Chapter 224 Returning to China

The moment "Pirate King" was completed, Wu Yuchen was really relieved. This is the most time-consuming movie he has ever made, and he invested a lot of energy in it. Even if he is a reborn person and has the original work from his previous life for reference, there are still many things that cannot be spared and time must be spent on what should be spent.

Wu Yuchen estimates that it will be easier when the time comes to shoot the sequel. On the one hand, the team already has a tacit understanding, and on the other hand, the props, boats, and scenery are all ready-made, which will greatly shorten the time. But then the troublesome part will not be the filming, but the actors, especially Depp, the actor who is not easy to play.

Wu Yuchen shook his head. He finally got it done and finally relieved a burden. Now he doesn't think about it so much.

But this time, after all, it is a 140 million big project, and he is cooperating with DreamWorks. DreamWorks has the majority of the investment, so it is not just because he thinks it is okay. He must also organize a movie viewing party and ask DreamWorks to give the nod. Just fine.

DreamWorks, in a small luxury movie theater, the three giants of DreamWorks such as Wu Yuchen and Spielberg all gathered here, sitting in the best viewing seats. Actors such as Depp, Uncle Wolf, Keira Knightley, etc. all sit further back. Although they are the leading actors, to be honest, they have no say at all in the post-production of the film. The ones who can make the decision are Wu Yuchen and Spielber. Ge et al.

Gasol is the boss of DreamWorks' publicity department, and today he was also called over by several bosses to watch a movie together. To be honest, he didn't have much expectations at the beginning. After all, pirate-themed movies are recognized as box office poison. In the past ten or twenty years, most pirate movies have lost money, and the best among them is his own boss Spear. Berg's "Captain Hook".

The reason why "Captain Hook" can achieve good results is, on the one hand, its luxurious lineup, Spielberg, Hollywood's first sister Julia Roberts, plus Robin Williams and Dustin Hough Well-known movie stars like Mann are very appealing in themselves; on the other hand, it is also because "Captain Hook" has a fan base. It is one of the Peter Pan series of movies, and Peter Pan is a classic IP character.

But look at this "Pirate King"?

Putting aside the director Wu Yuchen, the cast cannot be compared with "Captain Hook" at all, and this is an original story with no fan base at all. To be honest, if Wu Yuchen hadn't taken the initiative to declare war on "Pearl Harbor" this time and put two movies on the stage, Gasol would have had a headache how to promote "Pirate King".

But as the film unfolds, Gasol discovers that "Pirate King" has brought him many surprises, including the weird but not annoying pirate Jack, the passionate and handsome Will, the beautiful and persistent Elizabeth, the thrilling and intense Chases and fights at sea, elegant British fencing duels, skeleton pirates, weird gold coin curses...

The combination of these various elements turns out to be so interesting!

Yes, Gasol feels that this "Pirate King" is much more interesting than the pirate-themed movies he has seen before!

Especially when the Black Pearl appeared, he was completely amazed by the skeletons on the ship under the moonlight, and he was completely immersed in this fantasy adventure.

About two hours later, with Will and Elizabeth kissing and Captain Jack driving the Black Pearl sailing far into the sea, the film came to an end.

Before the lights in the theater came on, some people began to applaud, and some even cheered directly: "Unbelievable, an epic and very interesting pirate movie!"

Even the heroine Keira Knightley, who has never had much confidence in movies, was surprised after watching the movie. This was actually a movie she acted in? Can a pirate movie still produce such an effect?

Then she looked at Depp next to her. Unexpectedly, the guy who seemed to be effeminate and chatty when filming on the set turned out to be very charming when he was on the screen.

This filming process was actually very hard, and everyone was just filming without any special effects. It was difficult to imagine what it would look like with special effects. That’s why I was so surprised after watching the film for the first time. It turned out that this was something they shot. .

At this time, Spielberg also had a smile on his face, and at the same time he breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this is a big production worth 140 million yuan, and DreamWorks also invested 80 million yuan. Before seeing the movie, he was still a little uneasy. of.

But now, after watching the movie, from his perspective, he dare not say how high the box office will be, but he feels that at least he will not lose money.

"Wu, this is the most interesting pirate-themed movie I've ever seen!" Spielberg said to Wu Yuchen with a smile.

David Geffen, who was standing next to him, also joked: "Steven, "Pirate King" will definitely surpass your "Captain Hook", aren't you sad?"

Spielberg laughed and said: "Hahaha, I hope it can achieve double the results and leave "Captain Hook" far behind!"

Wu Yuchen heard the words and said with a smile: "Steven, you said this yourself~"

Spielberg smiled when he heard this. He was actually joking. After all, "Captain Hook" had a global box office of US$300 million. If it doubled, wouldn't it cost US$600 million? If "Pirate King" could have such a box office, he would laugh out of his dreams!

At this time, Katzenberg suddenly asked: "Will Captain Jack be controversial? I mean, he looks a bit like Mr. Jack."

Before Wu Yuchen could speak, David Geffen expressed his dissatisfaction: "Hey! Jeffrey, what do you mean? Are you discriminating against us?"

"David, can you please stop being so sensitive? I'm just doing business."

Katzenberg then said to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, I don't mean anything else. This movie is very interesting, but will this have any impact on us?"

Katzenberg has always been committed to animation, so he is very sensitive to these elements, because these are not allowed to appear in animated movies now, otherwise they will attract a lot of infamy for affecting the healthy growth of children.

Wu Yuchen smiled: "Jeffrey, I understand, but I think the problem shouldn't be big. Captain Jack is just a less traditional and informal pirate, but he is not gay, and his girlfriend will be mentioned later. "

Katzenberg nodded after hearing this, and then said with a smile: "Wu, it seems that you are really confident and have already figured out the plot of the sequel."

"Of course, Spielberg said that "Pirate King" can be twice as good as "Captain Hook", so I am naturally confident!"

But then, Wu Yuchen asked: "Steven, have you chosen the distribution channel?"

Spielberg nodded: "In a few days, I will invite people from Universal to come over to watch the film, and then discuss distribution issues. The channel fee should be 10%-12%. But Wu, I am sure that it really needs to be the same as "Pearl Harbor" Will it be released tomorrow? We don’t have to be like this..."

"Steven, this topic has been discussed for half a year now. If we get timid before fighting, we might as well not release it at all. The audience will laugh at us!"

Spielberg sighed and said nothing more. But now after watching the finished film of "Pirate King", he has gained some confidence that he might really be able to beat "Pearl Harbor".

Now that it was decided to compete with "Pearl Harbor", DreamWorks no longer hesitated and entangled, and directly contacted Universal as the distributor, announcing that the film would be released on May 25, 2001.

The reason why I chose this day is because Disney has previously announced that "Pearl Harbor" will be released in time for Memorial Day in 2001, which is May 25th. This is very important for the theme of "Pearl Harbor". It is a natural gimmick, and I also want to take advantage of people's gratitude to the martyrs during this festival to get them into the cinema.

Now that "Pearl Harbor" has been set, "Pirate King" will naturally be set on the same day. Of course, Universal is happy to take on this business and watch the fight between DreamWorks and Disney.

…

"Director Wu, I am very willing to work with you and look forward to it. There is just one problem. My joining the team may be later. As you know, I am very hopeful to compete for the Best Actor this year. I must try my best to win the Best Actor Award." Go~"

The person who was talking to Wu Yuchen in front of him was Russell Crowe, the leading actor of "Gladiator". Wu Yuchen and the producer Glazer, who was preparing "A Beautiful Mind", visited together, hoping that he could play the leading actor in "A Beautiful Mind".

But Russell Crowe is the favorite for this year's Oscars with "Gladiator". Naturally, he wants to go all out on public relations, and will not be able to join the cast until after the Oscars at the earliest.

Glazer and Wu Yuchen looked at each other: "Russell, please allow the two of us to discuss this."

Russell Crowe smiled and nodded, and then he and his agent went to another room first.

Glazer said: "Wu, what do you think, do you think there is enough time?"

Wu Yuchen was thinking carefully. In fact, if the second half of the year was included, there would be plenty of time. However, he also wants to return to China to shoot another Chinese film in the second half of this year, so he wants to finish the movie "Beautiful Mind" in the first half of this year.

Then he calculated the time when "Pirate King" would be released. As a director, he would definitely coordinate with the promotion of "Pirate King", which would leave him only two days to film "Beautiful Mind". Months?

Wu Yuchen shook his head again, no, no, it shouldn't be calculated like this. It doesn’t mean that Russell Crowe has to come before it can be filmed. Although he is the male protagonist and the film is centered on him, some scenes other than him can be filmed first.

If you calculate it this way, it will only take more than February to start the production, which is still plenty of time. The movie "Beautiful Mind" is not like "The Pirate King". There are no big scenes. The main thing is to see how the actors perform. Wu Yuchen is not very worried about this aspect. The main actors in the crew this time are all talented actors who were directly recruited.

After a while, Wu Yuchen said to Russell Crowe: "Russell, you can join the group after Oscar night, but start preparing for the role from now on. Is there any problem?"

Russell Crowe readily agreed: “Of course, no problem!”

Glazer then began negotiations with Russell Crowe's agent regarding Russell Crowe's salary. Russell Crowe's salary a year ago was still between 5 million and 8 million. He only received a salary of 5 million for playing "Gladiator". Before the release of "Gladiator", he also acted in "Proof of Life" and received a salary of 7 million.

But now that "Gladiator" starring in him is a box office hit, and he is likely to win an Oscar, his salary will definitely rise significantly.

In the end, the two parties agreed that Russell Crowe's tentative salary would be 12 million. If he could win the Oscar for the leading actor this year, his salary would be 15 million.

In fact, Wu Yuchen doesn't mind how much Russell Crowe is paid, because he did not directly participate in the investment in the "Beautiful Mind" project, and mainly received 20% of the full copyright share, so he doesn't really care about the cost, as long as it is filmed well. .

"Pirate King" is basically done, and the main things in "A Beautiful Mind" have also been decided. With Glazer as the producer watching, Wu Yuchen is relieved, but there is also "Spider-Man", he As one of the producers, I can’t just walk away. Fortunately, Wu Yuchen found a reliable person who could be of great use.

Kevin Feige, while studying at the University of Southern California, studied with producer Lauren Schuyler Donner as an intern, and became Lauren's right-hand assistant after graduation.

Kevin is very proficient in the background setting of Marvel comics, the structure of the Marvel universe and other related knowledge. It is for this reason that Lauren began to explore his abilities and appointed Kevin as the director of the first film in the "X-Men" series. Assistant Producer.

And with the success of the "X-Men" movie, Kevin's life began to get better. However, it is difficult to pass the step from assistant producer to producer. Although he now has some experience, it is still impossible for him to serve as a producer independently. He still needs to accumulate some more qualifications to be qualified to serve as a producer. Producer of some small projects.

But just when he was thinking about his future destiny, he received an invitation from the now well-known Hollywood director, the popular Justin Wu, so Kevin Feige ran over.

"Hello, Kevin."

"Hello, Director Wu, it's such an honor to meet you!"

Kevin Feige is 4 years older than Wu Yuchen, but now Wu Yuchen has a calm attitude, but Kevin Feige is very eager, like a young boy.

Wu Yuchen smiled and extended his hand to ask him to sit down. The Kevin Feige in front of me is the man who personally created "Iron Man", "Captain America" ​​and "The Avengers", and led Marvel Studios to glory.

"Kevin, I heard Stan Lee talk about you. You did a great job in the production of the "X-Men" project and you are very knowledgeable about Marvel Comics."

"Thank you for your compliment. To be honest, I have been a complete fan of Marvel comics since I was a child, a hard-core fan. When I was still in school, I could close my eyes and read about various Marvel comics with my roommates. We chatted about heroes for days and nights~"

Wu Yuchen showed a satisfied look: "Very good! You may have heard that the "Spider-Man" project is now in preparation. I now want to invite you to join Marvel Studios and serve as a representative of Marvel Studios. I wonder if you would be willing to serve as the producer of "Spider-Man"?"

Kevin Feige immediately showed an excited expression: "God! Thank you so much, Wu! Being able to participate in the production of "Spider-Man" has been my dream for 20 years! I am willing even if I don't get any compensation. !”

At this time, Kevin Feige almost jumped out of his chair and showed great excitement. What he said was true. Wu Yuchen not only allowed him to participate in the "Spider-Man" project, but also directly promoted him from assistant producer to producer. This is very difficult to overcome. step! So even if there is no pay, he is willing.

Wu Yuchen looked at his somewhat fanatical look and had no doubt about this guy's enthusiasm for "Spider-Man". At the same time, he had clear evidence of his previous life, and Kevin Feige had already participated in "X-Men", so he did not Worried that this guy is going to mess up.

"Kevin, I'm very optimistic about you. If you perform well enough this time, I will consider letting you join the plan to build the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of course, you need to prove yourself, otherwise even if I recommend it, You may not be able to pass the Marvel committee, do you understand?"

Kevin Feige immediately stood up and kept bowing to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, I can't express my feelings in words at this time. Thank you very much for your attention. I will definitely live up to your expectations!"

Wu Yuchen smiled. He plans to have Kevin Feige stationed in "Spider-Man". As a representative of Marvel Studios, he is also his agent. If you have any questions, you can contact him at any time. In this way This is an explanation to Sony, and he can go back with peace of mind!

…

At the end of December, Wu Yuchen returned to the capital, and Cai Yinong personally came to pick him up.

In the car, Wu Yuchen also sighed with emotion: "I have spent most of this year in the United States, and I have not fully understood the changes in our country."

Cai Yinong immediately said: "Director Wu, you are now filming blockbusters in Hollywood to win glory for the country. We all in the country can understand. Thank you for your hard work!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head, and then listened to Cai Yinong's introduction to various things inside and outside the company and inside and outside the circle.

Although he is not in the country, Miracle Film and Television is also developing rapidly. In the first half of the year, "The Happy Life of Zhang Damin" received very high ratings in the northern region. In the summer, after the broadcast of "Young Bao Qingtian", it was even more popular. The fire spread all over the country.

There are still several dramas in the company that have not been released this year, such as "A History of the Martial Arts" starring Huang Haibing and Fan Bingbing, Xu Zheng's "Springs Are Beautiful", "Mansion Gate 2", etc., and they have already found TV stations. Hit next year.

As for the Hong Kong Island Little White Bear Company, it is also booming now.

If we want to say that the most profitable business of Little White Bear is now, of course it is F4! Not to mention other things, just the records released by F4 and the concert tours held in Asia in the past few months have brought the company hundreds of millions of yuan in net profits. Yes, not gross profit, but pure profit!

As for how popular the concert tour is, according to Cai Yinong, after F4 broke into Bangguo, the airport in Bangguo was paralyzed by crazy female fans. Oppa and Oppa kept shouting, Bangguo The fanaticism of the concert has made HOT, the most popular male idol group in the country, feel like they are facing a formidable enemy, and they are actively doing activities everywhere to consolidate their fans.

Originally, HOT's strategy was to go abroad in the next two years. After all, they are already invincible in the country, but now they are frightened by F4. Even if you want to go out, you have to keep an eye on your hometown. Your hometown is the foundation of the country. Don’t go out and fail to leave. Instead, your hometown will be stolen. That will make you want to cry!

I heard that SM Entertainment, the company behind HOT, is also planning to imitate F4 and prepare a TV series for HOT to be marketed in Asia and use this to further expand its presence.

Wu Yuchen is not surprised by this. Xiaobangzi's previous film and television industry has always imitated Hong Kong's, and it is only in these years that he has slowly found his own path.

However, Little White Bear is not unprepared for this. Regarding the development of F4 in the next few years, Wu Yuchen has already decided from the beginning. Now Little White Bear has also created another idol drama for F4 people, such as "Love Hotel" for Huang Xiaoming, "Winter Sonata" for Zhong Hanliang, "Stairway to Heaven" for Qiao Zhenyu, and "Summer" for Wu Kequn aroma".

Moreover, Wu Yuchen has also set the tone. These dramas will be filmed according to the standards of "Blue Life and Death". The focus is to create that kind of atmosphere and let Cai Yinong watch it personally.

With the support of these dramas, it goes without saying that F4's popularity in Asia will surely reach a higher level and create greater glory. Moreover, these four TV series alone, not to mention more, will earn another 100 million for Little White Bear across Asia.

As for Xiaobangzi, don’t think about going abroad and rushing to Asia. First, defend the country against the impact of F4!

In addition, in the first half of this year, Wu Yuchen also decided to invest in two movies for Little White Bear, "Infernal Affairs" and "Shaolin Football."

Now the filming of "Infernal Affairs" has been completed, and two endings have been specially filmed according to Wu Yuchen's request.

One is for locals in Hong Kong Island, where Andy Lau salutes in front of Liang Chaowei's tombstone, which is also the ending of the original version;

Another thing is that Liu Dehua was arrested as soon as he stepped out of the elevator door. This was taken for the mainland. After all, the principle here is that the mainland should show that evil will be punished and the bad guys should not be allowed to have the last laugh. And how can we allow bad guys to remain in the team forever? This is absolutely not allowed! So if you want to pass the trial, you have to do it this way.

In the previous life, "Infernal Affairs" was not introduced to the mainland at first, but because the movie is really a classic, it was introduced to the mainland after more than half a year after it was released on Hong Kong Island. But I had already seen everything I needed to see at that time. After all, pirated copies were everywhere, and it still made millions at the box office.

However, this time "Infernal Affairs" was produced by Little White Bear, and Cai Yinong personally sent it for review, and specially visited Han Sanping. The power to introduce films is in the hands of China Film Group Corporation, and it is not a matter of Han San Ping's words. With Wu Yuchen's current relationship with Han San Ping, it is naturally not a problem.