Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 35 White Wolf with Empty Gloves

Stephen Chow was surprised that Chan Sau-cheung was looking for him. He was being ostracized in Hong Kong, as the triads had no intention of letting him go.

Of course, don't think that Stephen Chow is a good person. He also wanted to go abroad, but he was unable to do so because of that family's situation.

So he is still a Hong Kong resident. A few years ago, he began to embrace the mainland market and got very close to Huayi Brothers. He was scammed last year, and now his relationship with Huayi Brothers is just so-so.

Chen Shou knew that the film had broken the box office record in mainland China the year before last, and this year it had invested 200 million US dollars in a film in cooperation with Columbia Pictures. He could only watch with envy at such a big production.

He thought how wonderful it would be if this money were his; for him, money was more important than anything else, and he only cared about money, not people.

"Thank you for your kind words. I wonder what Director Chen wanted to see me about?" Stephen Chow, not being good with words, got straight to the point.

"I've written a script, but I don't have time to direct it. I'd like to ask Director Zhou if you have the time," Chen Shou said.

"Oh, is that so? Can I take a look at the script first?" Stephen Chow asked.

"no problem."

Chen Shou handed him the script, which clearly read "Kung Fu".

When Stephen Chow saw the title of the script, he was stunned for a moment. He had also dreamed of kung fu. He had practiced martial arts since he was a child. The word "kung fu" had a lot of meaning for Hong Kong. Hong Kong films used to go global with just those two words.

Zhou Xingxing started flipping through the documents. Neither Chen Shouzhe nor Yang Shoucheng disturbed him; one went to handle his work, and the other opened his computer to write something. Huo Wenxi went out to run errands.

After a while, Yang Shoucheng also went out, leaving only the two of them, one writing and the other reading.

Half an hour later, Stephen Chow closed the script, picked up the teacup in front of him that had already been changed twice, and took a sip of tea.

Chen Shouzhe stopped what he was doing and closed his laptop.

After finishing his tea, Stephen Chow let out a long sigh and said, "This script is really good."

“I think so too. Are you interested in starring in it?” Chen Shou asked.

"Am I going to be the lead actor?"

Stephen Chow was somewhat taken aback. To be honest, he was tempted. He was only fifty years old this year, while Jackie Chan was almost sixty and was still making movies recklessly.

"If I take on the script, how should we film it?" Stephen Chow calmed down and started by discussing the money.

Chen Shouzhe asked his tea-pouring assistant to invite Yang Shoucheng and Huo Wenxi over. The assistant left and the two of them came in shortly after, and the four of them sat together.

"Here's the thing, Director Zhou has two options. One is to invest, including your director's fee and acting fees, and take a share of the film's profits. The second option is for us to pay you for the director and actors' salaries, and you just need to focus on making a good film," Chen Shou said.

One option involves spending your own money and working, while the other involves getting paid directly to work.

Both conditions are in line with current market rules. Even if it's Chen Shouzhe, the outside world is offering him ten million. He can earn ten million by making a movie, a height that many directors can hardly reach in their entire lives.

Stephen Chow's current appeal is no less than that of Chan Sau-cheung. If he were to be considered as a director and lead actor, his salary would be around 20 million.

So now Stephen Chow is in a dilemma. He was cheated by a mainland company before, and they didn't give him a share of the box office revenue after he finished filming. If he only takes the salary, he can ignore all that and just focus on making a good movie, then take the money and leave. It's a piece of cake.

He's a director who can tell a film's quality, whether it's good or bad, and whether it can make money just by looking at the script.

The script for "Kung Fu Hustle" was a tempting prospect for him, and given Chen Shouzhe's track record, he had a feeling the film would definitely make money. He could earn a lot by investing in it himself. However, one cannot have both. He wanted the film's salary and the investment, which was obviously impossible.

Chen Shouzhe and Yang Shoucheng would not agree; how could they allow him to take the lion's share?

"If I choose the first option, how much of the share will I get?" Zhou Xingxing asked, taking a deep breath.

“The current investment for the film is set at 200 million, with 20 million for the actor’s salary, plus a share. You can add another 30 million, making it 50 million, which will be a quarter of the total,” Chen Shou said.

“A quarter!!” Zhou Xingxing fell silent. Investing 30 million, getting a quarter back was already quite a lot.

However, the film's loss meant he would suffer a huge financial blow, which was worse than death for him.

However, Yang Shoucheng was more than happy for him to choose the second option: take the 20 million and get out, while Emperor Group would cover the rest. "Okay, I choose the first option."

After a moment, Stephen Chow decided to take the gamble.

Chen Shou could clearly sense that Yang Shou was deflated, and he didn't want Xinghui to come in at all.

"Are there only three of us as partners?" Stephen Chow asked.

“Four companies, and there’s one more I need to work on. There might be more than one.” Chen Shou smiled.

Yang Shoucheng and Huo Wenxi both knew that Chen Shou's so-called operation was actually just a premium pricing strategy. Now, his movies are not afraid of not having investors, and it is normal for movies to have a premium pricing strategy.

My cake is ready; the highest bidder wins.

The three families bought the cake at the original price, and the other families who wanted to get the last bit would have to spend more money, and all of that money would eventually end up in the hands of the cake maker.

Chen Shouzhe took half of the investment, kept half for himself, and planned to sell the remaining half. As for how much he could sell it for, that was up to Chen Shouzhe, unless they also wanted to sell their shares.

However, they would be crazy to sell it. They didn't have many cakes to begin with, and Yang Shoucheng even wanted to eat the cake in Chen Shou's hand. If Chen Shou hadn't stopped him from eating it, he would have swallowed it all long ago.

The agreement was signed that day, with 211 points allocated to four cakes. Chen Shou ate half, and the remaining two companies split the remaining half. The decision was made at noon that day, and the contract was drafted. In the afternoon, all three companies issued announcements simultaneously.

[Shouzhe Pictures has partnered with Emperor Entertainment and Star Overseas to produce a comedy film written by Chan Shouzhe, directed by and starring Stephen Chow.]

The news quickly spread through Hong Kong media to the mainland, immediately attracting the attention of mainland film and television companies.

Chen Shouzhe and Zhou Xingxing, a comedy movie?
This caused countless companies to get excited again. Chen Shou's comedy films are well-known, and with Stephen Chow, a comedy genius, joining forces with directors whose films have both grossed over a billion, the film was destined to be extraordinary.

Countless companies sprang into action, all eager to see if they could get a piece of the pie.

"Sorry, this was decided by Director Chen. We will let you know when the time comes."

"I'm not entirely sure either, but some will definitely be released, haha, yeah."

"Chairman Ren, is it a state-owned enterprise...? Okay, I understand. I will definitely tell you when Director Chen returns."

"Director Wang, Director Chen has his own ideas. Chairman Ren from Shanghai Film Group just called. Is it possible for a state-owned enterprise to participate? Oh, it's Bona Film Group. That's fine."

Staying in the film industry, Tao Le once again felt the enthusiasm of the film circle, with major film companies calling him.

Tao Lek, following Chen Shouzhe's instructions, leaked the news about the cake, saying that it would not be sold at the original price.

These film and television companies all understood that Chen Shouzhe wanted to recoup some money in advance, or that he wanted to use it to do favors.

State-owned enterprises are state-owned entities, and these kinds of accounts are difficult to calculate. Therefore, when Tao Lezai faced several state-owned enterprises such as China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group, he clearly stated that state-owned enterprises were not suitable for this type of transaction.

Although state-owned enterprises cannot participate directly, they have many subsidiaries. Tao Le did not refuse. When Chen Shouzhe comes back to operate, there will definitely be a premium. It just depends on how much the premium can be.

Everyone knows that a project that can make money won't be cheap. If Chen Shou weren't short of money, he wouldn't have shared the pie.

There's no other way; he's broke right now and can't afford to invest in "Kung Fu Hustle." So he's resorting to this trick of getting something for nothing: making a fake cake, waiting for someone to give him the money, and then using that money to get the real cake made at a bakery.

Tao Le was incredibly impressed with Chen Shou's trick of getting money out of nothing. He could get others to deliver money to his door without spending a single penny of his own, while also gaining favors and building connections.

Organizing such an event requires considerable ability, something few people nationwide can do; only top commercial directors possess the confidence to do so.

With Chen Shouzhe and Stephen Chow together, two comedy directors are a guarantee of box office success.

Film and television companies want a share of the project, and the actors are all watching with bated breath, hoping to get a role.

After all, it's a Stephen Chow movie, so it's easy for it to produce a female lead.

However, Star Overseas prefers to promote its actresses, and now it mainly focuses on protecting the film industry, just in case.
(End of this chapter)