Chapter 358 Are you pretending to be here?
Teemo said without thinking:
"The male protagonist Wesley shows a variety of personalities, from being a coward and swallowing his anger to bursting out with revenge after becoming rich.
Sufficient acting skills are required.
In addition, considering that the male protagonist grows up to be a powerful killer, as well as scenes such as jumping a hundred meters and jumping off a train,
He should have a tall and muscular physique, handsome appearance and agility.
The heroine is the instructor of the hero, and her expression is relatively cold from beginning to end. The biggest charm she brings to the audience should be her coldness..."
Bradt took over:
"We envision that Nicolas Cage or Tom Cruise are suitable candidates.
Of course, if you can invest more and invite Angelina Jolie to play the heroine, the box office will definitely explode! ”
The two male stars he gave as examples are both A-listers, both white, and both have strong box office guarantees.
As for Angelina Jolie, she is currently making a lot of noise because of her marriage issues, and she is sexy enough to bring in the expected audience.
Du Sheng smiled slightly, but shook his head slightly:
"Timo, I agree with your casting standards, but I reserve my opinion on the candidate recommendation."
Both of them looked at Du Sheng:
"Then who do you think is qualified to play the leading role?"
Du Sheng showed a confident smile:
"A man with strong physique, handsome charm, strong physical skills and outstanding acting skills is sitting in front of you."
Bradt and Teemo looked at each other, then looked at Du Sheng at each other, and then laughed:
"Du, your joke is not funny!"
Du Sheng whistled and said leisurely:
"Look, I don't even lack a changeable personality!"
When Bradt saw that Du Sheng was not joking, his face trembled:
"Du, it's better to make fewer cold jokes like this, otherwise it won't be very interesting."
Du Sheng finally put away his smile and officially showed off:
"This is no joke."
Bradt's expression changed, and he wanted to refute something,
Teemo signaled him to stop talking, turned to Du Sheng and said in a deep voice:
"Du, I know that you are the first Chinese world boxing champion, and I also know that you are an excellent actor.
But considering the global box office guarantee, it is best to hire a well-known white male star in Hollywood! ”
He didn't want to fall out yet, so his words were more tactful.
But the meaning is obvious, yellow people are not suitable.
"Timo, you just said that this movie abandons personal heroes and warmth, and the main focus is on the surreal action scenes,
This means that the male protagonist is just an introduction throughout the entire film, and it doesn’t matter who he is. ”
Du Sheng said calmly:
"In addition, the male protagonist is inspired by the death of his father. Simply setting his father as a mixed-race Asian can avoid problems."
Bradt sneered and said:
"You have never been in Hollywood, so you have no idea how picky the audience and casting are here.
No one would believe that a yellow-skinned face playing the leading role could sell out the box office all over the world! ”
Du Sheng's eyes suddenly turned cold:
"Can I understand that this is racial prejudice?"
Teemo knew he was going to be in trouble and waved his hands hurriedly:
“Du, don’t get me wrong, we are not racist.
But you have to admit that the global box office is mainly in the West, so in Hollywood, white people are usually invited to star, so that the audience will buy it and the box office will be popular! ”
Now the lighthouse country is raising the flag of freedom and democracy, but it cannot be labeled as racial discrimination, otherwise there will be no need to mix it up in the future.
Du Sheng did not care about this, but corrected Teemo:
"No, Teemo, you have confused a concept. The choice of character is not determined by skin color.
Do you think that none of the movies starring Li Xiaolong, Cheng Long, Jet Li and others are popular?
In fact, as long as the audience recognizes that the actor playing the protagonist is charming enough, they don't care at all about some side details. ”
Seeing that Du Sheng remained unmoved, Timo couldn't help but feel impatient:
"Du, maybe you are very good in the East and even have a guaranteed box office in Asia, but it is undeniable that you can't compare with Cheng Long and the others, right?
To put it bluntly, Western audiences are now getting tired of the yellow martial arts routines. In the past two years, not even Cheng Long or Jet Li has had a movie with a box office of over 100 million! ”
Speaking of this, he emphasized:
"And this is an investment of 55 million US dollars. If we don't want to waste it, to be on the safe side it's better to find a white actor who can handle the box office!"
Although it was Du Sheng's money that lost money, Timo didn't want to be labeled as a failed director.
As a newbie, he was afraid that his Hollywood career would be ruined directly.
Du Sheng looked as calm as ever and smiled:
"In that case, how about we make a bet?"
"What bet?"
Bradt, who was about to increase the firepower, was startled and said subconsciously.
"In a few months, a movie "House of Flying Daggers" starring myself, Liu Dehua, and Zhang Baizhi, directed by Zhang Yimou, will be released, with an investment of only US$30 million."
Du Sheng was neither salty nor bland, and said:
"I bet it can exceed 100 million US dollars at the global box office."
They all know who Zhang Yimou is. Two years ago, his "Hero" earned $180 million at the global box office.
But that movie's main box office draw came from the East, starring international superstar Jet Li.
Youdao is that today is different from the past, and the market is changing too fast.
In this year's general environment, although Jet Li's popularity has greatly increased his salary, the film "Danny the Wolf Dog" he is about to complete is still laughing at the market expectation of over 100 million.
Moreover, how can the yellow man in front of him be compared with him?
What's more, it's just a movie with an investment of only 30 million US dollars. How dare it challenge the global box office of over 100 million US dollars?
They never agree!
Bradt immediately shouted: "Don't talk nonsense, this is impossible!"
Du Sheng ignored Bradt and looked at Teemo:
"Do you dare to take this bet?"
"What are you betting on? If your film's box office exceeds 100 million, will you be recognized as the leading actor?"
Du Sheng smiled slightly:
"That's right."
Bradt reacted, blushed and shouted:
"Damn it, you didn't have this idea from the beginning, did you?"
Du Sheng looked indifferent and said:
"Otherwise? Do you really think that with just a few words from you, there are fools willing to invest 55 million?"
Teemo sighed in annoyance, feeling like he was on a pirate ship.
Although Du Sheng had been at odds with them over the amount of investment before, this was normal in any negotiation.
They have also been mentally prepared for this.
After all, investment cooperation is always a tug-of-war. The more Du Sheng is preoccupied, the more they feel that the other party is sincere.
But they never expected that Du Sheng would dig a hole in advance and wait there!
Teemo organized his words and said helplessly:
"Du, if you insist on your opinion, it may be difficult to advance this project, and I won't be able to take such a big risk."
Although the temptation of filming in Hollywood is quite great, compared with the future, he would rather go back to the Rakshasa Kingdom to film and wait.
Du Sheng was a little surprised and showed some kindness:
"Timo, I specifically set up a million salary guarantee for you in the contract.
It would be a shame if you just gave up. ”
This guarantee is designed to ensure that the director and actors are in place. Even if the film is not completed or the actors are replaced, the other party will still receive a million-dollar salary.
Many Hollywood movies will deliberately write this blank check in order to win big-name slots.
The reason why Du Sheng provided salary guarantee for Teemo is because the movie "Wanted" is his masterpiece.
Although he has a rough memory, he does not yet have the ability to reproduce it.
If you rashly switch to someone else, the risk of being thrown into the street will also greatly increase. There is no need to change randomly.
Precisely because Du Sheng gave this guarantee, Teemo's attitude has always been relatively mild, in sharp contrast to the furious Bradt.
Teemo tries to make a last ditch effort:
"Du, even if we put aside race, what we need is a well-known actor with box office appeal, and you can't do it yet."
Du Sheng smiled slightly and said:
"That's true, but people don't stay the same.
This comes back to the question of taking a gamble. I believe you are not far behind in these few months. ”
Bradt's eyes widened and he pointed directly at Du Sheng.
"What do you mean?"
Teemo frowned, waiting for how many months to bet on his rise due to his fame?
"Since you think I am not popular enough now, then wait until "House of Flying Daggers" is released."
Du Sheng had a lot of time and finally revealed his purpose:
"I believe that by then, I will meet all the requirements of the protagonist, and it will not be too late to start the project."
In fact, due to the investment limit of this movie in the previous life, the leading actor was a small star from outside the third tier.
He has a lot of popularity and appeal.
The main publicity stunt is also the sexiness of the actress Angelina Jolie.
But it’s hard to say that at the moment.
And he had no money left to invest for the time being, so he made up his mind to take advantage of it first.
Bradt was a little furious:
"Damn it! Have you forgotten the provisions of the contract? You must deposit funds into the account within the agreed time!"
Du Sheng's expression remained unchanged and he motioned for the team behind him to come forward:
"Mr. Xu, please explain the additional agreement on page 8 to Bradt."
The lawyer arranged by the Ye family was well prepared and said calmly:
"Due to internal disputes within the crew, the project has been shelved. The producer has the right to withdraw funding without liability for breach of contract.
The controversy here includes the choice of male and female protagonists. ”
According to the agreement, Du Sheng is an investor and has the right to appoint producers to the crew, and the protection of interests comes first.
Therefore, the effectiveness of this additional agreement is obviously higher than that of other treaties.
If the two parties cannot reach an agreement on the protagonist, Du Sheng does not need to pay the money, or he can withdraw his investment only for a short stay.
Bradt still didn't understand, and suddenly there were stars in his eyes. He slammed the table and stood up:
"Fake! You are cheating, I want to sue you!"
Being teased by the Oriental people he looked down upon made Bradt feel like he had become a joke, and his anger was like a volcano erupting.
"Shut up, don't think I don't know what you are planning!"
Du Sheng said coldly:
“Aren’t you just trying to get my money from the beginning to the end, so you’re pretending to be here?
As the crew coordinator and producer, you didn't mention a word about insurance, union protection and other matters. Isn't your purpose just to circumvent supervision and make money easily? ”
………
(End of chapter)