Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 368 The Heaven-Defying Huang Xiaoming
"President Kosslick, thank you for your kind invitation, but I'm truly sorry, I cannot attend this year's Berlin Film Festival. Our country is currently selecting the chief director for the 08 Beijing Olympics, and I need to prepare for that. I hope you can understand!"

"Oh, that's such a shame! But I understand, the Olympics are important to every country. Wu, I think you'll definitely get what you want!"

The person speaking to Wu Yuchen at that moment was Dieter Kosslick, the chairman of the Berlin Film Festival organizing committee. It was clear from the conversation that he was repeatedly inviting Wu Yuchen to the festival a few months later. However, this time it wasn't about inviting him to participate in the festival, but rather to serve as a jury member.

If Wu Yuchen is willing to go, he will inevitably become the chairman of the jury for that year, and the Berlin Film Festival can also use his name for publicity.

To be honest, Wu Yuchen didn't intentionally reject the other party. The Berlin Film Festival is where he started his career, and if possible, he would certainly like to give back. But unfortunately, he has to run for the Olympic Games! The second round of the Olympic election is at the end of January, and he definitely needs to focus on the Olympics and doesn't want to be distracted by this.

Last year, due to time constraints, "Departures" had to decline the Berlin Film Festival but instead participated in the Cannes Film Festival. This year, unfortunately, it declined again due to the Olympics. Faced with the chairman's repeated warm invitations, Wu Yuchen himself felt a little embarrassed.

However, Wu Yuchen hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mr. Chairman, if you would like, I will clear my schedule a year from now to serve as a judge for that year's competition. What do you think?"

Koslick was initially disappointed, but upon hearing Wu Yuchen's promise, his worries immediately turned to joy, and he replied with a smile, "Oh! Wu, of course I'd be delighted! The Berlin Film Festival will always welcome you!"

After hanging up the phone, Wu Yuchen sighed. Another thing had been added to his schedule!

However, favors owed must eventually be repaid. Humans are social animals, and in this world, we rely on each other for support. It's impossible to only take and never give. After receiving something, you always have to give something in return, so that others can also benefit. Only then can you stand firm, no matter where you are.

Wu Yuchen then shook his head. "We'll talk about it a year from now," he said, smiling again as he continued to the middle-aged man before him, "Coach Dong, let's continue. This time, I want to create a martial arts world that leans towards the style of Gu Long..."

Tung Wai still couldn't hide his excitement. He was also a veteran action choreographer from Hong Kong Island with more than 30 years of experience. But to be honest, his reputation was not as good as that of the famous Yuen Clan, Cheng Clan, and Hung Clan.

Logically speaking, Wu Yuchen could choose any action choreographer he wanted, and top teams wouldn't refuse unless they were truly unable to spare the time. However, Dong Wei never expected that Wu Yuchen would approach him to be the action choreographer.

How could he not be overjoyed and excited to be able to collaborate with the top Chinese director? These days, even the best wine needs advertising, and talented people need a platform to showcase their abilities. Dong Wei knew that this collaboration with Wu Yuchen was the best opportunity for him!

This time, Wu Yuchen didn't approach the Yuan Family Team or others, but instead found Dong Wei. On the one hand, Dong Wei is quite skilled, with experience in many films such as "Dragon in Shaolin", "The Taoist Priest with One Eyebrow", "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" and "Seven Swords". More importantly, he was the martial arts director of "Reign of Assassins" in his previous life.

The most praised aspect of "Reign of Assassins" is its action design throughout the film. Each character's martial arts are very distinctive, and the weapons they use are also very ingenious. It is also very rare to find a film that combines the elegance and realism of martial arts fighting. It is safe to say that even if Yuen Ho-ping, Sammo Hung, Ching Siu-tung, and others were to be involved, it would be difficult to achieve this level of skill.

Moreover, the fighting moves and weapons designed by Dong Wei truly give people the feeling of being in a Gu Long martial arts novel.

In Jin Yong's martial arts novels, the fighting style is characterized by clear layers and a well-defined plot, with prominent personalities of the characters in the duels. Gu Long, on the other hand, is different. If Jin Yong's style is realistic, then Gu Long's is impressionistic. Duels between heroes often occur on the brink of life and death; the moment the sword is drawn, the opponent's throat is already pierced.

Of course, you can't film it like that. What would the audience see if a sword pierced through someone's neck? So, you have to pursue "uniqueness." Every person's martial arts skills and moves have to be visually striking, and the fight should be spectacular from the start to grab people's attention. Only then can you achieve the "unique" effect.

"The heroine Xiyu's water-repelling sword must be dazzlingly silver and have unpredictable sword moves. Moreover, it is a soft sword, and the blade can always bend to unexpected positions to strike. It can attack enemies from 360 degrees, and when it collides with other weapons, it can make a tinkling sound of water droplets, which is both cruel and beautiful."

The protagonist Zhang Renfeng wields two swords of varying lengths, displaying the awe-inspiring righteousness of a master. The short sword even becomes the best weapon for Xiyu to defeat the Wheel King's Water-Splitting Sword Technique at the end.

Assassin Lei Bin's Fen Shui Emei daggers, combined with steel needles of varying lengths—small, medium, and large needles, culminating in two foot-long needles on his body—were deadly at all times, striking with all his might, displaying extreme ruthlessness and viciousness.

The Wheel King's sword is imposing and square, showcasing the strength and power of a martial arts overlord. Ye Zhanqing's sword, on the other hand, is unremarkable, highlighting her junior status within the "Black Stone" organization and her position as Xiyu's double.

The iron chopsticks used by the monk Lu Zhu embody both the peace and compassion of a Buddhist disciple and the extraordinary skill of a master. His attacks are subtle and never intended to harm anyone, only to help others.

"The magician..."

At this moment, Wu Yuchen introduced the weapons and characteristics of each character, and Dong Wei carefully recorded Wu Yuchen's requirements. The unique charm of weapons in martial arts films also serves as a subtle hint at the personality of the swordsman. "Reign of Assassins" meticulously designed a variety of ingeniously crafted weapons, and then designed various extraordinary fighting moves based on the characteristics of these weapons, thus creating an unprecedented and brilliant chapter in the history of weaponry and action scenes.

However, when talking about the magician, Wu Yuchen paused for a moment. The reason he left it until last was because this character's weapon was very memorable, arguably the most talked-about weapon in the entire film:
"The character of the magician is very wicked, so his weapon must also be wicked, and it must fit the characteristics of his identity as a magician. The magic rope that hangs directly from the sky is incredibly fantastical, the double swords can also bring out a fierce fire, and his cloak can also transform into flames. This needs to be designed well, it will definitely be very popular with the audience!"

Dong Wei said, "Director Wu, I'll go and learn from some folk magicians, acrobatic troupes, and magicians to make sure the choreography is perfect!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and nodded: "I still have a lot of confidence in Coach Dong."

The martial arts world composed of these weapons undoubtedly possesses a rich and colorful atmosphere, easily immersing the audience and making them applaud every detail of the weapons and fights, bringing excellent visual effects to the film.

Wu Yuchen plans to take advantage of the time he is still in China to start preparing for "Reign of Assassins", mainly by selecting the team and key roles.

On one hand, "Reign of Assassins" is a martial arts film, so action scenes are naturally its biggest selling point and occupy an absolutely important position. Therefore, selecting a martial arts choreography team as early as possible will give them ample time to design the action scenes. Moreover, the production team will also need to prepare and manufacture corresponding weapons based on the action choreography designs.

On the other hand, the selected actors also need to have enough time to practice their movements!

While Wu Yuchen was discussing martial arts moves and weapons with Dong Wei, the domestic entertainment industry was also in turmoil due to the news about "Reign of Assassins".

"What? Director Wu is casting for his new film?" "Director Wu is making a new film? A period martial arts film?"

What kind of roles is Director Wu casting for his new film? Do I meet the requirements?

"What? The female lead has already been cast?"

"Are all the others still here except for the female lead?"

This has caused quite a stir among the actors. This time, "Reign of Assassins" has released a lot of roles, unlike Chen Kaige's "The Promise" and Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers," which didn't release any roles at all. They directly invited actors, and they all chose Hong Kong actors, since they have a strong market appeal.

Wu Yuchen is different. Unlike other directors who favor Hong Kong and Taiwan actors, he always reserves important roles for mainland actors in his films.

Moreover, in Wu Yuchen's previous Chinese martial arts film "Brotherhood of Blades", Deng Chao, a newcomer who was still a student, was selected to play an important role. Perhaps one of them will be lucky enough to catch Director Wu's eye this time?

As a result, "Reign of Assassins" attracted a lot of people to sign up!
Wu Yuchen also received calls from several people, including Huang Xiaoming at this very moment:

"Mr. Wu, you haven't decided on the male lead for your 'Reign of Assassins' yet, have you?"

"It's empty. What, do you want to act?"

"Hehe, Teacher Wu, of course I want to act in your play!"

"No, Xiaoming, aren't you filming 'The Banquet' right now? Are you still thinking about my 'Reign of Assassins'?" Wu Yuchen asked with a smile.

"Teacher Wu, there's absolutely no conflict. 'The Banquet' has been filming for over half a month already, and it won't be finished until early next year at the latest. Isn't your 'Reign of Assassins' scheduled for filming next year? It'll definitely be done in time. Besides, I've filmed quite a few period dramas in the past two years, like 'The Return of the Condor Heroes' and 'The Banquet,' so I'm very familiar with action scenes! I'll definitely pick it up quickly!"

Huang Xiaoming kept talking about his advantages on the phone, trying to increase his leverage.

Hearing Huang Xiaoming say that, Wu Yuchen thought for a moment and asked, "You're filming right now, can you leave the set?"

"I'll ask Director Feng for a leave of absence! He should understand!"

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this: "Okay, you can come if you want, but I've only agreed to let you audition. How you act will depend on the audition results."

Huang Xiaoming immediately smiled and said, "Thank you, Teacher Wu! I have to try, whether it works or not, otherwise I'll definitely regret it later!"

After hanging up the phone, Wu Yuchen clicked his tongue twice, thinking that Xiao Ming was doing quite well these days.

Huang Xiaoming has taken on the male lead role in Feng Xiaogang's "The Banquet," a film that just started shooting last month and is currently in production. Actually, he also acted in "The Banquet" in his previous life, but the difference was that he played a supporting role, or rather, the second male lead.

But things are different now. Huang Xiaoming debuted as part of F4 and has countless fans. His popularity is already unbeatable. Over the years, he has acted in many idol dramas and period dramas. He also played an important supporting role in Wu Yuchen's Oscar-winning film "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas".

Therefore, in terms of both status and appeal, he is unmatched among his peers. Naturally, he would not play a supporting role in "The Banquet" and thus replaced Wu Yanzu from his previous life as the male lead.

If he discusses it with Feng Xiaogang, even though Feng Xiaogang might have some complaints, he should still be granted leave to attend the audition.

In fact, Huang Xiaoming wasn't the only one in the "The Banquet" crew who wanted to come; even the female lead, Zhang Ziyi, wanted to come!

Zhang Ziyi called before Huang Xiaoming, wanting to ask Wu Yuchen if she had a chance with the female lead. After learning from him that the female lead was Zeng Li, she silently hung up, probably no longer having any thoughts about it.

Wu Yuchen then thought of what Huang Xiaoming had just said. He and Liu Qianqian finished filming "The Return of the Condor Heroes" in the first half of this year, and the TV series would be broadcast next year, starting its reign on television. Everyone should know how popular "The Return of the Condor Heroes" is and how high its national recognition is. In his previous life, it directly made the two male and female leads the most popular people in the country.

Meanwhile, he also has the big-budget film "The Banquet" set to be released next year.

Although "The Banquet" cannot compare to Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers," and its momentum is far less than that of "The Promise," it is still a top-tier film in China, and its final box office was not low, reaching 1.3 million yuan, ranking second that year, only behind "Curse of the Golden Flower" at 2.4 million yuan.

With "The Return of the Condor Heroes" and "The Banquet" airing simultaneously next year, won't Huang Xiaoming dominate the Chinese-speaking world?
If he were to land the lead role in "Reign of Assassins," which will be released the year after next, and oh yes, "Fast & Furious 3," which he also stars in, will be released globally next year, he's been incredibly successful these past few years!

Wu Yuchen didn't realize how good Huang Xiaoming's resources are these days!

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head. He hadn't expected that his casual decision would turn Huang Xiaoming into the top male star in the Chinese-speaking world. However, since Huang is now an artist under his own company, it could be said that the resources weren't wasted; he's made a lot of money for his company!
In the evening, Wu Yuchen opened the door and walked in. He saw Li Xiaoran sitting in front of the computer, playing a game with one hand on the mouse and the other on the keyboard. She didn't turn her head or say anything, looking like she was not to be approached. Her eyes were fixed on the computer screen, and she was playing by herself, completely ignoring Wu Yuchen.

(End of this chapter)