Chapter 662: Playing the Cards

The executive at Parameter responsible for *Doomsday* is named Zebby Doyle.

He invited Lu Yanhe to meet directly at Parameter's company.

Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan themselves wanted more people to know that they were negotiating this project with Parameter, so they gladly accepted this proposal.

Parameter is indeed worthy of being an old-school film company.

The entire company building is very grand, modern, clean, and orderly. At the same time, one can see film posters everywhere in the building, as well as various trophies placed in decorative cabinets.

This is the foundation of a film company.

Lu Yanhe still felt quite emotional in his heart.

For a company to reach the level of Parameter, working in an industry for over a hundred years and reaching a leading position, the depth of its accumulation is not something any emerging company can replace.

Domestically, one often sees film companies that were in the limelight five years ago suddenly disappear five years later, or be replaced in industry status by other box-office upstarts.

However, overseas, in the time and space Lu Yanhe traveled from, even though film companies like A24 and Lionsgate have been in the limelight for many years, and even though there are many new companies like Apple and Netflix that have just entered the film field but have great momentum, the status of the Big Six remains unbreakable and unshakable.

The so-called foundation of a company is that it is deeply rooted in all aspects—awards, market, and industrial chain—and is not something that can be affected by someone else's good results for a year or two.

Domestic film companies, to be honest, as long as they are private, if placed in a slightly longer time dimension, are basically upstarts. If the brothers of a certain company hadn't had an accident and had managed it well, perhaps after accumulating for a few more years, they could have formed such a climate. Unfortunately, in the era of industry transformation and soaring box office, they had an accident.

Lu Yanhe's mood at this moment is that Linghe doesn't have to become big and strong, but it must be done well and must always be at the table. As long as it exists long enough, it will always have a time to become big and strong. Just accumulate slowly, don't rush.

Zebby Doyle welcomed Lu Yanhe very enthusiastically.

"I must say, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that you are interested in this project," Zebby Doyle expressed his appreciation and respect for Lu Yanhe with a slightly exaggerated tone and body language. "I must say, your performance in *The Mist* was completely a performance worthy of an Oscar trophy. Unfortunately, because it is a horror film, it was not truly taken seriously."

"You flatter me."

"In fact, I am planning to develop a film like *The Mist* that focuses on real racial discrimination and dilemmas. Of course, in a non-realistic way," Zebby said. "I recently saw a very good script."

Getting off-topic.

Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan looked at each other.

Chen Ziyan received the signal and spoke up.

"Mr. Doyle—"

"Please call me Zebby," Zebby Doyle said.

Chen Ziyan smiled, "Okay, Zebby, you know, actually, we came to Los Angeles this time, and we were originally contacting another film."

Zebby Doyle was a bit surprised, "Oh?"

He expressed surprise that he hadn't heard this news.

"Then, because Yan He wrote a script and wanted to find Lu Nei to cooperate, he met him to chat and happened to learn about this project," Chen Ziyan smiled slightly. "*Doomsday*, a sci-fi film. Yan He has never filmed one before."

"Lu Nei has always been a first-class director who films sci-fi," Zebby Doyle said. "This time, we found a good story."

"What kind of story is *Doomsday* specifically about?" Chen Ziyan asked. "We only know a general theme."

"A scientist receives a letter from himself one year later. If the status quo is not changed as soon as possible, the Earth will be destroyed by an alien civilization's attack one year later."

The character of this scientist is an American.

Zebby Doyle said, "In the film, besides this scientist, there is an Asian protagonist. He is the key person why the alien civilization will attack Earth. At first, the scientist thought this Asian person was colluding with the alien civilization. Later, he learned that it was because a study this Asian person is currently doing will threaten this alien civilization hundreds of years later. To eliminate the threat, the alien civilization will return one year later to directly destroy the Earth. After the two of them learn the truth, they travel through time and space to save the Earth from destruction."

It sounds... like a very conventional sci-fi film, and it sounds like the themes and scenes involved are very grand.

Chen Ziyan asked: "Then, is there already a candidate for this Asian role?"

Zebby Doyle said: "We have a few actors we are contacting, but it hasn't been finalized yet."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ziyan nodded and said: "We heard that Chen Pinhe is already signing a contract with you. If that's the case, we won't waste time."

Zebby Doyle was stunned for a moment before saying: "Of course not. However, we did list Chen Pinhe as one of the actors under consideration. We don't know many Chinese male actors, and those who have fame and influence all over the world are even fewer. There aren't many. *Doomsday* is a blockbuster, and we hope to find an actor whose fame and influence can match this film and can be mentioned in the same breath as the male lead, Tang Mu Felton."

Tang Mu Felton, a first-tier popular male actor in Hollywood, once won the Oscar for Best Actor. Of course, in reality, he is not the kind of male actor known for his acting skills. The film that won him the award was, to a greater extent, the result of "the play protecting the person." He is really popular; the films he starred in have never had a North American box office below 60 million, regardless of production cost.

When Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan heard the name Tang Mu Felton, they both showed surprise at the same time.

If there are a few people in Hollywood who are actors standing at the top of the pyramid, such as Leonardo and Tang Mu Cruise from another world, and the peak-period "Big Mouth" actress, then Tang Mu Felton's position in Hollywood in this world is just below this level.

Not the top of the top, but still the top.

From this lead actor, one can see Parameter's emphasis on *Doomsday*.

Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan both realized one thing at this moment.

They had missed this person before.

The lead actor's say is generally not as great as the director's—especially in the film field.

However, for a very small number of actors, this is not the case.

Tang Mu Felton is one of these people.

In such a film, with so many scenes with him, or even a role that can be called "double male lead," could Tang Mu Felton have no opinion?

Lu Yanhe didn't believe it.

Judging others by himself, he values his opponent actors very much when he acts.

Because acting is not a solo performance; it requires two people to achieve each other.

For ordinary actors, the play is performed by themselves. For good actors, the play is given by the other party. The play is reaction, it is stimulation, not self-righteous performance.

Later, Zebby Doyle really mentioned the salary.

The general idea was that the production cost of this film is very high, and there might not be much room in the salary budget, as the bulk was taken by Tang Mu Felton.

Chen Ziyan said without hesitation: "Zebby, let's wait for Darren to come and talk to you about these things later. Darren Wilson is responsible for Yan He's acting agency business in the United States. We came here today just to learn more about this project in detail."

Not taking the bait.

Today is not for negotiation, just for "stalling for time."

If we talk about the salary intention today, what will we do later?

"You want to contact Tang Mu Felton?" Darren Wilson was a bit puzzled, not understanding why Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan suddenly had such a request.

Lu Yanhe nodded: "We have something we want to meet him and talk about."

Darren Wilson said: "If Tang Mu Felton is not filming, and if he is not on vacation abroad, he basically stays at his own home. He rarely goes out, and it is very difficult to see him."

Lu Yanhe asked: "Do you have his email? Or mobile phone?"

"Of course I have it," Darren nodded. "It's just, do you want to contact him directly?"

"It would be better if you could help me make an appointment with him."

"I can only say that I can try, but he may not come out. His temper is a bit strange, and he is not a guy who is easy to get close to," Darren shrugged his shoulders. "All superstars have their own tempers."

Lu Yanhe nodded, "Then try to help me make an appointment. If you can't make an appointment, give me his email and mobile number, and I'll try it myself."

"Okay," Darren nodded, and added: "By the way, did you just go to see Zebby Doyle of Parameter?"

"Yes," Lu Yanhe nodded, "You are really well-informed."

"This is Los Angeles, and my profession is an agent. If such dynamic information doesn't reach my ears, then it's a dereliction of my duty," Darren said. "Why didn't you tell me in advance that you were going to see Parameter?"

"Because we weren't going to talk about acting in this film," Lu Yanhe said. "Darren, besides whether or not to act in a certain film, I have some of my own things to do. These things may appear as if I am bypassing you to contact some film companies, but that's not the same thing. Regarding my acting career, you are my agent, and no contract will bypass you. You can rest assured about this point."

Darren asked: "I know, you are also a screenwriter, writing scripts—"

"Oh, the acting career I mentioned also includes identities such as screenwriter, director, etc.," Lu Yanhe said. "I'll speak directly to you because I haven't known you for long, and our relationship is only a cooperative one. Therefore, I can't trust you with some of my private matters and can't tell you everything. Let's keep the cooperation as it is now, okay?"

Darren was silent for a long time, nodded, and said: "Since you've said so."

Lu Yanhe: "Perhaps what I just said will make you feel uncomfortable, but I hope you understand that I didn't mean to offend you on purpose. In fact, I am very satisfied with our cooperation so far, but I believe that deeper trust between people takes time and grinding."

Darren: "Okay, but in any case, since this is Hollywood, as your agent, if I don't know your whereabouts and still need to hear from others which film company or person you are contacting, this will make others think that there is a gap in our cooperation, which is not a good thing for us."

"I will communicate more with you in the future."

After finishing the call with Darren Wilson, Lu Yanhe thought about it and felt that Darren's dissatisfaction was actually reasonable.

Regardless of whether their cooperation had just begun and there wasn't enough trust.

In the eyes of others, especially in Hollywood, if Darren Wilson hadn't even mastered his client's public whereabouts in advance, it would indeed make others question his control over his client.

Although in essence, Darren Wilson didn't have much control over him. But if everyone formed such an impression, it would indeed be unfavorable for Darren Wilson to handle his work in Hollywood.

Lu Yanhe came back to his senses and sent a message to Chen Ziyan, telling her that he had finished the call and was waiting for Darren's reply.

Chen Ziyan said okay.

She added: I'm going to see an agent in a while.

Lu Yanhe was stunned and asked: Who?

Chen Ziyan: Robin Galbraith from CAA, a very famous agent. I want to talk to her and sign Jiang Jun's overseas agency business to her.

Lu Yanhe was a bit surprised and asked: Sign to CAA?

Chen Ziyan: Yes, since your contract has been signed to William Morris, in this situation, it is most appropriate for Jiang Jun to sign to CAA. Otherwise, the resources of you and Jiang Jun will fight within William Morris.

Lu Yanhe: Will Darren have any opinion on this?

After dealing with Darren a few times, he felt that Darren was not the kind of person who would figure it out himself and do his own work.

Chen Ziyan: Jiang Jun's domestic agent is Lu Qingzhen, not me. I am not responsible for Jiang Jun's business, so Darren has no position to have an opinion on this matter. Moreover, he should also know that we cannot put all our eggs in his basket.

Chen Ziyan said: I also took a fancy to that Maxine self-made drama that Wang Jiaqi and Chen Pinhe are working on.

Lu Yanhe silently sent a "thumbs up" emoji.

Chen Ziyan: We have stayed in Los Angeles for so many days and made so much noise. I think Chen Pinhe's side should have reacted by now. Maybe we will run into him or his wife, Zhang Yuezhen, in Los Angeles in these two days. You have to be mentally prepared.

Lu Yanhe looked at the message Chen Ziyan sent and suddenly didn't know how to reply. Was he mentally prepared?

These two days, whenever he thought about being able to target Chen Pinhe, he worked on these things like he was injected with chicken blood. In fact, he hadn't seriously thought about what his reaction would be if Chen Pinhe appeared in front of him after this happened.

No matter how many presets there are, it has no meaning.

At this moment, Lu Yanhe found his heart empty, and he was inexplicably at a loss.

He didn't know what this loss was caused by.

However, even with such emotions beyond his expectations, unlike his past self, this time he didn't have the slightest doubt about whether he was wrong to do so.

In this matter, wrong is also right.

Lu Yanhe firmly believes in this point.

There can be no so-called relief.

There can be no so-called letting go.

Anger.

Remember the most primitive anger.

【Content is being read!】

Just like in *Phoenix Terrace*, even if you know the ending is death, you must stab that sword; just like in *Burning Fire*, for that enemy who killed your father, no matter how complicated the feelings are, struggling, you should kill, you still have to kill.

Lu Yanhe didn't expect that at this moment, what appeared in his mind were these two plays and the emotions of the characters in these two plays.

No play is acted in vain, and no character's emotion will pass through his body without leaving any trace or influence.

As a result, there is no news from Tang Mu Felton yet, but there is movement with the script *Buried*.

Before, Lu Yanhe took the script *Buried* and asked Mukan Zorge to help him find a suitable director and producer in Hollywood to see if anyone was interested in this project.

He contacted a few before, but the talks were not suitable.

Mukan suddenly contacted Lu Yanhe and said that a producer at Parameter was very interested in this script.

When asked who it was, Lu Yanhe was stunned.

Why is it such a coincidence?

It turned out to be Zebby Doyle from Parameter, whom he had just met.

"Zebby?"

Mukan was also very surprised.

"Do you know him?"

"I just met him because of another film project."

"Oh!" Mukan said, "That guy is not bad. You contacted him for the film project *Doomsday*, right?"

"Yes."

"This is a big project, but I heard that Tang Mu Felton seems to be preparing to leave this project," Mukan said. "If you are interested in this project because of Tang Mu, perhaps you should learn more about the situation."

"Hmm, okay," Lu Yanhe said. "However, Zebby already knows me, why didn't he mention this script to me?"

"On the script you gave me, the signature is the three letters LYH. How would he know the script was written by you?"

Lu Yanhe: "..."

Lu Yanhe didn't expect that he would meet Zebby Doyle again so soon.

Zebby Doyle obviously didn't expect it either.

His face was full of unbelievable smiles.

"So *Buried* was actually a script written by you. It's simply incredible. This is a completely different story from *Love Letter*."

Lu Yanhe smiled and said: "As a screenwriter, just like as an actor, the themes, subjects, and characters I create are all very different."

"I like the story of *Buried* very much, especially the way this story is told," Zebby Doyle said. "This script is a typical story that can win big with small."

"Of course, this is also the main consideration when I wrote this story at the beginning—using a story that everyone can afford to film to reduce the difficulty of filming, so that Hollywood film companies know that I am a screenwriter who is very good at writing scripts."

Lu Yanhe shrugged his shoulders, "Who would have thought that in the end, you only know LYH, but don't know that it is me."

Zebby Doyle smiled.

"This is indeed an unexpected surprise."

"However, Lu, although *Buried* is a good story, I hope it can be modified a bit."

Zebby Doyle said.

Lu Yanhe showed a puzzled expression.

"Modified?"

The autumn in Yuming is mostly an autumn with a high sky and distant land, clear and bright.

The autumn in Yuming is also so clear that it makes people feel refreshed.

For people living in Yuming, this is the most comfortable time of the year.

Li Zhibai wore a very large fisherman hat—this fisherman hat almost covered half of his face.

As long as he lowers his head, unless you walk right up to him, it is basically difficult to recognize him.

He was carrying a plastic bag, which contained a bottle of sparkling water and a croissant of the kind bought in a convenience store.

After *Chinese Paladin* wrapped up, he rarely had no work today, and the sun was out, so he wanted to go to a nearby park, find a tree, find a piece of grass where he could lie down, and leisurely empty himself for a few hours.

Lying down is the action he is best at and loves the most.

Halfway there, his phone suddenly rang.

Li Zhibai picked up his phone and looked at it. When he saw the caller ID was "Lu Yanhe," he was stunned.

"Aren't you in Los Angeles? At this time... what time is it over there?"

"Evening," Lu Yanhe said. "Just finished dinner. Are you free now?"

"I'm free, what's up?" Li Zhibai asked.

Lu Yanhe said: "I have a film script here. I originally planned to film it as an English film and find actors from Europe and America to act in it. It's *Buried*, the one I told you about before."

"Oh, I know," Li Zhibai asked. "What's up?"

"Parameter took a fancy to this script, or to be precise, took a fancy to the creativity of this script. However, they want to take advantage of the wind of *The Mist* to build this film into a film starring an ethnic Chinese, creating a theme of an ethnic Chinese being buried alive, with the background being racial discrimination, and it is still a horror-thriller style," Lu Yanhe said.

Li Zhibai was stunned and asked: "You aren't planning to ask me to act in it, are you?"

"They initially wanted me to act in it," Lu Yanhe said. "But my schedule for next year is all arranged, so I can't act in it. Of course, the main reason is a more realistic consideration—this film is not very suitable for my current market positioning in Hollywood. However, I have my own reasons to let Parameter be able to film this movie," Lu Yanhe said. "The specific reason is very complicated, mainly to reach a condition exchange with Parameter."

"Ah?" Li Zhibai asked in confusion, and then said, "I have no problem acting in it, but do they look up to me? I don't have any fame overseas."

"This film itself is a low-budget film," Lu Yanhe said apologetically. "So, I made this call to you. I must make it clear to you. I don't want you to see in some media reports later that the reason I didn't act in this film is because it's a small-budget film, so they asked you to act in it. If I could act in it, I would definitely act in it—but not because this film is so good."

"Okay, why are you saying so much to me? You need me to help you act in this film. If I can act, I will definitely act. Stop talking so much nonsense."

"Hmm, believe me, I won't pit you," Lu Yanhe said. "Although this is a small-budget film, the final box office performance will definitely be good. Moreover, this is completely a solo performance, and your performance space is very large."

"You wrote the script, no need to say these things."

Li Zhibai smiled.

"Do you know what Lin Suyang said to me? As long as it's a script you wrote and you ask me to act, don't ask, just agree directly," Li Zhibai said. "Quite good, so the next job is here again."

Lu Yanhe: "Sorry, this time it's because of some of my own things that I asked you to act in this film."

"Stop being so mother-in-law," Li Zhibai said, complaining to him straightforwardly.

Lu Yanhe smiled.

Why didn't Lu Yanhe act in the script *Buried* himself?

Leaving aside the schedule, the main consideration is that this film is a very typical "small-budget" dark horse.

But the box office ceiling of this dark horse is not high enough. To a certain extent, a film shot from beginning to end with one person and one camera cannot explode with a box office performance of over 100 million US dollars.

If Lu Yanhe hadn't acted in *The Mist*, a film with a global box office of over 200 million, *Buried* would have been a good choice for Lu Yanhe to make his first shot in Hollywood.

However, Lu Yanhe acted in *The Mist*, and the subsequent ones were all big productions like *Hurricane 2* and *Godless*. Then, at least in the commercial film field, Lu Yanhe's positioning is a blockbuster.

If he accepts *Buried*, it will affect the market's positioning of him.

And Li Zhibai has never filmed a movie in Hollywood. For him, this film is a very suitable stepping stone.

Almost the next day, *Variety* magazine reported this matter.

Parameter and Chinese actor and screenwriter Lu Yanhe (who starred in *The Mist*, *Love Letter*, *Friends*, etc., and wrote *Squid Game*, *Rouge*, etc.) are negotiating a cooperation. The former took a fancy to a film script created by the latter and is negotiating specific cooperation details. It is reported that this script is a bold work with great innovation.

"We released the news to *Variety* in advance. I guess other film companies will come to find you soon," Chen Ziyan said. "If Parameter really wants to win this script, they will definitely increase their chips."

"Then you say, when is it better for us to throw out our real purpose?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Chen Ziyan said: "Darren has already given the first round of quotes before the *Variety* report, which is the 10 million US dollars we discussed at the beginning. I guess Zebby Doyle is currently scolding us for being lions in his office. Let him scold for a while. With *Buried*, he will definitely negotiate with us rationally and calmly."

Lu Yanhe: "Okay, but why has there been no news from Tang Mu Felton? Whether he is willing to meet me or not, isn't this something that can be decided quickly? Why keep dragging it out without giving news?"

Chen Ziyan: "I don't know the news for the time being. Darren also called him twice, but he didn't answer. You said before that Mukan told you that Tang Mu might withdraw from the *Doomsday* project. Perhaps he also has some things to deal with on his side."

"If Tang Mu wants to withdraw from the *Doomsday* project, then the variables of this project are very large, and perhaps it won't even be able to start," Lu Yanhe said.

For a film with such a large investment, if Tang Mu really leaves and Parameter cannot find an actor who can replace him, the most common way to deal with it is to shelve it.

Film projects shelved due to changes in lead actors happen several times every day in Hollywood.

The bigger the blockbuster, the more this is the case.

After all, small-budget films can take risks and try and make mistakes, but blockbusters cannot.

After all, the failure of one *Doomsday* can get Zebby Doyle kicked out of Parameter. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 663 =====