Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1485: Entering the Bronx
"John Woo declined the invitation..." Michelle Cannold came to report to Ronald with the official reply from the Hong Kong director.

"You don't know how to appreciate my kindness..." Ronald muttered in his heart. The other party had written a letter to reject his offer, using many words to praise the reputation of the 007 series of movies and how flattered he was to be invited.

But the whole letter just says one thing: I don't want to be a director.

Hollywood is a place of free competition. If others don't want to come, Ronald can't force them. This 007 movie does have some negative reviews from insiders.

For example, the last 007 was played by Timothy Dalton in 007, which was a mediocre box office success, and the series was considered outdated. This new film was released by a half-dead distribution company like MGM, which no longer has the glory of big-budget spy films.

After the Cold War, some people also think that spy films have lost their audience. Instead of writing some plots that no one believes in anymore, 007 should be completely rebooted and remake the original 007 works, such as Dr. No or From the North with Love. In this way, there is at least a comparison between the old and new James Bond, and a gimmick of nostalgia to attract old audiences.

Coupled with the rise of feminism since the 1980s, it is also a question of how much support a character like James Bond, who has been more or less discriminatory against women in past film series, can get among female audiences.

In addition to these factors, there is another big problem:

Just like the "advice" Cameron received when he debuted and took over the sequel to "Alien", if the film is good, the credit will go to his predecessor Ridley Scott, but if it is a bad film, the responsibility will be all Cameron's.

There are 007 authentic 007 movies before, and one is a Roger Moore movie remade by Sean Connery, the first 007 actor, to make money. These movies basically made money. If the th movie, the new named GoldenEye, fails at the box office, then the director will definitely be criticized.

This is a high-risk project that directors like John Woo, who has just emerged in Hollywood and brought a different style of action movies, are unwilling to try.

Several other directors who were contacted by Daydream and MGM had similar concerns and politely but firmly declined the invitation.

Ronald had no choice but to look for suitable candidates from some new directors. That morning, Martin Campbell, a director from New Zealand, came to the office for an interview.

"Mr. Campbell, I see you have made sufficient preparations..."

After listening to his presentation, Ronald was quite satisfied with this director who had been shooting soft-core erotic films and action films for television and TV miniseries in Britain.

He also edited a very short version of the series he filmed in the past, and his camera scheduling and narrative ability are quite good. In addition, 007 is essentially a combination of human erotica and action movies, plus a world-famous big character and some regular characters...

Martin Campbell seemed to have done a lot of homework, although he didn't know the full content of the new script of 007, he had heard about the casting of Pierce Brosnan. The image of this actor in several American TV series and commercials is very consistent, with a polite gentleman demeanor and a certain elegant action ability.

So when he expounded on his directing philosophy, he put forward more of the key point of image creation: maintaining meticulous calmness in the intense espionage activities, which Ronald liked very much.

The current aesthetic taste of the audience generally prefers more handsome male protagonists. Muscular male protagonists like Stallone and Schwarzenegger have to wear shirts and add some gentlemanly manners to sell the film. Even in the latest "True Lies", Schwarzenegger has to show off his tango dancing skills.

This is the right way to transform the image of James Bond. Of the two most famous 007 actors, Sean Connery and Roger Moore, the new movie is undoubtedly closer to Roger Moore.

"Very good, I am very satisfied with your work. However, I have no right to decide whether you will direct or not. You also need to satisfy 007's producer Barbara Broccoli. You still have a very heavy work to do, and you need to win the favor of everyone in this project... Do you understand what I mean?"

Ronald said to Martin Campbell. He didn't want him to be too confident and lose his humility and hard work style. For such a long-running series of films, the director should more often reflect the will of multiple parties rather than show his own style.

"Thank you very much..." Martin Campbell obviously heard the hidden meaning. What other people's consent, what Barbara Broccoli's satisfaction, isn't it what you say that is most important?
"Mr. Li, I'm very curious. I'm just an unknown TV director. Can you tell me what you think my strengths are?"

Ronald laughed. This guy is really interesting. Although he is from New Zealand, he has lived in Britain for a long time and has acquired some of the unique roundabout accents of the people there. He is a dozen years older than him. If someone else heard such words from him, it might be very uncomfortable. But he said it naturally and to the point.

"It's very simple, Martin..." Ronald changed his posture and deliberately moved closer to Martin Campbell. "We have also considered other directors. You should not tell others about some of their names. They are all veterans of new-style action movies... But they all have a common idea. 007 needs a director from the Commonwealth who is immersed in British culture to make a good film..."

"Thank you, I'll try my best..." Martin Campbell felt that his luck had indeed turned. The childhood dreams of many people, the suave 007 James Bond, the sexy and attractive Bond girl who is often one good and one bad, the majestic boss M, the playful secretary Moneypenny, and the Q who can modify various unexpected high-tech props... all will be performed according to his wishes this time..."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that in order to dilute the old 007's disrespect for women, we decided to introduce more strong and distinctive female characters in this film. We also decided to cast a British actress for 007's boss M..."

"what?"

"Mr. David Simkins will discuss the specific details with you and arrange a joint meeting with Ms. Barbara Broccoli. I want to see the report then..." Ronald winked at Simkins and Cannold, the two generals beside him, and was about to stand up and say goodbye...

"Why, aren't you going to talk to Barbara?" Yang Yanzi, Ronald's senior assistant, followed Ronald out of the office and quickly kept up with Ronald's fast pace.

"I don't care about the details. I just want to set the general direction..." Ronald waved to little Bud who was watching the portable TV in the lounge, and Bud drove over to pick them up.

"Where are we going next? Here are some documents you need to read on the way, and this is what you need to sign..." Yang Yanzi sorted out the documents and handed them to Ronald.

"I'm going to meet an old friend...you come with me..."

After Ronald got in the car, he was there reviewing documents. The New York Knicks played a frustrating playoff game. After passing the first round, they faced the Chicago Bulls without Michael Jordan in the second round.

After winning the first two games at home, the Bulls' new player Kukoc won the third game at the Chicago Center at a buzzer beater. The fourth game was defeated by Pippen's super performance of 25 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, and the game ended in a tie. The Knicks played even worse away from home, and the ratings dropped instead of rising...

Charles Dolan took the opportunity to complain during an interview that Ronald, the majority shareholder, did not show up at home games or go to away games to cheer, which made the players feel that they did not have the support of the big boss. Maybe if Ronald could come to the next game in person, it would give them some encouragement...

This forced Ronald to arrange the next visit to watch the fight in person, as it was a waste of time to fly there for no reason.

Fortunately, the guest he was about to receive would have the idea of ​​going to New York. With the mentality of killing three birds with one stone, he gladly accepted Dolan's challenge and told the media that although he would not be at every game, he would definitely be there for the most important games... and chew victory pizza with the fans at the scene...

……

"Jackie, long time no see..."

"Luo Sheng, hello, hello, you are still so energetic..."

This time, Jackie Chan took Ronald's private plane and came to Los Angeles specifically to explore the new project.

Jackie Chan, who originally wanted to stay in Hong Kong and make his fortune in Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and the most important Japanese market, could no longer sit still after Spielberg's dinosaur invasion.

This movie not only swept all action movie box office in Hong Kong, but also created a box office miracle in Japan, the most important foreign market where Jackie relied on to dominate Hong Kong, crushing all local movies along the way and winning the box office championship.

The East Asian film market is now in a state of panic, not knowing how to respond. Especially in Japan, where audiences have always liked this kind of monster movie, and have been shooting special effects movies with big monsters such as Godzilla and Ultraman since the 1950s.

The upgraded giant monster in Jurassic Park just hits the aesthetic taste of Japanese audiences, which is a double surprise.

The reason why Jackie Chan was able to get a high budget of 30 million Hong Kong dollars in Hong Kong is also inseparable from his status as the only Hong Kong male star who can be a hit in Japan. Relying on this strength, Mitsubishi Motors in Japan also sponsored his movies with a large amount of money, providing him with many new cars for each movie...

However, the power of Jurassic was so great that Jackie Chan felt that the crisis was great, so he had to pick up his old idea and try his luck in Hollywood again. He wanted to learn why Hollywood could produce such excellent special effects blockbusters, and also wanted to open up a new overseas distribution market outside of Japan that only he could own.

Hong Kong audiences have watched too many action movies, so it's nice to see a special effects movie once in a while. But American audiences mostly watch this kind of movies, so will they be interested in Jackie Chan's special acrobatic kung fu comedy?
In addition, Ronald invited him to come over on the phone, saying that many filmmakers here were his fans and hoped to communicate with him in person and regard him as a master. This piqued Jackie Chan's interest, and he came here with the idea of ​​a Hong Kong kung fu boy coming to the metropolis of New York to fight the gangsters there.

Anyway, the Hong Kong team always starts from an idea, then combines many plots and finally combines them into a script. Hong Kong scripts are also much simpler than Hollywood ones. Many action scenes and literary plots can be improvised according to the situation on the spot, which is much better than being written in the script.

Ronald first took Jackie Chan back to his home. On the way, Yang Yanzi admired this Hong Kong Kung Fu star very much. He had a personal charm that was different from many Hollywood stars, and he acted on his words. Yang Yanzi, who had dealt with many arrogant Hollywood stars, became Jackie's fan girl, and even said that such an approachable star was something that Hollywood would never produce.

"Call Uncle Jackie..." Ronald took his son Roger to meet Uncle Jackie. Uncle Jackie smiled happily and took a piece of fine jade from his neck and hung it around Roger's neck.

Little Roger happily hugged Uncle Jackie and thanked him. Then he started to bite the strange jelly-like substance with his teeth, causing another commotion.

"By the way, where is your son Jaycee?" Ronald thought of Jackie's son who was studying in Los Angeles.

"Hey, he's very naughty, and he doesn't listen to his mother. This time I'm here to discipline him. This child is like me, with double bones, and he has been naughty since he was young. I was also naughty since I was young..."

Jackie Chan was complaining about her son being naughty at first, but later she became proud of him.

"Which school is he in? I'll go with you to pick him up. We can have dinner at my house. You can eat Chinese, Italian, or Japanese food. I have a chef who can prepare it..."

"Okay... the little guy has been in LA for a long time, so let's cook Italian food..." Jackie gave an address, and Ronald drove over with him to pick him up.

"How come school is over, but we haven't seen anyone yet?" Ronald and Jackie waited at the door for more than ten minutes. Bodyguard Daniel asked an assistant to go in and ask if there was a kid named Jaycee...

Finally the teacher came out and said that this person was not on the roster and asked if they had made a mistake.

"I have his phone number, I'll call and ask..." Jackie Chan originally wanted to give her son a surprise, but the surprise turned into a shock.

"Hey, son, why doesn't the school say your name is on the list? Yes, I'm right in front of your school..."

"Dad, I've already graduated, so of course you can't go to my old school..."

"Forehead……"

Jackie Chan got herself into trouble for once. She paid little attention to her son and didn't even know that he had gone to school.

"This is a gift from Uncle Ronald..." After Ronald took little Jaycee home, he gave her a bunch of toys as usual. As expected, Jackie's child not only looked like Jackie, but also liked fighting toys as gifts. He chose a lightsaber from Star Wars and started dancing with it, breaking some of Ronald's tableware.

"This is going to be filmed in Vancouver? Why?"

After dinner, Ronald and Jackie talked about the idea of ​​his new film. It was a story about a Hong Kong kid whose uncle came to New York to fight against black and Italian gangs in the Bronx. He wanted Jackie Chan from Hong Kong to break into the Bronx...

“I heard that there is a way to save money…”

"That's old news. Filming in Vancouver is expensive now. And your movie has a lot of outdoor fighting scenes. Vancouver and New York are two completely different urban landscapes. For example, there are a lot of graffiti on the outdoor walls in the Bronx, but there is none in Vancouver.

I still suggest you shoot in New York..."

"Don't I know anything about this? I heard that applying for a photo shoot in New York is very troublesome..."

"What trouble? Not at all. I know the mayor of New York very well. How about I invest in a portion of your film and then hand it over to my distribution partner, TriStar Pictures, to distribute it?"

Jackie Chan didn't expect Ronald to take the initiative to ask for cooperation as soon as they met. There are many legends in Hong Kong about Hollywood being very strict with procedures, business is business and friendship is friendship, but Ronald doesn't seem to care about that at all.

"It's settled. We're going to New York together to watch the NBA playoffs. It's my team. We can watch it in the box or on the sidelines. It's up to you... If it goes to Game 7, maybe the mayor will come to watch."

"Okay, brother...if there's anything I can do for you, just tell me..." Jackie Chan was very touched to see Ronald taking on such a big responsibility.

"You may not know, brother, you may be more famous in New York than I am, especially those black people, they are more familiar with your movies than mine..."