The only sun in Huayu

Chapter 99: A Frenzy of Pushing

11 month 20 day.

Tuesday morning.

China Film.

"Secretary Liao, you asked me to see Chairman Han, there must be some misunderstanding between us."

Chen Kexin, dressed in a suit, protested, "I will definitely cooperate with China Film Group. Whatever China Film Group needs me to do, I will provide! I am patriotic! I can talk, we can talk about anything."

Seeing his attitude, Liao Yun was unsure what to do.

They were firm, and then Chen Kexin chose to vote. Is that true?
This big-name director from Hong Kong is so easy to talk to, he wasn't like this before!
"This has nothing to do with Chairman Han, and of course, it has nothing to do with your attacks on China Film Group through media outlets with close ties to Hong Kong Island."

Chen Kexin immediately denied it, saying, "How could I dare to criticize China Film Group? This matter, well, it all started with Director Wu. Director Wu came to me with his opinions about China Film Group, and I couldn't go against that internationally renowned director."

"But I only acquiesced, mainly because of Director Wu. He tried to put pressure on Chairman Han through public opinion, which I opposed! I strongly opposed!"

Liao Yun went straight to the core issue: "We've initially discovered some problems with the accounts, mainly regarding Jet Li's salary for this film."

"I looked through the ledgers again and found that there was still ten million in the account." Chen Kexin's heart was bleeding, but he still quickly said, "I don't know where it came from. The filming schedule was tight at the time, and I only found it recently when I looked through the ledgers again."

This was the result of discussions between Chen Kexin, Jet Li, and other high-ranking members of the production team, and it took them a lot of effort to raise the money.

Of course, the amount embezzled was far more than that, but Jet Li's salary involved his agency, and most of what the other management in the production team embezzled was squandered.

"If you're willing to cooperate, we'll find a way out." Liao Yun gave an optimistic hint, but didn't directly say that the matter was over.

Chen Kexin said, "I will cooperate, absolutely."

Is this a chameleon? Liao Yun was very unaccustomed to it, mainly because it changed too quickly.

After leaving the Central Motion Picture Corporation, Chen Kexin regretted that he had had too much fun.

That line from the movie, "I've lived my whole life on thin ice, always trembling with fear, do you think I can ever reach the other side?"

This doesn't fit his character at all. Pang Qingyun clearly had a gambler's mentality from beginning to end, so how can he be described as walking on thin ice? He just wanted to have some fun, hence the sarcastic tone.

This doesn't fit his situation, nor does it mean he's walking on thin ice.

Well, now it's true; the movie has become reality.

He is now walking on thin ice.

With China Film Group making a strong push, Bona Film Group, another distributor, has also backed down.

Yu Dong has always followed the lead of China Film Group, and with "The Eunuch" having partnered with Shen Shandeng, he is unlikely to make any mistakes in this regard.

He is not John Woo. John Woo is a commercial director, and perhaps someone would be willing to offend China Film Group for him.

Chen Kexin is in a difficult position. It would have been fine if he had parted ways with China Film Group amicably, but things have escalated to an extremely unpleasant point.
To reiterate, he's not a commercially successful film director; China Film Group really does make it difficult for him to make a living.

Since China Film Group is difficult to talk to, then he will be easy to talk to.

When you're out making money, you have to adapt to the market.

Chen Kexin immediately issued a personal statement through the media, praising the achievements of "The Supervisor".

"The huge success of 'The Eunuch' is a source of pride for Chinese filmmakers. It uses solid box office results as the strongest weapon to shatter all doubts and counterattacks."

"Director Shen Shandeng is definitely the leading figure of the new generation. We senior directors should learn a lot from him and make movies that audiences love to watch."

"The Warlords will be released during the Lunar New Year holiday, contributing to the grand occasion of Chinese cinema."

The ending point is connected to "The Warlords," representing Chen Kexin's last act of defiance.

To generate buzz for the movie!

Liao Yun reported the situation to Han Sanping, then hesitated and said, "Logically speaking, Chen Kexin is a director who leans towards art and literature. It's a bit unusual that he changed his mind so quickly."

Before he could finish speaking, another secretary brought Chen Kexin's latest statement.

Han Sanping seemed to be deep in thought at first, then burst into laughter.

"They will figure it out themselves. We can't guess what they're thinking."

The crew of the film "Red Cliff".

Zhang Jiazhen was shocked: "Director Wu, something bad has happened."

When Wu Yusen learned that Chen Kexin had voted, a fire ignited in his chest: "That damn bastard!"

I tried calling Chen Kexin, but couldn't get through.

Wu Yusen became even angrier.

Just then, the assistant director, holding the fax he had just received, excitedly jogged over to find John Woo, who was discussing countermeasures with Terence Chang.

"Director Wu, we've received a formal letter from Japan," the assistant director exclaimed excitedly.

John Woo, already overwhelmed with worries about how to handle the China Film Group audit, his relationship with the company, and the film's delayed release, impatiently asked, "What is it?"

"The Japanese agency said that Takeshi Kaneshiro's schedule can be coordinated and negotiations are possible!" the assistant director said.

Wu Yusen was taken aback, and after reading it, he fell silent.

The assistant director sensed something was wrong and quickly slipped away. To be precise, from the very beginning of the project, "Red Cliff" was plagued by a series of problems, and after November, even more issues arose.

The main problem is the film's delay; the shooting schedule could not be carried out on time.

Regarding the actors, only those from mainland China are willing to cooperate; the other actors will leave once their contracts expire.

Zhang Jiazhen advised, "China Film Group has intervened forcefully. Takeshi Kaneshiro's side is unwilling to offend China Film Group. They earn more in China than they do there, and it's not just money, but also influence."

Even though China's film market is not yet fully mature, it is still far superior to that of small countries.

The production cost of "Red Cliff" was $80 million, which is considered a big-budget production even by Hollywood standards.

After calming down, Wu Yusen joked, "What does Tony Leung mean? Is it possible that we can talk about it?"

Zhang Jiazhen asked on the spot, hung up the phone, and said with a complicated expression, "His team's opinion is that it is negotiable and that we can overcome the difficulties."

John Woo remained silent for a long time, feeling the influence of China Film Group for the first time so deeply.

"Everyone can talk, and so can we."

The crisis of transformation in Chinese cinema is not something that Han Sanping can feel; in fact, Wu Yusen and others have also felt it.

But instead of offering a helping hand, they wanted to take advantage of the situation.

There are hardly any people left at China Film Group. Even the three major mainland directors have withdrawn from the period epic genre, leaving only the Hong Kong directors behind.

What they want, China Film Group has to provide, because you have no one else to use.

结果
John Woo has a slight regret; he shouldn't have made such a blatant attempt to profit from "Red Cliff."

Making money is an unspoken rule, and suppressing mainland male actors is also understandable.

It's because praising Kurosawa Chiling broke the rules.

The rule for early co-productions was to cast male leads from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and female leads from mainland China.

With the decline of Hong Kong films while the mainland continued to develop, this rule was already in jeopardy. Yet, he was greedy and insisted on promoting people, even at the cost of kicking out a famous mainland screenwriter.

Wu Yusen thought for a moment and said, "If Hollywood giants come here to pay their respects to Third Master, what would it mean if we backed down?"

"Yes, yes." Zhang Jiazhen breathed a sigh of relief, tacitly avoiding mentioning the key figure or the work that was creating a miracle.

As Zhang Jiazhen was about to leave, he suddenly heard Wu Yusen ask unwillingly, "What about Paperclip? Is he really willing to accept this?"

The paperclip has returned home to the other side of the ocean.

After issuing the statement, he actually breathed a sigh of relief, a calm tinged with helplessness and resignation. He's waiting.

It is expected that Shen Shandeng will go along with the situation, even if it is just a hypocritical politeness, so that both sides can end the matter gracefully.

however.

I waited for a day, two days
It was posted on Sunday afternoon, and it's already Tuesday afternoon, but Shen Shandeng is still completely silent; his social media is eerily quiet.

"Don't panic, it's just a time difference issue."

night.

The production team of "The Supervisor".

The atmosphere was incredibly joyful; everyone was in high spirits.

Preliminary box office figures for Monday are 1520 million.

It's been three weeks, and the cinema occupancy rate is still quite high.

Although the collective purchase of employee welfare vouchers by major state-owned enterprises and public institutions has boosted this phenomenon, it is still unprecedented.

Forums and blogs are buzzing with activity, with discussions about plot details, character fates, and action scenes flooding the internet.

Chen Mo's scheming, Lu Bing's loyalty, Xu Zhicui's resilience, Su Xiaoxiao's mystery, Lu Qingluan's valor, and even the villains Sun Shichang and Zhao Wenhua have all become the focus of heated discussions.

Even the TV series "Da Ming Dynasty 1566" became a minor hit.

Does this mean Chen Kexin is admitting defeat?

Chen Hao leaned over, his tone filled with excitement and disbelief, and asked, "Also, Director Paperclip, is this considered an admission of defeat? Everyone's trying to curry favor with you?"

Chen Hao openly chatted with Shen Shandeng in front of Da Mimi.

Da Mimi felt that her sister's tone made her a little uncomfortable, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why.

"A gesture of goodwill? Perhaps."

Shen Shandeng scoffed, "Chen Kexin is scared. I don't know where he got the courage from, a director who leans towards art-house films. Did Liang Jingru give it to him?"

"Haha."

Chen Hao smiled happily, he loved seeing Shen Shandeng like this, he was so handsome.

"As for Paperclip, he probably wants to put the coffin lid on 'The Sin' as soon as possible, so that my 'The Eunuch' won't keep stepping on it. He wants to turn the page? I won't let him."

Chen Hao's body went limp, and he leaned against Da Mimi.

Da Mimi: "?"

"Excuse me, Mimi, I got my period," Chen Hao explained in a low voice.

"What are you talking about?" Fan Bingbing asked, seeing the lively conversation.

After seated.

He secretly put his foot on Shen Shandeng's leg and rubbed it against him.

After listening to Chen Hao's introduction, Fan Bingbing suggested, "Shouldn't we respond? After all, he's the director of Paperclip!"

"Response? Response to what?"

Shen Shandeng raised an eyebrow, revealing a sly smile. "The best response is no response. Everyone is waiting for my attitude. The more silent I am, the higher the topic will rise, and the more speculation will arise."

"Paperclip thinks it can extricate itself from this predicament with a statement, and incidentally do me a favor? Dream on. I'll make its statement disappear like a stone thrown into a bottomless pit, without even an echo. Let it wait, let it get anxious."

Shen Shandeng paused, his eyes sharpening: "Hasn't the voices defending 'The Sinner' suddenly fallen silent? Excellent! This vacuum period is perfect for letting 'The Eunuch's' popularity soar even higher!"

"It's only natural that all media coverage and audience discussions revolve around 'The Eunuch,' so that we can focus on our own work."

"You're the boss, you make the decisions." Fan Bingbing didn't say much, but her feet were still fidgeting.

In the words of later generations, "The Eunuch" has achieved a collective ascension from the stage to behind the scenes.

Whatever Shen Shandeng says goes.

This is the privilege of directors who have achieved over 100 million yuan in box office revenue and are now becoming the highest-grossing directors of single films in China.

Subsequently.

Wu Jing, Chen Kun, Huang Xiaoming, Chen Daoming who was strolling around, and Zhou Qifeng all arrived one by one.

"Okay, everyone's here."

Seeing that the main cast and crew had all arrived, Shen Shandeng said, "All good things must come to an end. After the celebration banquet, the production team will disband."

The original promotional period was two weeks, but the movie's box office performance was so strong that it was extended by another week.

"Wow, I'm so reluctant to part with it," Fan Bingbing said.

Not just her, everyone was reluctant to part.

This time, the crew has been disbanded for good, even more so than when the movie wrapped up filming.

Shen Shandeng said, "Thank you all for your support. I, Shen Shandeng, promised that 'The Grand Eunuch' would leave a brilliant mark on everyone's resume, and now it seems that I have kept my word."

After participating in several roadshows, Chen Daoming had nothing to do in the third week, but he still liked to wander around the film crew's hotel. Don't ask how he managed to wander around since it was so far away.

"Director Shen didn't just break his promise, he exceeded it, he far exceeded it! The younger generation is truly formidable!"

"The Duke of the Capital not only completely swept away the deconstruction of lust in The Creation of Evil, but also brought about a new trend of clear distinction between good and evil."

Huang Xiaoming didn't let the words fall to the ground, and continued: "More importantly, it has a huge social impact. The film's profound sense of history based on the Ming Dynasty, the thunderous crackdown on corrupt officials, powerful and evil gentry, and the national sentiment and Chinese spirit carried by the growth and responsibility of the world's best are all important."

"It provides a kind of unrestrained local emotional catharsis and cultural identity that cannot be given by literary martial arts novels like 'The Hidden Dragon and the Hidden Tiger' or poetic court martial arts novels like 'Hero'."

Everyone applauded Chen Daoming and Huang Xiaoming's suggestion.

"it is good!"

"Teacher Chen is right!"

"Xiaoming's skill level has improved!"

The two smiled without saying a word.

Chen Kun looked slightly exasperated. "You guys are rehearsing your lines!"
However, it was only a slight sense of helplessness.

With the success of "The Eunuch", he has now far surpassed Huang Xiaoming on the big screen.

Shen Shandeng said, "I don't like to keep people in suspense. Today, besides discussing the celebration banquet, I also want to give everyone a heads-up. After the success of 'The Eunuch,' the factory director and I discussed that the next three projects are mainly Jiajing's personal film, Lu Bing's personal film, and of course, the most important one is the sequel to 'The Eunuch.'"

"The script outlines for these three dramas have been filed for record. The preliminary titles are 'Jiajing,' 'The Embroidered Uniform Guard,' and 'The Eunuch 2.'"

"We'll film the first two parts first. Ideally, 'Jiajing' should be released next year, 'The Embroidered Uniform Guard' in 09, and 'The Eunuch 2' in 10. We'll gradually develop the 'Eunuch' worldview."

keep going!

Shen Shandeng must keep pushing the front line forward. As long as the front line is pushed forward fast enough, the enemy's encirclement and suppression will not be able to catch up.

The new front is the "Du Gong" universe, which is both a future film plan and a publicity necessity.

We must grasp both real achievements and illusory victories!
If the battlefront is pushed into the "Du Gong" universe, then the hit movie "Du Gong" becomes the rear.

With "The Sinner" off the screens and "The Eunuch" in theaters, it was a great rear area, and the initial attacks on "The Sinner" were an even greater rear area.

Shen Shandeng had many things to consider, while the main creators had much simpler ideas; they were more concerned with the film project itself.

Three parts? It's actually three parts?

(End of this chapter)