I'm conquering Hong Kong entertainment with two billion US dollars.

Chapter 65 The Three Kingdoms: Red Cliffs, a 5 Million Investment

Time flew by and it was already afternoon. Lin Dong came downstairs with a smile. Just now, he had thought of the first movie he wanted to invest in.

The Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff

Rather than letting someone with the surname Wu ruin it later, it's better to develop it now.

Of course, he only had a preliminary idea, but that's okay. He'll talk to Han Sanping about it later. There are also some people he needs to help invite.

"Lin Sheng".

Lin Dong looked up and saw Han Sanping leading Yu Dong over.

"President Han, this must be Section Chief Yu. Come on, let's go inside and have a drink and chat." Lin Dong gestured for him to enter.

Then he walked into the tea garden through the door that A-Qiang had opened.

There was no one else inside; it was quiet and elegant. After Lin Dong sat down, he gestured for Han Sanping and the others to sit down as well, and then began to brew tea in his usual familiar way.

For a moment no one spoke, except for the occasional soft clinking of teacups.

"President Han, Section Chief Yu, have some tea." Lin Dong busied himself for a while and poured a cup for each of them.

Han Sanping smiled as he picked up the teacup and slowly sipped it. Only after finishing the first cup did he speak: "Lin Sheng, I've brought the person to you today."

Xiao Yu, Yu Dong. The youngest deputy section chief at our Beijing Film Studio, and also, in my opinion, the most brilliant and daring person I've ever met in the distribution industry.

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping between Yu Dong and Lin Dong, before continuing, "I've given him a rough outline of your plan. If he didn't find it interesting, he wouldn't be sitting here today."

But how exactly you two cooperate is your business. I'll just have a cup of tea today and act as your witness.

These words were tantamount to him endorsing Yu Dong's abilities, but at the same time, he quickly handed the stage over to the two of them.

Lin Dong smiled, nodded to Han Sanping, looked at Yu Dong, whose expression was calm, raised his teacup to him, and then said, "Section Chief Yu, I've heard so much about you. I admire Han Sanping's judgment; the fact that he made an exception to promote you already proves your ability."

Then Lin Dong put down his teacup and began to pose the test question: "My thoughts... Third Master may have given a general direction. Let me be frank:"

My company in Hong Kong is my foundation, but for the next ten years, the heart of Chinese cinema will definitely be in Beijing.

What I want to do is not to open an office, but to create a new hub that connects Hong Kong production, capital, and the mainland market and talent.

I need someone who not only understands distribution, but also understands people's hearts and the rules of the game in this land.

Now I'd like to hear, if this dock were handed over to you, how would you draw your first blueprint?

Yu Dong listened quietly, his eyes growing brighter and his confidence increasing until Lin Dong finished speaking. By then, he was like a cheetah ready to pounce.

"President Lin, my idea is very simple, just three points." He held up three fingers.

"First, we can't have Hong Kong films going north," we must have Hong Kong films for domestic use. We shouldn't be producing police and gangster films; we should start with co-productions of martial arts films and large-scale historical dramas. The subject matter is safe, the scenes are visually appealing, and these are also our "stepping stones" to passing censorship."

Yu Dong looked carefully into Lin Dong's eyes, making sure he was thinking seriously before extending his second finger.

"Secondly, distribution cannot rely solely on relationships; a ground force must be built." I've had drinks with managers from companies in various provinces and cities across the country, and I'm well aware of their situation—a lack of unified management, where whoever offers the highest price gets their film released.

Under these rules, even the best films will face bottlenecks at the local level. Therefore, we must establish our own distribution network in every province to truly become our own artery.

"Oh, that's interesting." Lin Dong's eyes lit up, and he nodded in agreement with his idea.

Yu Dong's eyes lit up even more. "Third, and most importantly, we must have our own people." Not just hiring a few actors, but supporting mainland directors, using our funds and technology to make mainland stories. The future Feng Xiaogangs and Zhang Yimous won't fall from the sky."

"Clap clap clap!"

Lin Dong couldn't help but applaud. Yu Dong was truly sharp and had a completely different personality from Chen Xinjian, but entrusting the mainland subsidiary to him was exactly the most suitable thing for him.

Just then, Han Sanping picked up the teapot and refilled each of the three people's teacups, then smiled and said, "Lin Sheng, how's it going? Is this brain enough?"

Lin Dong smiled and drank the tea in one gulp, then stood up and extended his hand to Yu Dong: "Mr. Yu, welcome aboard."

Yu Dong stood up. Even though he had imagined it many times in his mind, he still couldn't hide his excitement at this moment. However, this excitement only lasted for a short while before he suppressed it.

"President Lin, I won't let you down."

Lin Dong released his hand and sat down again. "Chen Xinjian has prepared the necessary documents and funds for the registration of Tengda Film Industry (BJ) Co., Ltd., and will hand it over to you, President Yu, afterward."

Han Sanping said from the side, "I'll have someone keep an eye on the registration; it should be done soon."

Yu Dong nodded and noted down Chen Xinjian's contact information from Lin Dong.

Lin Dong then picked up the teapot and refilled the cups of the three people. Then, as if they were having a chat, he talked about his plans.

"As Mr. Yu just said, martial arts and historical dramas are the two themes that are the stepping stones and the first step for us to gain a foothold in the mainland. But to gain a foothold, the first step cannot be small."

He picked up his teacup and blew on the steam rising from the rim. "I'm planning to make a big-budget film, 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff.' The planned investment is 500 million."

Han Sanping couldn't help but tremble when he picked up his teacup. He looked up at Lin Dong, wondering if he was joking.

It's worth noting that the most expensive film in mainland China right now is the recently completed "The Emperor and the Assassin," which only cost 7000 million yuan.

5 million, that's enough to make 7 movies.

Even with Han Sanping's composure, he couldn't help but want to curse at this moment.

Yu Dong was completely stunned.

Good news, the boss is very wealthy, but perhaps a little too wealthy.

The highest-grossing film in China right now, *Titanic*, has only grossed a little over 3 million yuan, and its annual box office is roughly 10 billion yuan. These 5...

The cost of 100 million —

"Mr. Lin," Han Sanping put down his teacup, his voice noticeably slower than before, "Five hundred million, are you serious?"

Lin Dong shrugged, his tone casual, "Of course it's true."

Then, as if remembering something, he quickly explained, "Part of it will be used for filming and production, and the other part I plan to build a Three Kingdoms film and television city. It will be a real set, and it won't be dismantled after filming. It will continue to operate for tourism and film crew rentals. The location of the film and television city will be handled by General Manager Yu. He will report back to me after the preliminary research is completed."

Yu Dong raised his head, swallowed hard, and nodded with difficulty.

Then Lin Dong looked at Han Sanping. "President Han, if Beijing Film Studio is interested, we can offer our production rights, policies, and manpower as collateral. I'll give you a 15% share of this film; you won't have to pay a single penny."

At this time, the studio logo became a rigid standard. Only by affiliating with a state-owned film studio could one obtain it. In addition, with some other hidden resources, giving Beijing Film Studio 15% was a must.

Han Sanping would not refuse, nor would he have any reason to refuse. He put down his teacup and said decisively, "This gift will be accepted by the Beijing Film Studio."

At this moment, Yu Dong remembered something and asked, "Who is the director of the project? Do we have a script?"

"Not yet. So we need to find someone." Lin Dong leaned back in his chair. "Zhang Shaolin, the director of the TV series 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'."

Han Sanping frowned. Zhang Shaolin's ability was beyond doubt, but he was a TV series director and had never tried producing films. Could he handle it?

Given his status and relationship with Lin Dong, he didn't need to hold back and asked directly.

"I've read 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' it's a classic. The fact that they could adapt it into a TV series proves that the director has exceptional directing skills. And a subject like the Three Kingdoms requires this kind of ability to manage large-scale scenes."

I also heard that he just finished filming "Water Margin", so I assume he should be available at this time.

"The problem might be with the rhythm—"

Han Sanping didn't finish his sentence, but Lin Dong understood what he meant and said directly, "Then just pair him with a suitable assistant director."

Han Sanping considered it for a long time, wanting to recommend Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou, but in the end he didn't say it and just nodded.

"I'll contact Zhang Shaolin; he should be interested."

Lin Dong nodded, raised his teacup, and said, "Then let's use tea instead of wine to wish each other a pleasant cooperation."

"It's a pleasure working with you!"