Chapter 282: Project Announcement, Movements from All Sides

Han Sanping displayed his usual fiery temperament and submitted the project for the co-production the very next day.

Perhaps because the investment shares had already been finalized, Han Dong was quite high-profile this time; he didn't hide or hold anything back, directly having the China Film Group official website publish the information.

"Project Title: 'Pacific Rim'; Project Type: China-US Co-production; Project Investment: 150 million USD; Producers: China Film Group, Shanhe Media, Warner Bros., Summit Entertainment, Wanda Pictures."

Once the news broke, the industry immediately boiled over.

Insiders all knew clearly that one of the requirements for a co-production was the mandatory participation of Chinese actors, and in major roles at that; this temptation was too great.

One must know that the previous co-production, 'Inception', still had its global box office performance of over one billion USD hanging there as a benchmark.

Even for 'The Forbidden Kingdom', which was slightly inferior, although its word-of-mouth and box office were nothing to write home about, it was an indisputable fact that Li Bingbing and Liu Yifei successfully entered the Hollywood field through it; otherwise, there wouldn't have been the resources for 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan' and 'Inception'.

More importantly, compared to the 75 million investment of 'The Forbidden Kingdom', this time the investment reached as high as 150 million, almost catching up to the production cost of 'Inception', destined to be another co-production released globally.

Whether it was global box office performance or international fame, these were things domestic actors desperately pursued; this time was truly an excellent opportunity.

Although the character information had not yet been released, many people had already taken action—Xiangshan Film and Television City, the 'Sword Snow Stride' crew.

"Jia Jie, hurry and go ask Director Zhang if there are any female roles."

When Yang Mi heard this news, she found Ceng Jia at the first opportunity.

"Mimi, we've only just started filming; do you even have the schedule for it?"

Ceng Jia felt somewhat helpless; Yang Mi was indeed very ambitious, but sometimes she was too eager for quick success and instant benefits. This was a Shanhe Media production; could it be she wanted to juggle two roles at once?

"But, but a co-production like 'Pacific Rim' should take a long time to prepare, right? Maybe I'll have wrapped up by then?"

In Yang Mi's view, even if she hadn't wrapped up, at worst she could discuss it with the director and just adjust her scenes.

"Forget it, I'll go ask, so you don't spend your days absent-minded."

Although Ceng Jia agreed verbally, she didn't look favorably upon it in her heart. The number of people eyeing the roles was immense, and that was not to mention Jing Tian and Liu Yifei standing at the front; the other big-name actresses were not easy to deal with either, and Yang Mi's status was still a bit lacking.

Shanghai Film Park, 'The Great Robbery' crew.

"Datou, looking at how distracted you are, what? Do you have thoughts about 'Pacific Rim'?"

During a break in filming, Ning Hao handed a cigarette to Lei Jiayin and said with some teasing.

"Thanks, Director Ning. For a project like this, I'm afraid there isn't an actor who wouldn't be tempted."

"Being tempted is useless. My junior brother has his own plans; who to use and who not to use, I'm afraid he's already made up his mind. If you have that idle time, you'd be better off catching some sun."

Seemingly recalling the people who had been calling him these past few days, Ning Hao let out a scoff; it was truly a case of clutching at straws.

"That's also true. With Wei Jin's personality, he will naturally notify the right people."

Thinking of Wei Jin's consistent style, Lei Jiayin calmed down instead.

"Mm, that's the right way to think. The cigarette is finished, go film properly."

"Don't worry, Director Ning."

Hengdian, 'Strange Hero Yi Zhi Mei' crew.

Having just finished a scene, Miss Cai pulled Liu Shishi to the side.

"Shishi, the scenes here are almost finished. Do you really have no thoughts about 'Pacific Rim'?"

Liu Shishi rolled her eyes upon hearing this. Did her best friend really leave the house without her brain? "K Jie, I can't even get a major role in a domestic big-budget film. Do you think I have a chance with a co-production with such a huge investment?"

"But what if? Maybe Wei Jin just thinks you're suitable?"

"K Jie, use your brain, okay? A 150 million USD co-production will definitely be released globally. What do I have to compete with?"

Liu Shishi had a very clear understanding of herself; neither her acting skills nor her status were up to such resources, so naturally, she wouldn't ask for trouble and let the man look down on her for no reason.

"Then... then why don't you help Hu Ge ask?"

Liu Shishi was stunned upon hearing this, looking at Miss Cai in disbelief. Using her private relationship to solicit resources for a colleague? How could she have the nerve to bring it up?

Miss Cai also knew that doing this was somewhat unkind, but she really had no other way.

Yuan Hong, who had signed with Hu Ge, had already made it clear he would not renew his contract when it expired. Although Hu Ge still had a few years left on his contract, Miss Cai had to plan ahead.

If she could help Hu Ge get a role this time, given his personality, he would likely stay at Tangren wholeheartedly.

"K Jie, you have his number too. Call him yourself."

Liu Shishi turned and left after speaking, leaving only Miss Cai standing in place, her expression somewhat sheepish. —— 'The Grandmaster' crew, Zhang Ziyi hung up the phone, her expression uncertain.

She had left Hollywood in a sorry state; the glory of the former "Zhang Ziyi" still felt like yesterday.

But she was unwilling to give up; the thought of returning to Hollywood had never been abandoned, and this time was truly an excellent opportunity.

However, the news from the phone call was not optimistic; there was only one female role with standout scenes, and the competition was too fierce.

Thinking of her elder brother's advice, she felt somewhat embarrassed. It was true that Wei Jin was lecherous, but he didn't seem to have any thoughts about her. How exactly should she move him? Perhaps Ceng Li was a good breakthrough point?

Not just Zhang Ziyi, Li Bingbing, Fan Bingbing, and even the yet-to-graduate Zhao Yanzi all had ideas.

Unanimously, they all thought of Wei Jin, though the paths they took were not the same.

For several days in a row, 'Pacific Rim' firmly attracted the attention of the circle.

Sitting in his office, Wei Jin flipped through the text messages on his phone and wanted to laugh. These people didn't dare call him, but they had quite a lot of nerve sending texts.

Wei Jin ignored these people; the filming schedule hadn't even been set yet, so it was too early to discuss roles. He focused his mind on the film market.

'Cold War' had been released for a week, with a box office reaching 103 million. Currently, the weekday box office was stable at seven or eight million; it still had some potential.

'Aftershock' had been released for three weeks, with a box office reaching 633 million, but the daily box office was no longer as glorious as before, maintaining three or four million.

According to the response from the theater chains, there were still a small number of private screenings; it seemed administrative intervention hadn't ended yet.

This film had more than ten days left until it was pulled from theaters. According to the current momentum, breaking the record was without suspense, as it was only short by thirty-some million.

Withdrawing his gaze, Wei Jin thought about the scheduling issues for the company's films.

With the entry of capital, domestic film production companies were launching more and more films every year; the battle for release windows was already unavoidable, and only by planning ahead could one occupy an advantage.

Those currently in post-production included: 'Ip Man 3', 'Thieves', and 'Mojin: The Lost Legend'.

The first two were estimated to be basically finished around National Day, so logically they could choose to be released this year. The latter's post-production had only just begun, and there were numerous special effects shots; according to Shanhe Ink's estimates, it would likely only be finished after the new year.

After pondering for a while, Wei Jin made his decision: all three films would be set for release next year.

There is no help for it; the group has four films being released in cooperation with Golden Harvest this year, among which *Brotherhood of Blades 2* and *Passengers* are already occupying the May Day Slot and the National Day Slot respectively. If we were to participate in the New Year Slot as well, we really wouldn't be leaving any room for our peers to survive.

However, with this, counting *The Raid*, *The Piano Tuner*, and *Love is Not Blind*, there will likely be even more released next year. Wei Jin suddenly felt as if he held half the entertainment industry in his hands. —— Beijing, Huayi Zongbu.

"Brother, what did Ming Kefu say on his end?"

Watching his brother hang up the phone, Wang Zhonglei asked hurriedly.

Huayi really wanted to participate in this co-production project, but the three major Chinese investors were not so easy to persuade.

Therefore, the Wang Brothers planned to find another way and contact the Hollywood investors directly, but this would require a suitable middleman.

Originally, Harvey Weinstein was the most suitable, but due to the previous incident with Feng Dapao, plus the box office flop of *Shanghai*, the relationship between the two sides had dropped to freezing point.

So they found Ming Kefu, with whom they had maintained a good relationship since *The Forbidden Kingdom*.

"Warner has already greenlit the project, but according to what he understands, Hollywood's share in this cooperation is not large, so I'm afraid there's no way..."

"How can that be? Isn't this led by Warner?"

"I don't know. Looking at it this way, we can only start with the three domestic companies."

On the other side, Yu Pangzi of Bona put down the phone and also frowned.

Huayi's listing made Bona see the benefits of the capital market. During this period, Bona had been seeking opportunities for a Nasdaq listing. If they could participate in such a large-investment co-production project, it would undoubtedly provide a great boost to their IPO plan.

But Yu Dong did not expect that Hollywood capital would not hold the advantage in this investment, which is extremely rare in co-productions.

"This is going to be difficult." —— A true co-production project is very complex, especially one involving 150 million USD; it cannot be started so quickly. Currently, they are still waiting for Warner's shooting plan.

But the preliminary work had already begun, and the three major domestic investors had already dispatched quite a few project teams.

The tasks undertaken were also very tedious, including Huaxia element design, domestic location selection, and communication and coordination between various departments. Wei Jin handed all administrative matters over to China Film Group, and Han Sanping accepted this gladly.

"President Wei, why don't we send more manpower?"

Chen Xi asked with some curiosity; she would also participate in the whole process this time to learn Hollywood's production experience.

"We are already very experienced in project preparation. This time, let's leave it to China Film Group and Wanda. We will intervene again when it comes to filming and Post-production Special Effects."

All along, Shanhe Media's projects have been operated in the Hollywood way, so it doesn't make much difference whether they join or not.

But China Film Group is different; they are the ones taking the lead this time. After all, Wanda has not been established for long and has too little manpower, so it can be said that they have the heart but lack the strength.

Han Sanping's thinking is also not hard to understand: to try the Hollywood operation mode and set an example for domestic film companies. After all, China Film Group is a state-owned enterprise and has the responsibility and obligation to drive the development of the entire domestic film industry.

"This time, you will represent the company and be responsible for the communication between the Chinese and American sides. After all, it is a project we initiated, and we have an obligation to do a good job in coordination."

Communication and coordination before the project officially runs will be quite tedious and involve all aspects. Although Chen Xi has done a very good job in domestic production, Wei Jin still couldn't help but remind her.

"Okay, President Wei, I understand." —— After the contracts were signed by several parties, China Film Group announced the investment ratio of *Pacific Rim*.

In the entire project, the Chinese investment accounted for as much as 55%, but Shanhe Media alone accounted for a full 30% share, followed by China Film Group with 15%, and Wanda with the least, only 10%.

Now everyone in the circle knew who to look for if they wanted to get on board.

"Brother, should we approach him?"

Since they could not participate directly as an investor, if Huayi wanted to get on board, they could only seek to have the established investors transfer some of their shares.

And the "him" in Wang Zhonglei's words naturally referred to Wei Jin. In his view, China Film Group and Wanda did not have much share to begin with, so it was unlikely they would transfer any.

"If we approach him, I'm afraid we have to be prepared for a major bloodletting. Good things like *Taken* are probably gone forever."

Wang Zhongjun did not feel optimistic. Over the years, Huayi had rarely been able to catch a ride on Wei Jin's projects, and he didn't know why this kid looked down on Huayi.

"Moreover, with Wei Jin's shrewdness, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for him to agree."

"Brother, I don't think so. He holds a large amount of company stock. This kind of project is perfect for driving up the stock price. It's a win-win situation for both sides."

Wang Zhonglei was quite optimistic. Whether the Hollywood project would make money or not was yet to be known, but the premium Huayi could offer was real and immediate.

"As for the price, once the stock rises, it won't be an issue for us at all."

His brother's words made Wang Zhongjun's eyes light up; that was indeed the logic.

"Alright, you go visit him in person, um..."

Seeming to recall *The Message* from back then, Wang Zhongjun added a sentence.

"Take Dong Xuan with you."

"Brother, I understand."

On the other side, Yu Pangzi of Bona also had the same idea. He slapped his concubine's perky buttocks and ordered:

"Qiaoqiao, help me pick out two good candidates, um... the kind Wei Jin likes."

Yu Dong also knew that Bona and Shanhe Media did not have much cooperation, and showing up rashly might not achieve very good results, so he planned to cater to his preferences. As the saying goes, one cannot go wrong with gifts.

"The candidates are no problem, but the previous incident caused such a big stir that it might be difficult to operate in the near future."

Jin Qiao was a bit troubled. Although a big shot had come forward to settle the matter, she didn't dare to act against the wind.

"Um, that's true, but the artists under our banner might not be presentable enough..."

Bona has many signed artists, but it is really not easy to find one who fits Wei Jin's aesthetic and is also willing to let go.

"I think that Huang Yi is quite good. What, are you reluctant?"

Although her position had not yet been solidified, Jin Qiao felt she had already grasped Yu Pangzi, so she didn't speak so cautiously.

"Ahem, she's already married, what kind of jealousy are you feeling..."

Yu Pangzi said with a guilty conscience, then felt that the woman in front of him needed to be educated, and turned over.

Soon, the sound of clapping rang out in the room. Today's first update, the second update will be released during the day.

(End of chapter)