Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 353 A Great Temptation
Chen Shouzhe's interview was very official and polite, but Wu Jing's interview made people in the film and television industry sense that something was amiss.

It's obvious that Wu Jing misspoke; she was probably preparing for her work.

Many people are watching him now. Filming for "Operation Red Sea" has only just begun, and Wu Jing's assistant has already received numerous phone calls.

After they finished filming and took a break, the assistant jogged over with a phone in hand.

"See? Trouble is brewing." Chen Shouzhe glanced at it and laughed.

"I was just being cheeky." Wu Jing lightly slapped herself. "Director Chen, I need to take this call."

"up to you."

Chen Shouzhe turned around and communicated with the photographer. Shen Yijie went to shoot his movie. Chen Shouzhe's current photographer was also from his team, but he didn't have the same tacit understanding as Shen Yijie and needed to communicate with him about the shots.

Wu Jing's assistant handed her the phone. Seeing the caller ID, Wu Jing knew that none of them were easy to deal with.

Just as I was wondering how to reply, the phone rang again, and the caller ID showed it was Wang Changtian.

After hesitating for three seconds, Wu Jing answered the call.

Good afternoon, Chairman Wang.

"Did Director Wu take a lunch break?" Wang Changtian asked cheerfully on the other end of the phone.

"Let's take a break, we'll continue filming later," Wu Jing said.

"I see. Well then, to make a long story short, are you preparing for a new movie?" Wang Changtian asked.

"To be honest, we are indeed making preparations." Wu Jing knew that lying was not a good thing, and these people would use tricks in the future, so it was better to be open about it. Anyway, she had already communicated with Chen Shouzhe.

Upon hearing this, Wang Changtian on the other end of the phone immediately became excited. Last year, Wu Jing's phone call made him a fortune, and for a year now, he had been urging Wu Jing to continue making movies, preferably with him on board.

After all, he had invested 200 million yuan in his second film, and he had gritted his teeth and followed suit.

The first film made money, but that doesn't mean the second film will, especially given the large investment.

No matter what, Wu Jing still owes him a favor.

Having lost the film resources that were once part of the film industry, Enlight Media has had a tough year. Among the current big directors, only Wu Jing has a good relationship with them.

On one hand, it's a favor from his previous film; on the other hand, his wife is a host under Enlight Media, so it's not an exaggeration to say that Enlight Media is Wu Jing's family.

"Don't worry about Director Wu's investment. Even if Enlight Media invests entirely, it won't be a problem." Wang Changtian had a big appetite. With Wu Jing's previous film as a foundation, this film would definitely not be bad. Even if it was an investment of 200 million, he would grit his teeth and take it out. He had to invest no matter what.

Upon hearing this, Wu Jing laughed and shook her head: "I'm sorry, Chairman Wang, this is not my movie."

Wang Changtian, on the other end of the phone, paused for a moment, then blurted out, "What do you mean?"

"I'm just doing a job this time. At most, I'll invest a little and participate a bit. The film is directed by Chen Shou, not led by me," Wu Jing said.

"Chen Shouzhe's movie script?" Wang Changtian frowned on the other end of the phone.

“Yes, it’s Director Chen’s script; I’m just the director,” Wu Jing said.

"Are you really willing to just be a director? Your last film broke domestic box office records. Are you really willing to just pave the way for his movie?" Wang Changtian said. In his opinion, Wu Jing's approach was foolish. He was, after all, the highest-grossing director in China. He should have followed up his success and made a sequel to his own film.

He will certainly not lack investors; plenty of capital is willing to give him money.

He actually willingly went to make money for Chen Shouzhe, which is equivalent to handing over the initiative of the film to Chen Shouzhe and using his own fame to make money for Chen Shouzhe.

Even if Chen Shouzhe had been kind to him, there was no need for him to do this.

Wu Jing naturally knew this, but he was even more aware that filming the third installment was very dangerous, and he felt that he shouldn't film it at all. If he did, it would have a huge impact on him. Right now, he was being constantly criticized by the outside world, who said that he was exploiting patriotism.

If he simply becomes a director and an actor, and no longer focuses on military films, then the attacks against him are naturally ineffective.

“It’s not a military-themed film. I’d like to try other genres. Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Wang, but this time I’m just a director. If you want a share of the film, you’ll have to go to Director Chen,” Wu Jing said.

“Find him…” Wang Changtian didn’t have the guts, so he shook his head and said, “Never mind, good luck.”

"Thank you, Chairman Wang," Wu Jing said with a smile.

After hanging up, another call came in. Wu Jing refused them all, pushing all the problems onto Chen Shouzhe as he had instructed.

"This trick really works. I wonder if they dare to approach Director Chen." Wu Jing hung up the last call and turned off his phone. He had been on the phone the whole time; he was starving.

The actors had finished eating and were chatting. When they saw Wu Jing return, they all knew what he had been doing and looked at him with envy. At the same time, they hoped to get along well with Wu Jing during filming, since Wu Jing was now not only an actor but also a director.

No one thought Wu Jing misspoke; it was clear that Wu Jing genuinely had a film project.

For this domestic box office record holder, participating in his film would be a tremendous boost to his career.

"Has anyone said anything bad about me?" Chen Shou asked, wiping his lips as he saw him return.

"No, no, how could I possibly say anything bad about you?" Wu Jing shook his head; he couldn't very well say that a few people were actually saying bad things about you.

Some people even openly told Wu Jing that Chen Shou was a bad person who wanted to use her fame to make money for himself.

Let him stay away from Chen Shouzhe and join their ranks to continue filming the third installment. The amount of investment is negotiable; they even guaranteed a box office of 20 billion yuan once the film is made.

In other words, if the cost of his third film is 3 million, and the film is guaranteed to cost 20 billion, he can immediately make several hundred million and leave.

Wu Jing was tempted, feeling like he was picking up money, but he also knew that this money was hard to earn, and might even be a hot potato.

If the movie fails, his previously accumulated reputation will collapse, which would be a huge disaster for his acting career.

He already had many dislikes, and after doing something so disrespectful, it will be difficult for him to return to the film and television industry.

An ordinary person could never spend 100 million in a lifetime. Wu Jing is an ambitious person. He is still young. Give him more time and he can earn even more.

“Your eyes betray you. There must be people saying bad things about me. If you don’t want to take the role, that’s fine too. The movie will definitely use your fame, just like Stephen Chow and Jiang Wen did back then. My script also used their fame,” Chen Shou said.

On the one hand, he didn't have time to film, and on the other hand, Wu Jing is indeed suitable for martial arts films; otherwise, he would have found another director.

There are many handsome men and beautiful women in the film and television industry, and there are also many directors. Chen Shouzhe once said that he would find another director to make his movies. Now, it is rumored that Wen Mu has also risen to prominence after Huang Bo.

(End of this chapter)