I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Chapter 67: Filming the official history of the Three Kingdoms is not easy.

Jiao Enjun's eldest daughter, Tingting, was born in 95, two years younger than Zuer, and is also very cute.

Unfortunately, he has to film a movie in mainland China and doesn't have time to go back and see his daughter.

Because he was always busy with work, he spent little time with his wife and daughter, and his relationship with his wife became even more distant.

Two days ago, his wife called him and told him she wanted a divorce.

This has made Jiao Enjun feel rather down these past few days, and he often gets distracted while filming.

Director Chang knew that Jiao Enjun was having relationship problems, so he didn't scold him much. Instead, he told him to adjust as soon as possible, finish filming quickly, and go back to deal with his wife's issues.

"You little glutton, Uncle will give you a whole cart of candy, how about it?" Li Gongda kissed Song Zuer's little face and said.

"Ugh, it's all drool! But I'll forgive you for the sake of this car full of candy."

Song Zuer, despite her young age, was quite precocious. She wiped her face with her little hands, drooling as she spoke.

"Ha ha!"

Everyone present laughed when they saw Song Zuer's expression.

The quirky and clever Song Zuer was the life of the party on set, and everyone adored her.

Every day, people would tease her in different ways.

"Changchang, do your best at Xiao Rizi this time. It would be best if you could make a name for yourself there. This is the best opportunity to enter the international market."

After putting Song Zuer down, Li Gongda said to Su Chang.

"Yes, I will try my best," Su Chang said, clenching her little fist.

"Besides this message, did Director Cheng send you any other messages in the group?" Li Gongda asked with a hint of ulterior motive.

"No, Director Cheng rarely sends messages in the group. He only speaks in the group when there is something important. Otherwise, he is not online," Su Chang said, shaking his head.

"What about the new movie?"

"At the last celebration banquet, I only heard Director Cheng mention the new movie once."

"What is it?" Li Gongda asked hurriedly.

"It seems to be about the Three Kingdoms period. Director Cheng's new movie is about the Three Kingdoms period," Su Chang said.

This isn't really a secret; even the top executives of major film and television companies know about it.

"Do you know that Director Cheng needs investment?"

After Li Gongda finished speaking, there was hope in his eyes.

This is also what he most wants to know.

"I don't know about that." Su Chang shook her head.

Li Gongda looked disappointed; he had wanted to inquire about Cheng Shengxin's film investment from Su Chang.

Which major entertainment company in the industry wouldn't want to invest in Cheng Sheng's films right now? That's a potential return of dozens of times the net profit.

Invest a little, and you'll earn back more than their company's annual revenue.

Just like China Film Group, they only helped distribute the movie "The Great Tang Dynasty" in China, and the profit they made in one month was more than 100 million yuan, which is more money than they made by making ten movies.

There are many people in the industry inquiring about Cheng Sheng's new movie.

If Cheng Sheng hadn't secluded himself to write a script and stayed in his new home, someone would probably have already stormed into his house.

"The Three Kingdoms!" Jiao Enjun pondered for a moment, then asked Su Chang, "Is it a film adaptation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms?"

There are so many film and television works about the Three Kingdoms period, but the most frequently adapted is probably the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." This is why Jiao Enjun immediately thinks of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" when he hears the word "Three Kingdoms."

"I don't know, but based on my understanding of Director Cheng, he'll probably film a historical drama." Su Chang thought for a moment and said.

“Official history! That’s not easy to film,” Jiao Enjun said.

Jiao Enjun was right. Nowadays, most of the film and television works about the Three Kingdoms in China are adapted from "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". There are very few film and television works based on the official history of the Three Kingdoms.

As for why?
The first reason should be its influence; the popularity of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" far exceeds that of "Records of the Three Kingdoms".

The second is the support of literary foundation, because "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has a strong story and a complete plot, making it easy to adapt into film and television.

However, official histories such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms lack a coherent narrative structure, requiring the reintegration of historical events and character threads, making them more difficult to create.

Thirdly, there's the issue of production costs.

Taking "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" as an example, the 1994 TV series cost 1.7 million yuan, mainly for set construction and the restoration of war scenes.

If a historical drama is to be filmed that recreates real historical details (such as large-scale battles like the Battle of Changping), the cost could reach tens of billions of yuan, far exceeding the affordability of commercial investment.

Finally, there is the risk-reward assessment.

The film and television industry tends to choose adaptations that have a wide audience and high market acceptance.

Historical dramas lack the popularity of literary IPs, and the historical details are scattered, making it difficult to attract audiences, which leads investors to generally avoid this type of subject matter.

Of course, there is another crucial reason why official history was difficult to produce.

That is, the historical background is complex.

The Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD) lasted for about 60 years, involving the three regimes of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu, and the relationships between the people involved were intricate and complex.

For example, the power struggles within the Sima family, from Sima Yi to Sima Yan, spanned the entire history of the Jin Dynasty, while the ethnic conflicts and regime changes during the Sixteen Kingdoms period (such as the invasions of ethnic minorities like the Xiongnu and Xianbei) further complicated the historical narrative.

This historical background, spanning a long period and filled with numerous conflicts, poses a significant challenge to film and television adaptations.

Ethnic conflicts are too sensitive.

The period of "Five Barbarian Invasions" (316-439 AD) that followed the unification of China by the Jin Dynasty was marked by the succession of minority regimes and numerous records of massacres and ethnic conflicts.

Content such as the massacre of cities by the Shi Le regime and large-scale conflicts between the Xiongnu and the Han people involves sensitive descriptions of ethnic relations and may trigger social controversy or censorship restrictions.

After all, this part of history isn't even tested in exams.

Even if the screenwriter wanted to adapt it, it would most likely fail to pass the censorship.

“Brother Jiao, I think there’s a role in the Three Kingdoms that would be perfect for you,” Su Chang said, looking at Jiao Enjun.

"Changchang, you're not talking about Zhao Yun, are you?" Lin Xiangping asked, sizing up Jiao Enjun.

“Yes, if Jiao Ge (Jiao Yun) were to play Zhao Yun, he would definitely charm a huge number of female fans,” Su Chang said with a smile.

"Not bad! Teacher Jiao has a refined appearance. I've always felt that his portrayal of Erlang Shen resembles someone, but I don't know who. I can't remember for a moment, but Lin Xiangping's words reminded me. Isn't he Zhao Yun himself?" Director Chang clapped his hands and circled around Jiao Enjun.

indeed so.

As a male god in period dramas, Jiao Enjun always wears white.

His portrayal of Erlang Shen also involved wearing white armor and having a firm and sharp gaze. If he were riding a white horse and holding a silver spear, he would definitely look like Zhao Yun reincarnated.

If he were to play Zhao Yun, fans of the Three Kingdoms would probably not accept any other Zhao Yun.

"Brother Jiao, when Director Cheng is casting, you can try out for Zhao Yun," Su Chang said.

Jiao Enjun smiled and said, "Since everyone says I look just like Zhao Yun, I will definitely give it a try when Director Cheng is casting."

(End of this chapter)