Chapter 821 Everything is about money
"Just reject [Dungeons & Dragons: Rogue's Glory]. For [John Wick 4], have Ms. Yang contact Lionsgate. I'll tell her the details later."
"Okay, what about these variety show invitations?"
"I don't take any permanent calls. I don't have the time or energy."
"Are you still not participating in the second season of [50km Peach Blossom Village] this year?"
Gu Wei hesitated.
Unlike other variety shows, this one is produced by his company.
The main producer is [Wajijiwa] and the broadcasting platform is Tencent Video.
The response to the first season last year was very good, and the company's Meng Ziyi and Zhou Ye both gained a lot of fans because of "Taohuawu".
At that time, Long Danni approached Gu Wei, hoping that he could participate in the first season of "Taohuawu", hoping to use his fame to promote this new variety show.
However, "Taohuawu" is a long outdoor reality show that requires the guests to live together for 21 days. Gu Wei did not have the time, so he refused.
This year, Wajijiwa started preparing for the second season and came to him again.
"Being a regular guest definitely won't work. I can't spare a month to participate in a variety show.
When the filming of Taohuawu begins, if I have time, I can go there as a flying guest for a day or two."
"clear."
Beijing, the general manager's office of the [Wei Ming Tian Xia] agency.
".Understood. I will communicate with Lionsgate as soon as possible.
I have something to report to you. Director Yao Xiaofeng from the crew of [Storm Chaser] has already seen the auditions of three actresses."
Yang Liwen hesitated slightly when she said this.
"He thinks Wang Churan's image and temperament are more suitable for the role of "Chen Jinzhen", a young lady from the Republic of China. Can he confirm with us whether this role can be confirmed?"
"Since Director Yao thinks it's suitable, let's decide. I was the one who recommended Wang Churan to him."
Gu Wei's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"OK."
After reporting some company matters to her boss, Yang Liwen hung up the phone.
She felt a little sorry for the heroine of "The Wind Chaser".
This drama was a project that Gu Wei decided on two years ago, but it was delayed due to schedule reasons and only had time to shoot it this year.
The investor of "The Wind Chaser" is her own company, so Yang Liwen is very clear about every aspect of the TV series from project establishment to preparation.
Judging from the script and production team of "The Wind Chaser", with Lao Ban playing the male lead and Jin Dong as the supporting male lead, this drama is bound to be a big hit and can be compared to or even surpass "The Disguiser" of that year.
"What a pity! Meng Ziyi and Zhou Ye could have chosen anyone, but they chose Wang Churan!
It’s also the fault of these two for not living up to expectations.
But fortunately, I feel the second female lead’s character is more outstanding, and it’s a very good opportunity for Tian Xiwei.”
Thinking of this, Yang Liwen called her secretary in.
"Ask Tian Xiwei's agent to come over."
After the Chinese New Year, Tian Xiwei was not busy at work after returning home.
She became a little famous last year because of the broadcast of "Running Man" and "Joy of Life".
The company took the opportunity to get her some endorsements.
Since she came back after the New Year, she has been shooting commercials for businesses.
"Oda, there's good news!"
When she returned to the company after work in the morning, her agent appeared in front of her with an excited look on his face.
"What's wrong, Sister Sun, are you looking for me for a new play?"
Tian Xiwei asked curiously.
Sun Caizhen is the new agent assigned to her by the company after she graduated last year.
The rule of [Wei Ming Tian Xia] is that newcomers will be under Yang Liwen's management when they sign the contract, and when the company plans to increase resources to promote you, they will assign you a dedicated agent.
Li Xian, Peng Yuchang, Meng Ziyi and others all came this way.
Although they have only been working together for less than a year, Oda feels that his new agent is quite reliable. He is steady and meticulous, always considers himself in everything, and is a good partner.
Seeing her so happy, something good must have happened.
"There is a new play, but it's not just any play. It's a historical drama produced by our company, and the boss plays the male lead!"
Oda also opened his eyes wide after hearing this.
"So what role did the company reserve for me? Is it the female lead?"
The agent shook his head.
"It's the second female lead, a role chosen by the boss himself.
I read the script, and this character's personality is very good. If played well, it will be very brilliant, and will not be inferior to the female lead!"
As she said this, she handed the script to Tian Xiwei.
“Take a look at the script first. Filming for this drama won’t start until the second half of the year, so there’s no rush.
Running Man Season 5 will start recording soon. After the variety show is over, you should take some time to concentrate on preparing for this new drama."
Tian Xiwei took the script, and on the cover were written three big words: [Wind Chaser].
She nodded.
"Are the guests on this year's Running Man still the same as last season?"
"There are basically no changes. Guo Qilin has left, and Huang Xuxi has returned from the third season."
The good news from her agent made Tian Xiwei feel particularly happy today.
When she got home in the evening, she washed up and lay on the bed in her loose pajamas, her two white and tender legs raised up, her cute feet crossed in the air, her hands supporting her chin, and she was carefully flipping through the script.
"This 'Niu Chunmiao' has a real personality, and it was quite difficult to play."
After looking at it for a while, she opened her phone to check the time, hesitated for a moment, and edited a message of thanks to Gu Wei and sent it to him.
After waiting for a while and not receiving any reply, Xiaotian murmured, "Maybe Brother Wei is filming."
She knew that the filming of "Changjin Lake" was very difficult, and news of Gu Wei's injury came out a few days ago.
Tian Xiwei guessed correctly, Gu Wei was indeed filming on the set at this moment.
Today is a big night shoot, filming a battle scene in "Changjin Lake", and all the actors from the Seventh Company, including Gu Wei and Wu Jing, are participating.
There were gunfights, explosions, charges and action scenes. Zhu Yawen had a scene where he rolled down the hillside, and he rolled seven or eight times before he was passed.
After he finished filming, he stood up and walked with a limp.
"Are you okay?" Wu Jing asked from the side.
"It's okay, my body hurts all over. I'll be fine after resting for a while." Zhu Yawen said with a grin.
In addition to him, Hu Jun, who plays "Thunder God", is filming his last scene today.
His character died heroically in the battle being filmed today, and the filming can be wrapped up after that.
It was already early morning when Gu Wei got the phone. The crew had worked up all night and the actors could finally rest.
“As you get older, you really can’t refuse to accept your age.
When I was young, I could stay up all night long while filming, and I would feel refreshed immediately after taking a short nap.
I feel like my body is drained from filming night scenes these days."
After reassuring Xiaotian, Gu Wei turned to look at Wu Jing, who had dark circles under his eyes.
"Brother Jing, your kidneys may be in trouble.
As the saying goes, when people reach middle age, they have no choice but to soak wolfberries in a thermos.
In my opinion, staying up late is more harmful to your health than indulging in sex."
"Go to hell, you're the one with bad kidneys. I don't know how strong my foundation is from my training since I was a child."
The two of them laughed and talked for a few minutes, and the sleepiness they had just felt dissipated a little.
"Are you going back to the hotel?" Wu Jing asked.
"No, the filming is very intense these past two days, I'll just rest in the RV later."
Wu Jingzhi nodded: "Then I won't go back. It will save me the trouble and I can sleep a little longer."
RVs have become standard equipment in various film crews, especially for the main actors. RVs are not only their place to rest and work, but also a symbol of their identity and status.
There is no doubt that Gu Wei and Wu Jing in the crew of "Changjin Lake" both have their own RVs, and both of their RVs are not provided by the crew but their own.
Gu Wei's RV is quite luxurious. Not only is it spacious, it is also equipped with a professional dressing room and high-end living supplies. Of course, basic functions such as bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom are indispensable.
After separating from Gu Wei, Wu Jing got into his own RV.
As I lay down on the bed in the bedroom and was about to go to sleep, I remembered what Gu Wei had just said as a joke.
"Why not soak some wolfberries in water and drink it? It's always good for your health."
Lionsgate.
President's Office.
Jon Felmer, co-chairman and CEO, and Michael Burns, vice chairman, were discussing something.
".These are the conditions proposed by the superstar Gu from across the ocean."
Michael reported to Jon the information he obtained from communicating with [Wei Ming Tian Xia].
"That's really demanding! It makes me wonder if the other party doesn't want to take the role and is asking for such exorbitant conditions."
Jon sat in the boss chair, leaning back slightly.
"I heard that Paramount and Warner Bros. also invited them to the game adaptation movie they co-produced."
"[Dungeons & Dragons]?"
Michael nodded.
"He answered?"
"According to people at Paramount, they rejected it outright.
This Chinese superstar is very difficult to invite. Last year, when Marvel was preparing "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", they invited him to play the male lead "Shang-Chi", but he was rejected outright.
Both we and Paramount offered him the second male lead role, so it's normal for him not to accept it."
Michael paused at this point.
“To be precise, we haven’t been rejected yet.
The conditions proposed by the other party seem very harsh, but I think there is still the possibility of cooperation."
President Jon thought for a moment and looked at his old partner.
"What suggestions do you have?"
Michael spread his hands.
"Jon, we all know that we want to invite Gu to participate in John Wick 4 because we are attracted by the huge Chinese market behind him.
Filmmaking is essentially a business.
Since it is a business, as long as there is profit, there is no condition that cannot be agreed to.
All we need to consider now is whether Gu Wei's joining us can bring us greater benefits after we agree to the other party's conditions. "
Jon thought seriously while Michael continued his speech.
"We've made three films in the John Wick series, with global box office revenues of $86.1 million, $174 million, and $328 million respectively.
As a B-level movie, this result is not very good, but it still made a small profit.
The fourth film currently in preparation is expected to have an investment of 100 million US dollars, which is already an A-level production, and the pressure to recoup the investment is even greater.
We have learned about Gu Wei before. This superstar from across the ocean has unparalleled box office appeal in the Chinese market.
According to data, the total box office of movies starring him has exceeded 4 billion US dollars, a figure that most Hollywood A-list stars cannot reach.
Just a month ago, a comedy film starring the other party had just earned more than 700 million US dollars in the Chinese market.
In the North American market, only "Black Panther", "Avatar", "Avengers 4" and "Star Wars 7" have achieved a box office of over 700 million US dollars in a single market.
Of course, with Gu Wei in the cast, John Wick 4 probably won’t achieve such a high box office, but if we can achieve half of what his current film has achieved in the Chinese market, we’ll make a killing.”
When Michael said this, his attitude was very clear: he hoped Gu Wei would join in.
Even if the other party's conditions are harsh, such as changing the script and asking for investment shares, and turning the film into a Sino-US co-production.
But as long as the final box office is high enough and can bring higher profits to Lionsgate, all of this is acceptable.
Jon nodded slowly after hearing these words.
He was aware of what Michael said, and it was he who first proposed to invite Gu Wei to play the supporting actor in "John Wick 4".
In the eyes of these Hollywood companies, the Chinese market is an extremely tempting piece of fat meat, and everyone wants to take a bite.
However, in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to achieve good box office results in the Chinese market.
Marvel movies, which are popular all over the world, are doing the best, while most other Hollywood movies have failed.
In the view of many senior executives in the Hollywood film industry, the poor box office performance is because today's Hollywood blockbusters are not relatable to audiences on the other side of the ocean.
The solution to this problem is to find a local superstar to join the film.
Disney asked Gu Wei to star in "Shang-Chi" and Paramount asked him to star in "Dungeons & Dragons" obviously with this in mind.
Jon leaned forward and folded his hands on the desk in front of him.
"I think what you said makes a lot of sense. The Chinese market is now on par with North America, and Hollywood is paying more and more attention to it.
In 2019, "Avengers 4" earned a huge box office of $600 million there.
It’s a pity that this situation was only a flash in the pan, and subsequent Hollywood movies were unable to reach this level.
If Gu Wei can help John Wick 4 expand into the Chinese market, his conditions won't be a problem."
"If you look at his previous performance, there is absolutely no problem.
Even if we accept all his conditions, the risk we have to bear is very small."
Jon nodded.
"John Wick 4 is the company's most important project this year, and making such a big change requires the support of the directors.
I will call a board meeting and you help me convince everyone."
"No problem. This is obviously a good business. I believe no one would object to making more money."
"Also, please contact Gu Wei's company. We still need to discuss the conditions they proposed.
How much share to give to the other party, how to modify the script, and subsequent filming all require detailed communication."
Once Jon and Michael, the two top executives at Lionsgate, reached an agreement, things could begin to move forward smoothly.
Michael left the office, and President Jon thought for a while alone.
“Two male protagonists!
I think Keanu Reeves wouldn't mind if I found him a rival and partner of equal stature.
It would be great if this series could be made into something like Jackie Chan's Rush Hour."
(End of this chapter)
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