when!
The two wine glasses clinked together.
After each taking a sip of their drinks, Doug Liman asked, "Mr. Cao, who are you planning to cast as Bourne?"
Cao Kun pointed to himself: "Rice."
Doug Liman was stunned, his mouth slowly opening and remaining open for a long time.
Cao Kun ignored him and silently continued eating.
After a long pause, Doug Liman said, "Mr. Cao, this might be a bit too risky."
Cao Kun: "Everything requires taking risks, and at least I have the huge success of 'Fast & Furious' to back me up."
Doug Liman: "Fast & Furious has two male leads. Although Bourne has many roles, all of his scenes serve the character of Bourne. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he's a one-man show."
Moreover, since the novel already had a TV series adaptation, viewers already had the impression that Bourne was white.
It would be very difficult to get Western audiences to accept an Asian actor playing Bourne.
Cao Kun: "The first one might be harder for the audience to accept."
There won't be any problems when we get to the second and third parts.
If the film is of high enough quality, the audience will convince themselves.
Seeing that Doug Liman was still hesitating, Cao Kun said, "If I, an investor, am not afraid, what are you afraid of?"
The film's budget will be no less than $60 million.
Doug Liman was immediately smitten.
With a production budget of $60 million, there is a lot of room for maneuver.
This isn't a special effects movie; it's a thriller, suspense, and action film.
Doug Liman: "Okay, Mr. Cao, if you're not afraid of taking risks, why should I be? I'll take this movie."
Cao Kun: "After this film, there are many more collaborations waiting for us."
Upon receiving the offer, Doug Liman immediately smiled.
His current status isn't actually that high; he wouldn't normally have had the opportunity to collaborate with someone like Cao Kun, a near-top-tier actor and first-rate producer.
Cao Kun certainly knew that it wasn't easy for Hollywood to accept an Asian face as a male lead, to flirt with their beautiful female stars on the big screen, or even to have sex with them.
But it doesn't matter. Just like he said before, if one isn't enough, then two will do.
If two parts don't work, then three.
Given the film's high quality, it's not impossible for the audience to accept it if they can fully immerse themselves in the story.
The character of Bourne is very complex.
The choice to confront the US CIA aligns with the values of both the lower classes in the US and other countries.
That's why Cao Kun wanted to play this role.
This will also be useful for him when he goes through mental tribulations later.
Doug Liman has accepted the role; the next step is to discuss his salary.
Ultimately, Cao Kun signed a three-film contract with him, with the first film worth $500,000.
If the box office doesn't lose money, the sequel will earn $800,000.
If the second film makes money, the third film will be worth $1.5 million.
Even if it loses money, the trilogy will still be completed, but the salary for each film will only be $500,000.
Doug Liman was happy with the price; after all, he would pocket at least $1.5 million.
Given his current status, he's definitely made a profit.
The next day, Doug Liman, accompanied by his lawyer, came to the company and signed a contract with Cao Kun.
Cao Kun also had a detailed discussion with Doug Liman.
In fact, he simply gave Doug Liman a general overview of the Bourne series from another world.
Doug Liman's eyes lit up as he listened.
According to Cao Kun, he already had a vague idea of this movie in his mind.
He finally understood why Cao Kun had been able to achieve success.
With such insightful abilities, it's hard not to succeed.
Doug Liman left Cao Xiang Film Production Company with the contract and the original novel.
He's going to find the screenwriter, Gilroy.
This is the screenwriter that Cao Kun had arranged in advance; he is the original screenwriter from another world.
How long does it take to write a screenplay?
It could take a few hours or a few years; it's hard to say.
Cao Kun gave Gilroy a deadline of one month to write it.
Therefore, he almost recited the original content to the other party without missing a single second.
Although he didn't actually do that, he did say something that was pretty much all there was to it.
If the other party still can't write it under these circumstances, it can only mean that the screenwriter is too incompetent.
But Cao Kun believed that such a thing would not happen.
Cao Kun is in such a hurry because a major event is going to happen in the US next year.
He wanted to release "The Bourne Identity" before this big event happened.
Otherwise, given the context of that incident, a film like "The Bourne Identity," which is anti-CIA and anti-US, would likely have been a box office flop.
During this period, counter-CIA tactics actually became mainstream.
It's April now, and the movie will start filming no later than June.
Production was completed in four months.
Cao Kun plans to release the film during the New Year holiday season in December.
After signing the contract with Doug Liman, that same evening, at the same restaurant and at the same table, Cao Kun met Nolan, the director from Country Y, and his wife Emma.
Nolan is still a newcomer now, and his hairline isn't as high as it will be later.
He was quiet and didn't seem to blame Cao Kun for standing him up the day before.
To be precise, this doesn't count as standing someone up; it's just that something came up and the agreement had to be changed at the last minute.
His wife was more outspoken: "Mr. Cao, it's a pleasure to meet you. I really like the Saw series and Fast & Furious. Your performances are impressive, and the action scenes and car chases are incredibly exciting."
"Really?" Cao Kun smiled nonchalantly; anyone could say something like that.
“Yes,” Nolan continued, “The action and car chase scenes in Fast & Furious were fantastic, and they gave me a lot of new ideas.”
Seeing Nolan's serious face, Cao Kun smiled and asked, "What have you guys been busy with lately?"
Nolan: "I just finished filming a low-budget movie."
“Memento,” Emma explained. “It’s a low-budget film adapted from Jonathan’s short story, and we don’t know yet whether it will be well-received by the market.”
Nolan said with some concern, "I hope the audience will like it."
Many filmmakers will act as if they don't care about the market or box office at all.
I believe that art should not be equated with money.
Nolan, on the other hand, is very concerned about box office returns.
"It will succeed," Cao Kun said.
Emma smiled and said, "I hope so, otherwise we'll have to go back to Y country."
After saying that, Emma tentatively asked, "Mr. Cao, what brings you to us?"
Cao Kun: "I want Nolan to direct a movie."
Emma wasn't surprised; after all, that's what they do.
She was simply curious: "Have you seen Chris's movies?"
Cao Kun: "I have seen 'Memento' through a friend. The special editing technique is very innovative."
Emma felt relieved.
She looked at her husband with affection before asking, "Mr. Cao, what kind of movie would you like Chris to make?"
Cao Kun said softly, "Batman."
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