Chapter 655: Visiting the set

Liu Teli ultimately refused the film *Home Alone*.

Although regrettable, Lu Yan He didn't feel too surprised.

Initially thinking of finding Liu Teli was just a sudden thought. In fact, for an actor like Liu Teli, if he had agreed to act in *Home Alone*, that would have been the surprising choice.

Lu Yan He told Chen Yin and the others about Liu Teli's decision.

Chen Yin sent a "sigh" emoji.

But in less than a second, Chen Yin said again: What if we invite Teacher Jiang Jun to act?

Lu Yan He was stunned.

Jiang Jun?

Why hadn't he considered Teacher Jiang Jun before?

Whether it was *Seventeen Layers*, *Squid Game*, or Constable Xing in *My Own Swordsman*, Teacher Jiang Jun's roles were all those positive, experienced, and mature male charm roles.

Therefore, finding him to act in *Home Alone* was something Lu Yan He had never thought of before.

It was a blind spot in Lu Yan He's thinking.

However, with Chen Yin pointing it out, Lu Yan He felt it might not be impossible.

If he came to act in *Home Alone*, it would be a surprise in the same vein as Liu Teli acting in it, and for the audience, it would be a very big subversion of his image.

But, it was still the same question: would Jiang Jun come to act?

If Lu Yan He invited him personally, he believed Jiang Jun would definitely agree.

But from Jiang Jun's inner heart?

Lu Yan He didn't know what Jiang Jun would think.

Liu Teli was an actor with requirements for himself; wasn't Jiang Jun the same?

Being able to reach their step and position was not easy.

Unless absolutely necessary, Lu Yan He didn't want to use personal favors to force others to film a movie they didn't want to film.

Lu Yan He thought for a moment and said to Chen Yin: Send the script to Teacher Jiang Jun, see his opinion, don't mention me.

Chen Yin: Understood.

Chen Yin clearly understood what Lu Yan He's last three words meant.

The script Jiang Jun received did not have Lu Yan He's signature.

Plus, there wasn't much news about the *Home Alone* script leaking out, so Jiang Jun didn't know this script was written by Lu Yan He.

After finishing the script, he actually quite liked it because it was very interesting and had a fairy-tale-like humor.

However, the roles of these two bumbling thieves were too labeled, making him feel there was no challenge.

Jiang Jun asked Chen Yin: "Do you have any other backup actors for this role?"

Chen Yin understood the meaning of Lu Yan He's words, so he said: "We are looking at other actors, but because you collaborate a lot with our Linghe, we sent the script to you first to take a look."

Jiang Jun said: "Actually, I quite like this script, but the role of the bumbling thief is the same mold from beginning to end. It's basically a show-off role with no character depth. I'm worried that if I act in such a role, the audience might not necessarily buy it."

Hearing Jiang Jun say this, Chen Yin roughly knew what he meant.

Chen Yin smiled helplessly in his heart.

It really was. Just looking at the script, although this script was good—everyone could see it was good—the first lead was a child, and the two bumbling thieves were so distinct, like the kind of villains from beginning to end that only exist in fairy tales. For actors like Liu Teli and Jiang Jun who were already famous and had pursuits for performance, the attraction was really not big.

Chen Yin also told Lu Yan He about Jiang Jun's feedback.

Lu Yan He: "Sure enough, the attraction of this script is actually not that big."

"It's mainly a problem with the subject matter," Chen Yin didn't want Lu Yan He to think his script wasn't that good because of this. "They are both good actors who know how to read scripts. Their feedback said the script was good, but they also knew that the core of this film was not these two bumbling thieves, but the child. Therefore, the attraction of this film was bound to be much smaller."

"Sigh, yes," Lu Yan He nodded. "If there's really no other way, then I'll have to film it myself."

Chen Yin: "If you are willing to film it, that is the best choice."

"Believe me, if a young person of my age comes to film it, the collision of the age gap between the old and the young in the film will be much smaller," Lu Yan He said. "The collision between a child who is old for his age and an adult who is big but stupid must have that age gap."

Chen Yin: "If it really doesn't work, then we can only grit our teeth and use less famous actors, gamble, gamble that this film can have good box office even without stars."

Lu Yan He: "The optimal solution is to find an actor like Liu Teli or Jiang Jun who can act and carry the box office. The secondary solution is to change the character setting and have me and someone else act. The worst solution is to give up the star lineup, give up the big release window, and take the small-budget dark horse route."

Chen Yin: "It must be decided as soon as possible; filming starts in January next year."

"Try to look for more," Lu Yan He said. "The latest deadline is December. If we still haven't found anyone by December, then I will act."

Chen Yin: "Good."

People in the film and television industry have a common realization: a thousand difficulties are not as difficult as things related to actors.

Starting from inviting actors, it is a big problem. The better the actor, the harder it is to invite. Lu Yan He doesn't have much to say because he is also a member of this group; he is one of the hardest actors to invite.

Every year, a large number of scripts are sent to him, to Chen Ziyan, and even directly to Chen Siqi.

Looking back, for domestic films, the ones he acted in that had nothing to do with himself or Linghe are actually very, very few.

The ones he seriously starred in are only three: *Late Spring*, *Road to Glory*, and *Burning Fire*.

In terms of the volume of scripts he accepts, the proportion is actually very small. Precisely because he knows very well that there are too many factors to consider when making a decision as an actor, Lu Yan He can actually accept Liu Teli and Jiang Jun refusing the film *Home Alone* from his heart.

It was Jiang Jun who, after knowing this script was written by Lu Yan He, immediately came back and told Chen Yin that if needed, he would clear his schedule.

Chen Yin came to ask Lu Yan He how to reply to Jiang Jun.

Lu Yan He said: "Forget it, Teacher Jiang Jun already refused before, which means he doesn't really want to act."

After Chen Yin told Jiang Jun, Jiang Jun called Lu Yan He again.

Lu Yan He explained why he wrote this script and his thoughts on the two bumbling thieves.

"It's indeed not a role that must be played by a specific actor. If different actors act in it, they will make some adjustments to the role, but it must be an actor who has the impulse to perform, and the effect will be better," Lu Yan He said. "In my opinion, this film must be a film that actors can truly enjoy acting in to produce results." Jiang Jun: "This script is indeed very good to watch, one ring after another, turning all kinds of prank methods into ways to deal with bumbling thieves, making me think of my childhood, when I often had such thoughts."

Lu Yan He said: "However, Teacher Jiang, later if you have time, I still want to invite you to make a cameo for one or two shots. We still want to push this film to a more popular release window, so we need some star power."

Jiang Jun immediately agreed.

"No problem."

*Home Alone* is completely a family-friendly film, any release window is fine. Of course, the best release window is the Spring Festival window.

It's just that the Spring Festival window is too hard to squeeze into; they might not necessarily get an admission ticket.

At the end of October, Yan Liang wrapped up filming for the *Chinese Paladin* crew and almost seamlessly entered the *Dragon Inn* crew.

As a result, because he got quite tanned in *Chinese Paladin*, he was painted and smeared by the makeup artist as soon as he entered the crew. Finally, the look created was really "eunuch" at a glance.

Lu Yan He went to visit the set, saw Yan Liang's appearance, and couldn't help but laugh on the spot.

Actually, Yan Liang himself has a quite heroic look, but after having his eyebrows drawn and face whitened, he really looked a bit more feminine.

At first glance, he looked a bit like the Donnie Yen version Lu Yan He had seen.

【No errors, first release, content seen at a glance!】

Liu Bige is also really awesome.

He built a real-life Dragon Inn in the desert and filmed this movie on location.

Lu Yan He couldn't help but take many photos as soon as he entered.

"This set is really well built."

Liu Bige: "Spent a lot of money, but this time Long Yan is quite generous."

"Your *Late Spring* and *Even Faking Death Won't Work* have both made so much money. If they are still not generous to you, they would be unworthy of being a top film company in the industry," Lu Yan He said. "And, this film, whether it's the subject matter or the cast, is aimed at a box office of over 500 million."

"Hmm," Liu Bige nodded. "But filming a Wu Xia film is really hard. Why don't you come and help me film for a few days, let me have a good sleep?"

"Spare me. I finally have a chance to rest, and you want me to help you work? Be a human," Lu Yan He said with disdain. "Do you have pressure to rush the work?"

"Not really, the filming time is still very ample," Liu Bige said. "When we were locking in the actors' schedules, we said that the filming time for this film might not be short."

The cast of *Dragon Inn* can be said to be the strongest cast in Chinese-language cinema.

Shang Yongzhou plays Zhou Huai'an, Chen Bige plays Qiu Moyan, Liu Zi plays Jin Xiangyu, *Nine Yin* male lead Zhou Yuning plays Cao Shaoqin, Yan Liang plays Lu Xiaochuan, and a group of powerful actors play other roles...

Plus the creative team of director Liu Bige and screenwriter Lu Yan He, this film has been regarded by Long Yan Pictures as one of the top film projects for next year.

This film must be sent to film festivals.

Although it may not necessarily enter the main competition unit.

Among all the actors, the most exhausted is Liu Zi.

This shopkeeper Tong who shone brightly in *My Own Swordsman* and became popular overnight was spotted by Liu Bige and invited to play Jin Xiangyu.

Not only did she lose more than ten pounds, but she also had to learn martial arts movements, leaning toward a mature, charming, and spicy shopkeeper image.

Lu Yan He saw her this time and felt that her whole person seemed to have been drained of a layer of water. If she was still a shopkeeper with a bit of a matronly air in *My Own Swordsman*, now she really had much less of a matronly feel and more of a cunning and mature feel in the Jianghu, and her posture always gave people a feeling of being at ease.

Lu Yan He especially hoped that *Dragon Inn* could be filmed well—

This is one of the most classic Wu Xia films in his mind. Even if it hasn't won any heavyweight awards, it has indelible memories.

Liu Bige's handling of *Dragon Inn* is to make the visuals have more texture.

He said: "The story itself is already very exciting. I don't want to use long takes. In this film, I hope every scene is fast, with a rhythm of sword light and shadow, less of the long takes and slow motion in *Late Spring*."

Lu Yan He understood what Liu Bige meant.

"Actually, this film itself is not suitable for long takes. Many scenes have many characters and a lot of dialogue. Using long takes cannot express so many perspectives and the different reactions of the crowd."

Lu Yan He actually likes the Wu Xia subject matter because in this subject matter, everyone's personality traits and emotional points can be magnified to the extreme without the audience feeling it's unrealistic.

In everyone's heart, the Jianghu is originally about fast-paced gratitude and revenge, and the people in the Jianghu also have their own distinct characteristics.

Lu Yan He doesn't know how *Dragon Inn* will be viewed in Europe and America, but he knows very well that in the Asian market, as long as it is well promoted and marketed, the box office will definitely sell well.

The premise is that it is filmed well.

After Yan Liang joined the crew, he practiced his skills with an action director every day.

But actually, he doesn't have many action scenes in this film.

But Yan Liang seems to have learned it very enjoyably.

Since filming *Chinese Paladin*, he has quite liked filming action scenes.

Because it's cool, and it's also where he is good at.

Zhou Yuning, the male actor who became popular with *Nine Yin*, also takes good care of Yan Liang, often practicing moves with him—

These are not the moves they have in the film, purely just for fun.

Lu Yan He had a chance to chat with Zhou Yuning after dinner one night.

Zhou Yuning was able to come to this film to play a villain after *Nine Yin* was a great success and he also won a Best Actor award. One is that the production specification of this film is high enough, and two is that he has his own pursuits.

Zhou Yuning said: "I originally didn't think about taking another Wu Xia film so soon because *Nine Yin* is going to film a second part, and I don't want to film another Wu Xia film to compete with it. However, I really like this script. If *Nine Yin* is a big Jianghu, *Dragon Inn* is a small Jianghu. What I like most is that people from all walks of life gather in one place, each with their own ghosts, and then a big battle is about to break out. I like this point in the script. From beginning to end, the film happens in this inn, without leaving. This kind of move-by-move within a square inch, I have never seen in another Wu Xia film script."

Lu Yan He said with a smile: "Thank you for being willing to act."

Zhou Yuning: "Can you compensate me with a positive male lead later?"

He seemed to be joking, teasing, but actually there was also a bit of sincerity. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 656 =====