Chapter 251: Filming Begins 2

Human Base, RDA Company Headquarters

Parker Selfridge, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, stood in a sharp suit, his shrewd eyes hidden behind gold-rimmed glasses. He stood before a holographic projection, tapping his finger lightly to bring up the map of the Pandoran ore veins.

"Colonel," he smiled, looking at Colonel Miles, played by Li Xuejian, "the Board hopes you can speed up the progress."

Li Xuejian had his hands clasped behind his back, his military uniform crisp, his gaze cold: "Mr. Selfridge, war is not mining; it cannot be rushed."

Leonardo's smile did not change, but his tone carried a threat: "For every day of delay, the company loses twenty million US dollars."

"Cut!"

Xiang Fei poked his head out from behind the monitor: "Leonardo, your expression is too fierce. Parker is a businessman, not a gangster."

Leonardo scratched his head: "Sorry, I'll adjust it again."

Li Xuejian patted his shoulder: "Try hiding the threat within politeness. Just like this—" He suddenly revealed a gentle smile, but his eyes were sharp as knives, "Mr. Selfridge, wouldn't you agree?"

Leonardo sucked in a breath of cold air: "Mr. Li, your acting is terrifying!"

The whole room burst into laughter.

Under the Tree of Souls

Neytiri, played by Anne Hathaway, held a longbow, watching Dr. Grace, played by Anita Mui, with vigilance.

"You should not come here," Anne said in Na'vi, her voice cold as a clear spring, "Humans only bring destruction."

Anita did not rush to refute. She slowly squatted down, took a glowing plant from her backpack, and gently placed it on the ground.

"I have studied on Pan Duola for fifteen years," she replied in fluent Na'vi, "This 'Soul Grass' was discovered by me in the Northern Mountains. It can cure the 'Withering Sickness'."

Anne's eyes wavered slightly.

"Cut! Perfect!" Chen Kaige shouted excitedly, "That take is a wrap!"

During the break, Anne asked Anita curiously: "Anita, your Na'vi is spoken so well!"

Anita smiled cunningly: "I secretly learned from the language teacher. As for you, that look of hesitation just now was superb."

Anne's face turned red: "Actually... I was truly stunned by Anita's aura."

Na'vi Training Ground

Su'ute, played by Hiroshi Nagano, held a spear, facing Jackie Chan, Liu Xiaoqing, and Anne Hathaway.

"Jake," he said in Chinese with a Japanese accent, "Although you passed the ritual, you are not strong enough yet."

Jake, played by Jackie Chan, raised his weapon defiantly: "Then let's spar!"

"Action!"

Hiroshi Nagano executed a beautiful spinning kick, and Jackie Chan leaned back smoothly. The two went back and forth, their movements flowing like clouds and water.

Suddenly, Hiroshi Nagano's neural queue (the Na'vi's hair) accidentally tangled around Jackie Chan's arm.

"Pfft—" Moya, played by Liu Xiaoqing, was the first to break character laughing, "Sorry, sorry!"

Anne couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.

Blushing, Hiroshi Nagano apologized: "I'm sorry! My 'tentacles' are too long..."

Jackie Chan rubbed his arm and laughed: "It's fine! We'll put this blooper in the DVD!"

At dusk, when filming wrapped, Xiang Fei gathered the main cast to watch the playback.

"The confrontation between Leonardo and Li Xuejian is full of tension," he pointed at the screen, "Especially this exchange of glances."

Li Xuejian modestly waved his hand: "Leonardo has improved greatly; now he can truly match my scenes."

Leonardo was flattered: "It's all thanks to M's teaching!"

"The scenes between Anne and Auntie Mei are also great," Chen Kaige added, "That feeling of being both enemies and friends is very subtle."

Anita put her arm around Anne's shoulder: "We two privately studied for a long time on how to act out that feeling of mutual probing."

"As for Hiroshi Nagano..." Xiang Fei smiled at the Japanese actor, "your action scenes were surprisingly good."

Hiroshi Nagano bowed: "When I filmed tokusatsu dramas in Japan, I fought for ten hours every day."

Jackie Chan gave a thumbs up: "No wonder your skills are so good!"

That night, the crew filmed a night scene—the Na'vi ritual ceremony.

Liu Xiaoqing stood under the glowing Tree of Souls, chanting Na'vi prayers. Anne and Hiroshi Nagano led the tribe in kneeling worship.

Suddenly, a wolf howl came from the distance.

"Cut!" the assistant director shouted, "What's going on?"

The stagehand ran over in a panic: "It's... it's a real wolf! A wolf from the New Zealand reserve ran out!"

The actors immediately became tense.

Liu Xiaoqing, however, remained calm: "Don't panic, keep filming. Treat the wolf howl as background sound."

She resumed chanting, her voice ethereal and far-reaching, miraculously blending with the distant wolf howl.

Before the monitor, Xiang Fei and Chen Kaige exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously.

"It's too magical," Xiang Fei said softly, "This segment will definitely be usable."

The actors walked back in small groups.

Anne and Anita walked at the back, the two still discussing their characters.

"Dr. Grace actually loves Pan Duola very much," Anita said, "But she must pretend not to like it."

Anne nodded: "Neytiri is the same; she appears hostile to humans on the surface, but her heart is full of curiosity."

In the distance, Jackie Chan was teaching Hiroshi Nagano to speak Cantonese: "Seijofanmoi? (Have you eaten?)"

Hiroshi Nagano repeated it seriously: "Seijofanmoi?"

Everyone laughed together.

Watching this heartwarming scene, Xiang Fei said to Chen Kaige: "At this pace, maybe we won't need five years to finish filming."

Chen Kaige gazed at the starry sky: "Yes."