Chapter 597 Successor

In the industry, as the summer vacation comes to an end, everyone's attention is naturally focused on the upcoming National Day vacation.

Unfortunately, as soon as the release date of "The Wandering Earth" was announced, the release dates of other domestic films were postponed or advanced.

At the same time, domestic films in September replaced August's films and became a hot topic in film and television information.

No. 13, "Eyewitness" by Sun Honglei, Guo Fucheng, and Yu Nan;
No. 17, "Perfect Match" starring Zhang Ziyi;
The movie "A City" adapted and directed by Han Han, which was released on the 18th, has also become the focus of netizens.

Guo Xiaosi has successfully entered the film and television industry. Although the reputations of the two Tiny Times films are worse than the last, the high box office revenue has made him a commercial director in the eyes of many celebrities in the circle.

At the same time, Guo Xiaosi once again announced the news of "Tiny Times 3" and "Tiny Times 4" to the outside world.

"Tiny Times 3 and 4 will be performed by the original cast, and the initial plan is to start filming at the end of the year."

As soon as this news came out, it once again ignited the film industry, fan groups and the Internet. Fans were jubilant, while many filmmakers were cursing in secret.

In early September, "White Fox", directed by Niu Zhaoyang and starring Hong Kong artist Gillian, was officially released.

In order to boost the box office, the producers racked their brains and came up with both 3D and 4D versions.

Wow, netizens don’t know what to say. They haven’t even figured out 3D, let alone 4D?

Sure enough, the box office of 532 million on the first day indicated that yet another domestic film had failed. The key point is that this also includes the box office data of the advance screenings, which shows how bad the box office of this movie is.

Seeing the box office flop, the producer pointed the finger at Xingchen Film and Television. In an interview, he hinted that some companies were too overbearing and monopolized the National Day period.

Before the head of the publicity department of Xingchen Film and Television came out, netizens began to make fun of it.

Dao Zun: "I am dying of laughter. You still have the nerve to say that others are occupying the schedule. Don't you look at what you are shooting? Movie summary: Xiao Cui stabbed me a thousand times, but I still treat Xiao Cui like my first love. (The character played by Gillian is called Xiao Cui.)"

Fish in the Clouds: "The 4D effect of White Fox allows you to experience the joys and sorrows of the leading actors.

If the protagonist falls, the chair will make you lie down; if the protagonist is injured, an unknown object will poke you from the back of the chair; if the protagonist vomits blood, the oncoming object will also be covered in water; the scene changes, and a strong wind will suddenly blow in the theater; the scene is full of flowers, and the theater will smell pleasant; the scene is full of bats, and there will be gusts of cold wind under the chair... You can do anything you can't think of!"

Tiger climbing a tree: "Wow, I've really learned a lot. Is this the first blockbuster in China that claims to have 4D special effects? I felt like I was fed a lump of milk after watching it."

At the same time, Gu Wei was browsing his phone in the China Film Office, and naturally saw the online interviews and comments from netizens.

He didn't care at all about the insinuation from the producer of "White Fox". After all, the quality and box office revenue of the films produced by Star Films have long been regarded as a thorn in the eyes of many people.

"Haha, they have the guts to release the movie during the Lunar New Year holiday, but they are still so proud of the poor quality of the movie." Gu Wei shook his head and stopped paying attention.

He was more concerned about another news report, "Starring Sammo Hung, Eddie Peng, and Wang Luodan, the kung fu blockbuster "Once Upon a Time in China" has officially started filming."

Seeing this, Gu Wei couldn't help but think of Taiwan Province's "Heavenly Banquet" plan. This plan achieved very good results in the original time and space.

Three male artists from Taiwan have quickly risen in the domestic entertainment industry, and they even seem to be overshadowing young artists of the same age from the mainland.

In response to this, Gu Wei brought out Han Dongjun, but now it seems that only one person is not enough. While he was thinking about the follow-up plan in his mind, the office door was pushed open.

Han Sanping and the successor chairman came together, the two of them standing shoulder to shoulder, talking and laughing.

"Director Han!"

Hearing Gu Wei's greeting, Han Sanping smiled slightly and started to introduce himself directly.

"Director Gu, this is La Peikang, Vice President La. I asked you to come here today so that we can get to know each other first. We will definitely cooperate in the future."

What Han Sanping meant by this statement is that even if he retires, China Film will still be a strong partner of Xingchen Film and Television.

"Long time no see, Mr. La." Gu Wei greeted him, knowing that the other party was the candidate for the next chairman of China Film.

Gu Wei and La Peikang have met many times. Gu Wei, who once lived in Paris for many years, has been committed to the overseas dissemination of Chinese films and the exchange of Chinese and foreign films. He can speak French and participated in the formulation of the operating methods for introducing American blockbuster films.

There was naturally a reason why Gu Wei knew that the next chairman of China Film Corporation would be La Peikang, but he did not meet with the other party privately in advance.

First of all, there have always been a handful of people holding the title of vice-chairman in China Film Corporation, and at most there have been more than ten people. Until the last step, no one can say for sure who the next successor will be.

Secondly, although La Peikang was the deputy general manager of China Film Import and Export Branch, and later served as the deputy director and general manager of the co-production company, responsible for the co-production business, since Gu Wei and China Film cooperated, the co-productions have always been handled by Lao Han himself, and the two sides are indeed not familiar with each other.

Finally, before the new chairman of China Film Group is decided, even if there are rumors that the successor is La Peikang, Gu Wei will not take the initiative to flatter him. After all, Gu Wei and Xingchen Film and Television have such a high status that it should be the other party that takes the initiative to seek cooperation.

While Gu Wei was sizing up the other person, La Peikang was also staring at him. La Peikang naturally attached great importance to Xingchen Film and Television and him, the great director, otherwise they would not have met today.

And it's not just Gu Wei who will be meeting this time. The heads of Guangxian and Wanda will also be coming, but the time is staggered. Wang Changtian and Ye Ning were invited to meet for dinner in the evening, while Gu Wei will just chat alone.

In La Peikang's eyes, Gu Wei is very special among all the domestic directors, especially the big directors.

Looking at Gu Wei's development over the past ten years, we can find an interesting phenomenon.

Except for "Tuya's Wedding" which was invested by Guangxian when he was just starting out, China Film Group either participated in the investment or distribution of other films.

Some of the films were even shown in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, all of which were coordinated by China Film Group, and the two are deeply tied together. Or to put it more bluntly, Gu Wei and Han Sanping have had a very good relationship over the years.

Moreover, Gu Wei is really amazing. Almost all filmmakers and film and television companies in Hollywood, Japan, South Korea, and Europe know his name. This is recognized in the industry.

La Peikang, who is about to take office, values ​​the other party's influence and channels overseas. The reason he wanted to meet in advance this time was that he did not want to be taken advantage of by several Shanghai film companies.

"Haha, Director Gu, it's been a long time since we last met. The last time we met was when we were preparing for "2012." La Peikang said with a smile.

"We are all acquaintances, so don't stand there. Sit down and try the tea." Han Sanping asked the two to sit down and began to make Kung Fu tea.

"This is the tea brewed by Director Han, so we must try it, right, Director Gu?" "Yes, we are in for a treat today." Gu Wei said with a smile.

The three of them sat down on the sofa.

Han Sanping fiddled with the tea set without saying a word, and it seemed that he wanted to give the space to the two of them.

"When President Han was in office, the cooperation between China Film and Xingchen Film and Television has never been interrupted. I hope that after I take office, the two sides can still maintain cooperation."

La Peikang took the teacup handed to him by Han Sanping, took a sip, and went straight to the point.

Hearing this, Gu Wei glanced at Han Sanping and noticed the smile on the other party's lips. He already had an idea in his mind and thought that an internal meeting might have been held.

"No problem. For future projects of Xingchen Film and Television Company, China Film will still be the first choice. Of course, it is not limited to the domestic sector. After all, President Han has taken a lot of care of me over the years." After a little thought, Gu Wei made a promise.

Hearing this, La Peikang looked at Gu Wei, then turned his head and looked at Han Sanping. He breathed a sigh of relief, especially when he heard that the same was true for overseas projects. He finally felt relieved.

There are so many big directors in the country. If it were someone else, La Peikang would definitely take the initiative. However, when facing Gu Wei, he was a little lacking in confidence. It was not because Xingchen Film and Television was a big company. The fundamental reason was that Gu Wei had overseas channels. If Gu Wei was unhappy, he could directly develop overseas and stay away from the country.

The current situation is that China Film wants to maintain cooperation with Gu Wei, rather than Gu Wei having to beg China Film.

At this moment, the importance of Gu Wei's overseas layout was finally revealed.

This is something that Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou and others cannot possess, and it is also the source of his confidence.

Han Sanping was somewhat touched when he heard what Gu Wei said. He knew that the other party was doing it for his sake, otherwise there would be no need to mention overseas specifically.

"Hey, it's not a matter of taking care of me or not. If you need anything in the future, just come to Mr. La." Han Sanping waved his hand and with just one sentence, he directly handed over the rights for subsequent cooperation to La Peikang.

"Well, what President Han said is right. The cooperation that was established before will definitely continue. What President Han did before will not change in the future. The support that China Film can provide will only increase, not decrease."

La Peikang spoke very frankly, but Gu Wei still kept his guard up. There would definitely be no problem with short-term cooperation, but whether the subsequent cooperation could continue for a long time would depend on the other party's attitude.

"Haha, since Mr. La said so, I just happen to have a project here as well, which is led by Warner. I have obtained a 30% share, and I can give 10% to China Film. The share is not much, but considering the cost of the film, 10% is also tens of millions of US dollars." Gu Wei took a sip of tea and said it directly.

After he finished speaking, Gu Wei noticed that La Peikang's expression paused, as if he had just learned about this.

"Didn't Old Han tell me in advance?" Gu Wei was a little confused, mainly because La Peikang's expression didn't seem to be acted. If it was really acted out, Gu Wei could only admire his acting skills.

"Director Gu, can you tell me in detail?" In just a moment, La Peikang understood, and at the same time he felt a little emotional. The relationship between these two people was really unusual. One was thinking about paving the way for the other, and the other was thinking about letting the other retire with honor.

This kind of project led by Gu Wei is very popular within China Film Group. Han Sanping is still in office, but he did not take advantage of his retirement to promote this matter, but instead left it to himself. This is definitely a favor.

In just a moment, La Peikang sorted out his thoughts in his mind. Thinking of this, he glanced at Han Sanping opposite him. The gratitude in his eyes was self-evident, and he paid more and more attention to the project that Gu Wei mentioned.

To be honest, in addition to his own abilities, La Peikang's entry into China Film Corporation was inseparable from the support of his superiors. The best reward for the superiors is political achievements, and the better the political achievements, the more likely he will be to hold the position.

“Specifically…

There is no specific news from Warner yet, but the contract will probably be signed by the end of this month at the latest, and China Film will need to send someone over then..."

Gu Wei explained it in detail, including the specific details of the cooperation.

"No problem. Director Gu will just tell him in advance and China Film Corporation will arrange for someone to go there, and the required capital will be in place as soon as possible." La Peikang was very clear about business and was very open and made his attitude clear.

Hearing this, Gu Wei couldn't help but nodded. It seemed that this person did nothing wrong, which greatly increased his favorability towards him.

After finishing the business, the three of them chatted for a while. During the chat, Han Sanping mentioned the introduction of "The Revenant" intentionally or unintentionally. La Peikang naturally returned the favor and took the responsibility.

Around five in the afternoon, Wang Changtian from Guangxian, Ye Ning from Wanda, and Yu Dong from Bona came over one after another. When they saw Gu Wei, Han Sanping and La Peikang talking and laughing, they suddenly felt like they had missed something.

La Peikang had the same attitude towards Wang Changtian, Ye Ning and Yu Dong, but he was not as enthusiastic when talking to them.

They didn't have dinner at China Film Group. Han San selected a place, and they didn't talk about business. They just treated it as a private gathering among friends.

The meal lasted nearly three hours. At the end, Han Sanping might have drunk too much and even spoke with a bit of sadness.

After the event, everyone watched Han Sanping and La Peikang leave. Gu Wei then chatted with Yu Dong for a while. After they left, Wang Changtian and Ye Ning still stayed.

The two wanted to know Gu Wei's attitude towards this successor. Gu Wei didn't say much, but just asked them to calm down and cooperate as they had before.

After getting Gu Wei's reply, the two of them felt relieved and left one after another.

Watching the backs of everyone leaving, Gu Wei got on the car that came to pick him up from the company. As soon as he got in, he saw Song Ge sitting in the passenger seat.

"How does this Mr. La compare to Mr. Han?"

Looking at Gu Wei whose face turned red, Song Ge turned around and asked.

"The styles are a little different, but both attach equal importance to political achievements." Gu Wei rubbed his forehead and gave his evaluation.

"It's good to value political achievements. If you value political achievements, you won't change your mind every day. Only by valuing political achievements can the company get better and better." Song Ge joked.

"The best era for domestic entertainment is about to come." Gu Wei also made a joke.

But there was one thing he didn't say, which is: the best time for the film and television industry is naturally also the worst time.

.........

(End of this chapter)