Chapter 829: Nameless and Miracle
In early June, with the completion of the last shot, "Changjin Lake" was finally completed after half a year of production.
"You really don't want to come and perform [Riding the Wind] with me?"
At the wrap-up party in the evening, Wu Jing mentioned his new movie again.
“No way, the schedule doesn’t allow it!
[Noon Sunshine] They are still waiting for me to join the crew. I promised Hou Hongliang a long time ago.
[As you wish] I have authorized you. When I have time, I will record an OST for you.
Wu Jing looked regretful and nodded.
"I got this role too late, there's nothing I can do about it."
Gu Wei laughed and joked, "I already played your son in The Wandering Earth, and I finally got to play your younger brother in The Battle at Lake Changjin. If I play your son again, my generation will be lowered."
"Haha, that's right!" Wu Jing also laughed.
The two were chatting when Yu Dong came over with a glass of wine.
"Filming [Changjin Lake] was incredibly challenging, taking a long time and under challenging conditions. Now that it's successfully wrapped, it's all thanks to your support. I'd like to offer you both a toast to express my gratitude!"
After he finished speaking, Gu Wei and Wu Jing also hurriedly picked up their wine glasses.
"Mr. Yu is too polite. Since we've accepted the role, of course we have to finish it well. Besides, Brother Jing and I have invested money, so we must film it with all our heart."
"Gu Wei is right, filming is always hard, this is just our normal job."
Yu Dong shook his head: “It’s not just acting.
The filming team of our movie is unprecedentedly large. There are three directors, several film crews, and thousands of staff members.
While acting, the two also did a lot of extra work, helping to communicate with the director, actors and crew members, and playing a coordinating and lubricating role when different crews were shooting.
Director Lin often told me that Gu Wei and Wu Jing were half-directors in the crew, and filming was much easier with them around.
After he finished speaking, Gu Wei and Wu Jing looked at each other. For a moment, they were a little confused about what Yu Dong meant. Did he think that the two of them were meddling too much?
Yu Dong noticed the awkward silence and responded, explaining with a smile, "I really mean it.
[Changjin Lake] was not easy to shoot. From the very beginning, I was determined that the two of them were the absolute center.
Now that it has been successfully completed, I feel relieved.
The next step is to see how the movie performs after it is released.
But with you two here, this shouldn't be a problem!"
Hearing this, Gu Wei and Wu Jing also smiled modestly.
"Mr. Yu, when will our movie be released?" Gu Wei asked.
Yu Dong thought for a moment and said: "The entire series will be edited into two parts. The first part, "Changjin Lake", is scheduled to be released during this year's National Day holiday, and the second part will be released during next year's Spring Festival holiday if nothing unexpected happens."
Gu Wei turned to look at Wu Jing: "Your film, 'My Fathers and I', should also be released during the National Day holiday, right?"
"Yes, it's a tribute film, so the release date was set at the beginning of the preparations. National Day is definitely the most suitable time."
"Then you will be hitting yourself," Gu Wei said with a smile.
“That can’t be helped.
But now is not the time to think about that. There are still four months until National Day, and the filming schedule for "Fathers" is quite tight."
Gu Wei comforted him, "It's okay. This kind of compilation film is relatively easy to shoot. Last year, I started shooting for "My Hometown and Me" in May and finished it in less than a month."
"I hope so."
The atmosphere at the wrap party was very good. After six months of hard work, the filming was finally over and everyone was in a very good mood.
After several rounds of toasts, Yu Dong found Gu Wei alone again.
"Mr. Gu, I have a new movie here. It's a suspenseful drama about the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. I wonder if you are interested?"
Seeing Gu Wei's interested expression, he continued.
"Director Cheng Er directed it, and it also features two male leads. The story is quite exciting, and Mr. Gu will definitely like it!"
At this point, Gu Wei also knew which movie Yu Dong was talking about.
“I can hardly spare time to shoot other dramas before the end of the year.
Wu Jing told me twice that he wanted me to join his crew to film Riding the Wind, but I couldn’t find the time.” Gu Wei said with regret.
Yu Dong also knew that Gu Wei’s schedule was tight, but he did not give up easily.
"I'll have the script delivered tomorrow. Mr. Gu, take a look at it first, and then we'll decide."
Gu Wei smiled and nodded.
The next day, on the private plane flying to Beijing, Gu Wei drank coffee while reading the script that Yu Dong had sent over.
As he expected, the anti-Japanese war themed suspense drama the other party was talking about was [Unknown].
He flipped through it briefly and put the script on the table.
"I'll contact Bona Films later and tell them that my schedule isn't right and I can't take on this film."
Agent Yang Dan, who was standing nearby, looked at the script on the table and nodded in agreement.
Gu Wei thought for a while and suddenly waved his hand.
“Forget it, you don’t have to worry about this.
I'll call Yu Dong later and tell him."
Yang Dan was a little confused, but nodded in agreement.
Gu Wei had no interest in "Unknown". To him, this movie was just a piece of chicken ribs. Although it was said to have two male protagonists, the role of "Director He" was obviously more outstanding.
He has no interest in working with Liang Chaowei.
However, "Unknown" was a hit movie after all, and the role of "Mr. Ye" in it was very suitable for a young male star.
Gu Wei personally called Yu Dong to recommend Xiao Zhan and Zeng Shunxi from his own company. These two became top male stars of the new generation after "The Untamed", but despite their popularity, they still lacked works. It just so happened that "The Nameless" was a good opportunity.
Both of them are as popular and their acting skills are no worse than Wang Yibo in the original time and space, so it is not difficult for them to play "Mr. Ye".
"Boss, the Magnolia Organizing Committee has sent an invitation. Should we attend this year's awards ceremony?" Yang Dan asked.
"I'm not participating anymore. It's pointless to watch others win awards even though I'm not nominated. I'm also very busy lately."
In the past two years, Gu Wei's output of TV dramas has decreased significantly.
Last year, only one drama, Joy of Life, was broadcast.
Of course, this drama became the king of dramas in 2020 and is undoubtedly the most popular one.
"Joy of Life" was shortlisted for last year's Magnolia Awards, but ultimately failed to win, so naturally it will not be shortlisted again this year.
"By the way, has the release date for [Joy of Life 2] been confirmed on CCTV-8 and Tengxun Video?"
A month ago, the copyright transaction for the second season of the hit TV series "Joy of Life" was finalized.
According to Gu Wei's instructions, the TV station continued to cooperate with CCTV-8, and as for the online platform, Tencent offered a sky-high price that could not be refused, leaving behind its previous cooperation with iQiyi and buying the exclusive online broadcasting rights of "Joy of Life 2".
"There's no official announcement yet, but I heard that CCTV-8 and Tencent are planning to release Joy of Life 2 during the summer season in early August."
"Early August?" Gu Wei thought of something.
When will the Tokyo Olympics open this year?
"July 23, lasts 15 days, closes August 8."
"Tsk tsk, are they going to let [Joy of Life 2] compete with the Olympics? Are they that confident in this drama?"
Yang Dan thought for a moment and said, "Boss, the popularity of the Tokyo Olympics this year is not too high, and [Joy of Life 2] should be broadcast in the days before the Olympics are about to end, so it shouldn't have much of an impact."
Gu Wei nodded.
After a busy six months of filming for "The Battle at Lake Changjin", Gu Wei returned to Beijing and had a good rest for two days, but he still had to deal with company matters.
In the office, Gu Wei and Wen Mu were also drinking tea and chatting.
"Guo Fan's The Wandering Earth 2 is almost ready, and we're just waiting for Wu Jing to join the crew when he has enough time so we can officially start filming.
Rao Xiaozhi's "A Thousand Miles Home" is also ready, and Lu Yang is helping him as the producer.
A while ago, when we were having dinner together, he complained to me that the boss said you would consider it, but in the end, he stood him up.
Gu Wei picked up the ceramic teacup in front of him and blew on it gently.
The tea soup in the cup is golden in color, and along with the steam wafting out, a refreshing tea fragrance penetrates into the nose, which makes people feel refreshed.
After taking a sip, Gu Wei said slowly, "It's not that I stood Director Rao up. I didn't tell him I wanted to take on 'A Thousand Miles Home' in the beginning. He also knew that my schedule was very full.
After reading the script, I felt that I was not suitable for either the first-class secretary "Zong Dawei" or the young attaché "Cheng Lang".
In this case, we might as well find other more suitable actors.
Although I didn't act in the role, I recommended Zhang Songwen and Zeng Shunxi to him.
One of them has acting skills and the other has popularity, and their age and image are suitable for the two roles."
Wen Mu also smiled and said, "I understand Rao Xiaozhi, he still has no confidence in himself.
The investment in [A Thousand Miles Home] is not small, but with the boss involved, you don’t have to worry about the box office.
He still doesn’t trust other people.”
“I know, but I’m just one person and I can’t split myself into two. Even if I work on set all year round, it’s impossible for me to finish all the good movies.
Just like "The Wandering Earth 2" directed by Guo Fan, why couldn't it start filming? Wasn't it also because they were waiting for Wu Jing?
We had just finished filming "The Battle at Lake Changjin" and he had a mission film to shoot, which he would direct and star in.
Only after I finish that movie will I have time to join the crew of The Wandering Earth 2."
"[Me and my parents], right?"
Wen Mu is also no stranger to this series of films. He served as the director of the "Escort" unit in the first film "My People, My Country".
“Yes, this year’s third installment in the series is directed by Wu Jing, Xu Zheng, Zhang Ziyi, and Chen Teng.
Originally, China Film Group wanted to ask me to continue filming a unit, but I refused."
Wen Mu also nodded.
"Wu Jing and Xu Zheng should be no problem, as they are both experienced in directing.
This is Zhang Ziyi and Shen Teng's first time directing, right? Can they do it?"
"Behind Chen Teng is the Happy Twist team, and if he's not able to do that, there's still Yan Fei and the other demons.
As for Zhang Ziyi, as far as I know, she asked Xu Yuezhen for help and used the crew of "Better Days." As long as she doesn't mess around, there shouldn't be any major problems.
The two chatted for a while, and then Wen Mu told Gu Wei the real reason why he came to see him today.
“After [Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils], I took a break for more than half a year, but I wasn’t idle during this time. I found two screenwriters and worked on a new script.
After two revisions, I feel it’s already quite complete, so I brought it here to show you today.”
Gu Wei put down the teacup in his hand and curiously took the script that Wen Mu handed over.
There were only two big words on the white cover - [Miracle].
Open the script and glance over it.
The story in the script is not complicated. It tells the story of a 20-year-old boy Jing Hao who teams up with a group of ordinary people to start a business and pursue happiness together in order to give his sister Jing Tong a better life.
The story structure is very similar to that of "Dying to Survive".
The protagonist's motivation for starting a business is set to cure his sister's illness, and everything he does is to save his sister's life.
Then there is the same group of five male and one female supporting characters as in "Dying to Survive", representing workers in different living conditions. They gather around the protagonist, form a team to overcome difficulties, and finally create a miracle in laughter and tears.
“It’s a very good script, and judging by the content, filming won’t be too complicated.
I will talk to Mr. Zhao later and the filming of this movie can be started in the second half of the year.
If you have any questions or difficulties, you can go to him."
After Gu Wei finished speaking, he saw Wen Mu's half-smile on his face and immediately understood, and quickly waved his hand.
“I can’t, I really don’t have time.
The most important reason why I didn’t participate in Rao Xiaozhi’s "A Thousand Miles Home" was that I didn’t have the schedule.
In addition to the TV series produced by the company in the second half of the year, I have also taken on a Hollywood drama, which will be my most important project in the near future."
Wen Mu was also surprised when he heard this.
"Are you going to Hollywood to film?
How come there's no word about such a big thing?"
Gu Wei shook his head.
"I wasn't going to Hollywood to film a movie. I was approached by a Hollywood movie produced by Lionsgate. After negotiations, we decided to make it a Sino-US co-production.
There's nothing to keep secret. The reason there's no news is simply because the matter was just finalized not long ago and the company has just signed the contract with Lionsgate.
I guess there will be news reports after a while.”
"What movie?" Wen Mu asked curiously.
"Keanu Reeves' John Wick series has reached its fourth installment."
"Boss, are you going to play a supporting role for Keanu Reeves?"
Gu Wei shook his head: "The script was changed to a dual male lead like Men in Black.
You know, with my personality, I wouldn't accept even a supporting role in a Hollywood movie."
Wen Mu also nodded. He was not surprised why Gu Wei could be on par with Keanu Reeves.
Although his boss may not be as famous as Keanu Reeves worldwide, in terms of box office performance and appeal, Gu Wei definitely beats the other.
Moreover, Lionsgate's intention to cooperate is simply to capture the Chinese market, so it is normal to offer a leading role to please Chinese audiences.
"I remember that the first three films in the John Wick series were not released in China, and we should also pay attention to this for the fourth film," Wen Mu also reminded.
"Don't worry, the script for the fourth part has been revised by the company, and some overly bloody scenes have been avoided.
Moreover, the nature of the film changes after it becomes a Sino-US co-production, so it is not a problem to release it in China."
"Since you, boss, can't take part in the performance, please recommend me a leading actor.
Who do you think is more suitable to play "Jing Hao"?
Gu Wei thought about it.
"How is Peng Yuchang?
He played Huang Mao in "Dying to Survive", and you know best how good his acting is.
He also has a youthful air and a sense of humor, which seems to suit the style of Miracle."
"Peng Yuchang."
Wen Mu also thought for a while.
"I'll ask him to audition first to see how he performs. If he's okay, I'll cast him!"
Gu Wei smiled, picked up the script again, thought for a moment and said:
"The title of your film is a bit big and empty, and the audience will be confused at first glance.
I'll add a few words to make the name more down-to-earth, and call it - Miracle Stupid Kid!"
"Miracle·Stupid Kid?" Wen Mu also murmured it several times and nodded slowly.
“The name is great and really down to earth.”
Gu Wei smiled and said, "Let's invite Hua Zai to sing the OST later. I'll use his song 'Stupid Kid'."
(End of this chapter)
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