Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 222 Left hand hits right hand

After hearing Wu Yuchen's explanation, the Sony representatives present found it quite reasonable. Stan Lee, however, opened his mouth, wanting to explain Mary Jane's importance to Peter Parker, since she was a character he created. But upon seeing Wu Yuchen and remembering that Wu Yuchen was now a major shareholder of Marvel, he abandoned the idea.

One of the Sony people said, "Okay, then let's not consider Christine. What do you guys think of the others?"

Director Sam Raimi, who had just joined the project, enthusiastically said, "I think Alicia Witt is perfect. She's not only beautiful, but also very popular right now, and she has natural reddish-brown hair. She's practically Mary Jane herself!"

Immediately, everyone's attention was drawn to the actress who had just been mentioned.

Wu Yuchen also looked at Alicia Witt's information. To be honest, if it weren't for this trip to America, he wouldn't have known about this actress at all. But actually, she was quite popular in the US at this time. The movies she acted in weren't very famous, but she was very popular in TV series and was a top-tier actress in HBO series.

However, Wu Yuchen was not alarmed. Thinking of the meticulous and thoughtful service Anne Hathaway had given him these past two days, he smiled. He, the great director Wu, was not a heartless person who would pluck a bird!

"Alicia Witt is indeed quite good-looking, but there is one problem."

Upon hearing this, Sam Remy immediately asked, "What?"

The others also looked at Wu Yuchen.

“Age. Alicia Wright is already 25 years old this year. She can play the first one, but our Spider-Man trilogy is going to be made. By the third one, she will probably be over 30, and it won't be appropriate for her to play Mary Jane. We can't just look at this one movie; we need to make a long-term plan for the trilogy!”

Sam Raimi actually felt that it wasn't a big problem for actresses to wear makeup even if they were over 30. However, although he was confirmed as the director, he had just joined the project and was still relatively insignificant compared to Wu Yuchen, the producer and project initiator. So he didn't refute Wu Yuchen anymore.

After some consideration, the people at Sony also felt that if they were considering a trilogy, they should indeed choose someone younger. So they simply asked Wu Yuchen, "Wu, which actress do you think is the most suitable?"

Wu Yuchen smiled and took out a document to show everyone: "Anne Hathaway, 18 years old, just the right age to go to college, and very beautiful, perfectly meeting the requirements for a 'pretty face' role!"

The others exchanged glances. Some were thinking, while others had some doubts: "But she seems to be a newcomer who hasn't been in the industry for long and has no fame at all. Would it be inappropriate to cast her as the female lead?"

Wu Yuchen shook his finger and emphasized again:

"No, no, think back to what I said at the beginning. Who is the focus of Spider-Man? It's Peter Parker, not Mary Jane. 99.9% of the audience is here to see Spider-Man, not Mary Jane. Therefore, the role of finding a famous actress to play Mary Jane is not as significant as you think. In comparison, a young, beautiful, and suitable Mary Jane is much more appealing."

The group looked at each other, seemingly agreeing with Wu Yuchen. His confident and certain attitude, coupled with his past achievements and status as a screenwriter and project initiator, made it easy for them to believe that what he said made sense.

……

Inside the room, Anne Hathaway's excitement was palpable as she threw herself into Wu Yuchen's arms: "Really? Is it really confirmed that I'll be playing Mary Jane?!"

"Of course, do you think I would lie to you? Your agent will receive the news by tomorrow at the latest."

"That's amazing! I love you so much!" Anne Hathaway said, wrapping her legs around Wu Yuchen's waist and giving him a passionate kiss.

Anne Hathaway felt this was the best decision she had ever made. Although her family was well-off, they were only slightly above middle class and couldn't provide her with any resources or connections in Hollywood. After a year in the industry, she had come to realize that without resources and connections, it would be difficult to get good opportunities based solely on her looks.

It's an open secret that the fastest shortcut for actresses in Hollywood is through their bodies; it's not even a secret, everyone outside the industry knows it. Anne Hathaway's looks are undoubtedly a huge asset, so naturally she wanted to choose a good target. Young, handsome, and powerful Wu Yuchen was the perfect choice. And it turned out her choice was absolutely correct!

A moment later, their lips parted, and Wu Yuchen cradled little Annie in his arms, saying, "Annie, after Spider-Man is released, you'll become famous all over the world!"

Anne Hathaway's expression lit up with daydreams as she imagined herself becoming a top star, breaking into Hollywood and becoming the next Julia Roberts, a leading lady in Hollywood.

Wu Yuchen knew what she was thinking just by looking at her, but he didn't mind if the girl dreamed too much. If she didn't pursue her dreams, why would she be so proactive in offering herself to him and begging him for his attention?

She's just Spider-Man's girlfriend. Anne Hathaway will get some exposure in front of the world and gain some fame, but honestly, that's about it. Mary Jane's character isn't really that likable.

Male viewers like female protagonists who revolve around the male lead, but Mary Jane has always been involved with other men and her love for Spider-Man Peter Parker is also limited, which annoys male viewers.

Female viewers tend to prefer female protagonists who are outstanding, capable, courageous, resourceful, and decisive, capable of saving the day in crucial moments. Clearly, Mary Jane is not one of these characters. Aside from her good looks, she's lacking in every other aspect, and all she does in critical situations is scream, which female viewers will find annoying.

Therefore, it's wishful thinking to think that this role will propel her to A-list status. Let alone A-list, she'd be lucky to even reach the second tier in Hollywood. And if she were to act in movies other than Spider-Man, she'd only get a third-tier rating at best.

Wu Yuchen won't tell this girl anything for now. If she wants to continue striving for success, she'll have to keep trying to please him and beg him. Anne Hathaway is only 18; she has a long time to blossom. He'll have plenty of opportunities to play around with her for the next ten years.
Since coming to Hollywood, Wu Yuchen has maintained a clean reputation, rejecting countless actresses who wanted to offer themselves to him. He has only given personal guidance to Gretchen, Jennifer Connelly, and Anne Hathaway.

Gretchen only dabbled in the project during the production of "Frequency," and then broke off the relationship, with no intention of continuing. However, he plans to pursue artistic direction with Jennifer Connelly and Anne Hathaway for the long term. Jennifer Connelly should have several more years of success ahead of her, and Anne Hathaway even longer.

Thinking of the two women, Wu Yuchen smiled. If he had the chance in the future, he planned to compare the two women side by side to see which of these two Aries women had a fairer complexion.
Next, besides the male and female leads, a number of supporting actors for Spider-Man were also selected. James Franco was originally auditioning for the male lead Spider-Man, but ended up becoming Spider-Man's rich second-generation friend.

Filming won't be quick; there's still a lot to do. Choosing filming locations, designing and manufacturing Spider-Man's costume and the villain Green Goblin's suit, as well as various other matters, all need to be arranged first. We also need to give the lead actor, Tobey Maguire, enough training time. Moreover, as director Sam Raimi, we need to communicate fully with all parties involved. Therefore, we've scheduled the start of filming for after February next year.

This suited Wu Yuchen's wishes quite well; a longer production time would give him more time. It was already November, and the special effects for "The Pirate King" were almost finished. After all, some of the special effects were done on the fly. The editing was also nearly complete. Once the special effects were done, only the music and other work would remain. He should be able to finish by the end of the year and go home for the Chinese New Year as scheduled.

However, today, Wu Yuchen specially found a Chinese restaurant to host a banquet for the group of weary travelers.

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Come on, this is a pretty authentic Chinese restaurant I found in Los Angeles. You guys should try it!"

"Thank you so much, Director Wu. We've been running around for so long, and eating those foreign banquet meals was really tough. We missed Chinese food so much! Now we understand what you meant by the Oscar PR disaster. Director Wu, you really worked hard last year!" Jiang Zhiqiang said, clasping his hands in a fist salute to Wu Yuchen.

"Haha, thankfully all that suffering wasn't for nothing."

Wu Yuchen then turned to Li An and said:
"Director Li, congratulations! The Toronto Audience Award, the New York Film Festival's Most Popular Film, and the audience response I saw in the theater today was fantastic. Film critics also had a very good impression of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.' It seems like we have a very good chance this time!"

Li An quickly replied modestly:
"Not at all, Director Wu, you flatter me. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon received a lot of criticism after its release in China. I'm still very nervous and don't dare to think too much. Let's see if we can get a nomination first!"

Indeed, a few months ago, after "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was released in Chinese-speaking regions, it suffered a double blow in terms of box office and critical reception.

In terms of box office, it grossed 1500 million yuan in mainland China, 1400 million Hong Kong dollars in Hong Kong, and 6000 million NT dollars in Taiwan, which translates to approximately 1400 million yuan. This means the total box office revenue for the three Chinese-speaking regions combined is only around 4500 million yuan, with the investors likely receiving only about 1500 million yuan. And the investment? It was 1500 million US dollars!
If this movie hadn't had the Oscar boost and the contributions of the American people, it would have really lost a fortune!
Why did this movie receive a lukewarm reception in Chinese-speaking regions?
Because it didn't meet everyone's expectations. The audience wanted to see what this martial arts movie, which claimed to have an investment of over 100 million yuan, would be like, but they found that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was not a martial arts movie at all!
What is the public's expectation of martial arts?
It's a world of swords and shadows, a world of swift justice and vengeance!
It is about showing contempt for the powerful and punishing the wicked!

They are righteous and courageous, upholding justice and eliminating evil!
They are loyal and courageous, acting on behalf of Heaven!

It is the carefree and joyful life unrestrained by the imperial court, and the universally acknowledged spirit of Guo Jing, the great hero, who "serves the country and its people" and has a spirit of universal benevolence.

However, Li An's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is neither about quick revenge nor carefree living. Li Mu Bai and Yu Xiu Lian always cooperate with the Prince's Mansion, which represents the government, and their martial arts world is full of helplessness.

In fact, the popular martial arts novels of modern times, such as Jin Yong and Gu Long, were also based on the "feel-good" formula, but they were not as simplistic and straightforward as later online novels.

However, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was not exciting at all. In the end, none of the main characters had a good ending, and the audience did not even have an outlet for their emotions. As a result, when they finished watching it, they were even a little confused, wondering what the hell it was.
This drew unanimous criticism from viewers and the media: the plot was dull, the pacing was poor, and the main character was unlikable...

When people go to the cinema, they expect to see a thrilling martial arts film for two hours, not this convoluted mess. How many people are interested in carefully analyzing the protagonist's inner emotional turmoil? As a result, not only did it flop at the box office, but public opinion also directly attacked "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," questioning what kind of garbage it was.

This naturally frustrated Li An. He poured his heart and soul into making "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and even specifically required the actors to speak Mandarin, not for foreigners. He also paid meticulous attention to every detail, but unexpectedly, he was criticized in various ways.

Fortunately, its popularity abroad was evident in the various Western film festivals and awards it received, which made Li An feel better and allowed him to place all his hopes on the Oscars.

"Director Li, there's no need to be modest. In my experience, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has a very good chance this year. Everyone is focused on results these days. As long as you win the Oscar, the public opinion and sentiment in China will change."

Wu Yuchen smiled and encouraged Li An. He initially invested in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" partly because of its Oscar potential and partly because of its high box office returns.

Because he had already won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film last year, taking the title of the first Chinese-language film to win an Oscar, he wasn't as concerned about the Oscar honor for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." What he cared about more now was the box office revenue it could generate. $200 million! Ten times the expected return!
This time, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is still being submitted for review by Taiwan.

It wasn't that Wu Yuchen didn't want to compete, but rather that many films from mainland China were vying for the Oscar submission slot, especially after Wu Yuchen won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar earlier this year. Many directors became even more proactive, wanting to emulate the style of "Amour" and win awards themselves. Therefore, Li An's film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" simply couldn't secure a submission slot from mainland China.

Then Wu Yuchen wanted to arrange for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" to be submitted for review in Hong Kong. After all, the investors, Little White Bear Films and Jiang Zhiqiang's Edko Films, are both Hong Kong companies, and Tony Leung Ka-fai is the male lead, so it could easily be submitted through Hong Kong. However, it still didn't work out. This was because the Hong Kong Film Association didn't think much of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." The film they were submitting for Oscar review this year was Wong Kar-wai's "In the Mood for Love."

Wu Yuchen sighed. "I'm handing you this honor, and you won't even take it." In the end, he could only let Li An take "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" back to Taiwan for review.

At this moment, Li An suddenly asked Wu Yuchen, "Director Wu, will you be attending this year's Golden Horse Awards?"

"Ok?"

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this, and then asked, "What, did the Golden Horse Awards invite you to be their lobbyist?"

Last year, "Mr. Donkey" was submitted to the Golden Horse Awards, but due to political reasons—it directly satirized the Kuomintang—it didn't win Best Film or Best Director. It only received Best Actress for Gong Li and Best Screenplay for Wu Yuchen. Of course, Wu Yuchen was too busy preparing for the Oscars to attend the awards ceremony.

Li An explained to Wu Yuchen, "The Golden Horse Awards have reached a consensus with the Government Information Office on the three principles of 'politicians not going on stage, not giving speeches, and not presenting awards.' We would very much like to invite Director Wu to attend this year."

Wu Yuchen chuckled. This was because his status was immediately solidified after winning the Oscar, making him the top Chinese director. Many people were criticizing the Golden Horse Awards for not awarding the prize to "Mr. Donkey" last year, and they probably wanted to invite him this year to make up for it.

Wu Yuchen thought for a moment and then asked Li An with a smile, "Director Li, if I go, wouldn't I be fighting against 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'?"

Li An shook his head and said, "Director Wu, I didn't submit my application for this year's Golden Horse Awards. It's not too late to participate next year."

Wu Yuchen was slightly surprised to hear this. He remembered that in his previous life, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" participated in this year's Golden Horse Awards and won several awards.

Jiang Zhiqiang laughed and said, "Director Wu, anyone with eyes can see that this year's award is definitely going to be yours. If you can't win the Golden Horse if you win the Oscar, then there's no point in holding the Golden Horse Awards!"

Wu Yuchen thought about it and agreed. It seemed that, influenced by him, Li An had simply decided not to register for this year's Golden Horse Awards and instead reschedule for next year.

Wu Yuchen thought for a moment and said, "Let's see how much time I have. If I can finish 'Pirate King,' I'll go over there."

To be honest, a Golden Horse Award doesn't mean much to him anymore; at most, it's just another trophy in his collection. The Pirate King film is far more important to him; he'll definitely prioritize that.

Li An smiled bitterly to himself. It seemed that the Golden Horse Awards organizing committee's request for him to act as an intermediary would not be successful. This year's Golden Horse Awards were to be held very early, on December 2nd, which meant there were only half a month left. He guessed that Wu Yuchen would not be able to attend.

However, it's enough for him to say it once; repeatedly trying to persuade someone will only annoy them. Therefore, Li An didn't bring it up again and instead exchanged ideas with Wu Yuchen about his experience in the Olympics.

……

On December 2nd, the 37th Golden Horse Awards were held as scheduled. Wu Yuchen was not present, but the Best Film and Best Director awards were still given to "Love". Cai Yinong, who attended on his behalf, also went on stage to read his acceptance speech.

Wu Yuchen smiled after receiving Cai Yinong's call. It seemed that the Golden Horse Awards were quite sincere. He would give them face and go again next time he had time.

He also kept track of the situation of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" during this period. It can be said that it was unbeatable in the Best Foreign Language Film award, which was a precursor to the Oscars, and it also won Best Director twice.

At the same time, Wu Yuchen also saw another film he had invested in, "Exclusive Network." This film was also currently engaged in Oscar lobbying, and its director, Steven Soderbergh, was Li An's direct competitor for Best Director.

Wu Yuchen smiled at the situation; this time, he really was fighting fire with fire. However, based on his previous life, it was more likely to be Soderbergh, because he also had another film, "Erin Brockovich," which was highly anticipated and would earn him a double nomination for Best Director. In addition, his Jewish identity and experience in Hollywood gave him a stronger ability to garner votes than Li An.

However, his good mood was ruined just two days later.

"Wu, I have a friend here who wants to get to know you."

David Geffen, one of the three giants of DreamWorks, met with Wu Yuchen. Since Wu Yuchen is currently collaborating with DreamWorks, he certainly had to give him face.

However, when Wu Yuchen followed David Geffen into a private room and saw a fat man with a face full of scars, he felt a little uneasy.

"Wu, you're really hard to get an appointment with! It took Torgufen to get you to come out!" This person was none other than Harvey Weinstein, who had previously tried to meet with Wu Yuchen.

Seeing the portly figure smiling, getting up, opening his arms, and walking over to hug him, Wu Yuchen simply took the initiative to extend his hand and shake his:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Weinstein, I'm really busy right now. The post-production of 'The Pirate King' and the preparations for 'Spider-Man' have kept me extremely busy, and I have very little free time."

Unable to get a hug, Harvey Weinstein simply reached out and shook hands with Wu Yuchen.

"Yes, of course I know. Managing two big-budget productions with budgets of over 100 million yuan at the same time, and I heard you even have plans for a Spider-Man trilogy. That's impressive!"

David Geffen smiled and said to Wu Yuchen, "You've probably heard of Harvey; he's very good at making independent films and Oscar lobbying. You two can have a good chat. But before that, I think we can try this really good Italian restaurant first!"

The Italian food at this restaurant was indeed quite good, but Wu Yuchen's mind wasn't on the food. He was trying to figure out what Harvey was planning to do by repeatedly asking him out.
The group ate and chatted, rambling on about all sorts of things, before eventually turning to the romantic escapades of Hollywood.

"Wu, I've seen the new female lead chosen for 'Spider-Man,' and I must say you have excellent taste!"

Harvey smiled at Wu Yuchen and winked, giving him a knowing look that any man would understand.

“Anne is a great fit for the role of Mary Jane,” Wu Yuchen replied with a smile.

"Wu, if you like this type of actress, I can introduce you to more in the future. Trust me, you'll definitely be satisfied!"

However, Wu Yuchen didn't want to discuss these things with this guy: "Thank you, but I think you've misunderstood, Harvey."

Harvey shrugged: "Hey Wu, there are no outsiders here. It's perfectly normal for producers and actresses to have intimate relationships; there's nothing to hide."

(End of this chapter)