Back to 17, My Brother is the Cult Leader

Fang Yuan and Feng Xiaogang have no personal relationship.

The collaboration between "Be There or Be Square" and "Endless Love" was purely a working relationship.

The two met a few times on set and had a few script meetings, but they never had a meal or drank alcohol together privately.

Feng Xiaogang is more than 20 years older than him, and they are from different circles. They can cooperate at work, but they are not close.

Fang Yuan didn't care about the previous unpleasantness.

He had a very clear understanding of Feng Xiaogang's role: he was simply a director.

Han Sanping glanced around to make sure everyone was there, cleared his throat, and began to speak.

"Alright, let's begin. I've invited everyone here today for the project 'Big Shot'."

The success of the first two films, "Be There or Be Square" and "Endless Love," has been evident. The goal for the third installment is to climb higher—increase the budget, expand the market, and aim for even greater box office success.

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the people present.

Regarding investments, the current situation is as follows.

China Film Group will contribute 20 million, Huayi Brothers will contribute 20 million, and Emperor Entertainment Group will contribute 10 million. The total investment is 50 million.

Director Feng, could you please share your thoughts on this film?

Feng Xiaogang leaned forward slightly and opened the folder.

"The box office performance of 'Endless' did not meet expectations."

Feng Xiaogang got straight to the point, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Forty million, I was actually aiming for fifty million. It's not that the film is bad, it's that the scope wasn't broad enough."

This time we have to go big and go for the international market.

He glanced at Fang Yuan, then at Wang Zhongjun.

"I've been in contact with Columbia Pictures, and they're interested in this project."

My idea is to cast a veteran Hollywood actor as the male lead and a Hong Kong or Taiwan actress with international influence as the female lead.

This time, we can't afford to use a small-scale lineup; we must play our international card.

Upon hearing this, Fang Yuan picked up his water glass, took a sip, and remained silent.

When making "Endless Love", Feng Xiaogang wanted to use actors from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Fang Yuan rejected the idea. His reasoning was simple: the character's emotional core is too closely related to the actor's performance habits. If you cast an actress who can't even speak fluent Mandarin, how can you expect the audience to believe that she has lived in Beijing for over a decade?

In the end, Li Xinyu was chosen. The film grossed 40 million yuan, which wasn't bad for a domestic film at the time, but Feng Xiaogang himself was not satisfied.

He attributed the box office failure to meet expectations to "not having a broad perspective," rather than other creative issues.

Now with "Big Shot's Funeral," the same approach is back.

Moreover, this time it's not just a matter of using one Hong Kong or Taiwanese actor; the male lead has to be from Hollywood, and the female lead has to be from Hong Kong or Taiwan—a complete international cast.

Is Feng Xiaogang's idea a judgment on the creative process itself, or an overcompensation for the box office underperformance of "Endless Love"?

After listening to Feng Xiaogang's words, Han Sanping did not respond directly. He looked at Wang Zhongjun.

"General, what's your opinion?"

Wang Zhongjun leaned back in his chair, his hands crossed on the table.

He spoke slowly, each sentence seemingly weighed in his mind before being uttered.

"Huayi invested in this film, of course hoping it would make money."

Using an international cast increases the likelihood of overseas distribution, and this logic is sound.

Emperor Entertainment has better resources in this area than we do, Mr. Lin, what do you think?

Mr. Lin, the general manager of Emperor Group, took over the conversation, his tone more direct than Wang Zhongjun's.

Emperor Entertainment has distribution networks in Southeast Asia and North America.

If Hong Kong or Taiwanese actresses are cast as the female lead, the Southeast Asian market will be much more accepting.

If the male lead can be from Hollywood, it will be easier to negotiate the pre-sale rights in the North American market.

We are willing to invest resources in this project, but only if the lineup has international influence.

Without international influence, overseas distribution is just empty talk.

After listening to these remarks, Fang Yuan had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

Huayi Brothers and Emperor Entertainment share the same goal—to open up overseas markets with an international lineup.

Whether the cast matches the script, the characters, and the local context of Beijing is not their primary concern.

Their logic is simple: an international lineup equals international influence, and international influence equals overseas revenue.

Whether this logic holds true in practice is neither their concern nor their responsibility—they are only responsible for providing the money; if the project loses, it's the project's loss, and if it makes a profit, it's their profit.

Han Sanping turned his gaze to Fang Yuan.

"Fang Yuan, you're the screenwriter, what are your thoughts on casting?"

Fang Yuan put down his water glass and spoke.

He spoke slowly and softly, but every word was clear.

My idea is very simple.

I don't object in principle to using a Hollywood male lead this time, because the role of that foreign director really needs a foreigner to play it.

The character's foreign identity is one source of humor—a renowned foreign director caught up in commercial interests in China; this contrast itself is inherently comedic. But what about the female lead?

He paused for a moment and looked at Feng Xiaogang.

"The female protagonist is a Chinese woman living in Beijing. Her language, her behavior, and her emotional logic are all based on the local culture of Beijing."

If you cast a Hong Kong or Taiwanese actress who can't even speak fluent Mandarin, how can the audience believe she's someone who grew up in that environment? The experiences of "Be There or Be Square" and "Endless Love" are there for all to see; I don't understand why we're still arguing about this issue in the third installment.

Feng Xiaogang tapped his finger on the table.

"This time is different." His tone was somewhat harsh, as if he were suppressing some emotion.

"This time the male lead is from Hollywood, so the overall tone of the film is international."

How can you pair a mainland Chinese actor with veteran Hollywood actors?

The right aura. Li Xinyu is a good actress, but her presence can't carry off this international production.

"The wrong aura can't be solved by using actors from Hong Kong and Taiwan."

Fang Yuan's tone remained unchanged, still the same tone that neither argued nor backed down.

"If you cast a Hong Kong or Taiwanese actress alongside a Hollywood actor, and their acting styles are different and they don't even speak the same language, do you think that's the right chemistry? Rosamund Kwan and Maggie Cheung are both good actresses, but there are limits to the roles they can be suited for."

If you force a Hong Kong or Taiwanese actor into a Beijing story, the audience will experience a persistent and unavoidable sense of disconnect. This feeling won't disappear just because she's a big star.

Feng Xiaogang didn't speak, but his expression showed that he disagreed with this assessment.

Han Sanping coughed, bringing the topic back on track.

"We'll discuss the casting later; let's finalize the investment structure today."

He looked at Fang Yuan and said, "Fang Yuan, you were an investor in the first two films, and you'll be an investor in this one too."

How should your share be calculated? Tell me your thoughts.

The meeting room fell silent.