Huayu: King of Kung Fu

Chapter 130: To accept or not to accept?

"Director Zhang, we meet again!" Lin Hu said with a smile as he shook hands with Zhang Yimou.

Zhang Yimou laughed and said, "Yes, the last time we met was at the Golden Rooster Awards. Congratulations on the box office success of your film, 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'!"

Lin Hu humbly replied, "Thank you!"

"The Legend of the Condor Heroes" outperformed Chen Long's "The Accidental Spy" at the mainland box office. Although it didn't have the same explosive success as "Ong-Bak 2", it was still guaranteed to break 100 million yuan.

Hong Kong's version is on par with "The Accidental Spy" and surpasses "Chung Mo-Yin"; Taiwan's version is inferior to "The Accidental Spy".

The films performed exceptionally well across Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, generating substantial profits for the film distributors who were very satisfied and urged Lin Hu to quickly begin filming new movies.

Two other people came with Zhang Yimou, and Zhang Yimou introduced them to Lin Hu.

"This is Mr. Jiang Zhiqiang of Edko Films in Hong Kong!"

"Boss Jiang, I've heard so much about you!"

"Brother Tai, we're finally together!"

"I wouldn't dare accept that title. You can just call me Ah Hu!"

"Everyone calls you Brother Tai, and I feel really close to you."

Jiang Zhiqiang ran a cinema in Hong Kong in his early years and frequently traveled around the world to buy films for screening in Hong Kong, so he had a great understanding of film markets around the world.

Later, he devoted himself to film production. The film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" made him famous. From then on, he was unstoppable and invested in many Chinese blockbusters. He is known as the biggest driving force for Chinese-language films to go global after the millennium.

"This is Mr. Zhang Weiping, the General Manager of New Pictures!"

"Hello, Mr. Zhang!"

Lin Hu shook hands with Zhang Weiping in a perfunctory manner.

Lin Hu disliked Zhang Weiping very much, thinking he was a complete idiot.

In the original timeline, Lin Hu watched a very bizarre interview in the documentary "The Flowers of War".

Zhang Weiping, speaking to the camera with great sorrow, said, "If the scene between Ni Ni and Bale hadn't included a bed scene, I would have felt it was a letdown. All the emotions from before were on the tip of my tongue, and to end it so abruptly would definitely disappoint the audience. I repeatedly suggested to Zhang Yimou that he talk to Bale again, and it was only with great difficulty that I finally persuaded him—"

Zhang Yimou and Bale both felt it was unnecessary to film a bed scene. Ni Ni was a newcomer and had no say, so she could only follow the arrangements.

Later, the sex scene was still filmed. After filming, Zhang Weiping felt that this was a big deal and that it needed to be hyped up.

He then had Ni Ni write an essay, which was then submitted to the news media for publication.

The title of this essay is: "Me and Bale filming a bed scene".

Smash him, damn it!

The three of them met with Lin Hu together, and they seemed quite serious about it.

Jiang Zhiqiang spoke first: "Brother Tai, your Western film 'Fast & Furious' was excellent, and the distributors responded very enthusiastically."

The Fast and the Furious franchise has been completed, held a test screening, and received a very positive response. It will be released in June this year.

Lin Hu was busy promoting "The Legend of the Martial Arts" and did not attend the test screening. He will only appear before the official release.

Lin Hu said "Oh," and then asked, "Has Mr. Jiang already seen it?"

Jiang Zhiqiang laughed and said, "I've been buying films from Europe and America for years to release in Hong Kong. 'Fast & Furious' is Brother Tai's first Western film, how could I miss it?"

"I've been buying movies from Europe and America for years and releasing them in Hong Kong, so I consider myself to have a good eye for talent."

"Tai's movie is excellent and will definitely be a big hit. I have already purchased the rights and plan to release it simultaneously with North America."

-

"Thanks for your patronage!"

After listening to Jiang Zhiqiang's words, Lin Hu understood why they had come to him instead of Li Lianjie.

He burst onto the scene and is currently enjoying immense popularity. He is at the height of his fame in the Chinese-speaking world, and new films are being released continuously in North America. His box office appeal has already surpassed that of Jet Li.

After chatting with Lin Hu for a while, the three of them took out the script for "Hero" and formally invited Lin Hu to play the male lead, Nameless.

Lin Hu did not agree immediately, but instead picked up the script and started reading.

Later generations generally believe that "Hero" is a copy of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

not quite!

Because "Hero" was initiated two years earlier than "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

The movie "Hero" was first conceived in 96, and at the time, they wanted to cast Chen Long in the role.

After reading the script, Chen Long felt that the plot was too complicated and the theme too profound, which did not match his usual lighthearted and humorous style, so he withdrew from the role.

Later, Zhang Yimou revised the script, turning it into a story about an elderly swordsman, and invited his idol, Japanese actor Ken Takakura, to star in it.

To avoid the issue of Ken Takakura not being able to speak Chinese, Zhang Yimou also made the swordsman a mute, named Wuyu (meaning "speechless").

When he met Qin Shi Huang, he didn't need to speak at all. Instead, he communicated by writing on a sand table with the tip of his sword. All his emotions and requests were conveyed through gestures, eye contact, and calligraphy.

After reading the script, Ken Takakura said, "Zhang Yimou, this isn't the kind of movie I want to act in. I'm not working with you just to make a film; I want to portray the genuine and delicate emotions between people. I have no interest in these kinds of martial arts blockbusters that are full of fighting and grand scenes."

Years later, in order to fulfill his long-cherished wish to collaborate with Ken Takakura, Zhang Yimou specially tailored a film for him called "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles".

After Ken Takakura refused to star in "Hero", Zhang Yimou revised the script again, changing the old swordsman Wuyu to the young swordsman Wuming, who practiced swordsmanship for ten years, just to kill Qin Shi Huang with one blow.

At this point, the movie becomes a very small story, with a relatively simple setting and not as many flashy fight scenes.

Zhang Yimou plans to make it into a low-budget art film.

But just as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was a huge success and the box office exploded, Jiang Zhiqiang, after reading the script for "Hero", felt that it should be developed into a major international blockbuster.

So they brought in the biggest stars in the Chinese film industry to star in the film, and the investment reached 3000 million US dollars, turning the art film into a commercial blockbuster.

In this timeline, the only change is that Lin Hu's sudden emergence has made him the first choice to play the role of Nameless.

After reading the script for "Hero", Lin Hu discovered that it was very different from the movie version he had seen in his original timeline.

The story Lin Hu is reading now is not about Ying Zheng and Broken Sword discussing the world and peace, but rather about the art of imperial strategy.

In this script, Ying Zheng plays the role of Wuming throughout.

Ying Zheng sensed Wuming's murderous intent, so he went along with Wuming's words and used the names of "the world" and "peace" to deceive Wuming.

Finally, Ying Zheng turned his back and told Wuming to kill him, pretending to be generous, but actually he was panicking inside.

Just as Wuming was about to draw his sword, Ying Zheng suddenly said, "I have realized—the highest realm of swordsmanship is to have no sword in hand and no sword in heart, to have a broad mind that embraces everything. That is non-killing, that is peace!"

Nameless was fooled by Ying Zheng and gave up the assassination attempt.

As soon as Wuming walked out of the main hall, Ying Zheng immediately ordered Wuming to be killed. Screw your big heart, your all-encompassing, peace!

After the nameless man was riddled with bullets, the entire court erupted in laughter, shouting in unison, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on escaping death!"

The irony is off the charts!

Lin Hu thought the copyright was actually quite interesting, and wondered why Zhang Yimou gave it up.

Perhaps it's because playing it this way makes the main characters seem like complete idiots, which is a bit uncomfortable.

After receiving Zhang Yimou's call, Lin Hu knew it must be about the movie "Hero" and that he wanted to invite Zhang Yimou to star in it.

Because he is young, popular, and at the height of his fame, he is the perfect choice if Zhang Yimou wants to make a film for global distribution.

However, although he met with Zhang Yimou, he hadn't decided whether or not to take the role in this film.

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