Chapter 344 The highlight

"There is a Chinatown here. Would you like to go shopping after dinner, Mr. Du?"

Anika drove the car herself, and it could be seen that Tangya Company was not far from here.

Du Sheng looked at her car and said:

"Let's go to the hotel first. It would be better to provide us with a car for convenient travel."

He had never been to the Lighthouse Country, so now that he had the opportunity to come to Las Vegas, he naturally had to see it for himself.

I heard that in addition to the yellow people doing business in Chinatown here, there are many Asians among the dealers in casinos.

In fact, he saw quite a few yellow people driving on this road.

The most common cars are Toyota and Honda from Japan.

The car that Anika drove out this time was the Toyota Accord.

But according to her, it has nothing to do with race, it's simply a matter of price.

Most beacon country people, including the middle and high-end classes, also tend to buy vehicles with high cost performance.

Luxury cars like BMW and Mercedes-Benz are rare.

For them, a car is just a means of daily travel.

A family may own several cars, so there is no need to pursue expensive brands.

The $30,000 Accord they were riding in was considered a mid-range car in Las Vegas.

"No problem, I'll be your tour guide..."

Du Sheng nodded slightly:

"Thanks."

If Don King doesn't come back tomorrow, he plans to go to Hollywood, which is hundreds of kilometers away.

As an artist, it would be a lie to say that I have no interest in this dream factory known as the 'world film center'.

At the very least, the world's most advanced movie special effects technology is right there.

Anika took Du Sheng and his group to the Aliante Hotel in North Las Vegas.

"Brother Sheng, I heard that the 'God of Basketball' Jordan is betting here, do you want to go and have a look?"

After dinner, Wang Yaoyang was eager to try.

Ever since following Du Sheng on his campaigns, he had become a little obsessed with things that could make him money.

Moreover, he had an inexplicable feeling in his heart that as long as he followed Du Sheng's bet, he would most likely win.

"I'm not very interested in things that I'm not sure about."

How could Du Sheng not see Wang Yaoyang's condition and directly shattered his fantasy.

As the saying goes, every profession has its own top talent. In addition to many gamblers, casinos also have many scammers and con men.

He has no special talent (skill) in gambling, and he doesn't want to get involved if he's not sure.

After all, this kind of stuff can easily mess things up once you get too addicted.

But now that I'm here, I might as well go and broaden my horizons.

I heard that there are many beautiful women from all over the world here, and you can meet fashion celebrities, wealthy socialites, and entertainment stars.

As a young person of the new era, he thinks national boundaries and skin color should not be too rigid.

But before Du Sheng and his friends could leave, a phone call came in.

.........

Disney Studios, Hollywood.

In an elegant room, an Italian man was sitting there flipping through a script.

With a creaking sound, the door was pushed open.

Seeing the assistant come in, he asked without even looking up:
"Will, did they agree?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Quentin, Donnie said he couldn't spare the time."

Will shrugged, somewhat helplessly.

"What? Does Donnie think the pay is too low?
This shouldn't be the case. Last year, he was willing to star in "Ransom King 30" for 2 US dollars. "

The Italian man put down the script, somewhat surprised.

He has a strong facial feature and his signature curly hair is thick and a little messy.

Although her eyes are not big, they reveal a sharp and unique temperament.

It was none other than Quentin Tarantino, the director who won the Saturn Award for Best Action Thriller Film last year for Kill Bill.

He had previously won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes International Film Festival for the film "Pulp Fiction" and is considered a well-known director.

"The apprentice recommended by Yuan is indeed quite suitable. He has both popularity and ability, but the issue is not the pay."

Will spread his hands and said:

"He is currently working as a martial arts director on Storm Troopers, and will return to Hong Kong to star in The Matrix 2 and Seven Swords. He really doesn't have time."

"Well, that's a shame."

Quentin was a little regretful:

"I've seen Donnie's kung fu, it's really great, and it fits the bill in every way. I really hope he can take on this role."

In the 1960s and 1970s, a Kung Fu craze started by Li Xiaolong swept across the American continent.

And Quentin is a Kung Fu fan.

He is also particularly obsessed with oriental martial arts.

But the first oriental kung fu movie he came into contact with was not a work by Li Xiaolong.

It's another remarkable film.

"The Best Punch in the World"!
This Chinese-language film, released in the 1970s, not only became one of the top ten best-selling films of the year in North America, but its total box office also exceeded 20 million US dollars.

It even surpassed the films made by Kung Fu superstar Li Xiaolong at the same time.

Its violent and exciting style brings unprecedented sensory impact to the audience.

It was this film that had a profound impact on Quentin Tarantino in his childhood, leading him into the world of action movies. In Kill Bill, which he shot last year, a classic "telepathy" sounded every time the heroine became emotional, which was derived from The Fist of the Tomb Raider.

Some experts commented on this film:
"It has made an indelible contribution to the promotion of martial arts films overseas."

Quentin Tarantino is deeply influenced by Hong Kong Kung Fu films and is currently busy filming "Kill Bill 2".

He resisted the pressure from the guild and continued to use Yuan Heping's team from Hong Kong as martial arts directors.

The Donnie they mentioned earlier is Yuan Heping’s disciple, Zhen Zidan.

In the film, there is a key scene where the heroine goes to Guangzhou to become a disciple of the Taoist priest Baimei.

Initially, Quentin Tarantino considered letting Yuan Heping himself play this role.

But later it was discovered that his action style did not match the character setting, so they had to find another candidate.

Yuan Heping then recommended his favorite student, Zhen Zidan, who was developing in Hollywood.

Unfortunately, however, it is difficult to coordinate the schedules of both parties.

If it was earlier, before Zhen Zidan signed the contract for "Seven Swordsmen", perhaps it could have been adjusted.

The most important thing is that he felt that the role of the Taoist Master Baimei was not outstanding enough, and that he spoke Cantonese and used a lot of swear words, which was very low, and he felt resistance in his heart.

In addition, a budget of $3000 million seems to be a negligible prospect compared to Hollywood's big productions that cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Quentin paced back and forth in the room anxiously, still a little unwilling:

"This is a sequel! In order to maintain continuity, we must present an authentic image of an oriental Kung Fu master.

And Uma Thurman's skills are really...

She doesn't even have the most basic kung fu skills!
If there is no real master to support the scene, this highlight will not be exciting at all!"

According to the script, in order to take revenge on Bill, the heroine must go up the mountain to worship the Taoist Master Baimei and learn martial arts.

This Taoist priest with white eyebrows is very skilled in Kung Fu. The heroine learned a lot of unique skills from him.

These skills are crucial in the subsequent story, helping her survive danger and ultimately achieve revenge.

This is also an indispensable part of the development of the plot.

Will interjected:

"Unless you can convince producer Lawrence to invite Jack Lee..."

Among the Chinese Kung Fu actors currently well-known in Hollywood, the most outstanding ones are Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Chow Yun-fat.

There is no need to ask about the former, the pay is shockingly high. Last year's "Around the World in 80 Days" was 1650 million US dollars.

Moreover, after the flop of "Ransom King 2" last year, not many producers dared to hire him.

As for Jet Li, he is currently filming "Danny the Wolfdog" and is unlikely to make a cameo appearance unless he can afford the money.

The same applies to Zhou Runfa.

As the screenwriter and director of "Kill Bill 2", Quentin Tarantino holds considerable power in the entire production team, but this does not include financial management.

Because there was no way Disney would let him do whatever he wanted.

A producer will also be assigned to the site to strictly monitor expenses.

Otherwise, once these directors lose all restraint, the budget of 30 million can be doubled in a blink of an eye.

Quentin couldn't help cursing:
"That guy is a miser. There is no way he can afford the high price!"

But no matter what, this matter still has to go through producer Lawrence, and he can only let his assistant make the call.

A moment later, three middle-aged men walked into the room one after another.

They are producer Lawrence, production representative Judd, and action director Yuan Heping.

Lawrence looked serious, without a single smile:

"Quentin, I've already promised you to spend half a million to invite Donnie. Not a penny more."

Quentin was silent for a moment, then said:
"Donnie is busy, I think it would be more appropriate to invite Jack Lee, and it can be linked with "Danny the Wolfdog" when it is released..."

"Jack Lee please? NO, NO, NO!"

Lawrence didn't wait for him to finish and shook his head exaggeratedly to refute:
"Do you know how much this actor was paid? 1500 million US dollars!

Besides, he won't lower his price to come in for a guest appearance, so just give up on it."

The producer's representative, Judd, hesitated for a moment and said:
"In my opinion, there is no need to go through all this trouble, let Yuan take the lead.

They are all from the East anyway, so it won't make any difference if he takes over, and it can also save a lot of money."

Quentin was a little unhappy and said:

"Do you know what a strong man's demeanor is? If you don't understand, go watch more oriental kung fu movies. Yuan is too thin and doesn't fit the image!"

The producer refused to give in and said:

"We only have this much budget. We're giving this half million to Donnie because we want to hire him. Otherwise, the headquarters won't be able to pass the calculation."

Although he understood Quentin's intention, he also agreed to use a Chinese action star.

Because it involves the core settings of the film and can also attract votes from the yellow race.

But therein lies the problem.

3 million US dollars is just the preliminary budget. According to Quentin's film-making style, there will definitely be overspending in the later stages.

If we add in the publicity and promotion costs, it may not be possible to achieve the goal of 6 million.

In order to recoup its costs, the global box office must be at least $1.5 million.

Despite the popularity of the previous work, many sequels have failed. Who can guarantee that it will be successful?
After all, Quentin's films "Four Rooms" and "Dangerous Liaisons" shot in previous years failed to make a profit.

"Okay, okay, then let's find a compromise."

Seeing that Quentin was about to retort, Judd tried to ease the atmosphere:

"Why not ask Yuan again? Maybe he has better candidates to recommend."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to the only yellow man who had been silent and skinny.

.........

(End of this chapter)