Chapter 369 To be determined?
Popular big-name actors already have a certain status in the industry, and there is no shortage of scripts to come to them, so they will not go to film and television crews to audition for roles.
As the saying goes, failing an audition is a shameful thing. There is no need for popular actors to take such risks.
Before the official audition for "Travel to Taipei", Wang Shu had already discussed the choice of actors with Han Sanping.
Initially I considered Chen Long and Jet Li.
In terms of international popularity, Chen Long deserves to be the first among Chinese actors, while Jet Li is barely good.
Find one of these two people to come and participate in the show, and the overseas box office will be guaranteed.
After a little analysis, I rejected this idea.
Not to mention that Chen Long's salary for starring in "The King of Kung Fu" is as high as 15 million US dollars (80 million yuan), and he also has the income and distribution rights of "The King of Kung Fu".
Also, Jet Li's salary for starring in "The King of Kung Fu" was as high as US$10 million.
The salary alone for these two people is ridiculously high.
Let’s just say that both of them are special actors in Kung Fu movies. In the eyes of overseas audiences, they have always been known as Kung Fu stars, which is no longer consistent with "Travel to Taipei".
If Chen Long or Li Lienjie are invited to star in "Travel to Taipei", then the plot of the film will have to be changed to the protagonists played by the two using kung fu to fight zombies in the film, so that there will be an audience.
Otherwise, two Kung Fu stars were chased and beaten by zombies in "Travel to Taipei", which was a strong sense of dissonance in the eyes of overseas audiences.
After the film is released, it will hit the overseas box office!
"Travel to Taipei" is different from "Resident Evil". This movie is a zombie movie on the surface, but at its core it is a disaster movie. It shows the survival and helplessness of ordinary people in the face of disasters, as well as the fetters of family ties.
"Resident Evil" is about fighting zombies.
Chen Long and Jet Li have always been Kung Fu stars overseas, so it is suitable for them to star in "Resident Evil".
However, their overseas image is not suitable for "Taipei Trip".
Unless Wang Shu changes "Travel to Taipei" into a plot in which the protagonist fights zombies, there will be no solution.
The reason why "Travel to Taipei" can achieve success at a low cost is that it uses disaster as its core to present the helplessness and struggle of small people to survive under the bonds of family ties.
Changed to a plot of fighting zombies, the entire core has changed. Not only has it become a plagiarism of "Resident Evil", it is also difficult to succeed.
Wang Shu knew that the selling point of "Travel to Taipei" was to use disaster movies as the core and zombie elements as branches, so he was able to find a new way to succeed.
Coupled with the fact that "The Letter of Merit" was a hit overseas, it shows that Li Lianjie's overseas box office appeal is not good.
He would not do the stupid thing of spending huge sums of money to pick up a sesame seed, only to lose the watermelon.
Excluding Chen Long and Jet Li, two special actors in kung fu movies, there are fewer actors left to choose from.
Mainland
Ge You is indeed a popular movie actor in this era.
But. His popularity is only in the mainland.
Although Xia Yu is the Venice Best Actor, he actually has no reputation overseas.
The same is true for Liu Ye.
Looking around, there is no actor in the mainland who can hold up the scene.
In another ten years, domestic entertainment will be completely transformed, Hong Kong actors will become yesterday’s stars, and mainland actors will rise.
But in this era, the big names have always been the handful of actors from Hong Kong Island who have benefited from the take-off of Hong Kong films.
For example, in the drama "Painted Skin", the entertainment news clearly states that the leading actor, Donnie Yen, is the only big star.
Other mainland actors such as Zhou Xun, Zhao Yanzi, Chen Kun, etc. all came to support him.
In this era, among mainland actors, only a few actors such as Ge You have a certain box office appeal in the mainland market.
Nothing else.
Zhou Xun, Zhao Yanzi and others are also among those who are nothing.
In the original timeline, after the movie "Painted Skin" was released, many media directly ridiculed Zhou Xun and Zhao Yanzi, popular mainland actresses, for not having the box office appeal to match their titles, and even being box office poisonous. hook up.
"Travel to Taipei" is a commercial blockbuster. It's not that Wang Shu didn't want to choose an actor to play the leading role in the mainland, but that no one really had the strength to support this drama for overseas markets.
The only choice is Hong Kong Island.
The Four Kings of Hong Kong, Chow Yun-fat, Leung Ka Hui, Lau Ka Hui, etc.
Among them, Wang Shu feels that the most suitable ones are Liang Chaowei and Liu Jiahui.
Liang Chaowei. Starred in the drama "Shang-Chi"
Wang Shu won’t use him.
Liu Jiahui and Liang Jiahui are not as famous as the four kings of Hong Kong Island in East Asia, China, Japan and South Korea, as well as Singapore, Malaysia and other countries in Southeast Asia, so they are excluded.
Among the four kings of Hong Kong, Liang Chaowei, Wang Shu, cannot use it.
Ling Ming, this guy is the only one among the four heavenly kings, and his acting skills are also very good, so I rule him out.
Aaron Kwok, it is better to concentrate on singing and dancing.
Zhang Xueyou, after entering the global era, had stopped acting and focused on his career as a singer by releasing songs and holding concerts.
Among the four kings of Hong Kong, there is only one Andy Lau.
Although Liu Dehua is only well-known among the Chinese community in Europe and the United States, not many whites and blacks know him.
However, Liu Dehua has a very high reputation in East Asia, China, Japan and South Korea, as well as in Southeast Asia.
This is due to the glorious period of Hong Kong films.
As for Chow Yun-fat, this guy's image doesn't match his image and he has a big appetite, so he's ruled out.
There is also Jinchengwu on the Treasure Island side. He is Japanese and excluded.
In the end, there was only one Liu Dehua left.
It is not that Wang Shu believes that Liu Dehua is suitable to play the male lead in "Travel to Taipei", but it is a helpless choice because there is no suitable candidate after comprehensive consideration.
Furthermore, Wang Shu has a good sense for Liu Dehua.
When this man held a concert in Japan, he not only made it clear that he was Chinese, but also specially sang a song "Chinese".
Then a well-known Japanese company spent 30 million to invite him to be a brand spokesperson. Due to the severe international situation at that time, he declined the offer.
"Brother Hua, have you read the script? Do you have any ideas?"
Wang Shu asked with a smile.
As one of the four kings of Hong Kong, and even the most developed king in the film and television industry, Andy Lau has already been able to choose scripts due to his status, and it is impossible for him to go to the crew to audition.
He came to audition this time, just for show.
Early on, China Film Group came forward and the two parties had already negotiated cooperation.
Liu Dehua, who was paid 10 million and had a schedule, accepted the role.
"Viatus", Andy Lau's salary was RMB 1,600,000.
Although the movie is still in theaters, it is an established fact that the box office has not met expectations.
China Film Co., Ltd. lowered the price, and since Andy Lau was indeed interested in the "Travel to Taipei" movie, he immediately lowered his salary and accepted the role at a price of RMB 1,000,000. It stands to reason that "The Call to Action" will be a hit at the overseas box office.
Li Lianjie, Liu Dehua, and Jin Chengwu should not be in Wang Shu's consideration range. However, looking at domestic entertainment, there is no one available.
The reality is that there is no way.
Compared with many mainland actors who have no say at all overseas, Andy Lau can at least have some say and some guarantee.
Moreover, Andy Lau's remuneration is only 1,000,000 yuan, which is relatively good value for money.
It is true that Ge You's salary is only 6 million yuan, and Liu Ye's salary is only a few million.
However, these two people have no say in overseas markets.
As for Chen Daoming and others, let alone them.
Liu Dehua knew that although Wang Shu was young, he was a director with real abilities, so he was very polite to him, and quickly responded with a smile: "I am very confident in Director Wang's script, and I have no objections. When the time comes, the crew Just turn on the phone and ask me to join the group.”
Wang Shu followed this conversation and chatted with Liu Dehua for a while, then got up and saw him off.
After Andy Lau left, the audition remained the same.
At this moment, while many male actors sighed, the actresses were excited.
It was not that Liu Dehua was excited, but there was another reason.
Mainland directors and mainland-produced films will indeed use more competitive Hong Kong big-name actors to ensure box office.
But at the same time, we will also take care of and support mainland actors.
Under normal circumstances, if the male lead is played by a famous Hong Kong actor, then the actress and supporting actress will be mainland actors.
Wang Shu is a Mainland director, and "Travel to Taipei" is also a Mainland-produced film. Many actresses subconsciously believe that if Wang Shu chooses Liu Dehua to play the male lead, then the heroine and supporting actress will most likely choose Mainland actors. Actors participated.
As many actors waiting for auditions think, when it comes to the choice of heroine and supporting actress, Wang Shu does prefer mainland actors to participate.
Everyone knows that the Hong Kong and Taiwan entertainment circles look down on domestic entertainment. As a mainland director, Wang Shu must stand for domestic entertainment.
It can be said that if it weren't for the fact that in this era there were no male actors in the Mainland who could play a leading role in a blockbuster film targeting overseas markets, he would not have used Andy Lau at all.
As a mainland director, his films tend to use mainland actors.
For example, in the few films he directed before, all the films that did not consider the overseas theater market did not use actors from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Only "Terror Cruise" and "Travel to Taipei" began to use Hong Kong actors because they targeted overseas markets during the production stage.
It is true that "Buried Alive", "The Tuner", "Space Traveler" and "Sea of People" can also appear in overseas markets due to film sales.
But the concepts of selling a film and landing it in overseas theaters are different.
For example, when Wang Shu sold the copyright of "The Big Crowd" at the Venice International Film Festival, the buyer of the film could take it back to theaters for distribution. The box office earned after the theater release had nothing to do with Wang Shu's half a dime. , owned by the buyer of the film, and all Wang Shu could get was the royalties from the original sale of the film.
As for landing in overseas cinemas, you can participate in the cinema's box office share, and later sell the copyright, making money from both.
"Terror Cruise" introduced Warner Bros., and "Taipei Trip" also introduced overseas companies to participate in investment, for the overseas theater market.
"Horror Cruise" is the first film produced by Yishu Company for overseas markets. Wang Shu is not of enough weight and is not eligible to participate in the overseas box office share. He can only get a copyright share.
Now with the success of "Terror Cruise", Wang Shu has proved his worth. He has the rights to share the overseas box office of "Taipei Trip".
In any case, as a Mainland director, when shooting a Mainland-produced film, he will definitely be more inclined to take care of Mainland actors.
If nothing else, this approach also contributes to the development of internal entertainment.
In the drama "Travel to Taipei", there are many actresses in Hong Kong who are suitable for the role of the pregnant heroine.
For example, many Hong Kong actresses such as Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, Yuan Wing-yi, Hui Ying-sing, etc. can give it a try.
However, Wang Shu did not consider it.
Because "Travel to Taipei" is a mainland-produced film, the male and female protagonists all choose Hong Kong Island actors. Apart from praising Hong Kong Island actors, this aspect does not contribute to domestic entertainment.
Neither he nor Han Sanping wanted to see him.
Furthermore, Hong Kong Island-produced films also exclude the use of mainland actors, and good resources are basically left to Hong Kong Island actors to digest.
Only some actresses from the Mainland can work in Hong Kong.
"Hello, Director Wang."
Yan Danchen walked into the audition room, first exchanged greetings, and then stood with a reserved expression.
Seeing this, Wang Shu smiled and said: "Sister Danchen, don't be nervous, just perform normally."
When Yan Danchen heard this, Sister Danchen breathed a sigh of relief and replied to Wang The tree gave a slight smile.
Although the two of them collaborated, it happened two or three years ago.
Later, Yan Danchen also went to visit Wang Shu's class.
It’s just that as Wang Shu is busy with work, he only communicates through mobile phones on weekdays. In reality, we meet less and less, and gradually we grow apart.
In addition, Yan Danchen has always had a good impression of Wang Shu.
Nowadays, due to the gap in status in the circle and this kind of occasion, Yan Danchen is unconsciously a little cautious.
It is still limited to one section, and Yan Danchen performs based on it.
After watching it, Wang Shu sighed in his heart. Yan Danchen's acting skills are really mediocre and he hasn't made much progress in so many years.
Her performance, like many actors who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy, has one characteristic.
The performance is superficial.
Yan Danchen's image is indeed more suitable for the role of the pregnant heroine in "Taipei Trip" to a certain extent.
Movie actors need to drive the audience's emotions in a limited performance.
Yan Danchen's performance can't be achieved, but her image in a disaster movie can arouse the sympathy of male audiences.
It would be easier if the heroine of "Travel to Taipei" was just a vase character.
Naihe, the role of a pregnant woman requires acting skills.
In the original film "Train to Busan", this role was played by Korean actor Jung Yu-mi.
Before she took over the filming of "Train to Busan", she had already won the Korean Blue Dragon Film Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Best Actress Nomination, the Golden Photography Award for Best Actress, and the KBS Drama Awards for One-Act Drama. The Best Actress Award in the category, the Best Actress Award at the Korean Busil Film Awards, etc.
Not only has he won many awards, but he has also acted in many feature films.
I can’t say that the acting is very good, but it’s not bad either.
Wang Shu looked at Yan Danchen and said with a smile: "Sister Danchen, you go back first, and I will take a look. I will contact you if there is any news."
Yan Danchen is an acquaintance after all. , Wang Shu was very dignified and spoke in person, using other unknown actors, and the whole process was presided over by the guardians around him.
“Okay!”
When Yan Danchen heard this, although he was disappointed, he was not unable to accept it.
When she thought about it, at least these words did not brush her off directly, but left her pending.
(End of this chapter)