Chapter 794: Star Version of “The Great Wall”

Time passes day by day!

Information from Hollywood has been constantly transmitted back to China. The production of the “Jurassic World” movie has entered the final stage, and global promotion has begun this month.

As a top IP, its inherent popularity has made fans around the world crazy about it.

They expressed their expectations on INS, Twitter and various social media.

On the 2015 movie expectations list in North America, “Jurassic World” tops the list.

On the other side, “Fast and Furious 7”, also owned by Universal, is also being promoted vigorously.

Because the production of special effects is not as difficult as “Jurassic World”, even after the filming is postponed, it is still completed earlier than “Jurassic World”.

However, thanks to the news of Paul George’s death, “Fast & Furious 7” has not announced its global release date even though it has not completed post-production.

But it still aroused the expectations of many audiences in China. Just like in the painting and calligraphy industries, the price of works by dead people will definitely be higher than those when people are alive.

By the same token, this posthumous work of Paul George is now highly anticipated.

…

capital Airport.

Zhang Yimou, who had stayed at the Universal headquarters for about a month, came back, and Gu Wei went directly to the airport to pick him up.

The two were “escorted” by their assistants and did not accept any interviews.

“Didn’t you say you’d be staying for a month and a half? Is everything settled there?”

In the car, Gu Wei half-lay on the back seat and asked casually.

“It’s basically finished. There’s still some finishing work left. Spielberg can handle it. There’s no point for me to stay there. Besides, The Great Wall will start shooting at the end of the month, so I need to come back a few days in advance to check on the situation.”

Zhang Yimou sounded a little lonely when he said this. During the one month at Universal, he learned more about Gu Wei’s status in Hollywood.

In other words, although he shot “Jurassic World”, Zhang Yimou had basically no say in the post-production editing. Although the finished film looked good, after getting used to the director-centered system in China, this movie was his first work that he did not personally edit, which made him feel a little regretful.

Gu Wei naturally saw the other party’s emotions, and immediately comforted him: “Don’t think too much, wait until “Jurassic World” is released and the box office is good, then you can take the lead in Hollywood blockbusters.”

“Haha, that’s right. There’s no problem with Jurassic World. Now I need to focus all my attention on The Great Wall.” Zhang Yimou said with a smile, and then continued, “By the way, I heard that the script is finished?”

“Yes, the final version was revised a few days ago. I took a look and it is much better than the original version.”

To be honest, the revised new script is very good, and Gu Wei is also very satisfied with the company’s screenwriting department.

In the original time and space, the reason why domestic and foreign audiences did not have a very high opinion of “The Great Wall” was that the initial market positioning of this movie was to realize the combination of Eastern and Western cultures. However, because the foreign screenwriters did not fully understand China’s traditional culture, the final version was neither fish nor fowl and was unacceptable to both sides.

In other words, this movie is not just made for the Chinese, but for people all over the world. Eastern and Western cultures need to collide and merge, so if you only talk about Chinese culture and principles to Westerners, they won’t like to listen.

In this time and space, the scripts written by Xingchen Film and Television Company took advantage of the situation and made adjustments according to the structure of the story.

“Haha, after hearing what you said, I can’t wait to see it right away.” Zhang Yimou said with a smile.

“That’s easy. Just go to the company and read the script before going to the China Film Studio.”

“Okay, let’s take a look at the finished product first.”

The two of them chatted and laughed and soon arrived at the company.

Zhang Yimou went straight to the screenwriter office and immersed himself in the script as soon as he got it.

First of all, there is the commander-in-chief (Lin Mei) played by Li Binbin, who was changed into a tough and serious female officer in the script.

Born in a military family, her father was the Grand Marshal of the Army and held the military power of the world. As the eldest daughter, she had never been valued by her father, and the whole family’s hope was on her teenage brother. But she was so strong that she was unwilling to get engaged and married early, so she would use the standards of men to demand herself, making herself proficient in archery and horse riding, and excellent in martial arts.

(The person to be engaged is an extra character in this film: Zhong Yong (played by Chen Xiao))

Her family was the first line of defense against Taotie. The family had been operating for many years, but it still fell under the attack of Taotie. Her father died in the battle, and Zhong Yong took her back to the rear.

Since then, her relationship with Zhong Yong has deteriorated. She always thinks that Zhong Yong did not fulfill his duty and caused her father to die in the war, and she cannot forgive him.

Lin Mei joined the army and was selected. With her tough and courageous style, she became the only female officer.

The characters and plot remain the same, with only some shots and comments from people around her interspersed with references to the past, as well as some of her own conversations.

Lin Mei is very xenophobic and full of hatred for the Taotie, so she took a rather radical approach at the beginning, thinking that death was nothing (the new script gives the protagonist some shortcomings, she is blinded by hatred and thinks that her own hatred is the real hatred, not realizing that soldiers also have families), and revenge is only one of her goals.

Secondly, she had to prove herself. She knew that the only goal of bringing honor to the family and winning her father’s recognition was to achieve great things. Not only were the ministers in the court prejudiced against women serving as officials, but the other four generals also doubted her ability. On the surface, they obeyed the emperor’s order and respected her as the palace commander, but in fact they did not believe that she could lead the army well. At this moment, Lin Mei had to show toughness everywhere to maintain her authority.

But deep down, she is still a little woman. All she wants is recognition from her father, the emperor, her fellow soldiers, and herself.

Finally, she took off her heavy armor, unloaded all the burdens, and became the most beautiful bride.

“This is a good change, it has a bit of the flavor of the well-known “Mulan”.”

As soon as he finished watching the first paragraph, Zhang Yimou gave a positive review. At least he was quite satisfied with the character changes of the heroine. It’s just that the role played by Li Binbin is the eldest daughter in the family, which is somewhat different from the eldest son in the eyes of the Chinese people in the past.

“Well, the male lead is a Hollywood actor, and the female lead is a domestic entertainment actress. The gender cannot be changed, so we can only change the family background and character personality.”

Gu Wei had already read the final version of the script several times, so he was naturally familiar with the content.

“Indeed, if the leading actor was played by a Chinese, the story would definitely be more exciting.” Zhang Yimou nodded, agreeing with Gu Wei’s statement.

“There are also changes to other characters. Please continue reading.” With a smile, Gu Wei pointed at the script and asked Zhang Yimou to continue reading.

In the office, Zhang Yimou saw the changes to the character of Matt Damon.

The screenwriters made him more sophisticated. In the early stage, you feel that he is almost a person without feelings, without any goals or plans. He earns money at the edge of his pocket and squanders it when he has money. Wine, sex and wealth are all passing clouds.

His team often changes members because the risk is high. When someone dies, they will recruit new members. So he is not nice to anyone except those with whom he has a particularly good relationship.

He was originally a nobleman, but because he couldn’t stand the hypocrisy of the upper class and their willingness to trample on morality and laws for profit, he exiled himself and became a mercenary.

More than a decade of self-exile had already destroyed his confidence in people. He only took money to do things, without asking whether it was right or wrong, or caring about the life or death of others.

He and his teammates had already agreed that if they were trapped one day, no one else would come to their rescue and they could run away with the money – the same went for everyone, including himself.

Some content was added to the new script. His attitude towards life and death resonated with Lin Mei. William also noticed the embarrassment and misunderstanding between Lin Mei and Zhong Yong.

Instead, he used this relationship to create opportunities for himself to steal gunpowder and formula. The upright Zhong Yong was highly skilled in martial arts and had no deep scheming, so he was increasingly treated as one of his own.

When capturing Taotie alive, Matt Damon was surrounded. His companions abided by the agreement and did not intend to rescue him, but Zhong Yong rushed in at the risk of his life. Since then, Matt Damon felt cared for and trusted, and felt like a human being again.

The people spontaneously organized themselves to visit the soldiers in the military camp to thank them for their bravery in killing the enemy and protecting countless lives. Damon was also thanked, which seemed to arouse something in his heart.

“Not bad, really good. If this character is according to what the Americans mean, it will be full of personal heroism. This change is very good.” After a while, Zhang Yimou continued to comment.

“Haha, the Americans are used to individual heroism, Captain America, Iron Man, and Spider-Man are all like this. Our traditional culture is the spirit of defending the country.”

“Haha, that’s right, the military and the people are as close as brothers and sisters!”

After saying that, the two burst out laughing.

Next, Zhang Yimou continued to look at the new character Zhong Yong.

This role was added later and was played by Chen Xiao.

The character only appears for about ten minutes, and there are not many shots specifically for him, but it will not shake Damon’s position as the male lead.

The most capable general under Lin Mei’s father’s command, he was as loyal and brave as his name, with superb martial arts and was known as a match for ten thousand men.

He handled emotional issues in a very rigid way, whether in the military or in his personal life. He had no concept of love (in that era), and had a strong sense of responsibility. Marshal Lin betrothed his daughter to him, which was more like a duty and a job (in his opinion).

Lin Mei’s attitude towards him was extremely tough. After becoming the palace commander, she completely severed ties with him. Zhong Yong had no choice but to take the initiative to request to be transferred to Chang’an (the story background changed from the Song Dynasty to the end of the Tang Dynasty, but there was still some time distance from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms) to be responsible for protecting the royal family.

Zhong Yong (Chen Xiao) came with Lord Liu from the court. He actually didn’t have to come, but in order to see Lin Mei, he was acting in a manner that was inappropriate for personal gain.

Matt Damon soon discovered the subtle relationship between him and Lin Mei. Zhong Yong still cared about Lin Mei, but Lin Mei never forgave him. Seeing that Zhong Yong was honest, Damon took advantage of his desire to help Mei Lin and tried to steal the gunpowder. Zhong Yong had no ulterior motives and trusted him 100%.

Finally, he told Lin Mei the truth. The old general had asked him to protect something more important before his death – his own daughter. Although she could not fight in the battlefield like a man, the old general had always been proud of her and asked her to get engaged as soon as possible. In fact, he was afraid that her personality was too wild and wanted to keep her away from killing.

In the final decisive battle, Zhong Yong deployed three lines of defense in front of the imperial city, but due to time constraints, the effect was limited and the army suffered heavy losses. He drew his sword and fought against the Taotie under the city (Brothers, fight for the people of the Tang Dynasty!).

Other characters: The setting of the military advisor played by Liu Dehua also needs to be changed. He should be a very wise man who has done a lot of research on Taotie. He is a Confucian general who is very good at understanding people’s hearts. He understands Damon’s confusion, and also understands Lin Mei’s various experiences and mentalities.

He recognized Lin Mei’s ability and military strength, but did not agree that she took revenge too seriously, so he was one of the few people who could dissuade Lin Mei. Regarding the other generals’ distrust of Lin Mei, Liu Dehua also helped her to restrain the generals and establish her prestige.

Among the other four generals, at least one was a brave and resolute general with a fiery temper and a simple mind.

He would rather die on the battlefield than obey a woman’s orders. After hearing that the Taotie had a leader, he led his troops alone to kill the Taotie leader to end the war. As a result, he was surrounded and fought to the last man, and died gloriously.

The other officers did not completely trust Lin Mei, and they were only waiting for orders out of duty.

Finally, I changed the monster setting and the climax action scene at the end:
In the place where Taotie live, sunlight will shine in at a specific time every few years, and the Taotie leader wrapped in the afterbirth will break out of the cocoon and begin to breed offspring. These creatures are intelligent, with crocodile-like shells on their heads and backs, which are extremely hard and almost invulnerable to swords and guns, and very soft and unprotected chests and abdomens. Magnets can disrupt their judgment and prevent them from accepting orders from the leader.

They have a base camp (Meteorite Mountain) where they store food. The Taotie army sweeps the periphery and brings food back to the mother’s nest. There are also Taotie in the mother’s nest who specifically take care of the cubs.

Everything else remained unchanged. The Taotie army swept through the area, killing no one, whether human or animal, and gradually approached Chang’an.

It’s just that Taotie only appears once every three hundred years, which fits in with the theory of the rise and fall of dynasties over three hundred years, and this also foreshadows the sequel.

For example, the story background of “The Great Wall 2” can be the end of the Han Dynasty (prequel).

“The Great Wall 3” could be the end of the Song Dynasty (sequel), etc…

At that time, Lin Mei finally let go of his personal hatred and considered the issue from a global perspective. Zhong Yong and other troops were deployed outside the imperial city to directly withstand the attack of the Taotie. Damon led another team to raid the Taotie’s hometown. They brought a large amount of gunpowder and prepared to completely destroy the Taotie’s nest to eliminate the trouble once and for all.

Zhong Yong and other generals led the cavalry to rush back to the capital at night. The old ministers asked to shrink the defense line and suggested that the emperor escape through the secret passage, but the emperor refused to abandon his people and sent his best soldiers to the front line to protect the city instead of protecting himself. Zhong Yong led the imperial guards to hastily deploy defenses outside the city.

The decisive battle began. Facing the surging Taotie, the soldiers were in high spirits. They used offensive and long-range forces to delay the Taotie’s attack. The cavalry and chariot troops flanked the Taotie and took the leader directly. The Taotie was forced to separate a group of monsters from the front to resist the cavalry. After the attack was blocked, Eddie Peng commanded the cavalry to break through the infantry phalanx.

On the other side, a small group of death squads led by Damon used explosive arrows and thunder bombs (the ancient version of grenades) to eliminate a small number of Taotie on the periphery and transported gunpowder into the mother nest.

The leader sensed the signal sent by the Taotie, knowing that humans had entered the mother nest, so he ordered half of the Taotie to retreat, while the rest rushed back to the mother nest to defend, reducing the pressure on the front battlefield. Eddie Peng finally returned to the infantry line with a very small number of cavalry.

Finally, the gunpowder exploded, burned the mother nest, and then flew to the capital in a hot air balloon. The leader was furious and concentrated all his forces to attack the imperial city. The generals died in battle one after another, and the human front became thinner and thinner.

The hot air balloon troops led by Li Binbin finally arrived at the battlefield and bombed the Taotie in the air. The Taotie shot down many hot air balloons by stacking them up, including Li Binbin’s! And she just landed in front of the leader!

Zhong Yong watched Li Binbin’s hot air balloon fall into the group of Taotie and was worried that she was in danger. There was only one chariot left (the horses were protected by a steel cage, and had steel armor and flamethrowers, explosive crossbows, etc., and magnets were added). Zhong Yong drove the carriage towards the place where Li Binbin fell. Some generals died in the process, and the remaining generals jumped on the carriage to operate the weapons.

Li Binbin carries a magnet on her body, so the Taotie cannot attack her, but the leader is unaffected. She orders the rest of the Taotie to form a circle and wants to deal with the humans herself (she already knows that their nest and offspring have been destroyed). Li Binbin finally has the opportunity to face the powerful enemy and avenge her father.

She dodged and evaded with a nimble body, and her sword scratched the leader, but her own magnet fell off during the fight. Facing countless Taotie monsters all around, a man dropped from the sky at the critical moment. It was Matt Damon, who glided down from a hot air balloon on a Kite (a huge kite). Damon had the magnet, and the other Taotie were confused again. The leader’s orders could not be conveyed, and she could only continue to fight on her own.

At this time, the carriage also rushed into the encirclement. Li Binbin threw a thunder bomb into the leader’s mouth, and Damon shot an arrow to ignite it, killing the leader. The movie ended.

Ending changes:

It was changed to the army confronting the Taotie army head-on, with countless soldiers bravely fighting and dying for their loved ones behind them, and the officers and soldiers fighting to the death with great courage.

Matt Damon volunteered to blow up the Taotie’s lair. Many people said that he might never come back, and it was almost a mission of certain death. His companions also suggested leaving.

But Damon said that Chinese people value trust and he cannot go back on his word.

Here he found his direction, a belief, a way that was his ideal.

So many people entrusted their lives to him, he couldn’t break his promise. Maybe he was a bastard in the past, but he didn’t want these people to die in vain because they were good people, and good people deserved a better life and destination instead of being eaten by monsters.

The added character makes up for the weakness of male characters who are generally not manly enough. This character represents Chinese men (forbearance, silent dedication, simplicity, generosity), and can better express themes such as loyalty, bravery, responsibility, and belief.

…

More than an hour passed quickly, and when Zhang Yimou put down the script in his hand, Gu Wei handed him a cigarette.

After the two of them lit up, Gu Wei asked directly: “How is it?”

“Huh.” Exhaling a puff of smoke, Zhang Yimou nodded, “Very exciting, let’s use this version, but the specific series will probably need to be changed during filming. You also know that it’s impossible to shoot a movie completely according to the script.”

“Haha, of course. Just like my novel “The Battle of Nantianmen”, I am still adding and deleting content until now.”

After saying this, Gu Wei knew that this Star Version of “The Great Wall” was different from the original time and space, not only in content, but also in the actors.

Matt Damon and Li Binbin are the male and female protagonists, Jing Tian and Han Dongjun are the second female protagonists, playing generals respectively.

The newly added character Zhong Yong is played by Chen Xiao.

It is said that two characters were deleted and added to make the story more full-blown, and it also leaves a foreshadowing for the next movie.

Naturally, several vulnerabilities of the original version have been modified, such as:

1. Explain some of the history of Taotie, such as the origin of Taotie, why it invaded humans, the source of its power, etc.

The background of the story is changed to the turbulent period at the end of the Tang Dynasty. Years of war have led to the loosening of the seal, and the Taotie came out to wreak havoc on the world.

And because Taotie is the third starring role, the beast king is made bigger and more terrifying.

In other words, it is scary enough to highlight the leader’s uniqueness.

Second, the film begins with a fight with Taotie, but the border troops suffer heavy casualties. Then two daredevils come to the barracks with a broken claw and a magnet. The commander is shocked and wonders, “How can two foreigners kill a monster? I have thousands of soldiers, but I can’t subdue a group of monsters.”

Then came the puzzle solving that followed, and the others suddenly realized that they had a secret weapon – magnets.

3. When Taotie attacked for the first time, gunpowder was used immediately to kill groups of monsters, and the monsters were so scared that they fled away in panic, instead of using it the second time.

After all, Taotie is afraid of gunpowder, which prevented the sacrifice of so many female soldiers in the first battle and also laid the groundwork for the subsequent tragic decisive battle.

4. Change the original version’s wave-by-wave rotation style of play.

After all, monsters are intelligent. They learn from their mistakes and change from head-on attacks to surprise attacks.

The commander-in-chief was unlucky and died in battle. The army was in a panic, so Lin Mei came out to stabilize the army and took over the military power.

Then the military advisor came up with an idea and suggested that we quickly catch a live one and try out the effectiveness of the secret weapon, the magnet, that the foreigners brought with them.

Finally, a foreigner named William volunteered, and one of the generals also went with him. After some cover and fighting, they finally caught a live one.

The changes here are huge. In the original version, only foreigners dared to go, which made it seem like there were no warriors in China. Here, it is changed to go there together.

5. In the original version, we were fighting Taotie from beginning to end of the film, and we didn’t see how Taotie wreaked havoc on the world.

The new version adds about five and a half minutes of footage of Taotie wreaking havoc on the world and slaughtering civilians.

This scene can better highlight the hatred between the two sides, as well as the emotion of defending the country and protecting the people from massacre.

It can better highlight the theme of the two words “Great Wall”. After all, the Great Wall was built to resist foreign invasions.

The movie “The Great Wall” simply changed the invasion by foreign races into the invasion by monsters, which is in line with the spirit of resisting foreign races in the hearts of people at home and abroad since ancient times.

………

(End of this chapter)