Huayu: Everyone's been reborn, who's still going to be an actor?

Domestic public opinion was in an uproar, and "The Hunt" took the opportunity to promote itself, building momentum for its upcoming release on the 1st.

And what about Cheng Yuan, who is far away in Cannes?

I woke up to a phone flooded with congratulatory text messages.

Some are familiar faces, such as Liu Yifei, Zhu Yawen, Huang Xiaoming, Ning Hao, and others.

There are also some people I'm not very familiar with, such as Fan Shuangbing and Gao Yuanyuan.

In addition, there were even some people I didn't recognize at all.

Why are you congratulating me?

It's not like I won the award.

After sending text messages to people he knew and washing up, Cheng Yuan prepared to go with Han Sanping to discuss copyright with the film distributor.

Han Sanping had gone back earlier, but he came back before the closing ceremony.

He can't stay in Cannes forever; he still has a lot to do back home.

This trip is not only for subsequent copyright matters, but also for importing foreign films.

Unexpectedly, they were blocked by media reporters at the hotel entrance.

"Director Cheng, several judges have revealed that 'The Hunt' lost to the Dardenne brothers' 'The Child' by a single vote, and John Woo, as a Chinese director, cast the crucial vote for 'The Child.' What are your thoughts on this?"

The first to speak was a domestic media reporter, who dropped a bombshell.

Cheng Yuan was stunned, but when he came to his senses, he looked at Han Sanping next to him.

Han Sanping was also somewhat bewildered at this moment.

There's more to this story?

This means that the film could have won the Palme d'Or, but it was ruined by John Woo's "collusion with the enemy".

The two films, "The Hunt" and "The Child," were tied in the votes, but John Woo gave his remaining vote to "The Child."

You damned bastard!

Didn't he know that China Film Group invested in this film?

Doesn't he know that I, Han Sanping, am the producer of this movie?

Is he still a Chinese filmmaker?

What does he want to do?

Winning the Best Actor award and winning the Palme d'Or are two very different things.

Putting everything else aside, winning the Palme d'Or would not only double the copyright value, but it would also be far more valuable than winning Best Actor.

He doesn't care much about how much money he makes; the key is the honor.

Ten years have passed since "Farewell My Concubine," and Chinese-language films have yet to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

This is the aspiration of the entire Chinese-language film industry.

The results of it?

They were actually destroyed by their own people.

Outrageous.

Han Sanping's face instantly darkened.

"I haven't heard this rumor, and I don't know if it's true or not," Cheng Yuan said. "However, regardless of whether the rumor is true or not, Director Wu Yusen, as one of the judges, has his own judging criteria, and it's his freedom to cast his vote for whomever he wants."

Damn it, I had just gotten over my disappointment yesterday, and you guys dropped this bombshell on me.

I was so close to winning the Palme d'Or!

That step was ultimately ruined by the only Chinese judge.

Grass!

Do you think that rumor is true or false?

"Get rid of those media outlets," Han Sanping said with a stern face.

"So many Western media outlets have reported it, and it's been confirmed by many judges, so it can't be fake," Cheng Yuan said. "I suspect it's EuropaCorp's doing."

The European rights to "The Hunt" were sold to EuropaCorp ahead of schedule.

They naturally had a lot of opinions about Wu Yusen, whose vote caused EuropaCorp a significant loss.

Is it the same to buy a Palme d'Or film with the same amount of money as to buy a film that only won the Best Actor award?

They could have made a lot of money, but they only made a small profit.

The adaptation rights to "The Hunt" were sold to EuropaCorp.

Adapting a Palme d'Or film is obviously a bigger gimmick.

Of course, EuropaCorp's release of this information was not just a form of retaliation against John Woo, but also an attempt to elevate the prestige of the film "The Hunt".

Films that have the potential to win the Palme d'Or naturally attract more moviegoers, which in turn allows them to make greater profits.

"This might actually be a good thing for us," Cheng Yuan continued. "Who knows, we might be able to sell more copyrights."

"What do you think he was thinking?"

Han Sanping still couldn't quite understand it, or rather, found it hard to accept.

What if a film he invested in wins the Palme d'Or?

What if the young director he supports wins the Palme d'Or?

So, can the chairman's position really be lost?

"Is it hard to imagine?" Cheng Yuan said with a smile. "I don't find it surprising at all."

Why?

Han Sanping frowned and asked.

Is Cheng Yuan really that easygoing?

It's astonishing that this incident could lead to an even higher price being paid for the film rights.

"With the decline of Hong Kong cinema, a large number of filmmakers have moved north," Cheng Yuan said. "When they go north, do you think they want to take the lead? And how many of them are willing to lower themselves?"

Han Sanping fell silent.

Is that even a question?

Who is willing to lower themselves and become a vassal? Everyone wants to take the lead.

Therefore, suppressing mainland filmmakers seems to be a logical course of action.

"I heard he's preparing a Three Kingdoms-themed movie?" Cheng Yuan asked. "Has China Film Group invested in it?"

"We're still in talks," Han Sanping said. "However, the script for this movie is still being written. Why did you suddenly bring up this movie?"

Is this kid planning to make a movie?

"I don't think he can make this kind of movie well," Cheng Yuan said, "especially this kind of historical war film."

Han Sanping glanced at Cheng Yuan but said nothing.

Is this an attempt to sow discord between Wu Yusen and others?

However, this is understandable.

If it were me, I probably would have started cursing.

This young man is surprisingly composed, and his responses to the media are very appropriate.

"The script for this movie will definitely be revised several times, because there are some differences in historical understanding between Hong Kong and the mainland," Cheng Yuan said. "He will definitely use top mainland actors to elevate the status of the Hong Kong and Taiwan actors! And after filming begins, he will definitely find various reasons to increase investment."

"You don't think this movie will be successful?" Han Sanping looked at Cheng Yuan and asked, "Why?"

As for what Cheng Yuan said, he neither confirmed nor denied it.

Additional investment is common in the film industry.

As for using mainland actors to accompany Hong Kong and Taiwan actors, this is all too common in action films directed by Hong Kong and Taiwan directors.

As for script revisions, that's perfectly normal.

Whose script hasn't been revised many times?

"Mr. Han, you're not blinded by his reputation as an internationally renowned director, are you?" Cheng Yuan said with a smile. "You can ask him about his last movie, 'Windtalkers'!"

"Windtalkers?"

Han Sanping frowned, naturally recognizing the movie.

It seems the movie lost money, but the specifics are unclear.

"A film with an investment of nearly $120 million only grossed $40 million in North America and $7762 million worldwide, resulting in a box office loss of over $80 million for MGM. MGM's stock price plummeted, and they're now on the verge of bankruptcy," Cheng Yuan said with a laugh. "He's good at gunfights, and he should have some familiarity with modern battlefield themes, yet this is the result. What about an ancient war epic?"

Han Sanping fell silent.

John Woo only came back to make movies because he couldn't make it in Hollywood.

"Blockbusters!" Han Sanping sighed. "The domestic market needs blockbusters to stimulate it."

"I'm not optimistic about the film's reputation. As for whether it will lose money, I think it depends on the box office performance on the Little Red Dot (China's largest film market). After all, it's the second largest film market now, and the Three Kingdoms theme is quite popular there." Cheng Yuan said.