Chapter 904 New Hollywood Moves
At the end of March, filming for "Doomsday 2" also began.
Jiang Yuqian and Jiang Jun are both returning to star.
However, Parameter doesn't seem to have much confidence in this sequel, as the production budget hasn't increased much compared to the first film.
Fortunately, both Jiang Jun and Jiang Yuqian's salaries have increased. Especially Jiang Yuqian, after the box office success of "Red Eye Flight" and "Love is Not Blind," her salary is no longer what it was when she filmed "Doomsday."
Because Doomsday grossed around $170 million in China, Parameter even filmed some important scenes in Doomsday 2 in China.
They are hoping that this sequel can replicate the box office success of the first film.
Even achieving two-thirds success would be acceptable.
Lu Yanhe felt helpless about Parameter's approach of rushing into production of "Doomsday 2" without making thorough preparations, but he could only watch. His relationship with this project ended after the first installment.
The reason they were in such a hurry to move forward with the project was that the lead actor, Derian Dylan, was only available for the next few months. After that, he would be joining another film, which would take about six months to shoot.
If they continue to polish the script until it reaches a state that satisfies everyone, it's uncertain when that will be. By the time "Doomsday 2" is released, the audience built up from the first film may have already lost interest in the IP.
After all, it's not a classic IP that can withstand the test of time. The longer the interval, the weaker the impression of the first film becomes.
Large companies like Parameter have plans and schedules for every release date. They had already made release plans for "Doomsday 2". If they couldn't finish filming it on schedule, they would have to find other movies of the same caliber to fill the gap, which is also a difficult task - Parameter only has a handful of film projects of "Doomsday 2" every year.
Zebi Doyle had been trying to persuade Lu Yanhe to play a small but crucial role in Doomsday 2, like in Hurricane 2, where the scenes could be filmed in a few days but the function could be carried out throughout the entire movie.
Neither Darren nor Lu Yanhe has given in.
They were not optimistic about the Doomsday 2 project.
Sometimes, even when you know a project's future is uncertain, you still have to push it forward—this is the case with Doomsday 2.
Of course, given Parameter's global distribution capabilities and the positive word-of-mouth built up by the first film, *Doomsday 2* is unlikely to be a box office loss. At most, it just won't earn as much as the first *Doomsday* and become a blockbuster. And given Hollywood's ability to generate revenue from derivative rights and the boost a sequel's release brings to the first film, it could even be profitable.
But this would greatly diminish the value and reputation of the IP.
If people really feel that the quality of the second installment dropped as badly as Waterloo, then this series can be sent straight to the grave.
Under these circumstances, how could Lu Yanhe possibly agree to make a cameo appearance?
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Lu Yanhe was concerned about the release of "Source Code".
This low-budget sci-fi film, also directed by Lune Ries, director of the Doomsday series, features a script provided by Lu Yanhe and is distributed globally by Parameter.
This film is not a traditional science fiction movie with many dazzling special effects. It leans towards soft science fiction and is actually a crime story that uses science fiction concepts to repeatedly start over in order to catch the criminal.
For Parameter, this is not a big production—its production cost itself is not high. In Hollywood, a production cost of around 30 million US dollars would be considered a medium-low budget.
Therefore, in Parameter's mind, this film is actually similar in scale to "Flypaper" and "Buried," all belonging to the category of "idea films."
They believed the film would perform well both critically and commercially; however, its scale and subject matter meant it was unlikely to achieve the box office success of films like *Doomsday* and *Home Alone*. Therefore, they didn't plan to release it during a major holiday season.
The parameter's judgment is actually not wrong.
Source Code was not a huge box office success. The original version grossed about $60 million in the United States and about $150 million worldwide. However, compared to its production cost of $30 million, it was obviously a big profit.
Not to mention, this film has become increasingly classic over time, becoming a favorite among movie fans, and its copyright fees have been steadily increasing.
Parameter now particularly hopes that Lu Yanhe can create a big-budget production like the one he created for Soren, Men in Black.
Lu Yanhe bluntly stated, "Aren't you worried that 'Men in Black' will not perform as well as you expect at the box office?"
Zeby Doyle, however, said, "No company thinks Men in Black will be a box office failure right now. Not a single one. Yan He, you have no idea how much Hollywood trusts you right now, especially after some of the Men in Black footage was seen by the industry."
"Footage? You've seen it?" Lu Yanhe asked in surprise. "Have you already seen some of the footage?"
"Come on, there are no secrets in Hollywood filmmaking," Zeby Doyle said bluntly. "Even Sidke followed the rules honestly, didn't act like a diva on your set, and took his work seriously. That's enough to show that even an old-fashioned guy like him can see that this movie has a promising future, so he didn't slack off."
"Acting like a big shot? An old-fashioned person?" Lu Yanhe looked surprised.
He had never heard anyone say that Sid was such an actor.
Zebi said, "Why do you think people don't want to cast him in movies? If he's unhappy during filming and thinks the movie won't be good, he'll get very angry and might even curse at his co-stars and give them the cold shoulder."
Lu Yanhe found it hard to believe.
"Don't you know?" Zebi asked, "Then why did you choose Sik as the actor?"
“Actually, it wasn’t my choice; it was Sandra Vicki who recommended her, and Soren also agreed,” Lu Yanhe said. “Sandra would never recommend a bad actor to me.”
“Perhaps Sandra warned him,” Zebi said. “Sandra has a very high status among actors, especially Sid, who was once mentored by Sandra. Of course, Sid is indeed a good actor. If it’s a good play, he will be very cooperative, and none of his bad habits will come out.”
Lu Yanhe seemed to be deep in thought.
"Therefore, Sid's performance on set often becomes a barometer for everyone's prediction of a movie," Zebi said. "I have read the script for Men in Black, and I really like it. You can always tell a simple story in a way that moves people and makes them believe in it."
“That’s because I’ve already been given a halo in your hearts. No matter what kind of script I write, you will firmly believe that it is a particularly good script.” Lu Yanhe bluntly said, “Sometimes, a genius is killed by your praise. An occasional failure is regarded as losing the so-called favor of God. The more you flocked to him back then, the more you discard him like trash now.”
Doyle Zebi smiled without saying a word.
He certainly couldn't deny that Hollywood was such a place.
Lu Yanhe said, "You guys should focus on distributing 'Source Code' first. If this movie doesn't gross over $200 million worldwide, I don't believe you'll be able to distribute the big-budget productions I've written for you."
Doyle Zebi's eyes lit up.
"You mean, if Source Code grosses over $200 million worldwide, you'll write a big-budget film for Parameter?"
“No, we’re considering writing a big-budget film and having it distributed by Parameter again.” Lu Yanhe shook his head. “The film will be produced by Linghe.”
Upon hearing this, Doyle Zebi said, "Then it's settled!"
Lu Yanhe: "You guys should focus on making the movie 'Source Code' work. $200 million at the box office isn't a very high requirement. In fact, in my opinion, although it's not a big production, it has the potential to be widely loved by audiences worldwide, provided that you do a good job with the publicity."
Doyle Zebi said, "Since you're so confident, I certainly won't neglect it."
Lu Yanhe: "I hope so. Back then, 'Buried Alive' was neglected by you guys, otherwise the box office would definitely have been higher."
Doyle Zebi said, "We will double the release size of Buried 2 compared to the first game."
Lu Yanhe: "I didn't write the script for 'Buried Alive 2'. Who knows what kind of story you made? When you have a good story and a good movie, you don't dare to release it properly. The first one was successful, and we don't even know what will happen to the sequel, but you dare to expand the scale of distribution."
His rant left Doyle Zebi speechless, and he could only shake his head helplessly.
However, Doyle Zebi did remind Lu Yanhe.
"What's the quality of 'Buried 2'?" Lu Yanhe asked. "I haven't seen any footage of it."
Doyle Zebi said, "It's not as amazing as the first one in terms of concept, but it's a very good story. When we were working on the script for 'Buried 2,' Li Zhibai had several arguments with the director and screenwriter during the creative discussion sessions, and we almost couldn't continue working together. But Li Zhibai was quite persistent. He sent them email after email, raising his questions and explaining his reasons. After a lot of back and forth, we finally reached an agreement with them."
Lu Yanhe only knew that "Buried Alive 2" was an original script, which had nothing to do with the first one. It featured completely new characters and stories, but the main character was still played by Li Zhibai.
Lu Yanhe asked, "When do you plan to release 'Buried Alive 2'?"
“This September,” Doyle Zebi said, “is a good time to release a low-budget thriller.”
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
"September?"
Wasn't that when Murken Sorge's "The Island" started filming?
Suddenly, a promotional plan popped into Lu Yanhe's mind.
Lu Yanhe said, "Doyle, do you think it's possible for 'Buried 2' to have a joint promotional campaign with a film produced by D19?"
Doyle asked, "What do you mean?"
“I have a publicity idea,” Lu Yanhe said with a smile.
Doyle's eyes lit up again when he heard that.
Lu Yanhe's marketing and publicity strategies are also known for being incredibly impressive.
Several of these cases have already been included in industry textbooks.
What's the approach?
"A highly anticipated new film by a master of thrillers started shooting on a small island and was even broadcast live globally. As a result, a mysterious coffin was unearthed on set." Lu Yanhe said with a glint in his eyes, "When the coffin was opened, it turned out to be Li Zhibai from the movie 'Buried Alive,' who was successfully rescued. Everyone on set was shocked and shouted the name of the male lead in 'Buried Alive.' Li Zhibai shook his head and said the name of the character he played in 'Buried Alive 2.' At this point, combined with the plot of 'Buried Alive 2,' the live broadcast ended with a cliffhanger."
Doyle: "Great idea! That's fantastic!"
Lu Yanhe said, "But in that case, D19 would have to agree to do this joint promotion with Muken's 'The Island of Horrors,' and you would definitely have to exchange something with them."
Doyle: "I'll handle the communication and coordination regarding this matter."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
There must be communication channels between large companies.
Lu Yanhe is no longer a concern.
Doyle suddenly remembered something: "How much should we pay you for a planning scheme like this?"
Lu Yanhe shrugged and said, "Just give me my name as credit. Planner: Lu Yanhe. Consider it a free gift from me. After all, the IP of 'Buried Alive 2' comes from the script I wrote, even though the sequel has nothing to do with my first one."
Doyle said, "Actually, we've always wanted to invite you to continue this series."
“We’ll see,” Lu Yanhe said. “One minute you want me to write a big production, the next you want me to continue creating the ‘Buried Alive’ series. I’m not an octopus with eight tentacles to type on a keyboard. Even if I had eight tentacles, I only have one brain.”
Doyle: "Your one brain is worth ten of ours."
Lu Yanhe: "No matter how much you praise me, it's useless. I'm too exhausted these years. After I finish these projects, I need to take a good rest for a while."
“Where would you like to relax? Actually, I have a private island. If you need, I can arrange a vacation there for you. It's completely secluded and undisturbed by the outside world. Whenever you need it, I can arrange a full butler service to take you there. All kinds of entertainment and leisure facilities are available, including helicopters and speedboats on call 24/7 to pick you up and drop you off whenever you want to invite your friends.” Doyle winked at Lu Yanhe. “Just tell me what you need.”
Lu Yanhe politely declined the offer.
"What I need is a rest like Lu Yanhe's. You can enjoy your private island by yourself."
(End of this chapter)
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