Chapter 503 News from Hollywood
In China, the incident in which Feng Xiaogang ridiculed netizens is still continuing to ferment.

Netizens said all kinds of things, but another famous person, Juren Network CEO Shi Yuzhu, was the first to post a message to hit back at Feng Xiaogang: I just like to call myself a loser, is that self-deprecating?
Afterwards, Li Yi could not help but complain online: "Party A and Party B, see you there or go, it will never end. All this has become the past. I miss it! I miss it! What a pity! What a pity!"

In addition, real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi also expressed his disagreement with Feng Xiaogang's views.

Director Xiaogang, who is such a smart person, decided not to respond when he saw this situation.

However, the paparazzi took photos of Gu Wei's private meeting with Liu Yifei's father and exposed it.
The media and celebrities are selling their personas. Their private lives are often very different from what they show on the screen. Once it is revealed, it becomes eye-catching news.

Audiences love to hear this kind of news, and paparazzi are also keen on taking secret photos to get explosive news.

For example, a while ago, a video of a pure and innocent actress cheating on her husband and kissing him was exposed, which immediately reversed the plot of a divorce case and her so-called pure and innocent image collapsed in an instant.

However, many people are skeptical about Gu Wei's character.

After all, the entertainment industry is a big melting pot, which is not very clean. In this era where everyone in the crew can get benefits from it, it is not in line with people's perception that Gu Wei, a big shot in the industry and the country's number one commercial film director, does not sleep with female stars!
Therefore, there are often entertainment reporters around Gu Wei, hoping to dig up explosive news and become famous overnight.

Among them is Zhuo Wei’s team, the future number one paparazzi in China.

As the saying goes, a paparazzi who has never been beaten is not a good paparazzi.

Zhuo Wei's team claims to be the best in China, so naturally they have been beaten.

The most dangerous time was in 04, when the crew of "The King's Woman 2" was filming in southern Yunnan. Zhuo Wei and Feng Ke rushed to the scene to take secret photos and were brutally beaten. Feng Ke and others were chased away screaming.

A more recent incident happened this year, when Guo Xiangsheng appeared at the Capital Airport with his disciples and had a physical conflict with people from Fengxing Studio. It was said that he was beaten violently by seven or eight people.

Even more tragic is that in another time and space in 14, my brother Dong appeared at the airport, and people from Fengxing Studio wanted to take a sneak shot of Milk Tea Sister, but they were taken away by bodyguards.

In addition, the news of the postponement of the release of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" has also attracted a lot of attention in the circle.

Many filmmakers say that Huayi Company's decision is a wise one. From the end of November this year to now, for nearly two consecutive months, the Chinese-language film market has shaken off its previous sluggish state.

Today's domestic films are at their peak. Even if there are Hollywood blockbusters released, everyone dares to compete with them under the leadership of "Lost in Thailand".

The distributor Huayi Company began to feel fortunate that the decision to postpone the release was passed, otherwise even if Stephen Chow's box office appeal was strong, the consequences would be unpredictable.

The producer, Bigao Group, was somewhat worried about damaging its reputation, so it began to actively cooperate with Huayi Company and increase its publicity efforts.

The director of this film, Zhou Xingchi, first went north to the Communication University of China with Tai Chi Master Ma to hold a symposium titled "Unrestrained Imagination, Peak Dialogue". The two even performed Tai Chi on the spot, and the scene was very lively.

Subsequently, a large-scale publicity campaign was launched in three major colleges and universities.

In the current mainland media news, the popularity of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" continues to increase.

.........

In Hollywood, after attending several cocktail parties, Gu Wei directly rejected subsequent invitations. After all, the endless social engagements made him a little bored.

"Boss, Leon is here."

Along with the knock on the door came Reid's voice, which caught Gu Wei off guard.

When he spoke to Leonardo on the phone last night, the other party was still in New York.

You're back now? That's pretty fast.

"Gu, you didn't expect that, right? I turned down other cocktail parties and came here to see you."

Leonardo only wore a leather jacket over his T-shirt. He looked energetic, but his figure was getting a little rounder.

Gu Wei smiled and went up to shake hands with the other person. "It seems that scripted movies are much more attractive to you than those young and beautiful models."

"Haha, in my heart, my girlfriend always comes after filming.

Gu, I plan to relax in the next few months. I will have plenty of time, you know. "Leonardo just smiled at Gu Wei's joke, and then he got down to business.

The female employee of the company had already brought the coffee, and Leonardo didn't hesitate to sit down and started chatting and laughing.

"Of course, but the earliest we can start will be the first half of next year. After all, there are still some special effects for "The Wandering Earth" that require my personal supervision." Gu Wei shrugged slightly, which was considered a promise to Leonardo.

"No problem, this time is just right. After all, I also need time to gain weight."

After getting Gu Wei's personal promise, Leonardo smiled and patted his belly without caring about his image.

……

The next day.

A piece of movie information was spread by the Hollywood Daily.

"Hollywood Rising Star Films Company is suspected to have reached a new film cooperation intention with superstar Leonardo."

"Gu Wei, the Oscar-winning director, will most likely direct this new film, but we still need to learn more about the details."

This news was immediately reported back to China by the media.

All film and television companies, brokerage companies, actors and artists all paid attention to it.

"Director Gu Wei himself? Starring superstar Leonardo DiCaprio? A foreign language film?"

These three pieces of news alone instantly made the entire film industry and a large number of actors and artists agitated.

The quality of a movie is never determined by one person, but depends on the entire creative team.

But even in Hollywood, there are still only a handful of excellent film crews produced every year.

The combination of a great director and an international superstar undoubtedly meets the most core requirements of an excellent film project.

Relatively speaking, team modules such as photography and logistics are much simpler.

After all, the Tomorrow Star Film and Television Company has been established for so long that it is no longer the same as when it was first established.

The domestic media and people in the industry were almost unable to contact Gu Wei and were somewhat anxious.

Therefore, Song Ge, Wang Chen, Chen Guofu and other senior executives who often appear in public have become targets of pursuit and blockade.

"I'm sorry, I really don't know the specific situation. If you have any questions, you can ask Director Gu when he comes back."

Song Ge didn't say much when he was interviewed by reporters, but this is also the fact.

Even the head steward of Xingchen Film and Television Company said he didn't know, and everyone's eyes turned to Liu Yifei. After all, the two had already announced their engagement, and in the eyes of people in the industry, Gu Wei would definitely not hide any secrets from Liu Yifei.

Just like that, people both familiar and unfamiliar called Liu Yifei's cell phone.

The young lady who was filming for the "Parasite" crew was also annoyed. Except for a few familiar friends, she chose to ignore everyone else's calls.

"Xixi, Director Gu is going to cooperate with Leonardo, is this true?"

Li Binbin, who had made a guest appearance in the movie "2012", asked her about it decisively.

“Yes, a film project has been decided.

But I can’t help with the casting, if you have any ideas, you can only wait for news from Gu Wei.”

"Yeah, okay, Yifei." Li Binbin said somewhat disappointedly. Even though she knew that Liu Yifei must know it very clearly, she was helpless because the other party refused to reveal the news.

Next, Fan Binbin, Zhou Xun, and classmates Jiang Yiyan, Zhu Yawen and others called her one after another.

What he meant was that he wanted to ask about the specific information about the casting.

Liu Yifei knew that this movie was Leonardo's one-man show, and it was also an Oscar-winning film. Leonardo would also be involved in the casting. After all, he only asked for a mere 5 million US dollars in salary, which was a huge loss.

So, after answering several calls in a row, the young lady's attitude remained the same, and she knew nothing about anything.

Later, everyone knew Liu Yifei's attitude, and many people had to choose to start from other channels.

.........

At the same time, after finishing the interview, Song Ge began to convene senior executives within the company to announce the company's next major move.

"Mr. Song, what exactly is this variety show you're talking about?"

As a senior agent, Wang Jinghua keenly discovered the key point at the first time and asked anxiously.

"Director Wang, this program is the variety show production department that the company plans to set up. It will be a celebrity reality show, inviting well-known artists in the circle to partner with newcomers to participate, and through playing some games, a series of activities will be launched."

The Running Man in another world was not aired until October 14, but the South Korean original version was already available 10. It makes no sense not to grab such a popular variety show that both promotes people and makes money.

Wang Chen said, "Celebrity reality show? Like The Voice?"

Song Ge took a sip of tea from his cup and said with a smile, "It will be more fun than that. The specific plan has not come out yet, so please be patient and wait for a while!"

On the other hand, North American Huasi Film Distribution Company was actively contacting Song Ge.

The company was founded in 2010. The team has always been small, with only six or seven people, and its distribution capabilities are indeed limited.

In addition, the poor overseas box office performance of Chinese films is also related to the viewing habits of Europeans and Americans. Western audiences prefer the original English version, and their acceptance of English subtitles and dubbed versions is much lower.

However, the Chinese films released by Huasi were at most subtitled in English, and they were not even dubbed. They could not enter the mainstream cinemas, but only opened in dozens of theaters in Chinatown, targeting local Chinese and their families.

The main reason why I don’t do dubbing is because I lack money and time.

Firstly, if you want to distribute the film globally, you have to keep up with the domestic schedule. Otherwise, if pirated copies are released, the box office in the theaters in Chinatown will not be much. And if you spend time dubbing and making related materials, the film may not necessarily attract Western audiences, which increases the risk of distribution.

Therefore, the global distribution of Chinese-language films is often just a gimmick for producers and distributors to brag about themselves.

But in Jiang Yanming's opinion, the popularity of "Lost in Thailand" is still expected to attract Western audiences. This type of comedy has a common storyline even in Hollywood.

If it's dubbed into English and promoted well, it could definitely be a box office hit.

And Huasi Films can also make a name for itself in the mainstream theaters in North America!
Therefore, after watching the film at the premiere ceremony, Boss Jiang has been in contact with Gu Wei, Song Ge and others, wanting to buy the North American distribution rights of "Lost in Thailand".

However, Song Ge was well aware of Huasi's distribution capabilities, and felt that with the booming box office of "Lost in Thailand" in the mainland, it could directly cooperate with the six major Hollywood film companies, and there was no need to deal with such a small company.

After all, Huasi Films is indeed very small. Even Miramax Films is better. At least it has arranged more than 2,000 theaters for the release of "Hero". Even a film as artistic as "The Grandmaster" can be shown in 800 theaters. What's more, there are two long-term cooperative companies, Warner and Universal.

In this way, Song Ge finally decisively rejected the other party.

But then, there was a rumor that Xingchen Film and Television Company would rather sell the overseas copyright of "Lost in Thailand" to a Hollywood company at a rock-bottom price than let an overseas Chinese company take over. With such behavior, can it still be called a major domestic film company?
However, most of the media outlets that reported the news were small. After the incident, just as the company’s publicity and promotion department was about to take action, something applauded happened in the circle, which immediately covered up the news.

.........

Los Angeles.

Early in the morning, when Gu Wei was about to leave for Warner, he received news from China.

The extension key application that Huayi Company and Cheng Long Ying Huang Films applied to the Film Bureau for for "The Chinese Zodiac" was directly rejected by the General Administration.

This result was like a blow to the head, catching Huayi Company off guard.

It also made many production and distribution companies in the industry extremely happy and at a loss.

When everyone joined together to increase the profit-sharing ratio, Huayi acted as an insider and was the first to compromise with the theater chains. Now it's its turn to suffer.

"If you ask me, you deserve it." Yu Dong even posted a message on Weibo, mocking the other party.

In Huayi Company, the faces of the two Wangs were extremely ugly.

"Brother, from the two Tai Chi movies to 1942, I lost a lot of money.

Now, we are about to see the release of a money-making movie called "The Chinese Zodiac", but our application for an extension of the secret key has been rejected.

Do you think the General Administration did this on purpose?"

“What’s the point of saying this now?

The most important thing now is to do a good job in promoting "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons". Although "Chinese Zodiac" has a good box office, it can't make up for the losses of other movies. At present, we can only hope that Zhou Xingchi can give some help and create a big box office explosion. "Wang Zhongjun has calmed down at this time. The matter is done. Don't think too much about things that cannot be changed. Grasping the follow-up is the key.

In this way, Gu Wei watched the joke on the other side of the ocean.

Huayi Company has completely become a laughing stock in the mainland entertainment industry. Although it has many celebrity artists under its banner, no one dares to directly express the unfairness of this incident.

Not only that, in addition to Bona, the companies of Star Media and Guangxi also privately mobilized their own internet trolls to severely discredit Huayi.

Seeing Huayi’s stock price plummet, many people finally felt relieved.

.........

(End of this chapter)