Huayu09: Starting with Hijacking Xiao Shenyang

"Uncle Long, don't say that. There's no such thing as begging. You are an elder, just say what you want to say."

Chen Mo's status in the martial arts world is not what it used to be, but he always remembers that he is Zhao Benshan's apprentice.

How he conducts himself reflects how his master taught him.

"Alright, alright, Benshan Xiaomo, then I'll get straight to the point. In 2000, a highly controversial auction was held in Hong Kong. The items up for auction were the ox head, monkey head, and tiger head from our country. The Baoli Group won the bids for HK$7 million, HK$7.4 million, and HK$14 million respectively. Afterwards, we had dinner together, and Baoli hoped that I would make a movie based on the national treasures, but due to various reasons, it has been postponed until now."

"In 2004, when I was filming 'The Myth,' I deliberately added a line that said, 'We must return any cultural relics that belong to another country. No one can steal another country's cultural relics and put them in their own museum under the guise of safekeeping. In reality, they want to take them for themselves. This is a shameful act...'"

Cheng Long said earnestly.

This most internationally renowned Chinese film star has always been controversial. Putting aside his private life, he is quite principled when it comes to matters of principle.

Chen Mo understood that Cheng Long wanted him to write the script for "Chinese Zodiac".

That's no problem.

Just copy the original; you don't need to put in too much effort.

Moreover, "Chinese Zodiac" is a good movie in itself. After the turn of the century, Chen Mo approved only three Jackie Chan movies: "The Myth", "Rob-B-Hood", and "Chinese Zodiac". The latter was also Jackie Chan's last big action movie.

As I get older, I really can't play anymore.

Beyond the film itself, the most crucial aspect is its subsequent positive impact.

Six months after the release of "Chinese Zodiac," the Pinault family of France returned the rat and rabbit heads from the Old Summer Palace to the Yuanmingyuan free of charge, and publicly stated that they were moved by the patriotism depicted in the film.

Also.

The "Twelve Zodiac Animals" also brought huge attention to the national treasure, with museum visitors surging by 30%.

The film broke box office records for Chinese-language films in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, further enhancing the overseas influence of Chinese-language films.

To say something that might be controversial.

Cheng Long is a national symbol, a window for foreigners to understand China, and even represents the quality and identity of Chinese people.

Chinese people all know Chinese Kung Fu. They are humble, kind, loyal, and chivalrous. They don't provoke trouble but are never afraid of it either.

"Xiao Mo, what do you think?"

"I think there's no problem. By the way, it's common for Chinese people to believe that the Eight-Nation Alliance was the culprit behind the burning of the Old Summer Palace, but that's not accurate. The real culprit was the Anglo-French Allied Forces."

"At the beginning of the story, this narration can be added to help the audience understand history correctly."

Chen Mo began to demonstrate his professionalism.

Benshan Media can be deeply involved in "The Twelve Zodiac Animals". Making money is secondary; the most important thing is to create a glamorous image.

My old mentor needed to wear layers of armor to survive that ordeal.

"The same applies to the data I collected."

Cheng Long gave his approval.

"The story begins with an auction, emphasizing how foreigners profit from auctioning our cultural relics. At the same time, it exposes the ugly faces of these merchants. For example, four stamps are considered masterpieces; if three are torn up on the spot, the last one becomes a unique piece, and its value increases by more than four times."

Chen Mo was speaking with great enthusiasm.

Cheng Long raised his hand to interrupt.

"Is this something you just thought of?"

"It's just a common tactic of merchants. Our ancestors were already using it more than 2000 years ago. Back then, it was called 'hoarding rare goods,' and now it's called 'hunger marketing.'"

Chen Mo didn't even blush, completely the opposite of Lao Liu; his lying didn't look like lying at all.

"continue!"

Cheng Long's interest was greatly piqued.

Everyone else listened with great interest.

Especially Han Shanping and the two kings.

Rumor has it that Lao Zhao's youngest apprentice is a literary and entertainment genius who can not only write a song in 10 minutes, but also improvise and change Jiang Wen's script on the spot.

I've truly witnessed this today.

What I said is true.

"The story revolves around the search for national treasures, continuing the structure of 'Dragon and Tiger Brothers' and 'Operation Eagle.' Interspersed throughout are the shady dealings of antique dealers, which is very important. Audiences are more interested in things they don't know. Also, times are changing, and we need to keep up with the times and try new things, such as rappelling down roads in rollerblading suits or skydiving to steal cultural relics..."

"Xiao Mo, wait a minute, what is a roller skate suit?"

"This is the extreme equipment that a Frenchman developed last year."

Chen Mo took out his phone and searched for several photos.

Everyone gathered around to watch.

"This is good, Xiao Mo, let's film this one."

Jackie Chan only glanced at it, but he immediately imagined a ten-minute-long plot.

"As expected of young people, they have ideas and dare to innovate. Brother Jackie Chan wearing this outfit while driving on the highway is both cool and exciting, and the audience will definitely love it."

Han Shanping clicked his tongue in amazement, thinking, "No wonder he's the younger generation that Old Han admires; his head is full of novel ideas."

"Brother, I'll visit the set when you're filming 'Chinese Zodiac' too."

Jiang Wen crossed his arms and said in a sarcastic tone.

Industry insiders generally believe that Jiang Wen's films, Jackie Chan's films, and Stephen Chow's films all bear a strong personal label, and only they themselves can make them.

Until Chen Mo suddenly appeared out of nowhere, holy crap, he knows our movies better than we do.

If it's a false alarm once, what about the other two times?

"Xiao Mo, continue."

Jackie Chan was completely absorbed in the story and had no time to pay attention to anything else.

"Once the story unfolds, we can add elements such as castle exploration and jungle adventures..."

Chen Mo continued to speak eloquently.

Half an hour later, Cheng Long let out a long sigh of relief.

"Great story, I have everything I want. Xiao Mo, when can the script be published? Uncle Long needs to start preparing as soon as possible."

"Within a week."

"for how long?"

"Uncle Long, please forgive me. I have to go home the day after tomorrow. The Spring Festival Gala is also very important."

"Damn, I think seven days is too short, but Xiao Mo mistakenly thinks seven days is too long. Having talent means you can do whatever you want."

Jackie Chan feigned jealousy, sporting his signature exaggerated expression.

"Haha, now you know why everyone around me says Xiao Mo is a quick shooter, right? There's a reason behind it."

Jiang Wen said something.

While the bigwigs were teasing Chen Mo, Chen Mo was whispering to his old mentor.

"Brother, let me be frank, Benshan Media is very interested in 'The Twelve Zodiacs.' With the themes of treasure hunting and national unity, the story is excellent, the scope is grand, the theme is lofty, and the values ​​are very positive. I don't care about the total investment, Benshan Media will contribute 5000 million to help out."

At this moment.

Zhao Benshan spoke with great confidence.

What happened in the film industry in the past was your business.

What's happening in the film industry now is our business.

"Project Gutenberg" grossed 3.5 million yuan at the Chinese box office and nearly 1 million US dollars overseas. With the addition of streaming rights and other revenue, Benshan Media made a fortune.

Also.

Even before its release, "Black Coal, Thin Ice" is already a huge success, thanks to its high quality, the prestige of being a Cannes Film Festival award winner, and the potential future recognition from the Berlin Film Festival.

It's only a few tens of millions, nothing to worry about.

"Brother, Huayi wants a 30% investment share."

"Old Wang, you're really asking for an exorbitant amount."

Several executives, whether out of trust in Jackie Chan's films or in Chen Mo, all wanted to get a piece of the pie.

Cheng Long has not yet commented.

Chen Mo frowned.