Entertainment: The Era of the Cantonese Circle

The three of them stopped eating and turned to look at Chen Yunfan after hearing his words.

Returning to Guangdong Province for development? What's the difference between that and going to Africa to sell raincoats?

If they weren't studying at the Beijing Film Academy or becoming actors, then developing their careers in Guangdong Province would definitely be the right thing to do.

Guangdong Province, as the province with the largest economy in China, has two major cities, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. With its coastal advantages, these two cities have great potential for development, potentially even surpassing Beijing.

The problem is they're studying at the Beijing Film Academy and want to become actors.

The film and television industry in Guangdong Province is very small, and even the entertainment industry as a whole is small. Not only is it small, but it is also difficult to go beyond Guangdong Province.

Lin Jiachuan and Zhou Yiwei had only heard about these situations, but Zhang Songwen experienced them firsthand.

Last year, Nanfang TV found him to star in "The Dragon Son-in-Law". The drama became a hit after it aired in Guangdong Province, and many people in neighboring Guangxi Province also watched it.

At the time, Zhang Songwen thought he was going to become a big star and would receive many invitations from film and television companies and other entertainment companies.

Little did he know that reality was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, instantly chilling his burning heart.

Outside of those two provinces, nobody watched the show. No film or television companies approached us. When we tried to promote the show to some production teams, they didn't even know who it was.

Zhang Songwen put down his bowl and chopsticks and advised, "Brother Fan, you probably know how small the film and television industry is in Guangdong Province without me having to explain. Going back would only be a waste of your time."

"Why don't you stay in Beijing? Even though the competition is fierce here, going to Shanghai is better than going back to Guangdong."

Chen Yunfan calmly picked up a piece of chicken and ate it, saying, "Small has its advantages too."

"You might think I'm stubborn and won't give up until I hit a wall, but actually, I have a lot of advantages in developing my career in Guangdong Province."

Advantage?

Zhang Songwen thought of what Chen Yunfan had been asking them to help with lately, "Your advantage is novel copyrights? You want to create opportunities in Guangdong Province by adapting some novels into film and television dramas?"

Then he added, "But the film and television environment and other conditions in Guangdong Province are not as good as those in Beijing. Once Guangdong Province has developed to a certain extent, the focus should still return to Beijing."

"There are indeed the disadvantages you mentioned, but I still maintain that I will have a great advantage if I return to Guangdong Province to develop my career."

Since he was going to return to Guangdong Province to develop his career, how could Chen Yunfan not know these things?

He looked at Zhang Songwen with a mysterious smile and said, "As for the advantages, it's not convenient to say right now. You should consider whether you want to come and develop in Guangdong Province with me."

"Don't worry, even if you don't come to Guangdong with me, 'The More Interesting the Talk About Guangdong' will not stop. You can continue to do it in the future, and the courtyard house will still be your office and residence."

Zhou Yiwei and Lin Jiachuan each took a bite of rice from their bowls, their eyes both fixed on Zhang Songwen.

Zhang Songwen is from Guangdong Province, so he knows more about the situation there than they do. He is also the oldest among them, and his considerations are more thorough.

If he feels there's an opportunity to return to Guangdong Province, they will definitely go with him.

It's not that they don't trust Chen Yunfan; he has taken good care of them since they met. But they need to be cautious when it comes to future developments.

Facing their gazes, Zhang Songwen made no response, picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of fish, and ate it while pondering.

Who wouldn't want to go home and develop their career? The problem is that reality is very different from ideals, and there are many difficulties involved.

Seeing that Zhang Songwen didn't react, the two decided not to ask him any further questions and could only continue eating with worry.

The next day, after Chen Yunfan left the house, the two of them pulled Zhang Songwen out of the room and asked for his opinion.

"What do you think, Brother Wen?"

Zhang Songwen sighed: "If anyone else had told me that we should go back to Guangdong Province to develop our careers together, I would have definitely told them, 'Are you crazy?' But Brother Fan seems to have some advantages that we don't know about, which makes me keep thinking about it."

Zhou Yiwei rolled his eyes at him. "What you said is as good as nothing. He said last night that he has advantages when he goes back, but he won't say what those advantages are."

Lin Jiachuan nodded. "I thought about it last night. Could it be that Brother Fan is testing us? That's why he deliberately didn't tell us what his strengths are."

"That makes sense, that makes sense. If we follow suit, it will make us seem like snobbish people."

"Brother Fan has been acquiring copyrights in large quantities, yet he's never seemed short of money. Do you think his advantage might be related to his family being extremely wealthy in Guangdong province? Could they be able to create some favorable conditions?"

While the two were guessing what their relationship was with Chen Yunfan, Zhang Songwen was reminded of something.

At the celebration banquet for "The Dragon Son-in-Law", he vaguely heard a senior executive from Nanfang TV say something like: "So-and-so has a good eye. The actor Zhang Songwen, who recommended Jia Fa, did a good job."

At first, I thought it was just some high-ranking official who happened to have taken a liking to him, but now I wonder if that person could be Chen Yunfan? Could his advantage be his connection with Nanfang TV?

"It's just speculation after all!" Zhang Songwen muttered to himself.

The two saw him move his mouth but couldn't hear what he said. "Brother Wen, what did you say?"

Zhang Songwen came to his senses and took a breath. "I thought about it all night. Actually, this is a good choice. The film and television industry in Guangdong Province is indeed not good, but the competition in Beijing is fierce. If we have the opportunity, it may not be our turn."

"It's less about choosing a location and more about choosing a person: whether to trust Brother Fan or not."

After hearing what he said, the two looked at each other and said, "It seems like we don't need to choose. Brother Fan has always treated us to a life of luxury."

......

On the other side, Chen Yunfan was led into the China Film Group by Tian Qiwen.

When he contacted Chow Sing-ch's company, he was told that he had come to China Film Group. His first thought was that they were there to discuss investment in "CJ7".

This film was indeed invested in by China Film Group, and the producer was none other than Han Sanping, the famous "Mountain Eagle" of the film industry and the old chairman of China Film Group.

Zhou Xingci originally wanted to cast Feng Xiaogang as the male lead, but he was unavailable, so he approached Ge You instead. In the end, it was Han Sanping who persuaded Zhou Xingci to take the role.

What you think about, you encounter; Chen Yunfan had just reached the conference room door when he heard the sounds coming from inside.

"Feng Xiaogang as the lead actor? No way, no way, no way, his image is too bad."

"Director Zhou, it would be better if you took the role. The audience has a better understanding of you. Feng Xiaogang's image is only good for a supporting role. If he had a cameo role like in 'Kung Fu Hustle,' the effect would be better."

"I've never been a father, so I can't act well."

Just as Zhou Xingci finished speaking, Chen Yunfan and Tian Qiwen knocked and entered. He immediately changed the subject, "Handsome, you finished writing so quickly? You're not just going through the motions, are you?"

"Whether it's perfunctory or not, you'll know once you've seen it." Chen Yunfan didn't explain much and handed the script directly to Zhou Xingci.

He originally wanted to drag it out for two or three days, but who knows if Zhou Xingci would change his mind again? It's better to just get rid of him sooner rather than later.

Han Sanping, the current vice chairman of China Film Group, asked curiously, "What are you looking at?"

"The script! Mr. Han, let's talk about it later." Zhou Xingci sat down to the side with the script in his hand.

Han Sanping became interested and sat down next to Zhou Xingci to watch it together.

The plot of "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" can be summarized in one sentence: the story that Sun Wukong and the little boy had to tell.

To elaborate, it tells the story of a little boy who accidentally released Sun Wukong, who hadn't been imprisoned for 500 years. Although it was earlier than expected, Sun Wukong's powers weren't fully unsealed. On the way to unseal his powers, Sun Wukong was entangled by the little boy.

As Zhou Xingci read the script, a sentence popped into his mind: "I played a song that broke my heart, and finally, the person who understands me has appeared!"

The script for "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" found a kindred spirit in Stephen Chow.

The Monkey King in the film reminded me of the character in "A Chinese Odyssey." Both are so unruly and frustrated, and both have a talkative Tang Sanzang by their side, one an old talkative one and the other a young talkative one, both so annoying.

The difference is that in "A Chinese Odyssey," Sun Wukong ultimately compromises and abandons his original intentions, while in "Monkey King: Hero Is Back," Sun Wukong ultimately finds redemption and rediscovers his original aspirations.

After reading the script, Zhou Xingci sighed and looked at Chen Yunfan. "Interesting. 'A Chinese Odyssey' talks about Sun Wukong's past life, so your 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' should be about Tang Sanzang's past life, right?"

Even if there is no written explanation that he was Tang Sanzang's previous incarnation, his various deeds show that he was Tang Sanzang's previous incarnation.

"Compared to the regret I felt at the end of 'A Chinese Odyssey,' the liberation of Sun Wukong in 'Monkey King: Hero Is Back' gave me a sense of release."

"but....."

Okay! It's the same old trick again.

Before Zhou Xingci could say anything, Chen Yunfan threw out another contract, "So, do you want to collaborate?"