was no longer someone he could deal with.

[Insider information: Shouzhe Pictures appears to have submitted a new film script for review.]

A rumor quickly spread within the film and television industry, and many people in the industry learned of it through various channels. Major companies were all making calculations, with some speculating that it was about Guo Fan's new movie.

According to insiders, Guo Fan's "The Wandering Earth" is a film series. The novel for the film was released this year along with the movie. Anyone with eyes can see that Chen Shouzhe likes to turn his novels into film series.

The Liaozhai series produced two parts of "Painted Skin" and three parts of "A Chinese Ghost Story." "Ghost Blows Out the Light" could have been made more, but it had to stop at the third part.

There will definitely be more Journey to the West movies in the future, and maybe even movies based on Investiture of the Gods.

Now there are rumors that the film studio has another script that needs to be reviewed.

Currently, it seems that there are only two directors with idle film studios: Wuershan and Guo Fan. Guo Fan's "The Wandering Earth" has just finished its run in theaters, while Wuershan's "Yunnan Insect Valley" is still showing.

Both of them are currently free, so it's highly likely they're working on a movie together.

“It shouldn’t be Wuershan. Wuershan is going to assist Chen Shouzhe in filming Journey to the West, and the film will probably be handed over to him in the future, so it’s not his movie,” Wang Zonglei analyzed within Huayin.

"That's Guo Fan's The Wandering Earth 2, which grossed over 1.3 billion US dollars worldwide." Wang Zongjun gritted his teeth with envy. If he had that, Huayi's stock would explode.

Envy is useless. Chen Shouzhe will not give them a chance. Even without Guo Fan, Chen Shouzhe is still in control of the project. At worst, he will take charge himself.

"Have someone inquire about it. If it's the second part of The Wandering Earth, it should be released during the Spring Festival of 20," Wang Zonglei said.

“It should be, but I’m afraid it’s not the second part of The Wandering Earth…” Wang Zongjun said.

The two brothers were helpless. After signing a performance-based agreement with Feng Xiaogang, they even had to resort to selling their second mobile phone. They could only sell a small portion of Huayi's stock, unlike before when they could sell as soon as there was good news.

Everyone's asking about the movie project, but no one knows where the news came from.

The movie's title was revealed, and all the major film companies were immediately shocked.

May has just passed, and the name of the script submitted at the end of April has been revealed.

"Operation Red Sea?"

"The movie is called Operation Red Sea. Wasn't Operation Red Sea an evacuation operation that happened a few years ago?"

"Real-life evacuation incidents?"

"The Navy's evacuation of Chinese citizens is a patriotic film, and the Navy is the main character. Chen Shouzhe is going to make another patriotic film. Last year, Operation Northern Myanmar was released. Operation Red Sea has the same name as Operation Northern Myanmar."

"It must be a movie he directed himself. He is currently the best person in China who makes mainstream commercial films."

"Two films a year, this year it's Journey to the West plus a mainstream commercial film."

"The script is still under review. Mainstream films are easy to get approved. What about the share allocation? Has it been determined?"

"Go and find out if there are any shares left, and we can exchange them."

“Bernard can offer some conditions, but forget it, I’ll talk to Chen Shou myself.”

(End of this chapter)