Reborn in Hollywood

In late March, the production team for the new version of "Underworld" was officially established.

Director, cinematographer, costume and prop master... joined the crew one after another.

The entire preparation work was carried out at lightning speed thanks to Lakeview Pictures; Gary Lucchesi couldn't wait to start filming the very next day.

Several candidates were considered for the male supporting role, and in the end, a British actor who was good-looking but not very famous was chosen. His name was Ben Barnes, and he was also in his early twenties—two years older than Li Rui.

However, everyone knows that the core of this film is Li Rui and Kate, and the male supporting character is just a tool.

This time, the filming location was not chosen in Europe.

Li Rui, as producer, held three meetings with the director, and they finally agreed to set the main filming location in the United States.

After all, the main market is the United States. Shooting in Europe may seem more upscale, but the cost is not much cheaper than in North America. It's better to find a suitable place in China.

Upon hearing this, Stephanie Meyer called specifically to strongly recommend Portland, Oregon.

She said on the phone that Portland's perpetually rainy, densely forested environment was perfect for vampire stories, and that when she was writing her novels, she always imagined the story taking place in that kind of place.

After listening, Li Rui politely said, "We will consider it," and then hung up the phone.

The modified Underworld series is quite different from the original Twilight series, so there's no need to completely copy the filming locations of Twilight.

Ultimately, the production team chose Asheville, North Carolina. It boasts ancient forests, 19th-century architecture, and various tax breaks, perfectly meeting their needs.

Just as the crew was busy preparing for the film, Stephanie sent over the revised first draft of the script.

The night Li Rui received the manuscript, he stayed in his hotel room alone and read it from beginning to end.

After reading it, he felt terrible.

The modified Serena is the eldest princess of the five major vampire families and the future ruler of the vampire clan, while the werewolf clan and her family are in a long-term standoff.

The two races have been fighting for over a century, with countless deaths and injuries; the hatred has long been etched into their very bones.

Li Rui plays Edward, a half-human, half-wolf—his biological father is Lucian, the leader of the wolf pack.

Twenty years ago, Lucian was seriously injured and fled during a conflict with vampires. One rainy night, he collapsed by the roadside and was rescued by Edward's mother.

The two fell in love and had a son, Edward, but Lucian eventually left without saying goodbye.

Edward's mother raised him alone until he turned eighteen. One full moon night, Edward awakened and transformed, accidentally injuring his mother.

His mother told him about his origins before she died.

Edward then abandoned his university studies and chose to live a secluded life in a remote town.

Unexpectedly, they encountered Serena, the vampire princess who was also living in seclusion, here.

The two became friends because of their shared interests, and in the days that followed, they developed feelings for each other and eventually fell in love.

The reason neither of them discovered the other's true identity was because Edward was a half-human, half-wolf hybrid, and naturally possessed an extremely strong ability to conceal himself.

In the words of the vampires, they don't have that wolfish stench.

As for Edward, he knew nothing about vampires and only felt that Serena was the love of his life—he was completely a small-town youth blinded by love.

But the good times didn't last long. Edward's half-brother led his tribe to attack Serena. In the critical moment, Edward transformed, repelled the tribe, and saved Serena.

Only then did the two realize each other's true identities.

But they can't turn back now.

Because they had already been intimate before, Serena was pregnant.

Once a vampire woman becomes pregnant, her strength will be greatly reduced in a short period of time, which is why she was unable to defeat the werewolves after their attack.

To save his lover and child, Edward decides to take Serena away from their secluded home, and the two embark on a journey of exile.

The first film ends with the two being chased by both werewolves and vampires while on the run. With nowhere to go, they jump off a cliff. When Li Rui saw this, he even suspected that Stephanie had studied in the country across the Pacific Ocean during her university years. Otherwise, how could she have mastered the essence of martial arts films?

In the opening of the second part, the two are rescued, but Serena's child is gone.

She was devastated and vowed to make everyone who had harmed her child pay. While comforting Serena, Edward investigated the truth behind the hunt and discovered that there was a mastermind behind it all—his own brother and the high-ranking elders of the vampire clan had joined forces, and they would not allow the birth of a hybrid child with both vampire and werewolf blood.

The climax of the second part is the showdown between Edward and his brother.

The younger brother is extremely ambitious and intends to wipe out the vampire clan. He also kills his father Lucian because he cannot accept his father's "weakness".

Ultimately, the younger brother died at the hands of Edward and Serena.

In the third installment, the two find the progenitor of vampires and werewolves, who are living in seclusion in their ancestral land. Ironically, the common ancestor of both races is a human—albeit an immortal being who has undergone mutation.

With his help, Edward and Serena made great progress in their abilities.

The two joined forces to stop the millennia-long blood war between vampires and werewolves, achieving peace and a happy ending together.

Of course, there are also many side stories interspersed between these three parts.

For example, the complex emotions between Edward and Lucian.

From Edward's initial incomprehension of Lucian's "abandonment after seduction," to his realization that Lucian had no choice but to leave for Edward's safe growth, father and son eventually reconciled.

Another example is the numerous conflicts between Serena and the vampire clan.

She is not a pureblood, but an ordinary human who was first embraced by the vampire elder, yet she grows up to become the vampire princess.

The sheer amount of bloodshed and turmoil involved is enough to warrant a separate spin-off story.

Stephanie even said in an email that she had already thought of the general content of the spin-off.

If the trilogy is successful, a prequel could be made, specifically about how Serena transformed from an ordinary human into a vampire, and how she fought her way through the vampire clan to become the eldest princess.

After reading the whole story, Li Rui felt uneasy all over.

The general outline of this story follows the Romeo and Juliet formula, but it also includes many melodramatic and absurd plot points.

The story, caught between love and hate, unrequited love, love turning into hate, and the complexities of love and hate, has been turned into a massive farce.

After reading it, he even wanted to fly to Phoenix to ask Stephanie: How did you come up with such a melodramatic story?

But he held back.

Despite its melodramatic plot, this movie still has an audience.

I wonder if Guo Jingming, the director of the Guo Jingming fan club, will be inspired by Stephanie and create a similar melodramatic masterpiece after the movie is released...

-----------------

The next day, Li Rui showed the script to the director.

Director Francis Lawrence is an Austrian-American in his early thirties. He started as an MTV director and it will be a few years before he makes his breakthrough film, but his cinematic language is good and his directing skills are definitely not a problem.

After reading it, his face also contorted in pain, and finally he looked up and forced out a sentence—

"If this movie is well-made, it will definitely be a hit."

Li Rui agreed.

"I don't care about sensationalism, as long as the audience is willing to buy it."

The entire crew held another meeting and finally reached a consensus: the melodramatic story was secondary, but it should be kept to a minimum during filming; the focus should be on the grand spectacle of the battle between werewolves and vampires.

After all, whether it's the original Underworld or the Twilight series, the large-scale battle scenes can only be described as incredibly awful.

The action scenes in Underworld relied entirely on Cate Blanchett's cool moves, while the Twilight series is all about romance from beginning to end.

This is not the effect Li Rui wanted.

He made his stance clear at the script discussion meeting.

"At the end of the first movie, in the scene where Edward and Serena are being chased by two tribes and jump off a cliff, I wanted to make it a grand scene. It's not just about the two of them jumping off; it's about the confrontation between the two tribes' armies on the edge of the cliff! The two of them have nowhere to retreat amidst the enemy's army, and in the end, they embrace each other and jump off the cliff."

As he said this, Li Rui was also muttering to himself.

We've been influenced by our past lives, so don't act like we're some kind of country bumpkin.

Who doesn't know how to create a melodramatic plot?

Director Francis's eyes lit up.

"That's a good option."

He immediately took out his notebook and started taking notes.

Li Rui continued.

"In the second part, Edward and his brother have a final battle. His brother is not the kind of mindless villain. He has his reasons and beliefs. He killed his father because he felt that Lucian was too weak. He believed that the wolf clan should rise up and completely crush the vampires. Given his background and upbringing, his motives are justifiable."

"When Edward kills him at the end, there should be a sense of tragic grandeur. It shouldn't be a simple victory of justice over evil, but a clash between two beliefs."

Francis nodded in agreement.

Li Rui looked at the director.

"Have you found a choreography director yet?"

Francis said he found a Korean team that specializes in shooting that kind of sharp, intense fighting style.

Li Rui thought about it.

"Find another Chinese one, either the Jackie Chan Stunt Team or the Yuen Clan Stunt Team, the kind that can shoot big scenes."

Francis paused for a moment.

"Two movement instructions?"

"right."

Li Rui said, "South Korea shoots indoor scenes, like close-quarters combat, while China shoots outdoor scenes, like battles between two ethnic groups. They have two separate crews shooting their own scenes."

Francis hesitated.

"Budget……"

Li Rui waved his hand.

"If the budget is not enough, we can add more. If this film becomes a hit, we won't care about this little bit of money; if it doesn't become a hit, the money we save won't save us from being criticized."

Francis shut up.

Actually, Li Rui wanted to find an all-Chinese cast. After all, in the early 21st century, action films in South Korea were still in their infancy, and action directors were simply copying from the neighboring Dongda University.

The problem is that action directors for Hong Kong films are quite expensive now, especially after The Matrix made a name for itself. No matter if it's Jackie Chan's stunt team, Yuen Woo-ping's stunt team, or Sammo Hung's stunt team, none of them are cheap or affordable.

After the meeting, Li Rui returned to the hotel and continued to read Stephanie's script in his room.

He discovered that this woman was not only adept at writing melodramatic plots, but also had a knack for character development.

Edward's stubbornness in "willing to do anything to protect his lover" and Serena's maternal outburst of "my child is my everything" were both portrayed very well.

He picked up his phone and sent Philip a text message.

[Stephanie has signed a permanent contract; all her future works will have priority rights to RL Productions.]

Philip replied instantly.

【receive. 】

As for whether Stephanie will have any new works in the future, Li Rui said he doesn't care.

In his view, it was quite worthwhile to lock in such an unconventional talent for such a small amount of money.