Chapter 736 Casting
This year is the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The time is quite special. As we approach National Day, we can feel the festive atmosphere that is different from previous years.
The collection of gift films and the strong main theme are the most prominent features of this year’s National Day film.
The three movies [My Motherland and Me], [Captain of China], and [The Climber], which will be released soon on September 30, constitute the "Three Heroes" of the National Day movie.
All three films have a lineup that can be called the "top configuration" of Chinese-language films.
"The Climber" is directed by Hong Kong director Li Renggang, starring Wu Jing, Zhang Ziyi, Zhang Yi, Jing Boran, Hu Ge, Wang Jingchun, etc., and also has Cheng Long as a guest star.
[Captain of China] is also directed by Hong Kong director Liu Weiqiang, starring Zhang Hanyu, Ou Hao, Du Jiang, etc.
[My Motherland and Me] consists of seven short films. The list of directors alone is amazing, including Chen Kaige, Zhang Baibai, Guan Hu, Xue Xiaolu, Xu Zheng, Ning Hao, Wen Muye It is co-directed by seven well-known directors in the film industry.
The cast includes Gu Wei, Huang Bo, Zhang Yi, Wu Jing, Ge You, Song Jia and other artists who are both capable and popular with the audience.
Everyone is making a gift film for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, but secretly there is still some competition and comparison.
[Captain of China] is produced by Bona.
Yu Dong has been deeply involved in the main theme track over the years, and it is just a coincidence that "Captain of China" will be released on the 11th of this year.
The main controller of "The Climber" is Shanghai Film Group, while "My Motherland and Me" is the lead production of China Film Group.
The two largest state-owned film groups in China have been secretly competing against each other for many years, just like the two cities in Beijing and Shanghai.
But speaking of it, China Film Group is much better than Shanghai Film Group Corporation in terms of scale, influence, works, and talent, and is the number one player in the domestic film industry.
It can also be seen from the two tribute films this time that "The Climber" is very powerful and has found Wu Jing and Zhang Ziyi to take the lead.
But [My Motherland and Me] is completely an upgraded version of the original [Foundation of the Nation], with dozens of stars from all walks of life and seven well-known directors.
In terms of appeal alone, he will crush [Climber].
The premiere ceremony of [My Motherland and Me] was quite grand. According to the plots of seven classic historical moments, the trailers of the eve, encounter, and championship were played in sequence.
At the same time, the crew and creative staff of each plot appeared on the stage of the ceremony one after another.
The host Kang Hui interacted with the directors and starring actors of various crews, letting the audience know many behind-the-scenes footage of the movie "My Motherland and Me", and successively introduced various plots into the movie "My Motherland and Me".
Xue Xiaolu led the [Return] crew to appear on stage.
Gu Wei, Simon Yam, Hui Yinghong, Du Jiang, Zhu Yirong, Gao Yalin and other starring actors focus on the grand occasion of Hong Kong Island's return.
Hong Kong Island actors Simon Yam and Wai Ying-hung also spoke on the spot about their past experiences of Hong Kong Island's return, which moved people to tears.
Huiying was so deeply in love that she burst into tears on the stage and kept turning around to wipe away her tears.
Then Gu Wei sang "Pearl of the Orient" live as the representative of the "Return" crew.
When the words "Let the ocean tide accompany me to bless you, please don't forget my never-changing yellow face" were sung, the audience burst into thunderous applause!
“You sang really well. You are indeed a professional. When you sang [Pearl of the Orient], I couldn’t help but secretly wipe my tears.”
Wu Jing after leaving the stage Walked to Gu Wei.
“It’s not that I sing well, it’s that the songs are well written and the emotions they contain are too deep. This kind of classic will continue to be passed down and remain fresh for a long time.”
Gu Wei sighed, and then looked at Wu Jing in surprise.
“I thought you couldn’t come today?”
“Well, I definitely have to show up at the premiere, but I can’t take care of the rest.
I have to stay close to the [Climber] side."
Gu Wei nodded: "Understood, you are just making a cameo here, but you are the protagonist over there."
Then he asked with a smile: "You must have seen the film "The Climber". How is it? Do you have the confidence to compare with "My Motherland and Me"?"
Wu Jing He smiled bitterly and said: "How is it possible? The appeal of seven great directors and dozens of stars is far greater than that of a few people in [The Climber], not to mention you are here.
And there is always something wrong with the finished film. It feels awkward, and I always feel that the result is not what I imagined.”
“Awkward? Is it Zhang Ziyi?”
Wu Jing looked a little embarrassed.
"It's not very good.
Actually, I felt it when we were filming.
You know that I went to the snowy mountains to practice mountaineering for a month in order to film this movie. I felt that I was ready It's quite adequate.
But during the actual shooting, I always felt that director Li Rengang was a little confused. Many scenes were almost given, and the plot was not very thorough.
I’m actually quite satisfied with the finished film’s current results.”
Gu Wei thought for a while: "There are still a few Hong Kong directors who can really make movies with main themes. Li Rengang's ability is obviously not as good as Lin Chaoxian.
I have studied his previous movies, and they are too commercial. , and full of craftsmanship.
I didn’t know why Shanghai Film Studio would ask him to direct such an important film.”
“Forget it, I don’t want to think about this anymore. , it depends on what the result will be after it is released
Now that the main theme movie is so easy to sell, it may be able to achieve good results by taking advantage of the National Day release.”
Listening to Wu Jing's self-comforting words, Gu Wei nodded slowly without comment.
[My Motherland and Me] After the premiere ceremony, Gu Wei did not return to the crew immediately and stayed at the company in Beijing for one more day.
"How are the preparations going for [Zhou Chu's Elimination of Three Evils]?" Gu Wei and Wen Mu were also chatting about the new movie in the office.
They met at the premiere last night, but it was not convenient to talk outside.
“I started preparations after I got the script. The filming team is still the same group of people from [The God of Medicine], and the location has been almost decided. The next step is to start casting”
Wen Mu was also very interested in the book "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils".
A good script is very attractive to the director. After filming "Manslaughter", he originally planned to take a break, but after reading this script, he had no idea of taking a break.
"There are not many characters in [Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils]. Apart from the protagonist, there are mainly Aberdeen Hui Wai-keung, the Venerable Lin Luhe, Aberdeen's stepdaughter Cheng Xiaomei, and the policeman Chen Guilin who arrested Chen Hui , doctor Zhang Guiqing, the venerable lover Xiao Xiangxiang, etc.
Oh, by the way, there is also the younger brother who witnessed Chen Guilin’s revenge at the beginning.”
Gu Wei read the script many times. I am very familiar with the characters in it.
"This film will be very exciting once it's made, so you can't be careless about the actors. What I mean is that you must find someone who has good acting skills and fits the character in the script.
What are your thoughts?"
< br>"The Venerable Lin Lu and I plan to find Zhang Songwen from the company to play the role. His image and acting skills should be no problem in handling this role." Wen Mu also said first.
Gu Wei nodded.
The Venerable Lin Lu is the most wanted criminal at the top of the wanted list.
He has committed more than 50 shootings and killed 6 police officers. He is extremely vicious.
But he hid himself deeply and even set up various illusions to confuse the outside world, which once caused Chen Guilin who was chasing him to fall into a trap.
Lin Luhe is not only good at disguising his appearance, he is also extremely hypocritical in his heart, and what he does is even more hypocritical. Zhang Songwen's appearance is not menacing, and with his acting skills, he should have no problem playing a character who is gentle on the outside but actually a devil on the inside.
"Cheng Xiaomei can be used as Zhou Ming. Her age and image are more suitable. I worked with her in a movie this year. Although her acting skills are relatively immature, she is quite malleable."
[Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils] has only one protagonist, Chen Guilin, and Xiaomei can be said to be the female character with a relatively important role in it.
If you don’t choose someone from outside, the only suitable person in the company is Zhou Ming.
Others either have poor age and image, or their acting skills are much worse.
“I plan to invite Wu Yue to try out the role of His Holiness’ lover Xiao Xiangxiang. She would be the best to play the role. If you are a doctor, you can ask Teacher Chen Jin to play it.”
Wu Yue is [My First Half of Life] "Ling Ling" in "Ling Ling" is the role of the mistress of her ex-husband's brother.
He has been acting for more than 20 years and has countless classic roles. He is an absolute master of acting.
Yuan Shikong relied on the role of County Magistrate Ai in the [County Party Committee Courtyard] to win the title of Magnolia Queen.
Teacher Chen Jin is the mother of the young father-in-law in [Do You Know], not to mention she is an artist of the older generation who has won a Grand Slam in the field of domestic TV dramas.
"The police can ask Wang Qianyuan. He has played many police roles and is quite suitable."
Gu Wei and Wen Mu also talked to each other and discussed with each other. Most of the film’s characters were quickly established.
Later, I simply called Zhang Songwen and Zhou Meng over and gave them the script.
"Look at the script. Do you have any questions about your respective roles?"
"No problem!" said Zhang Songwen, who had already read the script.
"I have no problem with that either." Zhou Ming's voice was obviously lacking in confidence.
Gu Wei and Wen Mu also looked at each other.
"Xiao Meng, if you try to act out a scene like Cheng Xiaomei's, just come and shave Chen Guilin's beard."
"Okay, I'll give it a try"
After Zhou Meng finished speaking, After reading the script for a while, I adjusted my mentality and started acting.
"It's okay. I'm a little nervous because it's my first time acting. It shouldn't be a problem if I adjust it during post-production."
Wen Mu also gave a positive evaluation.
Gu Wei gave Zhou a thumbs up, and she instantly became happy while holding the script.
"Mr. Gu, literary director, I would like to ask, who is Aberdeen looking for to act in our play?" Zhang Songwen, who had been watching from the side, asked.
"Mr. Gu and I want to find Sun Honglei, but the chance of him succeeding is not high. The alternative is Du Mingyu." Wen Mu also said.
"I have a suitable candidate here. There is absolutely no problem with him playing Aberdeen, and as long as the pay is right, he will definitely take it." Zhang Songwen gave his own advice.
"Which actor?" Gu Wei asked curiously.
"Wu Zhenyu, he specializes in playing villains, his image is age-appropriate, and his acting skills are not a problem!"
"Wu Zhenyu is a good choice." Wen Mu also nodded, "But he is so famous, and he has won Having won the Golden Horse Award and the Academy Award, are you willing to play such a supporting role as a villain?"
Zhang Songwen smiled.
“Some time ago, I recorded a variety show called [Acting School] by Youku, and I was a mentor in it. Wu Zhenyu happened to be one of the mentors.
We chatted when we had nothing to do.
He said that current actors in Hong Kong are in a difficult position, with few filming opportunities and low pay.
If you want to make money, you have to come to the mainland.
Except for top stars like Andy Lau and Leung Chiu-wai, most of the veteran actors in Hong Kong are living in poverty now.
The focus of his career has now slowly shifted to the mainland, where he has appeared in many variety shows and received various acting invitations.
As long as the pay is right, he doesn’t care much about the rest.”
"Then let's invite Wu Zhenyu?" Wen Mu also looked at Gu Wei.
“Yes, he is indeed quite suitable~”
Gu Wei was not surprised at all by what Zhang Songwen said. He had known it since he had been in contact with Wu Mengda during the filming of "The Wandering Earth" The current situation of most actors in Hong Kong Island.
As Hong Kong Island’s film and television industry continues to shrink, the lives of artists there are becoming increasingly difficult. It is difficult to make money locally and they have no choice but to go north to make a living.
After all the roles were decided, Wen Mu also suddenly remembered, "Who should I use as the gangster boy at the beginning of the movie?"
"Let Peng Yuchang make a cameo, there won't be many scenes anyway~" Gu Wei thought for a moment and said.
After the actors are decided, Wen Mu will handle the rest. If there are any problems, he will communicate with Gu Wei at any time.
In a few days, the National Day holiday will come.
Everyone watching the 70th anniversary military parade was very excited, and the performance of the three gift films in the film market also amazed everyone.
[My Motherland and Me] was released for three days, and the cumulative box office exceeded the 1 billion mark!
The film's reputation was rated 8.2 on Douban, 9.5 on Taopiaopiao, and 9.7 on Maoyan.
Both the box office and word of mouth lead the National Day season!
[Captain of China] also achieved a box office of 750 million in the first three days, second only to [My Motherland and Me].
The most important thing is that the reputation is also excellent, and the subsequent box office trend is very stable.
[Climber] is a little worse than the first two.
On the first day, relying on the fame of Wu Jing, Zhang Ziyi and others, it sold a box office of 168 million. Later, the plot of the movie was questioned by many viewers, and negative reviews continued to be received online.
In the following two days, the box office gradually decreased, reaching 130 million and 107 million respectively. The total box office in the first three days barely exceeded 400 million.
You must know that this is Wu Jing's first starring film after "Wolf Warrior 2" and "The Wandering Earth".
Originally, everyone's expectations for "The Climber" were very high. Not to mention reaching the height of those two movies, it should be at least two to three billion. As a result, many viewers gave such an answer. Very disappointed.
Wu Jing is very popular now. It is no exaggeration to say that he is the first person in the Mesozoic generation of domestic entertainment.
It can be said that apart from Gu Wei, he has the highest box office appeal among domestic actors.
All this is brought about by the exaggerated box office results of [Wolf Warrior 2] and [The Wandering Earth].
Many people think that like Gu Wei, he has a strong box office appeal when he makes popular movies.
However, the unsatisfactory performance of [Climber] now makes him feel a bit shattered.
[It shouldn't be called "The Climber", it should be called "Everest Love". It's really unnecessary to use public communication channels to fall in love when climbing Mount Everest. It also calls China's first North Peak climber The female mountaineers who summited Mount Everest were photographed in love]
[The first half has a negative score and the second half has a zero score. The emotional scenes are written as if they were idol dramas, and Wu Wujing’s action scenes are written as if they were superhero movies. This mixed texture completely confused me.]
[Personal heroism and vulgar love lines are stewed in confusion. What are the roles of the head of the meteorological team and the female doctor? Their roles are not obvious, and they are even a bit slow, and the sound effects are messy! 】
【Without Gu Wei as his partner, Wu Jing cannot support the box office by himself. It is far behind "Wolf Warrior 2" and "The Wandering Earth"! 】
【I went to see the movie with high expectations, but I was really disappointed. The theme was not outstanding, and the actors were also embarrassed. When I saw Wu Jing’s confession scene when he climbed into the oil tank, my head was buzzing. Humming.】
(End of this chapter)