Chapter 61 Casting
"Gu, you can't release it for free. As far as I know, your investment cost for this movie is more than 40 million US dollars."

"According to Hollywood's distribution ratio, the cost is too high and the company will not agree to it."

The head of Universal took a sip of coffee and continued.

The two sides discussed this issue for a day, and in the end, Universal Pictures would distribute and promote the film at cost price, including the cost of copies when the film was released, which would be borne by Universal Pictures.

The next day, Gu Wei signed a cooperation contract for "Taken 2" at the headquarters of Universal Pictures. The film is scheduled to start shooting in the second half of this year.

The estimated cost is 3000 million US dollars. Nim Lenson's net worth has increased a lot after the movie "Taken", and most of the extra funds are used to pay his salary.

This year, Universal Pictures has participated in the investment and distribution of more than a dozen films.

Including the movie "Pitch Black 2", starring Vin Diesel, with an investment cost of up to million US dollars, and is expected to be released in June.

There is also the film "Jason Bourne" starring Matt Damon, which has an investment cost of 2 million US dollars and is expected to be released in the second half of this year.

That afternoon, the news that Universal Pictures was launching the sequel to "Taken" was reported by Hollywood media.

Unlike the situation when filming "The Day After Tomorrow", for the sequel of "Taken", Gu Wei invested in the name of the company. Although he was only credited as a screenwriter, as an investor, Gu Wei also accepted interviews from reporters.

“The script for the sequel to Taken has been completed.”

“I think it will draw more audiences into theaters than the first one.”

"Yes, I wrote the script myself and I won't disappoint the fans."

When facing interviews from reporters, Gu Wei in Hollywood was very high-profile, which was completely different from his state in China.

In China, he is banned from directing because he is afraid that the media will make up stories and cause bad influence. But Hollywood is a place of fame and fortune. The more famous you are, the more companies will cooperate with you.

Sure enough, Gu Wei’s remarks caused a lot of discussion in Hollywood. Universal Studios was also happy to see it happen and added fuel to the fire, making Gu Wei the headlines of the media.

The news got back to China and the media reported it one after another, but Gu Wei was abroad and some department leaders in China were helpless and could only watch.

...

February 2th, Los Angeles Airport.

The weather is sunny and pleasant.

Gu Wei, wearing a casual suit, is waiting at the airport exit.

At around ten o'clock, a man who looked handsome among black people, wearing sunglasses, walked out with the crowd, accompanied by two assistants.

"Hey, Will, this way."

Gu Wei waved his hand and shouted.

"Gu, nice to meet you."

Will Smith took off his sunglasses and hugged Gu Wei.

"Oh, you are Will Smith, can you give me an autograph?"

"Will, can we take a picture?"

When the people nearby saw Will Smith, they started shouting and rushed over here.

Seeing this, Will Smith's assistant stopped the crowd.

Ten minutes later, Will Smith signed autographs for the fans next to him and took a lot of photos before following Gu Wei into the car.

Two assistants took the suitcases, got into the car at the back, and headed for the hotel.

"Will, your fans are so passionate."

In the car, Gu Wei and Will Smith were sitting in the back seat chatting.

"Gu, you have to know that a star without fans is nothing."

“Haha, this sentence makes a lot of sense.”

...

"Will, I need actors with good acting skills but low pay. Do you have any suitable recommendations?"

In the hotel restaurant, Gu Wei looked at Will Smith across from him and said.

"Haha, Gu, this is Hollywood. Actors with good acting skills won't be cheap."

Will Smith could tell that Gu Wei was joking and made a joke as well.

"Of course, the most important thing is acting."

"Let me think about who are the right candidates."

Gu Wei has not been in Hollywood for a long time. In his first two films, he did not cast big-name stars, and he is not very familiar with the actors here.

This film is the first time that Gu Wei has produced it alone, so both the selection of actors and the filming must be done to perfection.

"Gu, don't be anxious, let's enjoy this meal first."

Will Smith took the knife and fork and started eating the steak in front of him.

Although Hollywood is known as the world's film center, there are many actors who are on leave at home, so there are many people to choose from.

After lunch, Gu Wei asked Reid to post the audition role requirements in Hollywood, and the actors participating in the audition needed to submit their resumes in advance.

That afternoon, Will Smith began contacting his friends and inviting them to audition.

In the next few days, Gu Wei began auditioning actors, and Will Smith was also there, giving suggestions from time to time.

Of course, the final decision lies with Gu Wei.

The audition took place in Gu Wei's company conference room. In addition to the people recommended by Will Smith, there were also many invited actors.

On the other hand, Reid took the crew and equipment to San Francisco, Oakland and other places in the United States to complete the preparations before shooting in advance.

Due to the filming location, some streets had to be temporarily closed constantly, which required Reid to go there in advance and communicate with the local police and merchants.

…The audition requirements for actors for “The Pursuit of Happyness” also spread in Hollywood.

"Gu, I'm Dennis."

Gu Wei, who had just finished the audition, returned to his hotel room and received a call from Dennis Quaid.

"Dennis, how are you doing?"

“I’m fine, I’ve been at home with my family during this time.

Director, I would like to ask if there is a role suitable for me.

You know my acting skills.”

Gu Wei certainly knew Dennis Quaid's acting skills, but the investment in this movie was not high and Will Smith's salary was already very high. As for other personnel, Gu Wei planned to find a few with lower salaries to perform.

"Dennis, let's work together again next time we have a chance."

Gu Wei politely rejected Dennis.

"Of course, if there is a suitable role in the future, please consider me."

On the other end of the phone, Dennis spoke in an unchanged tone. He expected this result and called to ask to see if there was any chance.

"Yeah, no problem."

Not only Dennis, but also actors who had worked with Gu Wei in the past called to inquire.

Now, Gu Wei has a great influence in Hollywood, and many actors are inquiring about the role requirements.

The actors recommended by Will Smith were good, and after a few days of auditions, most of the roles were basically confirmed.

"Will, are you sure Jaden's acting is okay?"

In the company office, Gu Wei asked Will Smith who was drinking coffee across from him.

"Of course, Jaden starred in the movie Men in Black 02 in 2, so I think he can give it a try."

Will Smith is referring to his son Jaden Smith, who was born in Los Angeles, California in 1998 and starred in his first film, Men in Black 2002, in 2.

In the original time and space, Will Smith and his son were going to co-star in this movie. But now because the time has been moved forward two years, Gu Wei originally did not plan to let them participate.

However, many actors have been auditioned in the past few days, but their cooperation with Will Smith did not meet Gu Wei's requirements.

Gu Wei left a way out before the audition began. If it really didn't work out, he could let Jaden Smith take the role. It didn't matter if he was younger. There was plenty of time to shoot the movie anyway, so they could just take their time.

The next day, Gu Wei met Jaden Smith.

The location is at Tomorrow's Star Film and Television Company.

This role did not require exceptional acting skills, so Gu Wei simply did a few tests.

After thinking for a while, I decided.

"Will, no problem, I'll adjust the age in the script."

"Director, I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation."

Will Smith smiled and stretched out his hand to shake hands with Gu Wei. Jaden Smith next to him also laughed when he saw his father's happy expression.

It can be seen that Will Smith is very happy to be able to participate in the filming of a movie with his son. This kind of opportunity is rare in Hollywood.

On that day, Gu Wei and other actors signed contracts at the company. As the filming progresses, other actors will join the crew one after another.

At night, in the hotel room, Gu Wei sat in front of the window, completely relaxed physically and mentally.

The filming funds are in place, the roles have been confirmed, and the filming location has been chosen. We will set off in the next two days.

Looking at the hustle and bustle of traffic and the night view outside the window, Gu Wei was lost in thought.

Gu Wei plans to submit this film for an Oscar nomination, and choosing Will Smith to star in it is also in line with Oscar requirements. The proportion of black actors in Hollywood is also increasing.

The next day, Tomorrow Star Films announced the film's news, including the cast list and other detailed information, as well as a group photo of the main creative staff.

Cast list of "The Pursuit of Happiness":
“Major actor: Will Smith;
Supporting actors: Jaden Smith, Dan Castellane, Thandie Newton;"

This movie is adapted from a personal biography. It can be said that except for the male lead, the others are all supporting roles.

The director and producer are both Gu Wei.

Hollywood media reported that except Will Smith and Gu Wei, the others were unknown actors.

However, the combination of Gu Wei and Will Smith alone has attracted a lot of media coverage, and netizens have also made comments online.

"Director Gu Wei releases cast list for new film."

"Will Smith and his son co-star in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, and the father and son start a new relationship."

...

The next day, Gu Wei, Will Smith and others set off for San Francisco to start filming the movie.

The Chinese translation of this movie is "The Pursuit of Happyness", and the American title is "FBI, OPEN THE DOOR".

February is the Oscar awards season, and a large amount of entertainment news is reported every day.

The year 2004 didn't get off to a good start for the Hollywood film industry.

Spalding Gray, a famous film star and writer who wrote and starred in the film "Swimming to Cambodia" and won many film awards, has been missing since leaving his apartment in Manhattan, New York in January.

For a time, the Internet was full of media reporters' speculation about his whereabouts.

"Best Actor" Marlon Brando is hospitalized in critical condition, and doctors say the treatment situation is not optimistic.

...

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(End of this chapter)