Chapter 364 The new boss of Huala Gang
"Will "Dark Invasion" be continued?"
"Of course, although subsequent sequels will definitely become less and less interesting, as long as it can still make money, I will continue, but it will definitely not be directed by me personally..."
Zhang Chen didn't mean to hide his thoughts at all, and he didn't have the feelings of an artist.
"Look, you are a typical producer thinking..."
The gang had apparently discussed similar topics before he arrived.
"Oh, what do you say?"
"A few of us have talked about the issue of sequels, and we generally believe that it is difficult for a sequel to surpass the first one, and its existence is of little significance..."
"But after the success of the first part, the IP has already acquired commercial value. The sequel can attract a fixed group of moviegoers with almost no publicity. From the company's point of view, this is a very cost-effective thing, and the sequel may not necessarily be It's not as good as the previous one, but it may need innovation..."
A horror film director is also a director, and thinking about issues is also a director’s thinking.
In fact, this is easy to understand. It's like an actor. After playing too many roles of a certain type, he doesn't want to take them anymore.
Director Chen is very reluctant to play the role of the emperor, and Anthony Hopkins does not accept the role of a perverted murderer now. It is the same reason.
Directors are also considered to be at the top of the film and television industry, and they will have some pursuits. It is normal to refuse to follow up.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for "Hotel" to have only two films, and "Dark Invasion" to have two films. Only "Saw" has continued to be filmed. That is because it continues to innovate in torture instruments, and the audience always has a sense of freshness. , and it’s not the director who calls the shots, but Lionsgate.
"Zhang, are you the producer of your own movies?"
"Yes, not only the producer, but also the company belongs to me."
"Oh, I see, then you are really happy..."
It was James Wan who said this, "It's really great to be able to make my own decisions. You don't know how difficult it was for me to get the opportunity to direct "Saw" for the first time. If Whannell hadn't insisted, the director wouldn't have been able to It’s everyone else’s.”
Leigh Whannell was the screenwriter of "Saw". At that time, the script was approved by Lionsgate and wanted to be filmed. Leigh Whannell's only requirement was that the director must be James Wan, otherwise he would rather not film it.
That's why they envied Zhang Chen for being able to make his own decisions.
"You can also have your own studio. I have one in Hollywood that specializes in producing horror films. We may still have opportunities to cooperate~"
Speaking of this, Zhang Chen suddenly remembered what Peter said to him today.
A Quiet Place is wrapping up, and New Line wants to reboot I Saw the Devil .
This new script is very promising, even more promising than "A Quiet Place".
If there hadn't been a sudden domestic attack on Xingchen Entertainment at that time, Zhang Chen would have needed to collaborate with Hollywood on a film to build momentum, and what he has produced now is "Seeing the Devil" instead of "A Quiet Place".
Now New Line wants to restart "I Saw the Devil", but Zhang Chen definitely doesn't have time to direct it. He will also be busy with "Painted Skin" in the first half of next year.
Since I can't direct, I have to find another director. Isn't there a ready-made candidate in front of me?
"Listen guys, I have a project with New Line and I need a director. Are you interested?"
After chatting with these guys for a long time, we got to know each other quite a bit, and none of them were too pretentious.
As for the exchange of superficial words and deep talk, it does not exist.
Directors with names are not very capable. If they are interested, normal business cooperation will follow.
"Oh, can you tell me what kind of story it is~"
"The story of a perverted murderer who was violently beaten, or in other words, evil people have their own way to deal with evil..."
Zhang Chen gave an overview of the plot of "Seeing the Devil". The project has been started and there is no possibility of plagiarism.
Rob Zumby: "I think it's interesting..."
Alexander: "Indeed, there are many stories about perverted murderers, but it seems that there is no such thing as a perverted murderer..."
Bosman: "This film must be very enjoyable to shoot~"
Boseman was eager to give it a try, but was immediately put back to his original shape by James Wan's words: "Come on, Darren, you have no chance, we still have to work on "Saw 2"."
Bosman shrugged speechlessly, and Rob Zumby also said: "I'm afraid I can't do it either. I have a movie that is about to start shooting. But Alexander, you can consider it..."
Alexander Aga once filmed "The Mountain Has Eyes" and is very interested in this type of subject matter.
"I Saw the Devil" is a standard American horror film that can be very bloody, which is exactly the type Alexander likes.
"I'm really interested."
"Well, I will recommend you to New Line tomorrow. I believe they will agree."
Zhang Chen didn't say anything, but he thought the problem shouldn't be big.
Alexander is a well-known director, so New Line should be willing.
"By the way, I have another story here..."
Zhang Chen talked about the story of "Door Lock". Yes, it was the one starring Bai Baihe. It was a remake from South Korea, but it was also a remake in South Korea. The main protagonist was a Spanish movie called "While You Were Sleeping".
It's just that the Spanish version had a very slow pace and the movie was very unsuccessful. The Korean remake deliberately speeded up the pace and added a perverted supporting character to enrich the movie. "I have already registered this script with the trade union. If anyone is interested, we can cooperate."
Zhang Chen is not planning to shoot the story "Door Lock" by himself, at least not now. If someone is really interested, then there is nothing wrong with working together.
Anyway, all he wants is to make money and build good relationships. When "A Quiet Place" and "Breathless" are released, he expects these people to support him.
Zhang Chen sent out two meeting gifts at once, which was quite a gesture.
The members of the Huala Gang welcomed Zhang Chen's joining.
This is not a gang, it started as a group of like-minded people and later evolved into a small group that helps each other.
The original soul figure was Leigh Whannell. Later, with the success of "Saw" and "The Fast and the Furious", James Wan's status gradually improved, and he faintly replaced Leigh Whannell and became the core of the small group.
Although Zhang Chen is a new member, he is the boss of the company and has resources. He was welcomed by everyone as soon as he joined.
After everyone chatted for a few hours, the party broke up.
The Hua La Gang gathering is a real gathering, the kind where we purely exchange experiences and don’t engage in those messy things.
Zhang Chen was a little disappointed, this was not Hollywood at all.
……
The next day, "Hold Your Breath" was launched as scheduled.
Diane's efficiency is still very high. The preliminary preparations have been completed long ago, and she can shoot as long as she enters the studio.
Zhang Chen watched it for a day. If there was no problem with Federico Alvarez's direction, he would be ready to return to China.
In the evening, I made an appointment with Blake Lively to watch a movie - "Memoirs of a Geisha".
He had never seen this film in his previous life. He only knew that it was very famous and was scolded.
A story about Japanese geishas played by three Chinese women.
Beep beep beep, Zhang Chen knocked on Lively's door. Within a few seconds, the door opened and a beautiful figure appeared at the door.
"Oh, you are so beautiful tonight~"
The specially dressed Blake Lively is indeed beautiful, exuding youthful charm. After just a few glances, Zhang Chen felt that his hormones were about to start.
There were not many people in the cinema. "Memoirs of a Geisha" was released in the United States in December and was almost ready to be released at this time.
Frankly speaking, not great.
I don’t know what Spielberg was thinking, but the film length actually reached 145 minutes, more than 2 hours, and the viewers were drowsy.
It is said that film critics are very optimistic about it, but it is not Zhang Chen's cup of tea.
Not Blake Lively's cup of tea either.
She has a background in youth feature films and is not interested in this somewhat dull Japanese culture.
In the evening, I had to communicate with Blake Lively again, and by the way, I left some wealth, probably several hundred million.
Zhang Chen has returned to China, and "Hold Your Breath" is progressing in an orderly manner. Dai An will send him the shooting progress every day. It is expected to be completed in another half month, and foreigners do not need to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
It's strange to say that the Western New Year is now popular in China. A group of young people have no feeling for the Lunar New Year, but they are eager for Christmas and celebrate the New Year at every turn.
Twenty years later, it was exactly the opposite.
Chinese people have long been oblivious to the Lunar New Year, but foreigners are celebrating the Lunar New Year one by one.
The only thing that remains unchanged is Korean sticks, they grab everything!
……
In China, Jing Tian is practicing every action in the script at home according to the requirements of the acting teacher.
Long before Zhang Chen went abroad, she received the script for "Crocodile".
The script is very exciting, not inferior to "Shark Beach" at all. The most amazing thing is the identity of the characters in the play.
Zhang Chen actually allowed them to continue to use the names of the characters in "Taken". In other words, this drama can be regarded as a spin-off of "Taken".
This is amazing.
"Taken" has set a domestic box office record of 259 million, which is nearly 100 million more than "Hero"'s 250 million.
Although this film has already been released in China, it has just been released in many foreign countries and is very popular.
Jing Tian can completely imagine that when "Crocodile" is released, with the bonus of "Taken", the box office will definitely be the same.
In the script, Zhang Chen changed the role of father to mother, that is, Xu Qing, the role of mother in "Hurricane Rescue".
To put it simply, "Escape" is the story of a father saving his daughter, while "Crocodile" is the story of a daughter saving herself and her mother.
Jing Tian seems to have seen how he will be in the spotlight in the future, but Zhang Chen's requirements are also very strict. Jing Tian's acting skills must meet his requirements, otherwise it will only be a monster movie. At most, it will promote the companion piece of "Shark Beach", no Permission is granted to associate with "Taken".
Since he wants to make the universe, Zhang Chen must ensure the quality of each film and not lower the grade of the universe.
(End of chapter)