Chapter 669 Conspiracy
In this matter, Lu Yanhe was actually very constrained, and felt that he was being held back no matter what Chen Pinhe wanted to do.
Firstly, he couldn't tell others what his relationship with Chen Pinhe was.
So far, only Chen Ziyan, him, and Chen Siqi know about this matter; even Li Zhibai and Yan Liang are unaware of it.
Secondly, his own personality makes him someone who can't let others suffer losses because of his own problems.
Even if he suffers this loss, he can compensate for it with other rewards.
This is a flaw in his character, and a weakness he was born with.
Chen Ziyan was fully aware of this, so she didn't try to persuade Lu Yanhe any further. Instead, she said, "We've already explained the potential consequences of this matter to Jiang Jun beforehand. He agreed only after knowing he might offend Chen Pinhe. And you need to understand one thing: if you and Chen Pinhe really go to war, the people around you will inevitably be dragged into it. In fact, don't forget why you took action this time. Do you remember?"
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
"Because he made the first move and snatched the movie that originally belonged to you, 'Doomsday.' Lu Nei's initial choice for the movie was you," Chen Ziyan said. "So, stop worrying about whether you've dragged others down with you. Even if you don't, they will. Anyone who stands by your side will be considered as being on your side. That's how war works. Have you forgotten why the Golden Tripod Awards suddenly targeted you this year?"
These words struck Lu Yanhe like a thunderbolt, giving him a sudden and profound realization.
Regarding the Golden Tripod Award, he was implicated because of the Blue Ribbon Award incident earlier this year.
They're essentially the same thing.
He has not publicly said or done anything about the Golden Tripod Awards, but because he supported the Blue Ribbon Awards, he had a back-and-forth struggle with Huang Lian this year.
It has nothing to do with personal conflicts, but is simply due to different interest groups.
Since Jiang Jun rose to fame through "The Squid Game," no matter what he says or does, he is in Lu Yanhe's camp of interests.
If Chen Pinhe really decides to take action against Lu Yanhe, then Jiang Jun will not be able to escape unscathed.
Chen Ziyan struck at Lu Yanhe's weak point, hitting him where it hurt most.
Lu Yanhe came to his senses. He still felt a little apologetic towards Jiang Jun, but he also realized that it was something he could not do.
“Of course, there’s something even more interesting now.” Chen Ziyan smiled slightly, as if she had thought of something.
"What?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Chen Ziyan said, "If 'Destruction Day' hadn't been a B-movie, Parameter would still have been willing to make it according to the original production standards. However, before that, Chen Pinhe refused to star in it because of the rumors that it was a B-movie. Do you think he would have been very annoyed?"
Lu Yanhe looked surprised.
"ah?"
Chen Ziyan said, "Like I said, success is not guaranteed, but it's all about stirring things up. You can make a mess out of anything, even a piece of wood. Don't worry about too many things."
Lu Yanhe asked, "Sister Ziyan, what have you thought of this time?"
“Let’s find out Parameter’s attitude toward Doomsday first,” Chen Ziyan said. “Weren’t we going to work with Zebi Doyle on Buried? We originally wanted to use that film to exchange for Jiang Jun’s role in Doomsday. Now that Doomsday has new developments, it’s normal for us to check on the latest progress of this project.”
As Chen Ziyan had suggested, Lu Yanhe sent an email to Zeby Doyle, inquiring about the situation regarding "Doomsday" and the Asian character he had previously been interested in.
Zebi Doyle returned his call.
“We are contacting top Hollywood actors, hoping that one of them will be interested and come to the negotiating table. Otherwise, without an A-list actor to replace Tom Felton, we still cannot start the Doomsday project,” Zeby Doyle said. “Of course, we still hope that you can star in it.”
“Zebi, I’m worried that my schedule won’t be able to be coordinated. Given the current situation with ‘Doomsday,’ we don’t even know when filming will start. I have many other projects waiting to start, and I can’t keep my time waiting for your movie.” Following Chen Ziyan’s instructions, Lu Yanhe first planted this seed with Zebi Doyle, and then added, “However, if ‘Doomsday’ needs it, you can also consider Jiang Jun, the male lead of ‘Squid Game.’”
Zebi Doyle was somewhat surprised, "Jiang Jun?"
"Yes, I heard that you're also planning to use Jiang Yuqian, the female lead of 'Squid Game,' for the female lead of 'Doomsday,' right? If the male and female leads of 'Squid Game' reunite in 'Doomsday,' it should be a good selling point to attract audiences to the cinema."
Lu Yanhe's words were not narcissistic or boastful.
The popularity of "The Squid Game" on streaming platforms propelled it into Maxine's top three of the year; otherwise, it wouldn't have earned them Golden Globe nominations that year.
Zebi Doyle knew Jiang Yuqian, and of course he would also know Jiang Jun.
Upon hearing Lu Yanhe's words, he immediately began to ponder.
He added, "However, if you've already signed a contract with someone else, then forget it."
Zebi Doyle asked, "Actually, it would be quite good if Jiang Jun were to play the role in 'Buried Alive'."
“The male lead for the movie ‘Buried Alive’ has been cast as Li Zhibai,” Lu Yanhe said. “The contract has already been signed.”
Zeby Doyle smiled and asked, "Lu, did you never intend to star in 'Doomsday' from the beginning?"
Lu Yanhe: "How could that be?"
"Because I recently learned that your schedule is already full for next year, with four film and television dramas to film."
Lu Yanhe's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately realized that Chen Pinhe must have used their channels to get the news to Zebi Doyle.
Otherwise, how would Zebi Doyle know about his filming schedule for next year?
"Actually, no." Lu Yanhe feigned helplessness. "Don't you know how popular I am in Asia? If I didn't say this publicly, I wouldn't be able to turn down many acting offers."
At this moment, Lu Yanhe made himself sound like a superstar who was experiencing a sudden surge in popularity and was troubled by it.
“Actually, as I’ve said publicly, I have four films to shoot next year, three of which are produced by my own company. But only one of them has a confirmed release date,” Lu Yanhe said. “Although I don’t know where you heard this news from, I think you probably want to use this to squeeze me out and compete for the movie ‘Destruction Day’? If that’s the case, fine, I’ll just withdraw.”
Lu Yanhe used a tactic of retreating to advance.
Zebi Doyle became puzzled again, as expected.
"Of course I believe you, but your sudden recommendation of Jiang Jun just now reminded me of this matter."
“I recommended Jiang Jun simply because he is my friend, and we are with the same agency in China. So, if I really can’t get the role, there’s an old Chinese saying, ‘Don’t let the good stuff go to outsiders,’” Lu Yanhe said. “Isn’t being the male lead in ‘The Squid Game’ enough for him to star in ‘Doomsday’? You know, Hollywood has so many projects looking for him, but he’s turned them all down.”
Zeby Doyle immediately retorted, "Those projects that are coming to him, are they all B-movies?"
“The role he was given in ‘Doomsday’ wasn’t even the leading male character,” Lu Yanhe said. “We all know that the real protagonist of ‘Doomsday’ is actually that American character, isn’t he?”
The two exchanged words.
Lu Yanhe laughed again: "Moreover, I think that if Jiang Jun and Jiang Yuqian can both star in the movie 'Destruction Day,' it can serve as advance publicity for my later 'Squid Game 2.'"
At this moment, Zebi Doyle revealed a knowing smile.
He accepted Lu Yanhe's explanation.
Zebi Doyle said, "If you're willing to work with Parameter to develop the movie 'The Squid Game,' Jiang Jun can definitely take the role in 'Doomsday.'"
"Please, don't be too greedy. We've given you 'Buried Alive,' and with 'Doomsday's' future uncertain, if you could sign the male lead from 'The Squid Game' as one of the main actors, it would help you find another A-list star to replace Tom Felton, wouldn't it? Right now, what 'Doomsday' lacks most is the industry's confidence in the project, isn't it? Even though Tom Felton's drug scandal has eroded some of his previous credibility, rumors still circulate, and people are always a little skeptical. A-list stars are never short of project offers."
Lu Yanhe threw out another bargaining chip.
"Unless you can find another Asian actor who is more well-known and influential in Hollywood than Jiang Jun right now."
Chen Pinhe's status in the film industry is certainly higher than Jiang Jun's.
However, Chen Pinhe has not had any commercially successful works in Europe and America over the years.
"The Squid Game" is Jiang Jun's most useful card.
Lu Yanhe kept mentioning the drama in his words, just to reinforce the impression of the drama and Jiang Jun in Zebi Doyle's mind.
As expected, Tom Felton's departure has changed the situation in "Doomsday." The casting of what was originally a supporting role has suddenly begun to influence the decision of who would play the lead.
Zebi Doyle realized that what Lu Yanhe said actually made sense.
Hollywood and the Chinese entertainment industry are very different in some ways, but in other ways they are the same.
For example, human nature.
When people choose scripts and teams, if another reliable person joins, you'll have more confidence in the project.
Everyone believes that those who have succeeded before are more likely to succeed a second time.
Zebi Doyle said, "It would be best if you could play the role; you are much more well-known in Europe and America than Jiang Jun."
“But I became famous for the thriller ‘The Mist.’ How much appeal would I have for audiences if I were to star in ‘Doomsday’? The two genres are quite different. I don’t believe that with my Asian face, I could gain the trust of so many audiences in Europe and America just because of ‘The Mist.’” Lu Yanhe chuckled. “If that were the case, ‘Love Letter’ would have grossed more than eight million at the box office in the United States.”
Zeby Doyle said, "You don't know what eight million dollars in box office revenue means in the United States for a non-English film."
“But you can certainly understand what it means when a Chinese-language drama series becomes a global sensation and achieves unprecedented success,” Lu Yanhe said.
-
The phone call with Zebi Doyle gave Lu Yanhe the information he wanted.
“Parameter still wants to produce this film according to the previous standards and has no intention of downgrading it to a B-movie,” Lu Yanhe told Chen Ziyan.
Chen Ziyan nodded.
“That’s enough,” Chen Ziyan said. “At this stage, we can release a smokescreen and let Chen Pinhe’s side receive the news that ‘Doomsday’ will have its production budget cut and become a B-movie because of Tom Felton’s withdrawal.”
Lu Yanhe was surprised and asked, "Can they be trusted?"
"Did you tell Zebi Doyle in advance during your phone call, as we had agreed beforehand, that you might be withdrawing from 'Doomsday' due to scheduling conflicts?"
“It’s not even possible anymore.” Lu Yanhe recounted his phone conversation with Zebi Doyle in detail to Chen Ziyan. “So, he probably knows now that I won’t be acting. Ever since he told me that someone told him about my filming plans for next year, even if I explain, he might not believe me.”
“It must have been Chen Pinhe’s side that did it,” Chen Ziyan said. “They knew we met with Zebi Doyle, so they couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Sure enough, they made their move. But that’s fine too. We can just give him a clear answer later. We’re withdrawing from ‘Doomsday.’ We’ll have Darren’s side announce through the American media that you’re definitely not going to appear in ‘Doomsday’ due to scheduling conflicts, and then we’ll get the domestic media to reprint it as soon as possible.”
Lu Yanhe asked, "Will this news convince Chen Pinhe?"
“This is just the first step,” Chen Ziyan said. “At this point, you will need to use Hua Ruzhen’s channels. You need to spread the word in the overseas Chinese community through private channels that you withdrew because the movie was going to be downgraded to a B-movie. This way, Chen Pinhe will definitely go to Parameter to verify the authenticity of the news.”
Lu Yanhe: "Parameter will definitely deny it."
"Well, even if Parameter denies it, Chen Pinhe may not believe it. After all, Parameter might not tell the truth in order to trick him into acting, and Chen Pinhe will definitely think that way."
"That--"
“Next, wouldn’t it be just time for your ‘Source Code’ to be released?” Chen Ziyan smiled slightly. “You and director Lune Ries are going to collaborate on ‘Source Code’. All we need to do is have the American media release a smokescreen, saying that director Lune Ries will be fully preparing for ‘Source Code’. Then ‘Doomsday’ will lose not only Tom Felton, but also its original director.”
Lu Yanhe reacted instantly.
“We just need to ask director Lu Nei for a favor: don’t deny the media’s speculation for now, and clarify that he will continue to direct ‘Doomsday’,” Chen Ziyan said. “All the signs indicate that ‘Doomsday’ will either be canceled or downgraded. Do you think Chen Pinhe, with his status, would be willing to act in a Hollywood B-movie?”
(End of this chapter)
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