Global Film Emperor

Chapter 153 Boss Dragon

"A gangster movie?"

"Yes, so what do you think? Interested?"

Neither of them mentioned that name again, because Song Qingmin didn't want to tell Lu Ze how powerful Jia Helong had been back then, as if he were bragging to a gang leader.

Lu Ze, on the other hand, kept the name in mind and planned to investigate how powerful this big shot really was when he got back tonight.

"I need to see the script, and I need to see the character's background."

After exchanging glances with Shen Jinghan, they realized that this kind of film was actually optional, because it dealt with dark themes, which made it very difficult to win awards in China today, unless it was truly profound and educational.

However, such gangster films do not necessarily have high box office returns, because no matter how audience preferences change, what people like to see in gangster films is something exciting and thrilling, which is the core of the profit of gangster films.

Now that Lu Ze has the qualifications to select films, his goal is definitely to select big-budget productions or works by famous directors, and he also has to consider the quality of the script.

The best-case scenario is that both critical acclaim and box office success will be phenomenal. Secondly, the company and Lu Ze share the same opinion: even if the box office is not high, the word-of-mouth must be good and the quality must be up to standard.

As the top star of Qian Shijia, Lu Ze must definitely follow the path of producing high-quality films. I dare not say that every film is of high quality, but at least every film must be worthy of praise from movie fans, thus establishing Lu Ze's reputation.

Ultimately, a very gratifying situation has emerged: regardless of the movie's name, subject matter, director, or budget, fans will be willing to buy tickets simply because of Lu Ze's name. This is something that both Qian Shijia and Lu Ze himself wanted to achieve.

So even if Song Qingmin showed great respect for Lu Ze and made a special trip to Shanghai to invite him to participate in his work, Lu Ze still had to produce a film of decent quality, otherwise there was no chance.

"Of course, we still have to look at the work itself. I brought the script with me today, the male lead, you can take a look."

Song Qingmin took out a thick stack of scripts from his bag. This wasn't just the audition script, but the entire script, which showed his sincerity and how much he valued Lu Ze.

Lu Ze sensed his sincerity, took the script with both hands, had the waiter remove it, wiped the table clean with a tablecloth, placed a clean tablecloth underneath, and then opened it to read.

After just ten minutes, Lu Ze could clearly sense that this was not a gangster film derived from Hong Kong comics. It should be noted that most Hong Kong gangster films actually draw inspiration from comics.

Such gangster films look very shocking, but in reality they are quite fake, just for the sake of excitement. But this script is different. You can see its authenticity from a simple thing at the beginning. And as you follow the script and the plot becomes clearer, you can almost see through the words just how dark Hong Kong was in the 1950s.

This is a realistic story about the rise of a triad boss, not like the "Young and Dangerous" movies where seizing territory makes you the boss and you're in conflict with the police.

They collude with the underworld, using legitimate channels to pave the way, running gambling, prostitution, and drug dens—doing whatever makes money, especially those things that don't involve prostitution.

Moreover, the novel vividly portrays the imposing and powerful figure of Jia Helong over the past twenty years, depicting the character's transformation from Ah Long to Brother Long, and then to Master Jia with remarkable depth.

An hour and a half later, Lu Ze had seen half of it and didn't know what to say anymore. Lu Ze had previously studied the courses of gangster bosses in the system space, and at that time he already felt that he was doing very well, but compared with this tycoon, he was far inferior.

Lu Ze didn't know how to judge Jia Helong in the script. He had done all sorts of bad things, but he was all-powerful in Hong Kong. Such ability could not be judged by people's likes or dislikes.

"Director Song, who wrote this script?"

“It was written by Master Jia himself. It’s his autobiography. No one dared to film it before because Master Jia’s son was still alive. But I wanted to film it, so I took the script to Master Jia’s son and asked him. He agreed, so the script ended up in your hands.”

Lu Ze rubbed his temples. Of course, there were no organized crime groups in China, but Jia Helong inevitably had done favors for those who were still alive. Therefore, without Jia's permission, no one in Hong Kong dared to touch this movie.

This role wasn't particularly difficult for Lu Ze, nor was it particularly challenging. He certainly had no problem grasping the details, but the aura of a powerful figure was clearly different from that of an ordinary person. To master that nuance, he couldn't learn it without understanding Jia Helong.

"Could you provide me with some information about him? Like photos?" "Of course, no problem. This is easily solved. So you're interested?"

Director Song took a bite of steak, chewing slowly. It was clear that his teeth weren't very good, and he was having some trouble chewing. After swallowing slowly, he wiped his mouth and answered Lu Ze's question.

"I'm sorry, Director Song, I haven't finished reading the script yet. Would you like me to wait until I finish reading it?"

Song Qingmin displayed his magnanimity, waving his hand in rejection: "You can take the script. Even if old Hong Kong residents haven't read Jia Ye's autobiography, they still know some of his deeds. You just need to ask a seventy or eighty-year-old, and you'll have a basic understanding of the script. Of course, you still need to keep this film a secret for now."

"Of course, I definitely won't tell anyone about this. So, I'll give you an answer by tomorrow at the latest, Director Song, is that alright?"

"Of course, no problem. I'm tired too. I've booked a hotel, so I'll go back and rest early. I hope you can be on my set. I'll be waiting for you."

Song Qingmin waved to the waiter to come and settle the bill, but Lu Ze stopped him, saying he would treat the meal. Song Qingmin didn't object and smiled as he finished the last sip of wine in his glass.

Do you think this role is suitable for you?

On the way back, Shen Jinghan asked a question while driving. Actually, she didn't want Lu Ze to film this movie because she didn't think it was a good choice due to the subject matter.

"If I like it, then I'll film it. It's not easy to find a script you like."

Lu Ze sat in the passenger seat, looking down at his phone. He answered a question, then typed "Jia Helong" into a search engine, and soon an entry appeared on Baidu Baike (a Chinese encyclopedia).

"Jia Helong, 1926-1979, whose ancestral home was JM City, Guangdong Province, was the leader of the Heyisheng Gang. His nickname was 'Big Boss Long.' From 1950 to 1970, he was known as the 'Uncrowned King' in Hong Kong and Macau. He was the last underworld godfather before Hong Kong's return to China. He died in Australia on May 18, 1979, due to an acute cerebral hemorrhage."

After briefly glancing at the brief biography of this big shot, Lu Ze stumbled upon a photo of him taken in 1975 and began to understand why Song Qingmin had chosen him to play Jia Helong.

In the photo, Jia Helong is much taller than the others in the group photo. He is not just tall and thin, but tall and strong. His face is full of fat and he looks very fierce. He looks like he would kill someone without blinking an eye.

He was even more robust than Lu Ze was now, but he seemed to have more flabby flesh, probably because he had entered middle age.

Shen Jinghan remained silent, because Lu Ze was right. It wasn't easy to find a script that one liked. If Lu Ze really liked it, then he would just focus on negotiating the contract with Song Qingmin.

When they arrived at the hotel entrance, Lu Ze greeted Shen Jinghan, then left carrying a file bag containing the script and the watch Shen Jinghan had given her. Shen Jinghan watched Lu Ze's retreating figure until he entered the hotel and drove away.

After swiping his room card and entering the room, he first went to wash up, then turned on the desk lamp in the study and carefully opened the script. After all, he hadn't signed a contract yet, and if he didn't film it, he would have to return the script. He still had that much integrity.

Along with the photos of Jia Helong found online, Lu Ze read silently. If this was indeed the autobiography of the big boss Long, then his life was far more exciting than any movie.

Until the very end, after reading the last period, he suddenly found himself quite fond of the script. Undeniably, it was a good story, even though it was evil and dark, it was truly a good story.

Lu Ze glanced at the time; it was just past ten o'clock at night. Shen Jinghan couldn't possibly be asleep at this hour, so Lu Ze dialed her number, which was answered two seconds later.

"What's wrong, Aze?"

"I'll take this role."

"."

(End of this chapter)