Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 162 Similar in form and spirit

Casting is an art, but it's also a business.

A business about human relationships, capital, and the power struggle.

Ren Pingsheng knew very well that a project with an investment of over 100 million yuan would inevitably have several investors behind it, and each investor would be involved in a complex network of interests.

It's perfectly normal for a shareholder to want to add a relative to their company today, or for a platform to want to promote an artist tomorrow.

Fortunately, the plot of "Ghost Blows Out the Light" was relatively clean.

The largest investor is Shengping himself, who wields considerable influence.

Zhang Chaoyang is a veteran on the battlefield; he can do whatever he wants by being straightforward and doesn't bother with all these roundabout methods.

China Film Group's talent agency will not be established until next year. Han Sanping is currently more focused on the political achievements and industry influence of the project itself, and will not lower himself for the sake of individual actors.

Baidu and iQiyi are even less relevant; Li Yanhong and Gong Yu don't even hire spokespeople, and their ties to the entertainment industry are not as deep as Sohu's.

As for Wang Caixia's dreamers, she was all alone.

But this doesn't mean that some people won't reach out through other channels.

Ren Pingsheng's phone rang; the caller ID showed Wang Sicong.

"Hey, Lao Ren, busy?" The voice on the other end of the phone had a touch of cynicism.

"It's alright. Mr. Wang, what advice do you have?"

"Nothing, just asking," Wang Sicong rambled on, "Let me tell you, I've read a few books recently, and they're absolutely terrible. Our 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' is much more reliable."

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Ren Pingsheng smiled and agreed, but he didn't fall for it. He knew that Wang Sicong's call was definitely not just for casual conversation.

Sure enough, after stammering for a while, he finally couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Um... Lao Ren, I want to ask you something."

"explain."

"How's the casting for our 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' series?"

"I've just started thinking about it. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Well... it's not that I wanted to recommend it," Wang Sicong said, sounding a little awkward. "It's just that an elder asked me to inquire about a young girl in his family who has just debuted."

"Who?"

"Jing Tian".

After hanging up the phone, Ren Pingsheng couldn't help but sigh.

As expected of a flower of wealth and honor in this world, though late, it has arrived.

His lips twitched, his expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Any normal director or producer would be extremely unhappy to hear that a newcomer with questionable acting skills is going to be crammed into their painstakingly crafted project.

If they knew that this newcomer was someone who would never become famous no matter how much they tried to promote him, they probably would have flipped the table on the spot.

Ren Pingsheng, however, did not think Jing Tian was a burden, provided that you don't let her play the lead role.

Judging by the timeline, she should be filming "The Warring States" right now, a film that will be recorded in Chinese film history as a negative example to warn future generations.

To outsiders, it was a massive flop that cost 150 million yuan, brought in big names like Sun Honglei, Kim Hee-sun, and Wu Zhenyu to promote it, but ultimately only grossed a little over 70 million yuan at the box office.

But Ren Pingsheng saw something else entirely.

This film, which openly promotes its stars, not only boasts an unusually large investment, but also has the backing of state-owned enterprises in Chang'an City. Furthermore, Shaanxi Province has issued relevant policies this year to promote the prosperity and development of the film industry.

Years later, when she was filming "Police Story 2013" with Brother Chenglong, she received strong support from GAB.

Tell me, is this force powerful or not?

The "Ghost Blows Out the Light" project involves traversing mountains and valleys to enter protected areas, or venturing into the depths of the earth and touching red lines. No one can say for sure how many local coordination issues will be encountered during filming, or how much permission and support from official units will be needed.

With such a respected figure enshrined on set, many things that would normally require running around and talking until your lips are sore can be resolved with just a phone call.

The question is, which role would suit her best?

There are only a handful of named female characters in "Candle in the Tomb".

Shirley Yang?

Impossible. This character is one of the core trio; there can be absolutely no mistakes.

It seems that only Ye Yixin, a student in the archaeological team, remains.

This role suits her image as a pure and innocent student; the amount of screen time is just right, and it doesn't require overly complex acting skills.

But Ye Yixin will die.

Would her "boss" agree to let Ms. Jing die in the first season of an epic production that has lasted for several years?

Ren Pingsheng shook his head. Forget it, there's no rush. Let's meet him and sound him out first.

The most urgent task is to first determine the truly important roles.

He picked up a pen and wrote down a few names on the paper.

Professor Chen, Yang Xinming.

An Liman, Wang Yongquan.

Hao Aiguo, Feng Hui.

These are all supporting actors from Jin Dong's previous version of "Candle in the Tomb," and they are also considered divine casting choices by countless fans of the original work.

This makes one admire Noon Sunshine's sharp eye; they always manage to find the most suitable veteran actors for their roles.

The refined and stubborn scholarly air of Professor Yang Xinming, the cunning yet trustworthy old fox charm of Professor Wang Yongquan, and the straightforward and impetuous intellectual temperament of Professor Feng Hui are almost irreplaceable.

Since there is a perfect answer available, Ren Pingsheng has no reason not to use it.

As for the other members of the archaeological team and the village cadres of Ganggangyingzi Village, these can be selected gradually after the production team is assembled.

Ren Pingsheng pondered for a moment, then wrote Xia Yu's name on the back of the gold tooth.

With his fluent Beijing accent, he perfectly captured the shrewdness, cunning, mercenary yet timid nature of the merchants in Panjiayuan.

Every gesture and movement exudes the air of a seasoned antique dealer from old Beijing; his appearance, demeanor, and tone are a perfect recreation of the original character, a testament to his past life as the actor who played the role in "Mojin: The Lost Legend."

The big gold tooth has almost zero negative reviews.

This is one of the reasons why he specifically chose Xia Yu to play the role in "Li Xianji" – it was to bring this big shot into the camp of the TV series in advance, a plan that had been in place for a long time.

But what really gave him a headache were those three names that hung over everyone else.

Hu Bayi, Wang Kaixuan, Shirley Yang.

These three individuals are the cornerstone of the entire "Tomb Raider Universe," and their success or failure directly determines the fate of the entire series.

Moreover, Ren Pingsheng's plan is that the TV series and the movie version must use the same cast.

This means that once selected, actors must sign a long-term contract for at least four seasons of a TV series plus one movie, with a contract period of four to five years.

This means that more factors must be considered when selecting actors.

The age cannot be too old, and the appearance cannot change too much in the next four or five years.

The schedule needs to be flexible enough to accommodate the long-term filming schedule of the production crew.

Most importantly, they must resemble the original characters in appearance and in acting, and the three of them must have a real chemistry when they get together, so that the audience can believe that they are an iron triangle who can entrust their lives to each other in the tomb.

Ren Pingsheng mentally reviewed each of the previous versions of the "Iron Triangle".