Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 133 To Run or Not to Run

At Cheng Lung's home on Hong Kong Island.

After finishing filming "The Forbidden Kingdom," Jackie Chan had a rare period of leisure. Aside from occasionally participating in some Olympic-related activities, he spent most of his time at home.

That afternoon, he was watering the flowers in the yard when his assistant came over with a file folder.

"Brother, it was sent from the mainland."

Cheng Long put down the water pipe, took the file bag, and opened it. Inside was a script with the words "Run, Dad!" printed on the cover.

A while ago, Zhang Jun came to visit and mentioned wanting to make a sports-themed movie, asking if he wanted to collaborate. He hesitated for a moment and didn't immediately agree, only saying he would wait until he saw the script.

I didn't expect it to arrive so quickly.

Jackie Chan entered the room with the script, sat down on the sofa, put on his glasses, and opened it.

The script was formatted very professionally, clearly the work of an expert. The title page listed the writers as: Zhang Yongming, Li Cheng, and Wang Lei; original story by Zhang Jun.

He turned to the first page and started reading.

The story is about a retired long-distance runner who missed the opportunity to participate in the Olympics due to injuries when he was young. After retiring, he returned to his hometown to become a physical education teacher, got married, and had a daughter.

He had always wanted a son, to train a long-distance runner, to make up for his regret, but he never had the chance.

He discovered his daughters' athletic talent by chance and began to nurture it. Eventually, his daughters gradually became successful, participated in competitions, and became celebrities.

Jackie Chan closed the script, took off his glasses, and sat on the sofa for a while.

The story isn't particularly complex, but the protagonist, Li Dashan's, indomitable spirit is quite similar to my own. Zhang Jun's previous works, such as *Little Miss Sunshine* and *About Time*, have proven his skill in family dramas.

Although it's a rare sports-themed film, Jackie Chan believes that the film will turn out well.

Without much hesitation, Cheng Long picked up the phone, dialed a number, and the call was answered after two rings.

"Hey, Jun-zai, I've read the script."

Zhang Jun's voice on the other end of the phone was calm: "What does Brother Cheng Long think?"

"very nice."

Jackie Chan said, "This story is interesting."

Zhang Jun chuckled, "That's good. I was worried you wouldn't be satisfied."

Jackie Chan laughed and said, "I know the movies you make. If you adapt this script, it won't be bad."

Zhang Jun asked, "So, Brother Cheng Long, you mean we can cooperate?"

Cheng Long hesitated for a moment, then said, "Junzi, I have a question for you."

"Please speak."

How much will you pay me?

The question was very direct, but Zhang Jun understood it.

Everyone in the industry knows what Jackie Chan's current salary is like. Hollywood is asking for $1500 million, but that's just an asking price; the actual amount he receives depends on the project.

He received a share of the profits from "The Forbidden Kingdom" because the film's budget wasn't large, and they couldn't afford to pay the actors' salaries, so they let him and Jet Li both receive a share.

When Jet Li accepted the role in "The Warlords," Peter Chan offered him a salary of 100 million yuan, claiming it was a "friendship price." Andy Lau's salary was only 16 million yuan; the difference is obvious.

If Jackie Chan were to follow market rates, he would take at least 1.2 million for a big-budget production, not counting the salaries of other actors.

In recent years, the Chinese-language films starring Jackie Chan have almost all been invested in by his own film companies. Other films simply can't afford his salary, and the cost-effectiveness isn't high.

As for why Jackie Chan was invited instead of other actors?

It's very simple, because Jackie Chan has enough international fame and strong box office appeal.

The original "Dangal" starred Aamir Khan, so Zhang Jun had to invite an actor of similar stature.

However, Zhang Jun had done the math and realized that the budget for "Run, Dad!" was at most 30 to 40 million yuan, which was simply not enough to afford him.

So Jackie Chan's question was actually a way of conveying a message.

Zhang Jun laughed on the other end of the phone: "Brother Cheng Long, I definitely can't afford a 100 million yuan salary. How about this, your film company invests, and we split the profits after production?"

This is exactly what Cheng Long was waiting for.

He laughed out loud: "Okay, we'll do it your way."

The two finalized the matter in just a few words.

After hanging up the phone, Jackie Chan picked up the script again and flipped through it, this time looking at it more carefully.

Just then, his wife came out of the kitchen and asked him what he wanted to eat for dinner.

He looked up: "Anything is fine."

His wife walked over and glanced at the script in his hand: "What are you reading so intently?"

Cheng Long handed her the script: "I've agreed to act in the script that Junzi sent me."

His wife took the book, flipped through it, and looked up at him: "Sports-themed?"

Cheng Long nodded.

The wife asked, "What kind of role do you play?"

Jackie Chan said, "I'm playing a father who used to be an athlete, and later became a physical education teacher, training his daughter to run in the Olympics."

His wife looked at him for a while, then suddenly laughed: "Isn't this just like you?"

Jackie Chan was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

His wife said, "Didn't you also shoulder everything yourself back then, raising your son to be your successor? It's just that other people raise their daughters to run, while you raised your sons to act."

Jackie Chan shook his head helplessly: "What a pity, it won't work!"

The wife didn't say anything more, returned the script to him, and turned to go into the kitchen.

Jackie Chan sat on the sofa for a long time, holding the script.

At the same time, in Beijing, at Chenxing Pictures.

Zhang Jun hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and looked at the people standing opposite him.

Zhang Yongming, Li Cheng, and Wang Lei, the three screenwriters, stood in a row, their faces showing a bit of tension.

Zhang Jun tossed his phone onto the table and said, "Brother Cheng Long agreed."

All three of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhang Jun looked at them and said, "Do you all think that once the script is approved, everything will be fine?"

Zhang Yongming was stunned for a moment: "Director Zhang, we—"

"I wasn't finished."

Zhang Jun interrupted him: "The script has been approved, but you need to know how many times it's been revised."

Zhang Yongming lowered his head: "Eighteen times."

"Eighteen times."

Zhang Jun nodded: "The first twelve attempts were all wasted. Why?"

No one spoke.

Zhang Jun stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to them: "Because your minds are filled with a bunch of messy things, like dating, love triangles, and family feuds."

Do you guys think that you can't write a screenplay without writing these things?

Li Cheng whispered, "Director Zhang, what we were thinking at the time was that adding some romance would make the story richer—"

"Enrich what?"

Zhang Jun turned around: "What did I ask you to write? It was about the relationship between father and daughter, the spirit of competition, and how a father raises his daughter to become a champion."

You guys are something else, starting by arranging for the eldest daughter's boyfriend to fall in love with the second daughter, and then the second daughter's boyfriend falls for the third daughter—

..

Are you writing a family drama or a sports movie?

The three men lowered their heads and dared not utter a sound.

Zhang Jun walked up to Zhang Yongming: "Tell me, what is the core of this document?"

Zhang Yongming raised his head: "It is—it is growth, it is fatherly love, it is the bond between a father and daughter—"

"Alright."

Zhang Jun waved his hand: "You know what the core idea is, but why did you deviate from it when you were writing it?"

Zhang Yongming opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Zhang Jun looked at him and softened his tone a little: "I scolded you not because you wrote badly, but because you lacked confidence."

Do you think the audience likes to watch melodramatic things, love triangles, and all sorts of messy stuff?

But have you ever considered whether the audience actually likes it?

Or do you guys think that without including something like this, the story won't be engaging enough?

The three people remained silent.

nothing.

But did the audience watch it? Yes.

Do you like it? Yes, I do.

Was the box office high? Yes.

He paused for a moment: "So where does the problem lie? It lies in your lack of self-confidence, your lack of belief that you can move the audience by telling a good story."

Zhang Yongming raised his head and sincerely admitted his mistake: "Director Zhang, we were wrong."

Zhang Jun waved his hand: "Alright, stop getting sentimental. If you made a mistake, just correct it. That's all that matters now. We've moved on from this sentence, but there's still a lot to do later."

I hope you remember this and don't make the same mistake again.

The three people nodded quickly.

Zhang Jun waved his hand: "Go out."

The three people filed out.

After the door closed, Guo Fan, who was sitting in the corner, finally spoke up: "Director Zhang, you're quite strict with them."

Zhang Jun leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples: "We can't be too lenient. Too many people in this industry can't write stories anymore; their minds are full of clichés, templates, and trendy elements."

If you don't scold them to wake them up, they'll just keep going on inertia.

Guo Fan nodded.

Zhang Jun glanced at him: "Remember this, if you ever have the opportunity to make a film independently in the future, the most important thing is the script. Actors can be changed, shots can be modified, but the script cannot."

The script is the foundation; if the foundation isn't solid, anything built on top will be a waste.

Guo Fan said, "I've got it."

Zhang Jun stood up: "Cheng Long has agreed, and the next step is casting. It's not easy to find actors this time; we need to find a few young girls who can run around and also know how to act."

Guo Fan suggested, "How about we look for them at the sports school?"

Zhang Jun thought for a moment: "Those from sports schools can run, but they can't act. Those from drama schools can act, but they can't run. We have to look at both: pick those who can run and those who can act, and pick those who can act and those who can run."

Guo Fan nodded: "This job is not easy."

Zhang Jun chuckled, "There's no such thing as an easy job. Let's work hard together!"

Three days later, Jackie Chan's assistant flew in from Hong Kong Island with a preliminary agreement.

Zhang Jun received him in his office.

The assistant placed the agreement on the table and said, "Director Zhang, everything is fine with Brother Zhang's side. We'll wait for your proposal regarding the specific investment ratio and profit sharing."

Zhang Jun flipped through the agreement and nodded: "Okay, I understand."

The assistant said, "My boss also asked me to pass on a message."

"What did you say?"

The assistant smiled and said, "My boss said to take it easy when filming, so he doesn't break his old bones."

Zhang Jun laughed: "Don't worry, he won't be able to run many steps this time. It'll mainly rely on those girls to run."

The assistant nodded, chatted for a few more minutes, and then got up to take his leave.

Zhang Jun escorted him to the elevator, and when he returned, he saw He Xuan standing at the office door.

"Has Cheng Long finalized the deal?" He Xuan asked.

Zhang Jun nodded: "It's settled. Now it's up to us."

He Xuan followed him into the office: "I've had people running around with the casting. We've contacted several sports schools and are also inquiring about drama schools."

"I'll organize the materials later, and you can choose what you need."

Zhang Jun said, "Thank you for your hard work."

He Xuan waved her hand: "Don't be so polite with me. By the way, Xiao Yi asked me to ask you when the new movie will be released, so she can arrange the time."

Xin Zhangjun thought for a moment: "The earliest it will be is October. Let's finalize the roles first."

He Xuan nodded: "Okay, I'll talk to her."