Chapter 795: The Great Wall starts filming with two male leads

“Starring Guo Fucheng, Gong Li, Feng Shaofeng, Xiao Shenyang and others, the large-scale action fantasy blockbuster “Journey to the West: The Monkey King 4.5 Defeats the White Bone Demon” was announced to be completed this morning. The film will be released during the Spring Festival!”

“According to insiders, the suspense comedy film “Detective Chinatown” that Xingchen Film and Television Company has just passed the review is suspected to have an investment cost of hundreds of millions of yuan. It has been confirmed that Wanda Films will join the production party…”

“Major art schools such as Nortel, China Theater, Shanghai Opera, Beijing Dance Theater, China Theater and so on have entered the re-examination and third-examination stage of the art examination…”

“Wang Jinghua, general manager of Shiba Culture Company, has appeared frequently in three major art theaters recently. It is suspected that she is selecting suitable new generation artists…”

……

A new day has just begun, and all kinds of entertainment information mixed with gossip are already flying all over the world.

Gu Wei saw the news of the completion of “Journey to the West: The Three Strikes of the White Bone Demon” early in the morning, which was similar to the inside information revealed by Gong Li, along with the approximate time of the film’s release.

As for the other news, it is normal for Wang Jinghua to appear in colleges and universities. After all, every industry needs to reserve talents, and these students, or newly graduated students, are the first choice of companies.

Not only Star Films, but also Light Media, Wanda, Bona, Orange Sky, Stellar Media, and even Huayi which has already completed its de-filming process, can be seen in major art schools at this time every year.

“Gu Wei, hurry up, why are you dawdling?”

“No matter how fast you hurry, you’ll be late today. Don’t worry.” Gu Wei said with a smile while holding the steering wheel.

“You still have something to say?” Miss Liu was a little annoyed.

The first phase of training for “The Battle of Nantianmen” had just ended, and Gu Wei tricked Miss Liu into going home to stay overnight. Perhaps because the battle was too intense, neither of them heard the alarm clock in the morning.

As a result, Gu Wei spent the morning listening to Miss Liu’s yelling and screaming.

After more than an hour’s journey, it was almost half past nine when the two arrived at the Wanda Film and Television Base.

“Oh, this is so annoying. I must be the first one in the crew to be late for training. Changchang, Liya and the others will laugh at me again…”

Miss Liu walked towards the base while holding her bag. Seeing Gu Wei still laughing, she immediately became angry and yelled, “Still laughing?”

“Stop laughing, stop laughing.” Gu Wei waved his hand and walked her all the way to the entrance of the training venue.

“Director, Sister Yifei, good morning!”

As soon as I arrived at the door, I heard Guo Qilin greeting me.

This person was eventually brought in by Wu Jing, and now works as a handyman behind the crew. Gu Wei has no objection to this.

On the contrary, I think if the other party is really a promising talent, I don’t mind helping him. However, if he wants to star in the movies and TV series of Xingchen Film and Television Company, the prerequisite is to sign an artist contract.

“Dalin, has it started yet?”

Unlike Gu Wei, Liu Yifei and the others like this sweet-talking kid very much. On weekdays in the crew, Guo Qilin also works part-time as a tea server. Thanks to his good talk, he is deeply loved by a group of “sisters”.

“Sister Yifei, it’s been more than an hour since the show started.” Guo Qilin replied with a simple smile.

“It’s over, it’s over. If we go in directly like this, we will definitely be criticized by the instructor…” As she said this, Liu Yifei rolled her eyes at Gu Wei again, causing the other party to touch his nose in embarrassment.

Guo Qilin next to him turned his eyes and said, “Sister Yifei, there is a small door next to it. How about I take you in secretly?”

Hearing this, Liu Yifei’s eyes lit up, “Haha, come on, come on, wait until I pass this level, then I’ll treat you to something delicious.”

After saying that, the two of them left quietly. Gu Wei looked at Guo Qilin and smiled, “What a smart kid.”

Only after his wife disappeared did Gu Wei turn back, get on the bus and rush to the next stop.

………

Nearly four months have passed since the announcement of “The Great Wall” project, casting and training.

In the original time and space, “The Great Wall” took more than five months from project establishment to start of filming.

Firstly, selecting the actors took up a lot of time, and secondly, Zhang Yimou also tried his best to negotiate with Legendary and Universal Studios to modify the script.

In this time and space, selecting actors took very little time. As for the script, the entire process was handled by Gu Wei and the Xingchen Film and Television screenwriting department, which saved a lot of time.

So just a few days after Zhang Yimou returned to the capital, he confirmed that the preliminary preparations were almost complete and directly started the startup procedure.

Early in the morning of the 18th, the news that this Sino-US co-produced fantasy blockbuster, which has attracted much attention in the film and television industry and has a production cost of up to 1.5 million US dollars, is finally about to start shooting, was placed high on the top of the hot search list by the media.

It has to be said that only such a large project is qualified to hold a so-called launch conference on a certain day!

As for the location, it is at the National China Film Digital Production Base.

As one of the few top projects in China, the launch conference of “The Great Wall” is a big event in the circle, and many big names came.

So when Gu Wei drove to the digital production base, he saw many directors and filmmakers in the industry.

Among them, Jiang Wen, Ning Hao, Feng Xiaogang, Gu Changwei and Lu Yang were the most conspicuous because there were many people surrounding them.

“Oh, I didn’t expect Director Gu to be free to come over?”

From a distance, Jiang Wen greeted Gu Wei, attracting a lot of attention.

“I will definitely have time to come over. After all, the crew is currently in training. I didn’t expect Director Jiang to come over as well. Have you read the text message I sent you?”

As soon as he saw Jiang Wen, Gu Wei remembered that this guy didn’t reply to his message, so he questioned him directly.

“Of course I saw it, but I was exhausted from going to Berlin some time ago, so I’ve been resting at home these days!” Jiang Wen replied happily.

“Damn it, if you want to take a break so much, then I should tell the investors to change people?” Gu Wei scolded with a smile.

“No, no, take a rest. You asked the company to submit the script. I’ll go back and think about the audition and casting.”

“Okay, but we have to sign the contract first.” Gu Wei nodded, and the matter was settled.

“Okay, then let’s do what we agreed on last time, director’s salary plus 2% of domestic box office revenue?” Jiang Wen finished speaking, shaking his head and saying, “I envy you and Director Zhang, you get global box office revenue, I can only get domestic revenue…”

Hearing this, Gu Wei was a little speechless. “40 million plus two points for the director’s salary is not enough. Maybe he will earn more than that person in the end.”

As he said this, Gu Wei curled his lips and pointed at Feng Xiaogang not far away.

“Haha, keep fooling around. I want to surpass him, unless The Wandering Earth 2 sells to billion yuan at the domestic box office!”

“Then you can expect The Wandering Earth 2 to be a big hit, haha.”

“I’m sure it will be a big hit. If it does well at the global box office, maybe I can direct a few Hollywood blockbusters…”

Hearing this, Gu Wei nodded. Ever since Jiang Wen showed interest in directing this movie, his ultimate goal has been Hollywood. Otherwise, he could have taken advantage of the huge sales of “One Step Away” and the Golden Bear Award to continue filming his “Beiyang Trilogy”!
…

While the two were talking, Ning Hao, wearing a big gold chain, came over, swaying with three steps in between.

The movie “Lost in Thailand” has only been released for two weeks and the box office has exceeded 800 million yuan. The current average daily box office is still over 30 million yuan. If nothing unexpected happens, it is only a matter of time before it exceeds 1 billion yuan.

Thanks to the huge sales of this movie, Ning Hao is now very popular in the circle and is one of the few directors in Xingchen Film and Television Company.

Ning Hao has surpassed Lu Yang and Xu Zheng who are at the same level. In the eyes of outsiders, he is a great director second only to Gu Wei and Zhang Yimou.

“Hey, Director Ning, isn’t he keeping an eye on the box office of ‘Lost in Thailand’?” As soon as he saw Ning Hao, Gu Wei was shocked by the other’s “ever-increasing” figure.

Wow, let’s not talk about whether this guy has a weird personality or not, but his body has become “weird” after not seeing him for just over a week.

“This ‘The Great Wall’ is the commercial blockbuster with the largest investment directed by a domestic director, and it is also Director Zhang’s first foreign language film. How can I not come?” Ning Hao, with a bulging belly, waved his hand in a high-spirited manner, and looked more and more like a social person.

The three of them chatted like this, laughing from time to time, attracting the attention of many people around them.

“Come on, let’s go in.” After a while, Jiang Wen saw some movement and said directly.

Everyone then walked towards one of the large studios covering an area of ​​3,000 square meters, where the press conference was held.

There are no minor characters who came to support today. They are all big names in the industry. In addition, there are major media, including official media and movie channels.

Zhang Yimou and his actors walked in from the backstage entrance one by one, greeted by applause and camera shots. Matt Damon, Li Binbin, Han Dongjun, Jing Tian, ​​Pedro Pascal, William Dafoe, Liu Dehua, Zhang Hanyu, Chen Xiao, Liao Fan…

It can be said that all the actors and artists present were the focus of media attention.

Gu Wei, Jiang Wen, Ning Hao, Gong Li, Feng Xiaogang and others were all in the front row, only five or six meters away from the main creators, and they could even communicate with each other.

On the stage, Zhang Yimou accepted the interview with a smile on his face. He was full of confidence in “The Great Wall” and said that he would do his best to make it a real international blockbuster.

The actors were also more formal than each other. As the heroine “surrounded” by a group of male actors, Li Binbin said a lot in a very serious manner, and it was almost as if she was about to issue a military order on the spot!
Gu Wei couldn’t help but sigh in his heart, he had done everything he could, now it all depended on Zhang Yimou and these actors.

La Peikang, Zhang Zhao, and the vice presidents of Legend and Universal were all better at shouting slogans, and the media and guests at the scene applauded and exclaimed.

The press conference lasted for more than an hour, and it was almost noon when it ended, so the next step was socializing time.

After Gu Wei said hello to Jiang Wen and Ning Hao, everyone dispersed.

“Director Gu.”

“Hello, Director Gu!”

Seeing that Gu Wei was alone, people came over to greet him one after another. Gu Wei smiled and nodded in response. After looking for a while, he saw Chen Xiao and Han Dongjun following Zhang Yimou.

Gu Wei spoke to the assistant next to him, and soon, Han Dongjun and Chen Xiao came to his side under the gaze of everyone present.

“Director, are you looking for us?” The two asked directly after coming over.

“Well, let’s talk over there.”

The three of them found a sofa, the waiter came over and served a few drinks, and then left.

“Did Director Zhang tell you which month the filming of this movie will end?” Gu Wei asked straight to the point after taking a sip of champagne.

Han Dongjun and Chen Xiao looked at each other, and Chen Xiao quickly said, “I don’t have many scenes, and I think we can finish filming in June.”

“My side will be later, probably in July or August.” Han Dongjun followed closely, afraid of missing anything.

“Well, the company has just started a new movie project. Chen Xiao, you will play the leading role. The project is expected to start in late June or July.”

“Okay, director, is it the movie ‘Detective Chinatown’?” Chen Xiao’s expression instantly became happy.

From the current perspective, joining Xingchen Film and Television Company is indeed a wise choice. The ratings of “The Journey of Flower” have been getting higher and higher since it was aired before the New Year. Now, the film directed by Zhang Yimou has just started shooting, and the company has arranged the next film in which he will be the leading role. Chen Xiao thought happily.

“Yes.” Gu Wei nodded, and simply revealed a little more information, “The estimated investment for this movie is 100 million, the director is Chen Sicheng, Wang Baoqiang is the male lead, and you play the male second. You two have almost the same amount of roles.”

“Okay, Director. Then I’ll contact Director Chen later?”

“No need!” Gu Wei waved his hand. “Film The Great Wall first, and he will contact you when the time comes.”

“Understood.” Chen Xiao nodded. He made up his mind and worked harder on the filming, trying to avoid any NGs and finish the scenes of “The Great Wall” as soon as possible.

The two chatted for a while, and Gu Wei looked at Han Dongjun, “There is a movie in Bo, the theme is similar to “Wolf Warrior”, both are mainstream works.”

Chen Xiao, who was standing next to him, heard the word “Wolf Warrior” and looked at Han Dongjun with envy. Anyone with a discerning eye knows that mainstream military themes have become popular recently, especially well-made mainstream themes, which can greatly enhance the national popularity of actors.

“The company has invested a bit of money, and Mr. Song has also talked to Yu Dong about the male lead, so I don’t think there will be any problems.” At this point, Gu Wei suddenly asked, “Is Yu Dong here today?”

“Yes, I saw Zhang Hanyu being called over by him just now.” Chen Xiao replied.

…

On the other side, Zhang Hanyu, who received the message from the assistant, also found Yu Dong of Bona.

“Dong Yu, are you looking for me?”

Yu Dong smiled and nodded.

To be honest, many actors in mainland China can play decent roles, but there are not many who can do it like Zhang Hanyu, leaving the audience with the impression of “policeman”, “tough guy”, “good guy”, or “one of our own” at first glance.

“Is Mr. Zhang still available in the second half of the year?”

Hearing Yu Dong’s words, Zhang Hanyu instantly became alert.

According to the shooting plan, he will wrap up filming of “The Great Wall” in mid-to-late June or early July at the latest, which should not affect the schedule in the second half of the year.

“Director Yu, I still have my schedule for the second half of the year. Does Bo Na have any plans for a movie?”

Zhang Hanyu asked with great anticipation. Previously, he and Bona filmed “Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy”, and the super high box office made him a first-line male star in mainland China, which was a great boost to him.

“Yes, the company has a movie planned to be filmed in the second half of the year, and we need a very upright, tough male lead.” Yu Dong nodded and invited.

Before Zhang Hanyu could speak, Yu Dong continued, “Xingchen Films also invested in this film, and they have a large share, so Song Ge asked for a role and also asked for more scenes, so it is said that there are two male protagonists. But don’t worry, your part will not be reduced at all.”

“No problem, Director Yu, this year my studio will not accept any other film offers except The Great Wall.”

Zhang Hanyu promised very seriously. After all, with Xingchen Films joining the film, it was clear that the quality would not be bad.

“That’s good.”

“Yu Dong, can I ask who is the director of this movie?”

When asked by Zhang Hanyu, Yu Dong did not hesitate, “The director is Dante Lam.”

Hearing the name, Zhang Hanyu nodded. Although he was not as famous as Gu Wei and Zhang Yimou, the other party’s fame and status in the industry were also high.

After the two chatted for a while, Yu Dong left the other party with Lin Chaoxian’s contact information and got up to look for another male lead.

…………

In the venue, Yu Dong searched for a long time and finally saw Gu Wei and Han Dongjun sitting in the sofa area.

“Hi, I’m here. I’ve been looking for you for a long time.” Coming to Gu Wei, Yu Dong sat down casually.

“Haha, we were just talking about you?” Gu Wei looked at the person who came and said with a smile.

“Oh, what do you want to talk about me?” Yu Dong was a little curious.

“They say Bona has been making big moves recently, with one blockbuster movie after another, haha.”

Yu Dong was somewhat happy when he heard this, after all, it was Gu Wei who was praising him. However, when he thought about the difficulties in casting for “The Legend of Conferred Gods”, his face immediately fell again.

“To be honest with you, Director Gu, I haven’t had an easy time recently. The casting for ‘Legend of the Gods’ has me worried to death.”

“Oh, something went wrong?” Gu Wei asked knowingly. He had heard some gossip about the casting of this movie. He was rejected by Huang Xiaoming and Chen Kun in succession. It turned out to be related to Xingchen Films.

“It’s not a big problem, it’s just that things are not going well. Hi, let’s not talk about it anymore.” Yu Dong waved his hand and turned to look at Han Dongjun.

Han Dongjun smiled immediately when he saw Yu Dong looking at him. He and Chen Xiao didn’t dare to interrupt the other two people who were talking just now.

“Director Gu should have talked to you about that, so how is it? Are there any problems with the schedule?” Yu Dong really likes and is optimistic about Han Dongjun. He has a good appearance and his acting skills are also well honed. In addition, he has starred in several movies directed by big directors, so his ability to carry the box office is unquestionable.

The most important thing is that Gu Wei is behind him. If Yu Dong knew that he couldn’t win him over, he would have offered a high price to poach him.

“No problem, Director Yu, my scenes will be finished by July or August at the latest.”

“Haha, good.”

Afterwards, Gu Wei went to chat with Zhang Yimou for a while.

Before leaving, Gu Wei found Gong Li again. The two chatted for about ten minutes. After giving the other party a specific time to join the crew, he refused the subsequent banquet session.

………

(End of this chapter)