Reborn in the Entertainment Industry: This Top Star Has Real Achievements

Li Xiang naturally couldn't accept this, so he quickly replied.

"Please don't wrong me, I didn't insult you, I was just telling the truth. After all, there are some things I'll say that others won't say, right?"

"Right? What a load of rubbish!" Zhang Yimou was momentarily speechless, choked by the words.

He naturally understood the reasoning behind it, and Li Xiang's starting point was indeed for his own benefit.

Ultimately, he was the one who went looking for trouble. The two people were chatting in the private room, and he was the one who took the initiative to come over and listen to their ideas, which is why he got beaten up for no reason.

But who is he? He's Zhang Yimou.

When has anyone ever criticized me like this? And yet, I can't find any fault with it. All of Li Xiang's statements are aimed at avoiding risks for himself.

He no longer wanted to argue about right and wrong; he just wanted to leave the private room as soon as possible.

But to just get up and leave like that, it seemed like he was left speechless after being confronted by Li Xiang, and slunk away.

I had no choice but to bite the bullet and force the conversation back to the main topic.

"I know you mean well, and I'm not blaming you. But since you've already scolded me, you have to come up with a solution for me."

"Since Legendary has its own agenda, I'll reject them all."

"Why cancel everything?" Li Xiang immediately replied.

"I think 'The Qin Dynasty' is great. Aren't they going to co-produce a film?"

"Give them the perspective of a merchant from the Western Regions, so that their characters can interact with big merchants like Lü Buwei."

"It not only gives foreign characters roles to the production team, but also allows the audience to witness the rise of the Qin Empire step by step through the eyes of outsiders."

"The best part is that we could even create a character similar to Xu Fu..."

"Seeing the Qin Dynasty's growing power, these merchants grew fearful, dreading that the First Emperor's iron hooves would one day sweep across their homeland."

"So they started having crooked ideas. They could add all sorts of plot points, like elixirs of immortality or secret treasure keys, and that would be the best of both worlds."

"We can't have outsiders always playing the savior, can we?"

The previous film, "The Great Wall," depicted foreigners coming to save China, but this one directly turns into foreigners using conspiracies and tricks to harm the First Emperor.

This is jumping directly from one extreme to another; it's amazing he could even come up with such a thing.

"But can Legendary accept such changes?" Zhang Yimou, having little contact with foreigners, wasn't very confident.

"Tell them that no director dares to take on the 'Great Wall' project. To put it bluntly, the film will have difficulty even getting approved for release."

"They still don't understand the rules in China. If they really can't reach an agreement, I'll just give them a heads-up and shut down this damn project."

"As for 'The Qin Dynasty,' co-productions that want to retain foreign characters have no choice but to handle it this way, and besides, this direction itself is in line with historical logic."

"Just tell them directly that the First Emperor himself attracts a lot of attention. Whether it's the Great Wall or the Terracotta Army, they have always been must-see items for foreigners visiting China."

"This emperor, whose fame is off the charts, is no nobody. Even if he doesn't do co-productions, he has no worries about overseas screenings and box office revenue."

"And from their Western perspective, isn't it tantamount to personally orchestrating the downfall of a great ruler?"

"Although their methods are not exactly honorable, they are not clean to begin with. Don't worry, these people are thick-skinned and won't mind this."

Whether they mind or not, Zhang Yimou doesn't know.

He himself would very much like to film it if the plot were changed like that.

Not only him, but even Uncle Wang, who had been silent all along, was somewhat tempted.

That was the First Emperor, the First Dragon.

In ten years, six kingdoms were destroyed, and the Central Plains were pacified with iron and blood.

The fierce battle at Hangu Pass, the decisive flooding of Daliang, and the stark white bones of the Battle of Changping—there are countless materials that could be adapted for the screen.

There were also the unification of the country, the standardization of writing, the standardization of cart tracks, the standardization of weights and measures, the northern expedition against the Xiongnu, the construction of the Epang Palace, and the Great Wall.

Thus, he unified the world, but his achievements and failures were extreme.

This concept is on a completely different level compared to the monster movie "The Great Wall".

If the ending of Dune were added, with the emperor returning to the underworld for eternity, it would have a real chance to become a classic in film history, or even be recorded in history books.

Then, Zhang Yimou came to his senses and frowned.

"But such a massive story cannot be contained in a single film."

"It's not all our own money." Li Xiang then revealed his fangs.

"Splitting it into three parts is just right. In the first two parts, all the foreign characters were portrayed as law-abiding good guys, but in the third part..."

"But by then, the main framework of the entire story will have been fixed, and they won't be able to change it at will."

"Of course, that depends on how you manage to fool them, Uncle."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yimou sneered, "You came up with all the ideas, and now you want to walk away? Let me tell you, no way."

"I've heard that you have a very good personal relationship with that legendary CEO."

Seeing that Zhang Yimou still wanted to drag him into the mess, Li Xiang didn't take it seriously.

If this epic production could actually be filmed, it would be considered a rewriting of history in the realm of film and television.

His current passion is rewriting history to prove that this is not just a pipe dream, let alone something meaningful like this.

And only now, at this opportune moment, is there a chance to make this movie.

Compared to the tens of thousands of dollars spent on special effects per second, the current cost of human and material resources in China is still relatively cost-effective.

In a few years, with prices soaring across the board, a large amount of this overseas hot money from Hollywood will withdraw from the domestic market.

By then, there won't be any domestic capital left that would dare to invest billions to manage such a three-part project.

Thinking of this, he laughed heartily and nodded readily.

"Sure, whatever you like. Just mention my name during the negotiations, and have Tuer contact me directly if there are any problems."

Li Xiang could also see that this person was truly serious, so he decided not to blame him for putting more pressure on him.

"But Uncle, you'd better hurry..."

"As far as I know, that big director who drove MGM into bankruptcy is also preparing a blockbuster, and the company is the main investor in it."

"If you want to have enough say in a new project, you have to get the project done first."

If a large portion of the company's budget is allocated to him, you'll be in a very passive position...

Zhang Yimou had never heard of this before, and his expression instantly tightened.

If his own company pours a lot of money into other directors, then what does he, as a signed director, even mean?

"true?"

"Of course it's true. It's a two-part series, with a total investment of at least three or four hundred million. It's no small matter."

Li Xiang continued to fan the flames: "As you know, market value is one thing, but Huace can't come up with a second sum of real money of this magnitude."

Zhang Yimou instantly understood Li Xiang's meaning, put aside his other thoughts, and nodded immediately.

"Okay, I'll slowly start spreading the word over the next few days."