Chapter 301: The Casting Controversy: A 30 Million Art-House Film

The *Love is Not Blind* film crew.

As a scene ended, Wang Kai said to Yang Mi with some apology:

"Mimi, I'm sorry, I keep messing up, causing you to have to redo it with me."

The two had collaborated on *Chinese Paladin 3*, and since they were both artists under Starry Sky Culture, Wang Kai felt bad about making others suffer because of his own mistakes.

"Brother Kai, why be so polite? It's just filming, everyone has times when they mess up."

Yang Mi waved her hand to show she didn't mind at all, only asking with some curiosity: "Brother Kai, have you run into some trouble?"

Wang Kai's acting skills were obvious to everyone on set, and the director had praised him many times; today's scene wasn't difficult either, so Yang Mi felt there was likely something on his mind.

"Sigh, a friend of mine ran into some trouble and called me for help."

"Oh? What kind of trouble? Tell me about it; two heads are better than one, after all."

Yang Mi's curiosity was piqued; regardless of whether she could help, listening to gossip was always good.

"It's about *The Flowers of War*; one of the actresses is a friend from a previous crew of mine."

Wang Kai gave a brief explanation, and Yang Mi knew what it was about; after all, she had auditioned for it too and was very concerned about information regarding this film. This matter had been making quite a stir a few days ago.

This time, the management of *The Flowers of War* crew was very strict. Four actresses were fired because they posted selfies from the training base classroom on Weibo, which led to reporters sneaking in and leaking the set's layout.

When she saw the news, Yang Mi had also considered that perhaps she could fill a spot, but before she could act, the replacement actresses had already been announced, so she extinguished that thought.

"You're talking about that Chang'e from *Baoliandeng Qianzhu*, right?"

After a moment of pondering her network, Yang Mi guessed who Wang Kai was talking about.

"Yes, we collaborated before on *Ugly Invincible*, and we have a pretty good relationship."

"But this matter was a decision made by Director Zhang; I'm afraid it can't be changed, right?"

Yang Mi believed that Shanhe Media had great influence, but to say Wei Jin could interfere with Zhang Yimou's crew was nonsense, so what help did this woman want from Wang Kai? "Of course I know that; if it were really about the role, I wouldn't even consider it."

Wang Kai naturally understood what Yang Mi meant; helping friends was fine, but if it exceeded his capabilities, there was nothing he could do. However, the friend's request wasn't high, and he might actually be able to help.

"She's afraid that New Picture will hold a grudge against her, so she asked me to help introduce her, hoping to join our company."

Wang Kai could understand his friend's caution; after all, she was just a small artist. Although there was no need for New Picture to target her, people in the industry wouldn't think so. Without a benefactor to guide her, she would likely slowly fade out of the entertainment industry.

"Oh, is that all? Just give Director Zhang a call and ask him to give her a chance for a private audition; wouldn't that do it?"

"But would that cause trouble for the company?"

Wang Kai knew about the Liu Yan situation, but that was initiated by the boss of Fiber, and the boss decided it himself. But now, the *Flowers of War* matter was different. Why would the boss take action for someone with no connection?

"Oh, Brother Kai, you're overthinking it. You're just introducing an artist; can't Director Zhang weigh it himself? If she can be signed, it means the company doesn't care; if not, at least you did what you should have, right?"

Yang Mi's words were logical and well-founded; Wang Kai weighed it in his heart, and it was indeed the case.

"Mimi, your mind is truly sharp; I'll listen to you." — The situation with Jiang Wen was intensifying; the reputation of *Let the Bullets Fly* began to show polarization.

Some fans or film critics who liked art-house films began to attack Jiang Wen: "Jiang Wen has changed; he's full of the stench of money."

"This film is far worse than *The Cabinet*; where is Jiang Wen's artistic cultivation?"

Facing the questioning, Jiang Wen did not respond. The reason was also simple: the box office continued to rise, so what if these people scolded him? *Let the Bullets Fly* had been released for a week, and the box office had broken through 300 million with unstoppable momentum, with daily box office even remaining stable above 30 million; it could be described as imposing.

However, while Jiang Wen was making a fortune, *Now You See Me 2* was miserable; its box office was cut in half, only raking in 52 million in its fourth week.

The film had been released for 26 days, with a box office of 352 million; the daily box office had already fallen below 5 million, its potential basically exhausted, barely able to finish the final week.

Just at this time, the last highly anticipated film of the New Year Slot, *If You Are The One 2*, was released.

To be fair, although Feng Dapao wasn't much of a person, his appeal in the comedy field was truly no joke.

Relying on the reputation accumulated over the years for the New Year Slot, the first-day box office of *If You Are The One 2* was 42 million, surpassing *Let the Bullets Fly*.

Even more astonishing was that Feng Dapao had inserted over 20 advertisements in the film, directly recovering 60 million, completely covering the film's costs; the remaining box office and various copyright revenues were pure profit.

It was no wonder the Wang Brothers treated Feng Dapao like a treasure; with this money-making ability, he was definitely in the first tier among major commercial directors in the country.

Asking himself, Wei Jin admitted he couldn't do this, but that didn't stop him from being happy along with it; after all, Shanhe Media had a 40% investment share in this film.

However, it is worth mentioning that the New Year Slot this year had not yet come to an end, and the term "King of the New Year Slot" had already appeared online; it wasn't Feng Dapao or Jiang Wen, but Ge You.

*Sacrifice*, *If You Are The One 2*, and *Let the Bullets Fly*—all three films featured him, either as the lead or second lead; he was the absolute biggest winner of the 2010 New Year Slot. — Wei Jin didn't expect that the gossip about *The Flowers of War* would reach him.

Regarding this matter, Wei Jin had seen the news in his past life, and it wasn't as simple as the currently announced situation; it was said that four were fired, but in fact, one person remained and continued to work in the crew.

Moreover, the replacement actress appeared so quickly that one had to wonder if it involved some private maneuvering, the purpose of which was to intervene in the role.

Wei Jin privately thought that this matter was likely Zhang Weiping's doing. Previously, the two Zhangs had already had a dispute over casting, and later, perhaps because the investment was too large, Zhang Weiping compromised.

But now it seemed he might have planned a "firing incident" to smoothly swap in the actress he favored.

However, Wei Jin was not a detective; he didn't need to know the truth, so he asked the most core question directly.

"Old Zhang, from a market perspective, does this actress have value for cultivation?"

"President Wei, if she didn't have value for cultivation, I wouldn't be here bothering you. Don't look at the fact that this girl is from Beijing Dance Academy; her acting is truly spiritual. She can play ugly and she can play beautiful, and her appearance is proper; she is indeed a good seedling."

Zhang Xu was clearly very satisfied with Li Xinru, praising her thoroughly in front of the boss.

"Fine, since you think she's suitable, then sign her."

Wei Jin said indifferently; Starry Sky Culture had more and more artists now, and whether they could be cultivated was Zhang Xu's business.

As for whether New Picture would have any objections, Wei Jin believed Zhang Weiping could figure it out.

"Alright, President Wei, I'll be going first, I won't disturb you." — The Beijing of late December already had some chill; it was rare for the sun to come out today, so Wei Jin and Jing Tian huddled in the garden to get rid of the dampness.

The sunlight on their bodies was warm and it was really easy to get sleepy; Wei Jin was almost dozing off, while Jing Tian was happily browsing on her computer by herself.

Before long, seemingly seeing something funny, the young girl poked Wei Jin with her elbow. "Brother, look quickly, the expression of Brother Xiaoming's girlfriend is so stiff."

Wei Jin opened his eyes a bit dizzily; what entered his eyes was a still photo, Liu Tianwang and Yang Ying looking at each other "affectionately."

He immediately reacted; this was a still from *Beginning of the Great Revival*, of Cai E and Xiao Fengxian.

After getting a taste of the sweetness from last year's *The Founding of a Republic*, Han Sanping quickly launched this project, still with an all-star cast. Currently, the film had wrapped up, scheduled for mid-June next year, aiming for the Summer Slot.

Yang Ying being able to get the role of Xiao Fengxian naturally couldn't be separated from the help of her new boyfriend, Huang Xiaoming.

It had to be said that the Sect Leader was still quite good to women, but unfortunately, this Yang Ying, who came from a model background, was ultimately not his right match.

Wei Jin had a change of thought; it was hard to say. In his past life, Yang Ying had the confidence to leave Huang Xiaoming because of the popularity boost from *Keep Running*, even going so far as to utter the arrogant remark, "I am worth an 80 million salary."

But now, with her fortune stolen, despite the strong backing of Huang Xiaoming and Huayi, she would likely only be able to play bit parts in some shoddy films, and it was uncertain if she would still have the heart and confidence to split the family assets with Huang Xiaoming.

Looking at it this way, perhaps he had indirectly helped Huang Xiaoming stabilize his family? Putting aside his musings, Wei Jin had a mind to test Jing Tian and asked aloud.

"Why do you say that?"

"According to the plot, it is clearly a life-and-death separation, never to meet again, yet the expression on Yang Ying's face has no change at all. If that isn't stiff, what is?"

"Heh, your eye for detail has improved, Tian Tian. It must have been difficult for Liu Tianwang; filming this scene was probably no different from a No-object Performance."

Looking at the photo, Wei Jin recalled the rumors in the industry. It was said that this scene required tears, but Yang Ying simply couldn't cry. With no other choice, Liu Tianwang had to step in personally and apply eye drops for her, finally managing to finish the scene.

"Haha, Brother, what you said is so funny, a No-object Performance."

Jing Tian was amused, and just as she was about to continue saying something, a song suddenly rang out.

"You exist, in my deep memories, in my dreams, in my heart, in my singing~~~"

Wei Jin took out his phone and saw, to his surprise, that it was a call from Shi Nansheng.

"General Manager Shi?"

"General Manager Wei, there is a project here in Hong Kong looking for investment."

"Hmm?"

Wei Jin was a bit surprised upon hearing this. Shi Nansheng had managed Golden Harvest for years without any major mishaps, so her authority had been steadily increasing. Currently, she could make direct decisions on projects not exceeding 50 million.

"Is the investment amount very large?"

"The investment isn't large, 30 million, but this is an art-house film."

Wei Jin nodded, understanding Shi Nansheng's concerns. Hong Kong directors were not particularly skilled in the art-house film genre, and the copyright transaction prices were relatively much worse compared to Mainland China; 30 million was not a small sum.

"Tell me the specific situation."

"It's like this, Xu Anhua has a script in hand, which tells the story of..."

After listening to Shi Nansheng's introduction, Wei Jin knew what script it was: *A Simple Life*, starring Liu Tianwang, a realistic art-house film.

Xu Anhua was undoubtedly a representative figure of the Hong Kong New Wave. This female director's works mostly focused on corners of the era that were ignored or unable to be paid attention to, and then expressed them in her own way. Her deep concern for the grassroots was somewhat similar to Lou Ye in Mainland China.

But unlike Lou Ye's direct and even stinging expression, Xu Anhua's approach appeared more warm and subtle, yet with a lingering aftertaste.

Wei Jin had also seen her representative *Tin Shui Wai* duology; it was indeed quite good.

"General Manager Shi, with Xu Anhua's reputation, it shouldn't be hard to pull in investment, right?"

"General Manager Wei, Hong Kong is a small place. A 30 million investment could be used by Wang Jing to film several movies."

Hearing Shi Nansheng's slightly bitter tone, Wei Jin also caught on. Hong Kong was not like Mainland China, and art-house films were different from commercial films; they could only rely on winning awards and selling copyrights. But whether they could win awards was something no one could say for sure. Out of caution, Hong Kong film companies indeed had no need to enter the fray.

But while others didn't know, Wei Jin did. Because he liked Liu Tianwang in his past life, he paid more attention to his works, and this award-winning *A Simple Life* was naturally no exception.

Although he didn't know how much the copyright eventually sold for, in the current film market, profit methods had already diversified. As a listed company, if Golden Harvest could produce a film that won major awards, it would definitely be of no small benefit to its stock price.

One had to know that when *Bodyguards and Assassins* was nominated for the Golden Horse Awards a while ago, Golden Harvest's stock price had risen quite a bit.

After weighing the pros and cons, Wei Jin quickly gave his reply.

"General Manager Shi, this project can be done, but regarding the casting, you must keep a tight rein on it."

Wei Jin specifically pointed this out because the original version of this film featured Huang Laogou, and since it was being produced by Golden Harvest this time, it was naturally impossible to use him again.

"Alright, General Manager Wei, I understand."

Hanging up the phone, Wei Jin saw Jing Tian looking at him with a grin.

"Brother, when did you change your ringtone?"

Clearly, Jing Tian was very happy in her heart that her song could be used as a ringtone by the man.

"I changed it just these past two days. I have to say, you sang this song quite well."

Wei Jin was not lying. This song, *In My Singing*, was released in the first ten days of this month. Its simple, repetitive melody and hazy, poetic lyrics were deeply loved by the vast audience. In just two short weeks, it had already been crazily topping all major music charts.

Looking at the girl's flower-like smiling face, Wei Jin wrapped his hands around her slender waist and said teasingly:

"But you didn't trouble Teacher Liu Huan any less this time, right?"

"No way... Brother, you underestimate people. I've improved a lot."

Jing Tian argued with a haughty look, then gently leaned against Wei Jin's chest.

"Brother, thank you for everything you've done for me."

Stroking the girl's little head, Wei Jin said with some doting: "Silly girl, between us, there is never a need to say thank you."

"Mm, Brother, kiss me."

Second update of the day (End of chapter)