Chapter 552: Why look for the Lei family when there is Gu Wei?
"I'm quite interested in this script. I've been talking to Guangguang about it. If they want me to act in it, they'll have to contribute a portion of the investment. I can even convert my normal salary into investment, but the proportion can't be too small.
Secondly, my schedule is quite tight, so the crew needs to postpone the start of filming."
No matter which actor in the circle makes these two requests, Gu Wei is just a blatant act of arrogance, and it's just a matter of changing the script.
However, Yang Liwen did not think that the boss's request was excessive at all. With Gu Wei's current fame and box office appeal, as long as he was willing to act, the production company and the crew would agree to any request. After all, the purpose of making a movie is to make money. Gu Wei's joining means stable profit. It is normal to meet his requirements. No one can resist money.
"I understand. I will communicate with Guangguang now and try to get the results as soon as possible."
Gu Wei nodded.
He doesn't take this movie that seriously. The popularity of low-budget romance films is not very high, and Gu Wei's participation will definitely achieve better results than the original time and space, but it will definitely not reach the level of phenomenal sales like "Detective Chinatown 2" and "The Mermaid".
If he takes the job, he can make a good film and earn at least a small amount of pocket money. If he doesn't take the job, it won't have any impact on him.
There is still a big gap between "Time Raiders" and films that have left their mark in film history, such as "Wolf Warrior 2" and "The Wandering Earth".
But think about it, in the past decade, there have been only a handful of movies that have topped the box office. If the requirements for accepting roles were really that high, there would only be a few movies that Gu Wei could act in.
Yang Liwen was very efficient at work and quickly conveyed Gu Wei's intentions to Guangguang.
[Zhenledao Media], boss Xu Zheng and director Su Lun are very excited about the news coming from Guangguang.
To be honest, Xu Zheng's original plan was to use two actors for the male lead of "Super Time Cohabitation". He would choose Liu Haoran from Chen Sicheng to play the young Lu Ming, and Lei Jiayin to play the middle-aged Lu Ming.
I invited Gu Wei because I thought he had some connections with Guangguang, so I just wanted to try my luck and didn't hold much hope.
Who would have thought that a blind cat would catch a dead mouse, and Gu Wei, who rarely takes on external roles, would actually become interested in this low-budget movie.
"Director Xu, it's great news that Gu Wei is willing to star in this film, but our film is a low-budget romance. The original planned filming cost was only 40 million, which is just enough to cover Gu Wei's salary alone."
While he was happy, Su Lun still considered the most practical issues.
"Don't worry about that. With Gu Wei starring in the film, why worry about insufficient investment? Just ask Guangguang for more money.
Moreover, Gu Wei always brings money into the crew when he stars in a movie, and the news from there is that he wants a certain investment share.
We have experience with lighting in this regard. Su Youpeng's previous film "The Left Ear" is a good example. We can follow that model."
After saying that, he walked back and forth twice and thought about it.
"Gu Wei will definitely not reduce his salary for a film like ours. After converting his salary into investment, he still has to ensure the investment share of us and Guangguang. Therefore, the investment cost of the film must be at least over 100 million.
"Su Lun, your first film is a big production with an investment of hundreds of millions. Are you happy?" Xu Zheng turned around and asked with a smile.
"Director Xu, please stop making fun of me. I was already very nervous when I was working on this project with a small budget of 40 million, but now suddenly there is an investment of hundreds of millions. Why don't you be the director?" Director Su looked a little helpless. She graduated from the Directing Department of the Central Academy of Drama and has been working under Xu Zheng. The project [Super Time and Space Investment] is her first commercial film directed independently.
"Haha, I think what you said is insincere, and it seems like you are trying to take advantage of others.
Gu Wei's films have always had box office success, so I believe you felt pressured by the original 40 million investment, but now that the investment has reached hundreds of millions, you shouldn't feel burdened anymore."
Xu Zheng raised his eyebrows and jokingly said, "If you're really worried, I can come. I've wanted to work with Gu Wei for a long time."
"Hehe. Well, actually I can still handle it." Su Lun quickly took back his words after his thoughts were exposed by the boss.
"Gu Wei will play the young Lu Ming. Should we still look for Lei Jiayin to play the middle-aged Lu Ming?" Su Lun began to communicate with Xu Zheng about some issues regarding the role.
"No need. Try to increase the proportion of Gu Wei in the movie. Let him play the middle-aged Lu Ming. Just make the costume more mature when the time comes. It's not easy to act young, but it's easy to act mature." Xu Zheng thought very clearly. It's not realistic for young Lu Ming to look like Gu Wei and then grow up to become Lei Jiayin in middle age.
Su Lun nodded. She also knew that since Gu Wei planned to join, the biggest selling point of their play would undoubtedly be him. The audience would most likely buy tickets for him, so of course they had to show the audience what they wanted to see.
"Gu Wei is the male lead, who would be the most suitable female lead?"
"Since the project's costs have increased, we naturally need to choose a well-known actress who is a good match for Gu Wei." Xu Zheng touched his chin. "How about Yang Mi? This year's 'Eternal Love' was very popular, and 'Blade of the Assassin 2' also had a high box office."
"I always feel like there's something missing when she's acting in movies. Her expressions aren't as natural as in TV dramas."
"What about Nazha from Gu Wei's company? She played the non-mainstream girl in Detective Chinatown 2 very well, and she and Gu Wei also had a good CP feeling."
"She looks a bit immature, and is not very suitable to play the female lead 'Gu Xiaojiao'." Su Lun shook his head.
"Why not find Liu Yifei? Her popularity is no less than Gu Wei's.
Furthermore, Gu Wei's debut film, "Blade of the Assassin," was a collaboration with her. The two of them reprising their roles as a couple after so many years is sure to be an eye-catching and trending topic!
Su Lun nodded unconsciously after hearing Xu Zheng's words.
"Liu Yifei is a perfect fit in every way. Starring with Gu Wei is considered the pinnacle of casting in Chinese romantic films. But does she have time?"
"I heard that Chen Kuo-fu is filming a movie called [The Second Generation of Fairies], which is also a fantasy romance like our film.
Hehe~ Being able to work with Gu Wei, I believe she will have time no matter what."
Just as Yang Liwen thought, as soon as Gu Wei showed a little interest, Guangguang and Zhen Ledao agreed to all his requests.
After negotiations among the three parties, "Time Raiders" was transformed from a low-budget fantasy romance film with an investment of 40 million yuan into a large-scale production with a production cost of 120 million yuan.
Of course, 40 million of this is Gu Wei’s personal salary converted into investment.
In other words, the actual production cost of the film, excluding Gu Wei's salary, is 80 million.
Guangxian, Zhenledao and Gu Wei each account for one-third of the investment share.
As for the publicity and promotion costs when the movie is released, the three parties will jointly contribute according to their shareholding ratio.
According to Gu Wei's request, the filming of the movie originally scheduled to start in the second half of the year was postponed to the end of the year.
Although their own investment shares have become smaller, [Guangguang Media] and Xu Zheng, as the investor and producer, are very satisfied. They are all smart people and they naturally know which is more or less, half of 10 or one third of 100.
Although Xu Zheng is very concerned about money, he also knows that "Time Raiders" is not a well-known blockbuster series like "Lost on Journey".
As Su Lun is a new director and the investment is small, the possibility of the movie being a big hit is really not high.
However, with the addition of Gu Wei, the entire film underwent earth-shaking changes. It can be said that it has jumped from being the most ordinary love film in a circle to a hot project that everyone is looking forward to.
In Hollywood terms, it means turning a low-budget B-level film into an A-level big production.
For him, this is not just a free investment share, it is a pie in the sky.
Wang Changtian from Guangxian knew about this and even called Gu Wei.
It was customary to invite Gu Wei, and he didn't expect that he would actually accept it. Normally, Guangguang produces quite a few films every year, but Gu Wei didn't like any of them, but just fell in love with Xu Zheng's project.
"The script is quite interesting. I've never worked with Director Xu Zheng before, so this is my first time.
Liu Yifei? Since it's Director Xu and Director Su's idea, I have no objection.
We have worked together twice before, and I believe the results will be good this time as well."
In the office, after chatting with Wang Changtian for a while, Gu Wei hung up the phone and smiled.
[Time Travel Cohabitation] He joined simply as an actor and investor, and it was relatively late in the game, so he didn't have to put in any effort.
Moreover, although it is a fantasy romance film, most of the plot actually takes place in a house. There are no difficult special effects shots, and it is relatively simple to shoot.
"Boss, it's time to leave."
Just as I was thinking about it, the assistant knocked on the door and reminded me.
Gu Wei raised his hand and looked at his watch.
"I'll change my clothes and leave right away."
(End of this chapter)
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