Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 216 The Substitute Becomes the Official
"James, what's the status of the Black Pearl and the Dreadnought?"

"The Black Pearl has been refitted, and the Dreadnought shipyard has started construction, but they say it will take at least two months."

The Black Pearl is the ghost ship of the protagonist and villain in *Pirates of the Caribbean*, while the HMS Dreadnought is a Royal Navy warship in the same series. Both ships were intended for real filming, so they naturally had to be built to scale; otherwise, the filming wouldn't have been effective. Furthermore, these ships were used in the filming of the first three movies, so there was no loss in the production.

The ship didn't require any special design from the production team. The Dauntless was a direct copy of the historical British warship HMS Victory. They just told the shipyard, and they could replicate it without any problem. The Black Pearl, on the other hand, was a leased ship, built in Finland in 1948, a replica of the 17th-century antique two-masted ship Mrs. Washington, which could be directly modified.

Wu Yuchen calculated that he had already instructed someone to place an order with the shipyard when he returned to China, meaning delivery wouldn't be possible for at least a month. However, the impact wasn't too significant, as they could film the scenes without the ship first.

Yesterday, Johnny Depp presented a quirky Captain Jack Sparrow to Wu Yuchen, who was quite satisfied. However, he still pointed out some areas for improvement on the spot, telling him to go back and work on it, and to come back for another audition in three days.

Although he had already decided that Johnny Depp should play the role from the beginning, Wu Yuchen would not make a decision right away. He would pretend to audition other people, give him some time to grow, create competitive pressure for him, and then strive for better conditions.

It's not about lowering Depp's salary too much; the main thing is to include various clauses in his contract to prevent him from using drugs or drinking alcohol. These should be agreed upon in advance, which will save a lot of trouble during filming.

Today, Wu Yuchen is auditioning for the role of Elizabeth, the female lead. Wu Yuchen is now a well-known director, and all the eligible girls have submitted their resumes to the "Pirate King" production team. However, in the end, only five are left for Wu Yuchen to choose from.

To Wu Yuchen's slight surprise, he didn't see Keira Knightley's name on the list at all. He didn't show any emotion, though, and decided to take a look at the five candidates first.

To be honest, among these five people, there are quite a few very famous female stars.

When Wu Yuchen saw Drew Barrymore in 1975, he frowned. She is Spielberg's goddaughter, became a popular child star at the age of 6 after starring in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," then became a notorious delinquent after puberty, and has recently become popular again.

Wu Yuchen immediately marked her as an outlier in his mind. First of all, she didn't have the temperament of a classical beauty. The reason she made it to the final round was because of her fame and her relationship with Spielberg.

Kirsten Dunst, who later starred in "Spider-Man," was also a child star. She started filming commercials at the age of three and worked with many Hollywood stars, including Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise. She could wear period costumes, but her temperament doesn't suit it; she's more of a gentler, more feminine type.

Anne Hathaway. When she walked in, Wu Yuchen's eyes lit up. This girl was stunningly beautiful, with a great figure, long legs, and radiant white skin—truly a beauty that matched his aesthetic. It was just a pity that Anne Hathaway's natural charm leaned towards the sweet type; he wouldn't impulsively cast an actress whose temperament didn't match as the female lead.

Anne Hathaway is the least famous and least experienced of the five people who made it to the finals. The script for "The Princess Diaries," which was supposed to make her a star, has already been snatched away by him. I wonder if this girl will ever become popular?

The fourth to enter is Winona Ryder, Hollywood's rising star and a goddess of the artsy scene. Her charm is versatile, capable of being both sweet and edgy, fresh and gentle yet rebellious, and she's widely recognized in America for her captivating classical beauty. Her pure appearance is tempered with a touch of defiant stubbornness, and her acting skills are significantly better than the previous few. In terms of both image and acting ability, she's truly a perfect fit.

However, Wu Yuchen immediately blocked her. Putting aside the fact that she is already 28 years old, she and Depp are old lovers who fell in love because of "Edward Scissorhands". He didn't want the two of them to cause any trouble when they joined the crew.

Moreover, this goddess has a little-known quirk: kleptomania. In 2001, Winona Ryder was caught red-handed stealing $5500 worth of clothing at a department store on Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills.

Winona didn't steal because she was broke; how much could these things possibly cost?

Hollywood stars, who sometimes face immense pressure in this industry, often have quirks. Winona Ryder was a kleptocrat, using this unusual method to seek thrills and release stress. After this incident came to light, Winona's public image and reputation were ruined, and her acting career plummeted.

Wu Yuchen certainly didn't want to find a female lead himself, only to have this kind of scandal exposed while the movie was still showing.

And this fifth one seems quite suitable. Natalie Portman, who debuted as the little girl in "Léon: The Professional," has an innate stubbornness and is also adept at period costumes. Last year, she played the Queen in "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace."

However, Wu Yuchen asked a question: "Ms. Portman, I heard that Star Wars Episode II is also in preparation. How can you guarantee that our scenes on the two films will not conflict?"

Natalie Portman thought for a moment and said, "I will try my best to coordinate my schedule with Mr. Lucas."

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head: "I want an actress who is wholeheartedly committed and can stay with the crew all the time."

Natalie Portman left disappointed. Although Wu Yuchen and the $1.4 million investment in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" were tempting, it was impossible for her to give up "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" for them. Putting aside the contract with the Star Wars production team, the influence of the two sides was simply incomparable.

Star Wars is a favorite among Americans, while pirate themes? They're box office poison, full of risks and unknowns. Even with Wu Yuchen, who has a string of successful films, directing, it can't significantly change public opinion.

After interviewing the five actresses, Wu Yuchen rubbed his temples and asked James beside him, "Why isn't there a single English rose on the final list? Elizabeth is a classic English beauty."

“Wu, none of those famous English roses are quite suitable. Catherine Zeta-Jones is already 30 years old and is pregnant.”

This is the actress who starred in "The Mask of Zorro" and "Entrapment," and she is now married to an older actor, Douglas, who is 25 years her senior.

"Kate Winslet is somewhat resistant to big-budget commercial productions these days, and her figure is... well, let's just say it's not great..."

The female lead of "Titanic," Rose became a meat shield; Fiona Sit's figure management has always been a problem.

“Rachel Weisz is already the female lead in The Mummy series. If she were to play our female lead again, it would confuse the audience.”

"Kate Beckinsale is filming Pearl Harbor..."

Upon hearing "Pearl Harbor," Wu Yuchen frowned. This was Disney's biggest production of the year, touted as an epic comparable to "Titanic," and also the enemy of his film "The Pirate King" next year!

Wu Yuchen waved his hand dismissively, not wanting to go through any more trouble, and asked directly:
"Find me the actress who was Natalie Portman's body double in Star Wars Episode I."

James thought for a moment and said, "You mean the actress who plays Saber? I'll contact her right away."

He returned a moment later and said hesitantly, "Wu, I've contacted her agent, and she'll be here tomorrow. But are you sure you want to find this girl? She's only 15."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen slapped his forehead. He was so foolish; he'd overlooked the age factor. He'd been wondering why Keira Knightley hadn't auditioned, but now he realized she probably hadn't even applied, because the production team was only recruiting actresses aged 16 and above.

Wu Yuchen quickly picked up the remaining pile of resumes and went through them one by one. If Keira Knightley, his backup option, was no longer available, he would have to quickly find a new actress for the lead role!

……

Keira Knightley dreamed of becoming an actress since she was a child, and even overcame dyslexia to achieve this. The opportunity that changed her fate as an actress was not because of her family's wealth, but because she looked like Natalie Portman. After makeup, even their mothers couldn't tell them apart. As a result, 12-year-old Keira was able to join the big-budget production "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" as a stand-in for the female lead, and gained a lot of attention.

However, she doesn't like Natalie Portman. It's simple: no one wants to be someone else's stand-in. When fans call out Natalie Portman's name and come to her for autographs and photos, only God knows how annoyed she is!

Kayla was thrilled when she received a call from her agent today. The invitation from renowned director Wu Yuchen prompted her to buy a plane ticket for the same day and travel 12 hours across the Atlantic to Los Angeles.

However, Kayla did not expect that the scene after she met Wu Yuchen would be like this:

"Kayla, how tall are you?"

"Director, 168 cm tall, barefoot!"

For this one question alone, Wu Yuchen gave an OK sign: "Go sign the contract."

"What?" Kayla was still confused and didn't react.

"I said you got the role of Elizabeth, go sign the contract, the salary is 20, and you'll be on set the whole time. Can you do that?"

Kayla stared in shock, mouth agape: "I got the role?! But I haven't done anything yet..." Kayla's agent reacted quickly, pulling Kayla aside and bowing repeatedly to Wu Yuchen to express their gratitude: "Thank you for your appreciation, Director Wu. Don't worry, Kayla can meet all your requirements. She's a very hardworking girl!"

After a while, Kayla, who had just left the room, still felt like she had just woken up from a dream, and kept exclaiming "Oh my God!" and "God!" while pulling her agent along.

Inside the room, Wu Yuchen breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, this girl had developed early; she was already fully grown at 15, and her height was no different from when she played the role in his previous life. As for her figure, Keira Knightley was flat-chested to begin with, and even if she were given another 15 years, she would still be an A cup.

(15-year-old Kayla)

It's best if Keira Knightley can act; the risks and uncertainties of being the female lead are much lower. We should get her on set sooner rather than later to learn proper etiquette for aristocratic ladies. Like Hugh Jackman, who has already practiced fencing for quite some time for his fight scenes in the movie.

……

A few days later, after Depp came back and performed again, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but ask:
"Hey Johnny, your teeth..."

Depp opened his mouth wide and pointed to the four gleaming gold teeth inside:
"That's right, I just went to the dentist to get them done. One is 14K gold, one is 18K gold, one is 22K gold, and the other is platinum. Isn't that cool?"

Wu Yuchen was quite impressed with Depp's actions. It seems that this guy really cares about the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, and now the time is almost right.

In the office, Depp's agent looked at the contract in his hand: $800 million. He was very satisfied with this figure; it was the highest salary Depp had ever received, previously the highest being only $500 million.

Wu Yuchen was willing to pay more because the filming period for "The Pirate King" was relatively long, possibly up to six months.

The agent glanced at the illegal clauses in the contract again and couldn't help but say to Wu Yuchen, "Director Wu, Johnny has long since distanced himself from this stuff!"

Wu Yuchen remained silent, but producer James, who was standing next to him, said, "This is a big production with a budget of 1.4 million, so we must minimize the risks. To be frank, given Depp's past record, we have to include these clauses."

As a free-spirited and unruly young man, Depp used to do drugs all the time. The turning point came in 1993 when River Phoenix, the brightest young actor, Leonardo DiCaprio's idol, and Depp's good friend, died of a drug overdose at Depp's private bar.

This had a significant impact on a small circle of people, including Depp and Keanu Reeves, and it is rumored that Depp only started to quit after that.

However, because of his disgraceful past, we must be cautious when using him, and there must be appropriate clauses to prevent violations.

Depp's agent didn't say anything more, then asked, "How do you define the line for alcoholism? What if Depp needs to drink to get into character during filming?"

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "The interpretation is up to me. When I need him to drink, I will lift the ban. Don't worry, this is a big production of 1.4 million. I won't deliberately target any actor. No one will jeopardize their own future."

The agent nodded: "Depp will sign the contract and join the crew tomorrow. Director Wu, you'll make a film even better than 'The Sixth Sense,' won't you?"

Wu Yuchen said with a smile, "The Pirate King will be the best pirate movie series ever!"

Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, and Hugh Jackman, the three main characters, all entered the training camp, mainly to practice swordsmanship. Keira Knightley also had a class on etiquette for noble ladies. It didn't take long, just two weeks.

Wu Yuchen, on the other hand, was busy with the crew's preparations every day. This included constantly communicating with the props team about the various items he would need during filming, and repeatedly communicating with the Industrial Light & Magic special effects team about which scenes would require special effects and what effects they would achieve. All of this required a lot of preparation and had to be explained in advance.

Therefore, he even declined to attend the premiere of DreamWorks' big-budget film, *Gladiator*. However, he had heard that the premiere of *Gladiator* was a great success, receiving high praise from critics and media, and a very positive audience response. Wu Yuchen naturally knew that *Gladiator* would be a box office and critical success, and he called Spielberg and related personnel to congratulate them.

However, there are some things that even when he's very busy, he still has to make time to go.

417 Fifth Avenue, New York City, Marvel Comics headquarters.

A sprightly old man with a full head of silver hair was standing beside Wu Yuchen, enthusiastically introducing him to the heroes hanging on the wall. He was none other than Stan Lee, the father of Marvel.

"The first time I had the idea to create Spider-Man was when I saw a fly stuck on a wall, and I thought: how cool would it be if I could create a hero who can climb! In that instant, I thought of a lot of names, like Fly Man, Mosquito Man, and so on, but my colleagues said they would all be killed by spiders. And then, Peter Parker was born!"

Wu Yuchen listened with great interest, but inwardly he was thinking, "What a pity, Marvel sold the rights to Spider-Man two years ago. That was Marvel's most lucrative piece of meat!"

Stan Lee stopped abruptly after speaking, then asked Wu Yuchen, "Wu, would you buy Marvel?"

Since a business team came to Marvel Studios a month ago to start business negotiations, the entire company has known that someone is interested in Marvel. Later, it was even rumored that the person who wanted to acquire Marvel was none other than Wu Yuchen, a top Hollywood director!
This caused unease within Marvel. Ever since the box office success of their 1998 superhero film *Blade*, Marvel had been considering adapting its superheroes into movies. Unfortunately, Marvel's financial resources were too weak. They had been bankrupted by their previous owner's various financial maneuvers and were heavily in debt. They simply didn't have the money to make movies and had to sell their own superheroes to keep the company afloat.

Now, if director Wu Yuchen becomes the new owner, Marvel's cinematic journey will undoubtedly experience a leap forward. Putting everything else aside, if Wu Yuchen is willing to direct himself, funding will be no problem at all; banks would be willing to offer loans to support their filming!

Therefore, many people within Marvel Studios are actually quite excited about this acquisition. Stan Lee's question reflects the sentiments of many within Marvel.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "I also hope to see all of Marvel's superheroes appear on the big screen, but the decision is not up to me right now."

He wants to buy, but only if the seller is willing to sell. His attitude is a way of hoping for cooperation from within Marvel. Marvel doesn't completely obey its own boss; their board of directors has ousted the previous owner before.

Watching Wu Yuchen's retreating figure as he walked upstairs, Stan Lee sighed. He remembered several years ago, when he had accompanied Michael Jackson on a similar tour, he too had wanted to buy Marvel and even star as Spider-Man himself, but unfortunately, nothing came of it. He hoped this time would be different!
Inside the office, a middle-aged Jewish man in a suit smiled and said to Wu Yuchen:
"Wu, come and try this, authentic Blue Mountain coffee!"

"Thanks, Ike, it tastes amazing, just like Marvel gives me a great feeling~"

Ike Perlmutter, Marvel's largest shareholder, was intrigued by this and asked Wu Yuchen with a smile, "Wu, are you also a Marvel fan?"

Wu Yuchen stirred his coffee and smiled: "I wouldn't call myself a fan, but I did read some Marvel comics during a break from filming and it piqued my interest."

Are you interested in Marvel superhero movie adaptations?

He then continued, "If you're willing to make a superhero movie for Marvel, I can give you 5% of Marvel shares for free, how about it?"
Wu Yuchen glanced at the middle-aged Jewish man in front of him. He was quite intelligent, but unfortunately, 5% of the shares were far from enough to satisfy his appetite!

Now, Director Wu's salary for a single movie is 2000 million, so how much is this 5% Marvel stock worth?
Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen shook his head: "Mr. Ike, I regret to inform you that I have no plans to make any superhero movies within the next five years. Moreover, my favorite character is still Spider-Man, but unfortunately I heard that you have already sold him."

Ike Perlmutter sighed upon hearing this. It seemed the other party wouldn't work for him. A 5% stake was the maximum temptation he could offer; anything more would feel like a loss.

Regarding the Spider-Man mentioned by Wu Yuchen, he shrugged and said, "There's no other way, Marvel has to survive."

Last year, Marvel, facing a difficult situation, approached various studios to sell the rights to its superheroes, but only Sony showed interest. At the time, Marvel offered to sell the rights to a series of characters, including Thor, Ant-Man, Spider-Man, and Iron Man, to Sony Pictures for $2500 million.

Ultimately, Sony was only interested in Spider-Man, purchasing the film for $700 million and rejecting everything else. It's hard to say whether this was Sony's best decision or their most regrettable one.

This seems ridiculous more than a decade later. People have become accustomed to Marvel heroes grossing over $5 million or even $10 billion worldwide, but nowadays, these copyrights are really not popular at all.

The traditional Hollywood view is that superhero movies only work when big-name stars are involved. A movie's box office success isn't due to the superhero, but rather the star power. And aside from super-popular heroes like Spider-Man, other heroes really don't have much value.

Wu Yuchen said with a smile, "Ike, 120 million to acquire your shares is a very fair price. You made 20 million in just one year since you bought the shares. It's a very worthwhile deal."

(End of this chapter)