Chapter 99 Star Guest Stars
Small fire depends on support, big fire depends on fate!
Although it sounds mysterious, it still makes sense.

The simplest and most plain issue is the face appearance.

Among all the action stars in Hong Kong, Zhen Zidan's "flowering period" can be said to be the shortest.

In 84, he starred in "Tai Chi Master" directed by Yuan Heping, but there was no improvement. In 92, he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards for his role as the villain Nalan Yuanshu in "Once Upon a Time in China". It was not until 08's "Ip Man" that he became a big star.

It has been 84 years since my debut in 24!

Everyone knows that he is a good fighter, and he had good resources initially, but it took him more than 20 years to become famous. Naturally, most of the problems were with him.

Donnie Yen’s biggest problem is that he doesn’t look “decent” enough and seems too fierce!
Having a righteous appearance is very important for the male protagonist in action or martial arts movies.

No matter how well you fight, if you look ferocious after the fight, the audience will immediately stop cheering and turn to fear.

After defeating all the enemies, the action actors will inevitably have some hostility on their faces and bodies.

Those famous action stars often have their own ways to resolve this hostility.

For example, Bruce Lee put a lot of effort into his appearance, wearing simple clothes and using the plot of the weak defeating the strong. Cheng Long used comedy themes and funny performances.

Sammo Hung is more convenient, as his fat body itself is funny.

But as he got older, his natural sense of humor disappeared, and he looked more and more ferocious.

When Donnie Yen first entered the industry, he was very aggressive and his ferocious appearance during fighting scenes was almost unconcealed, so it was naturally difficult for him to gain audience favor.

Fortunately, as he grew older, the lines on his face became relatively fuller, and his temper was polished after years of ups and downs. He happened to encounter a relatively gentle martial art called "Wing Chun", which helped him to restrain his violent temper and eventually he became an instant hit.

But at this moment, Donnie Yen is neither suitable for playing a good guy nor a villain.

After much deliberation, Jiang Heng decided to invite him to make a cameo appearance in the film, playing a villain with a small role, and having a fight with the male lead.

Zhen Zidan was very happy about this and repeatedly expressed that he would make the cameo appearance for free and would not ask for any remuneration.

Seeing this, Jiang Heng didn't force it.

When they had dinner together in the evening, Jiang Heng called Wu Jing. This guy's status has improved a lot since "Lion Camel Ridge", but his resources have not increased much.

After all, the action film genre as a whole is in a slump, with too few new projects.

Upon learning that Zhen Zidan was going to make a cameo appearance in Jiang Heng's new film, Wu Jing hurriedly said, "I can do it too, Director Jiang. I'll do it for free too, no pay!"

Jiang Heng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Look at what you said, as if I asked you to come here so that you can perform for free!"

Wu Jing chuckled, "Isn't it okay for me anyway?"

Jiang Heng wondered, "Are there no new dramas recently?"

Wu Jing sighed, "After filming Lion Camel Ridge, I feel like I can't get excited about any inferior script. As for TV dramas, I don't really want to act in them...!"

Hong Jinbao suddenly asked, "Why don't you make a notebook yourself?"

Wu Jing was stunned, then turned to look at Jiang Heng, with anticipation gradually appearing in his eyes.

Jiang Heng took a sip of beer and smiled: "Okay, if you have a suitable book, I will invest in you!"

"Oh, Director Jiang, you are my elder brother, my real brother!" Wu Jing was so excited that he spoke incoherently. He picked up the glass and drank it all in one gulp. Then he poured two more glasses and drank them all.

Jiang Heng also drank a cup and said with a smile: "We agreed in advance that the script quality must be acceptable, and we can't mess around when filming!"

Wu Jing said excitedly: "Of course not, we are all people who are dedicated to making good movies, not those who make bad movies to make money!"

Hong Jinbao said: "That's right, they were really dedicated when filming. In the scene in the alley, several sticks were broken!"

When Wu Jing recalled the filming experience of "SPL", he felt a dull pain in his back, while Donnie Yen smiled apologetically.

Jiang Heng said: "I know that there are fewer and fewer people like you who are dedicated to making good movies!"

Then he looked at Zhen Zidan and said, "If you have a suitable script, you can come to me directly!"

Upon hearing this, Zhen Zidan was overjoyed and hurriedly toasted Jiang Heng three times.

Hong Jinbao coughed, his expression a little embarrassed, "Mr. Jiang, I toast to you!" After that, he also drank three glasses of wine.

Jiang Heng was a little hesitant. When Hong Jinbao was young, he was considered a great general of Jiahe.

But as they got older, they could no longer grasp the pulse of the market. But at this moment, Wu Jing and Zhen Zidan both agreed. Hong Jinbao, a big brother of the Hong Kong film industry, toasted them with three glasses of wine. If he didn't give a promise, he would be embarrassed to death.

Jiang Heng thought for a moment and said, "Brother, if you have a suitable script, you can come to me!"

Anyway, I haven’t said that I will definitely invest, so we’ll talk about it when the time comes.

Hong Jinbao was very excited, raised his glass and said: "Mr. Jiang, you really take good care of the Hong Kong film industry. This time I will direct and act in the new film. I think everyone should give a hand. After dinner, I will go back and call on everyone to make a cameo appearance!"

Jiang Heng was stunned when he heard this, "Come on, there aren't that many roles in this movie!"

Zhen Zidan smiled and said, "You can add it now. No matter how small the movie is, you can find a celebrity to star in it. The audience will come to the cinema just to count the stars."

Wu Jing said: "I will notify the mainland and call on everyone to come!"

Jiang Heng didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "This...!"

Hong Jinbao said: "Mr. Jiang, don't worry so much, it's all in the wine!" After that, he drank another glass.

After dinner, Sammo Hung went back to the hotel to rest, and returned to Hong Kong early the next morning to help Jiang Heng recruit people to the crew.

Zhen Zidan also called a few people she felt she had good relationships with, while Wu Jing contacted several friends in the mainland entertainment industry.

Soon, the news spread throughout the entertainment industry. Everyone heard that Jiang Heng's new film, which he directed and starred in, would have many movie stars joining in and making cameo appearances for free.

Even Zhang Yimou called and asked Jiang Heng to make sure to reserve a role for him.

Speaking of Lao Zhang, he was also a leading actor when he was young.

The "Terracotta Warriors" he collaborated with Gong Li can be regarded as the originator of time-travel dramas.

People like Jiang Wen and Ge You, who had previous dealings with the company, also called to ask to join in the fun and demand a guest role.

Jiang Heng felt overwhelmed at this moment, because according to the original plot setting, it seemed that so many actors would not be needed!

Han Sanping was extremely excited when he heard the news and supported Jiang Heng to revise the script. "In the Chinese entertainment industry, only you have the appeal to make a star-studded blockbuster!"

Jiang Heng hurriedly said: "Hey, you can't say that, there is another person who also has this ability!"

"Who?"

"You!"

"Hey, I don't have any..."

"You have!"

Han Sanping did not argue about this, but was curious about how Jiang Heng changed the script.

"I originally wanted to add a prehistoric setting to the film, but I was afraid that the background was too grand and the plot was too thin to support it. If there are so many celebrities making guest appearances, I might consider it!"

"Honghuang?" Han Sanping murmured, not quite understanding what the word meant.

Jiang Heng did not explain, but just said: "Director Han knows about the Investiture of the Gods, right?"

"Of course I understand!"

"The Conferred God List conferred many gods on the Heavenly Court, but have you ever thought about what the Heavenly Court was like before the Conferred God List?"

"this……!"

After hearing this, Han Sanping couldn't help but think.

Jiang Heng did not explain further, as he felt that there was some inspiration in his mind that was fleeting.

I rushed to my desk and typed out everything I could think of.

Seeing this, Han Sanping left first.

However, after the news that many stars from the mainland and Hong Kong would make guest appearances in the film came out, it caused a huge uproar in the Chinese entertainment industry and attracted countless female stars to seek the role of the female lead.

After all, with so many stars making guest appearances, the heroine’s status and attention will definitely be greatly improved!

(End of this chapter)