Huayu Entertainment: The Birth of a Succubus Top Star

Gu Zhiyan had seen the movie "Love Letter to Grandma" in his previous life. In his opinion, the key to the movie's success was never "textbook-style acting", but rather its sincerity, simplicity, and authenticity that resonated with ordinary people.

Replacing the female lead with a professional actress is tantamount to completely changing the aesthetic tone of the entire film, which could very well turn it into a neat but unremarkable art film.

So, regarding director Sun Hongchun's concerns, Gu Zhiyan reassured him, telling him that he would not interfere with the casting process and that everything would be based on his opinion.

Upon hearing this, Sun Hongchun immediately felt relieved and overjoyed. Where could one find an investor who brought their own audience, or even box office success?

No wonder Guo Fan and the others keep bragging to Gu Zhiyan every few days. If it were him, he would brag too!

When the movie is released, we have to hype it up really, really hype it up!

……

"The Swordsman: The Wind Rises in the Desert" is adapted from Xu Xianzhe's comic of the same name. It tells the story of Dao Ma, the "second most wanted fugitive," who is entrusted by Mo Suotuo, the elder of the Mo family, to escort Zhi Shilang, the "number one most wanted fugitive," to Chang'an.

This seemingly simple escort mission is actually fraught with danger. The intervention and competition of various forces make the once peaceful desert even more fraught with peril.

Dao Ma, accompanied by his young adopted son Xiao Qi, and the valiant and decisive Ayuya and Ani, travel together. Along the way, they encounter the mysterious Shu and the unruly Yanzi Niang. These individuals, with their distinct personalities, become companions through a series of coincidences. They must not only fight against the pursuit and interception from various forces, but also deal with the undercurrents within the group. Thus begins a journey of escorting goods that will affect the fate of the world.

The press conference for the start of filming of "The Swordsman" can be seen as a gathering of four generations of martial arts enthusiasts in the desert, all carrying their martial arts dreams.

As a key figure in Chinese action films for half a century, Yuan Ping, known as the "Number One Action Choreographer in the World," has been in the industry for over sixty years and has directed more than fifty action films.

Lien Lien-chieh became a generation's introduction to martial arts films with classic works such as "Shaolin Temple" and "Fearless". This time, he returns to the martial arts screen after a 15-year hiatus since "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate", which has fans eagerly anticipating his return.

Leung Ka-fai's classic roles in works such as "New Dragon Gate Inn" and "Ashes of Time" have deeply impressed audiences; Kara Hui's hardcore martial arts skills in works such as "My Young Auntie" and "Tai Chi Master" have amazed everyone.

In "Swordsman II" and "Iron Monkey," Yu Rongguang exudes a strong and heroic chivalrous spirit, showcasing the essence of the martial arts world.

Four veteran actors ensure the film's quality.

Wu Jing and Zhang Jin, two of the middle-aged kung fu masters, form the core backbone of the martial arts world.

Wu Jing gained audience recognition for his powerful action scenes in "Tai Chi Master", "SPL: Sha Po Lang" and "Men's True Colors"; Zhang Jin showcased his strong presence with his agile skills in "The Grandmaster" and "SPL 2: Sha Po Lang".

In addition, the addition of new generation "action stars" such as Nazha, Yushi, Cisha, Li Yunxiao, Liu Yaowen, Xiong Jinyi, Bai Narisu, Liang Biying, Dong Sicheng, and Lin Qiunan has injected vigor and fresh energy into this martial arts world.

Okay, there's also Gu Zhiyan. He's also considered a new generation action star, but his achievements are so great that it's easy to overlook that he's still a "young heartthrob".

Although he had done a lot of action scenes in his previous films, they were mostly "floating around" in period dramas. This is the first time he has done such a hard-hitting action scene.

Therefore, fans and moviegoers are extremely excited about this movie starring Gu Zhiyan.

After the press conference, filming began immediately without any further delay.

To present the purest martial arts feel, the film insisted on shooting on location for action scenes. Horseback chases, close combat, and weapon clashes were all performed by the actors themselves, with real fighting, real falls, and real horseback riding.

Because it was filmed on location, and the actors had to endure scorching sun, sandstorms, and huge temperature differences between day and night, it was honestly quite tough for them.

Between filming, the thing everyone did most often was to collect colorful stones together in the Gobi Desert.

What everyone in the crew envied was that even when Gu Zhiyan was picking up stones, she was always accompanied by two beautiful women, Na Zha and Li Yunxiao.

Amidst the vast desert sands, beauty accompanies one, making others envious.

These colorful stones are quite pretty. Gu Zhiyan even considered picking up more and giving one to each of the older and younger sisters.

However, considering that someone had already done this before, Gu Zhiyan decided against copying others' ideas and gave up on the idea.

Recently, Gu Zhiyan has been trying all kinds of Xinjiang delicacies: hand-pulled mutton, baked buns, hand-pulled noodles, oil-fried flatbread... and naan.

After filming today, the cast and crew enjoyed a whole roasted lamb feast, sitting together around the table.

They ate, drank, and chatted.

"Little Gu, you were born in the wrong era. If you had been born twenty or thirty years earlier, you would definitely have become a kung fu superstar!" Yuan Heping exclaimed.

Once the filming started, he finally understood why Wu Jing had said that Gu Zhiyan had real kung fu skills and was particularly good at action scenes.

He is known as the "Number One Action Choreographer in the World". He has been in the industry for decades and has never seen an action actor as "monstrous" as Gu Zhiyan.

He can learn the action sequences designed by the action choreographers after just one look, and he performs them even better than professional action choreographers. In fact, he doesn't need to use wires at all for many of the actions that would normally require wire work. Damn, that's inhuman!

What's even more inhuman is that Gu Zhiyan would deliberately increase the difficulty of all the moves that already seemed very challenging.

At first, Yuan Heping was a little worried that Gu Zhiyan was young and impetuous and messing around. But after a few times, he became completely numb to it. This was not just youthful impetuosity; he had real skills!

Seeing Gu Zhiyan's performance, Yuan Heping was not only convinced but also overjoyed. Gu Zhiyan's performance was so good that he had a feeling the movie would be a success!

Action movies are all about how exciting the fight scenes are, and Gu Zhiyan's performance is definitely a "peak of action scenes"!

Gu Zhiyan smiled and said, "Eighth Master, you flatter me."

"These are my honest thoughts," Yuan Heping shook his head, then pointed at Li Lianjie, "Ah Jie is amazing, isn't he? He's been the national all-around martial arts champion for five consecutive years. He's mastered all the different styles of boxing from the north and south, as well as long and short weapons. He's like a living kung fu dictionary."

If you want the elegant moves of a chivalrous swordsman, he can execute them with the graceful grandeur of Wong Fei-hung; if you want restrained and sharp modern combat, he can effortlessly portray the offensive and defensive logic of "Fist of Legend"; and if you're creating a repressed and ruthless character, he deliberately sheds all the flashy moves, resulting in short, powerful strikes.

Others imitate the moves by following the action design, but he understands the martial arts principles behind the moves. His power is released and released cleanly, without any unnecessary small movements. His posture and frame are upright, and he can hold his own even in a long take. Many actors need a lot of editing to cover up flaws in the transitions, but he doesn't need to.

Jackie Chan excels in improvisation and environmental adaptation, Donnie Yen is adept at high-speed grappling and modern combat, but Ah-Jie is unique. He seamlessly blends the physical beauty of traditional martial arts with cinematic storytelling, displaying both thunderous power and fluid grace. He can master both righteous and melancholic martial arts styles.

Gu Zhiyan nodded: "That's why people in the industry say that Brother Jie is the benchmark for orthodox martial arts action aesthetics on the Chinese screen."

While Li Lianjie's character is indeed questionable, it must be acknowledged that his action sequences are both disciplined and aesthetically pleasing, with precise moves, powerful long takes, and seamless transitions between strength and gentleness. He is an irreplaceable benchmark for the cinematic adaptation of traditional Chinese martial arts.

Yuan Heping chuckled lightly: "I often say that his kung fu is 'ironclad.' No matter what style or temperament you want, he can perfectly execute it. However, you are even stronger than he was in his youth!"

Li Lianjie nodded in agreement: "Indeed, Xiao Gu is even more capable than I was in my youth!"

Even someone as proud as him had to admit that he was inferior to Gu Zhiyan.

Gu Zhiyan can perform many of the high-difficulty moves with ease, which even he at his peak could not do.

She learns faster than him, fights better than him, is more handsome than him, and excels in dramatic scenes. It's a good thing Gu Zhiyan wasn't born in the same era as him, otherwise, he would have been severely overshadowed.

Master Yuan was right, Gu Zhiyan was really born in the wrong era!

Nowadays, martial arts fiction has declined!