It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 21: A ruthless bandit? Yu Ji? The Overlord? This cast is a bit strange!

On this day in early March, the results of the 2002 entrance exams for the Beijing Film Academy were released.

Lu Rui didn't pay any special attention, but he did receive a text message from Liu Yifei.

"I got in! Hehe, I'll call you senior from now on!"

"it is good."

Lu Rui replied with one word, and then went back to his busy work.

After a month-long run, "Gone Girl" has successfully finished its theatrical run, accumulating a total box office of 3560 million yuan.

It wasn't much different from his previous estimate.

The box office revenue share of over 200 million yuan was successfully received.

Under Han Sanping's arrangement, a grand celebration banquet officially began.

China Film Group only invested a little over 200 million yuan, but the final return was more than ten times that amount, which is a huge achievement!

Han Sanping was grinning from ear to ear. At the celebration banquet, he put his arm around Lü Rui's shoulder and bragged to everyone that he had discovered a promising talent.

Jiang Wen, who was standing next to him, rolled his eyes.

He's clearly the one who discovered talent, isn't he?

"You two are both my mentors!"

Lu Rui quickly tried to smooth things over.

It would be a terrible mistake if this caused the two drunkards to start fighting.

The following morning, after Han Sanping sobered up, Lü Rui went to China Film Group again.

The main reason for this trip was related to the release of the product.

Although the copyrights in Europe and America have been sold, they can still be exported and distributed in Southeast Asia, which brings in another considerable amount of revenue.

"There are two options: either sell the entire package directly, settle the payment in one lump sum, and you have no say in how much profit you make; or you can partner with film distributors in Southeast Asia for distribution and split the profits proportionally. Which option do you prefer?"

"What do you think?" Lu Rui genuinely didn't understand this.

Han Sanping thought for a moment and gave his advice: "I suggest you package it up and hand it over to China Film Group to handle. Let the professionals connect with the film distributors in Southeast Asia. We can take a long-term approach and benefit slowly, but this model is not suitable for you right now."

"Row."

Lu Rui readily accepted, and casually showed Han Sanping the first draft of "Mysterious River".

After reading it, Han Sanping's fingertips trembled slightly. He gave him a deep look and then uttered eight words:

"Fantastic! China Film Group fully supports this!"

Because of the subject matter and plot, the censorship process definitely requires someone to vouch for it.

Han Sanping's words immediately dispelled all of Lü Rui's concerns.

Han Sanping was somewhat worried about the 3000 million investment.

"Seven times more than 'Gone Girl'?" He pondered for a moment and gave a rough figure: "With my current authority, I can only invest a maximum of 10 million yuan in you. Including the previous copyright costs, China Film Group will still take 40%."

"That's enough." Lü Rui chuckled. "This time, I'm planning to keep 600% for myself. I'll invest 300 million, and the director and screenwriter's combined salaries will be 3 million. Is that alright?"

"can."

Han Sanping did not object. A Silver Bear for Best Director, plus the script written by Lü Rui himself, was definitely worth 300 million!
Because the script is only a first draft and not yet perfected, it cannot be submitted for review at this time.

When Lü Rui left, he took it back to his dormitory to continue refining it.

A few days later, the more than 200 million yuan from the package sale was successfully deposited into the account.

At the same time, Han Sanping also specially informed him of some new information: "I have arranged for someone to help me register for the Golden Horse Awards, Hundred Flowers Awards, Golden Rooster Awards, Huabiao Awards, and College Student Film Festival. Remember to plan your time to attend them."

"Okay, thank you, Chairman Han."

After hanging up the phone, Lü Rui immediately put the matter out of his mind.

Want to win a big prize in the country?
Given his current connections and background, unless Han Sanping provides strong support, winning the award will likely be no less difficult than competing for the Silver Bear for Best Director in Berlin.

As we all know, China is a country that values ​​seniority, while ability is secondary.

"Sister Liu, how much money is in the account right now?"

Hearing her boss's question, the female accountant carefully counted the long string of zeros at the end, then suppressed her shock and answered, "1192 million!"

“Okay.” Lu Rui subconsciously raised his voice and instructed, “Get ready. I will allocate 600 million yuan in a while to start a new film project.”

"Yes, yes, Mr. Lü."

Mr. Lü?
This nickname is quite interesting, and Lü Rui likes it very much.

……

On March 16, the nominations for the 21st Hong Kong Film Awards were announced.

Stephen Chow's "Shaolin Soccer", Ann Hui's "July Rhapsody", and the gay-themed film "Lan Yu" starring Hu Jun and Liu Ye were among the films nominated.

"Gone Girl" did not apply, nor was it eligible to apply.

The current requirements for the Hong Kong Film Awards are: the director must be a permanent resident of Hong Kong, the production company must be a legally registered company in Hong Kong, and at least six key members of the creative team must be permanent residents of Hong Kong in order to be eligible to apply.

However, Mystic River does have a chance to participate.

"What? You want to cast Leslie Cheung to play the role of the abused and assaulted person?"

In the post-production editing room of "Looking for a Gun", Jiang Wen was so shocked by the story of "Mysterious River" that he was speechless.

But when Lü Rui revealed his preferred actor, his shock doubled!
"What's wrong? Isn't it possible?"

Lu Rui blinked; he thought it was a perfect fit.

In Mystic River, Dave was abused by two strange men when he was a child, and Leslie Cheung's character Cheng Dieyi in Farewell My Concubine also had a similar experience.

Lü Rui felt that casting Leslie Cheung in this role would definitely allow him to capture the feeling he wanted.

"What about the role of the police?" Jiang Wen pressed.

"How about casting Zhang Fengyi?" Lü Rui analyzed, "He looks upright and domineering, so he would definitely be fine playing a policeman."

"Let Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou work together again?" Jiang Wen muttered to himself, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

That idea sounds incredibly audacious!

He pressed on impatiently, "What about the grocery store owner with a criminal record? Who are you planning to hire?"

Lu Rui didn't speak, he just stared straight at him.

"I?!"

Jiang Wen raised his hand in disbelief and pointed at himself.

"Uh-huh."

Lü Rui nodded slowly.

When Jiang Wen puts on a stern face, he looks just like a ruthless bandit.

He is the perfect choice to play the "villainous male lead".

Want to know more about Zhang Mazi himself?
However, Lü Rui certainly couldn't say it so bluntly.

To directly tell Jiang Wen that he looks like a ruthless bandit? Isn't that like blatantly asking for trouble, walking right into the line of fire?

So he explained sincerely, "I heard before that you wanted to participate in 'Farewell My Concubine', but you were rejected by Brother Chen Kai."

So I've been thinking about how to make up for this regret for you. It just so happens that there are three male leads in *Mystic River*: you, Zhang Fengyi, and Zhang Guorong. That's like having a cast similar to *Farewell My Concubine*, isn't it?

Jiang Wen scratched his head, vaguely feeling that something was not quite right, but he could not suppress the anticipation in his heart.

After thinking for a moment, he reached out and patted Lü Rui on the shoulder: "You're quite thoughtful, kid."

When the topic of "Farewell My Concubine" comes up, he is filled with regret.

Yu Ji!
What a great character!
Why can't he act?
And Chen Kaige, he insisted on casting him as Duan Xiaolou, even though he preferred Cheng Dieyi. They had even taken the costume fitting photos.

When he got angry, he refused to take on the role of "Duan Xiaolou" no matter what, and ultimately missed out on "Farewell My Concubine".

If he could act alongside those two in "Mystic River," it would make up for his past regrets.

"Okay, I'll take it!"

Jiang Wen immediately agreed, then jokingly added with a smile, "What about the two actress roles? How about Gong Li and Jiang Wenli?"

Lü Rui shook his head: "No."

"why?"

"We don't have enough money."

Lü Rui was helpless.

Just the three of them—Jiang Wen, Zhang Fengyi, and Zhang Guorong—would cost at least ten million in film fees.

If we were to invite Gong Li and Jiang Wenli to join us, the quality of the film would be compromised.

Besides, those two female characters don't have many scenes, so there's no need to use such top-tier actresses.

Jiang Wen then offered his suggestion: "Ning Jing is free these days, so I'll invite her to play my wife."

"Row!"

Lu Rui's eyes lit up, and he pressed his advantage: "And Zhang Fengyi and Zhang Guorong, why don't you help put in a good word for them too? After all, I'm not familiar with them."

Jiang Wen was so angry he laughed: "Hey? You little brat! You're playing that old trick again, picking feathers off a passing goose and leaving skin on a fleecing beast? Why are you only picking on me?"

Lu Rui replied weakly, "Chairman Han said he would help me with the review, publicity and other processes..."

His meaning was very clear.

I even took Han Sanping with me, now you should feel better, right?

"Get out! Get out of here!"

If there was no refusal, then that means they agreed.

Lu Rui chuckled and got up to leave, afraid that he might change his mind. "I'm getting out of here now. You're busy, but remember to contact him for me!"

After leaving Jiang Wen's place, he didn't go anywhere else, preparing to continue harassing others.

First is the Beijing Film Academy.

The school can afford the 300 million.

Giving them 10% and all the school's equipment and materials to use for free is an incredibly good deal.

With 20% remaining, or two-tenths of the share, Lü Rui planned to carefully consider and select a few companies that could help.

Huayi is not doing too well.

Last time, Wang Zhonglei only contributed money but didn't put in any effort. After making a cameo appearance, he didn't care about anything else and just waited to get his share of the money.

This doesn't meet Lü Rui's criteria for "profiting from loopholes."

However, there's still plenty of time, so there's no rush. We can consider it later.

During his free time, he also sent Liu Yifei a text message, telling her to prepare for the audition.

A rebellious teenage girl, there seems to be no other suitable candidate besides her at the moment.

Lu Rui didn't recognize the other actresses.

"yeah!"

Excited cheers erupted from the girl's bedroom.

Liu Xiaoli happened to be passing by the door and walked in curiously. "What's wrong? What's making you so happy?"

"Hehe~ Mom, I have some good news for you! I might be making a movie..."

Liu Yifei chattered on about how she met Lü Rui, their text message exchanges, and how Lü Rui invited her to an audition.

She herself was quite happy.

But after hearing this, Liu Xiaoli's first thought was: "Could this silly girl have been scammed? Why would such a talented and promising new director invite her to audition?"

(End of this chapter)