Chapter 468: Each Showing Their Unique Skills, Never Falling Behind Others in a Lifetime!

A "Edge of Tomorrow" completely captured the attention of the domestic entertainment industry; the goal of Han Sanping's hype had been achieved.

Just at this moment, China Film Group threw out its second card.

"Confirmed by the five major producers, the female lead of 'Edge of Tomorrow' will be played by a Chinese actress, and some other actors will also be Chinese; the specific casting method is yet to be determined."

Once the news broke, it set off a monstrous wave within the circle.

If the male actors could still remain calm, then the female stars were completely plunged into madness.

The female lead!

The female lead of a 170 million USD major production, and the female lead starring opposite Tom Cruise! Although they knew that the female lead of such a major production would inevitably have very high requirements for international status, and there were only a few in the country who met the criteria.

Although they knew this was Wei Jin's script and his say was very heavy, according to past precedents, it was highly likely that one of those Jin Girls would be cast, and it wouldn't be anyone else's turn.

But even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, these ambitious female stars absolutely did not want to miss it, just like with "Pacific Rim" back then; no one expected that it would be Fan Bingbing who had the last laugh! Still the same saying, the opportunity was too rare!

For a time, a large number of female stars began to take action. "Summer's Desire" film crew.

Yang Mi, who had just won the new Golden Eagle Goddess, couldn't wait to find Ceng Jia after a scene ended.

"Jia Jie, what did the company say? What are the requirements for the female role? Is it open casting or an invitation-only audition? What about the script?"

Listening to Yang Mi's machine-gun-like questions and looking at her expectant eyes, Ceng Jia shook her head.

"I've already asked, Director Zhang isn't clear either; we can only wait for notification. Why don't you ask President Wei?"

"I sent a message a long time ago, but Senior Brother hasn't replied to me, and when I call, Huang Mengying answers..."

Yang Mi felt a bit helpless at this moment; every time it was a critical moment, Wei Jin was never by her side, and she couldn't even use her charms effectively.

"I guess there have been too many messages and calls looking for President Wei these days, and he doesn't want to be bothered."

Speaking of this, a look of conflict appeared on Ceng Jia's face, but in the end, she couldn't help but speak up.

"Mimi, to be honest, your chances this time aren't high. Why don't you settle 'Tiny Times' first?"

"No, Jia Jie, I don't want to miss an opportunity because of scheduling again. I want to wait. Senior Brother said before he would arrange it for me; maybe it's this film? Yes, it must be."

It was less that Yang Mi was persuading Ceng Jia, and more that she was persuading herself. Although she knew that compared to those few women, her chances were indeed much smaller, she had to fight for it no matter what.

She absolutely did not want the tragedy of "Pacific Rim" to repeat itself!

Shanghai, Tangren Media.

"Shishi, have you been in contact with President Wei these past two days?"

Looking at Miss Cai's eager gaze, Liu Shishi wore a look of helplessness.

"I have been in contact, but he's been abroad during this time, so it's not convenient to call or anything; we just exchange messages."

"Then..."

"K Jie, I know what you want to say. Don't think too much. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now?"

Liu Shishi interrupted Miss Cai. She was now a partner of Tangren, so she didn't need to be as cautious about certain things as she used to be.

"Eh, Shishi, don't be in such a hurry to leave. I brought you here today for another matter..."

Seeing Liu Shishi sit back down, Miss Cai took a document out of the drawer.

"Shishi, I have a script here. Take it back and look at it first. If you have time, help me ask him..."

This was also a helpless move by Miss Cai. The previous "Legend of the Desert" didn't work out, and this year they only started "Qian Shan Mu Xue"; she had to think of some way, after all, the whole Tangren family needed to eat.

"Fine, I'll find a chance to ask him."

After taking the script, Liu Shishi left the office.

Just as she came out, she was met with an iced milk tea handed over by her assistant Taozi. After taking it and inserting the straw to take a beautiful sip, Liu Shishi instantly felt much more comfortable.

Taozi, who was to the side, hesitated for a long time before asking.

"Shishi Jie, do you really have no thoughts about 'Edge of Tomorrow'?"

Taking another sip of milk tea and slowly savoring the pearls inside, Liu Shishi reached out and tapped Taozi on the forehead.

"You, you're following me now, don't learn from K Jie all day, thinking about all sorts of nonsense."

After saying this, Liu Shishi didn't care whether Taozi could understand or not, and drank her milk tea to herself.

In fact, how could Liu Shishi not be tempted by the role? It was just that she knew very well that the female lead of a 170 million USD major production would never be her turn.

Perhaps after "Witch" became a hit, there might be a chance, but for now, she had to admit that there was still a gap between her and those few women, and there was no need to make her brother feel awkward.

"Do not fight for the moment, do not fight for a city or a plot of land, just treat everything with gentleness."

This was the strategy Liu Shishi set for herself; if three years didn't work, then ten years, let's see who couldn't hold out first.

Shenzhen, "Dearest" film crew.

A scene had just ended, and Ceng Li's assistant Xiaolan came over with the phone.

"Li Jie, Miss Zhang called just now, but she didn't say what it was about. Do you think you should call her back?"

Ceng Li frowned slightly. She had already guessed Zhang Ziyi's intention. After considering it for a while, she dialed the number back.

The other side seemed to have been waiting for a reply, and the call was connected very quickly.

"Lizi, you just got back from the Northwest and ran off to Guangdong again; you're busy enough. When will the filming there wrap up?"

"Ziyi, my scenes here aren't many, probably another ten days or so. How about you? Aren't you busy with movie promotions? How do you have the time to call me?"

"I missed you, that's why. By the way, Lizi, do you have any plans after your filming wraps up?"

After Zhang Ziyi on the other end of the phone said this, she began to hold her breath.

"Hmm, no, I'll be staying in Beijing next, to spend some good time with Dudu."

As soon as Ceng Li finished speaking, she clearly felt the tone on the other side become lighter.

"Mm, you should spend more time with the child. Let's get together in Beijing then; we haven't seen each other for almost a year."

"Sure, call the others then, and we'll have a good gathering. By the way, Ziyi, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up first? I'm about to start here..."

"Oh, that, Lizi, I want to ask about the role. Don't worry, I'm not trying to make things difficult for you, I just want to know the specific situation..."

Ceng Li breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this; her old classmate was still very clear-headed and didn't make any excessive demands. She then didn't hide anything and told her everything she knew. After receiving a round of thanks, Ceng Li returned the phone to her assistant, drank two sips of water, and walked toward the set.

Beijing, inside a villa.

"Xixi, for this project, can Wei Jin make the final decision?"

Liu Xiaoli stared intensely at her daughter; in her view, this opportunity was truly excellent, and not a whit inferior to Inception.

In some respects, the boost Edge of Tomorrow provided to a lead actress was even greater, as it was, after all, a legitimate female lead role.

For Liu Xiaoli, who possessed a Hollywood filter, this was a massive temptation.

"Huh? I don't know, he didn't say."

Liu Yifei lay on the sofa, watching television while petting her cat, responding in a distracted manner.

"Then why don't you ask?"

"What is there to ask? He has his own plans in mind."

Speaking of this, Liu Yifei turned her head to look at her mother, recalling previous events, and couldn't help but offer a word of caution.

"Mom, if you really want what's best for me, don't go adding to the trouble."

Having spent many years together, Liu Yifei had long since figured out Wei Jin's temperament; only by not competing did one have greater confidence.

Warner's efficiency was very high, and they produced a complete shooting schedule within a week.

After Wei Jin received the detailed materials, he called Han Sanping at the first opportunity.

"Han Dong, for this shoot, Warner expects one month for preparation, three months to complete filming, and four months to complete the Post-production Special Effects."

Over the phone, Wei Jin could feel Han Sanping's astonishment; indeed, this efficiency was much higher than in the domestic industry, and even Shanhe Media could not reach this level.

"So that means filming must start by mid-October at the latest?"

"Yes, the engineers and technical personnel from China Film Group can be arranged in advance. Also, you should finalize the roles on your end soon; I've been harassed enough these past few days."

Speaking of this, Wei Jin couldn't help but grumble to himself, because due to Han Sanping's actions, his phone calls, WeChat messages, texts, and even emails had grown exponentially these past few days; fortunately, he had handed it all to Huang Mengying to handle.

"Rest assured, it will be announced in these two days. For those Chinese roles, I still intend to arrange them for the Beijing Film Studio; after all, their image and other aspects will be better."

"Mm, Han Dong can decide that."

When Wei Jin wrote this script years ago, he hadn't considered making it a co-production, and after the project was set, he had only emphasized the female lead role.

As for letting other Chinese actors participate, it was purely out of the sincerity shown by Warner, feeling that this might replicate the success of Pacific Rim.

In fact, these roles didn't have much screen time, and they were all ensemble military roles, so Wei Jin couldn't be bothered to worry about it.

"By the way, when are you coming back? You wouldn't happen to have some new project in North America, would you?"

"Mm, my award-contending film, I'm arranging it in advance, probably in about a week or so."

Sure enough, upon hearing about an award-contending film, Han Sanping lost interest; he knew it was impossible for China Film Group to participate in that.

After chatting for a few more sentences, Wei Jin hung up the phone and took a moment to pay attention to the domestic film market.

The Hunger Games had already been released domestically, raking in 48 million over three days.

This result was indeed far behind its explosive performance in North America, but one had to know that it was released only a day or two apart from Puluomixi and The Expendables 2.

Furthermore, it was only separated by a little over a week from The Amazing Spider-Man and Batman 2; the competition was too intense.

At this moment, it was equivalent to five Hollywood blockbusters harvesting the film market, with the daily box office combined exceeding 100 million, and the overall market was being squeezed dry.

Several films that hadn't finished their runs in August were being absolutely crushed.

The White Storm was doing alright; it had already reached the end of its run, and the box office had already climbed past 450 million.

The Bullet Vanishes had been out for over half a month, with the box office struggling to reach 190 million, and the daily intake was about to fall below one million.

As for that film by Zhou Xun, The Silent War, its public screening period had already ended a few days ago, with a final box office of 171 million.

As for The Lion Roars 2 and Border Town Prodigal, they had long since been pulled from theaters; giving them half a month of screening time was already an unspoken rule in the industry.

At this moment, Heartbroken Fairy Tale and White Deer Plain were a bit panicked; after all, they were to be released in over a week, so wouldn't they be suppressed and beaten? Subsequently, Wei Jin paid attention to industry news and didn't expect to see such a big drama.

Lou Ye had always been a big mouth, but Wei Jin didn't expect this fellow to be so bold.

Other directors would at most film movies with fringe themes and take them to exhibitions.

But this one was different; he seized the opportunity to confront the Film Bureau internationally, criticize the domestic censorship system, and even complain that he had been oppressed and suppressed.

The result was predictable; while he was still in Venice, the bureau had already issued a notice domestically, and Mystery of the Floating City, a film that had already received its Dragon Mark, needed to be reviewed again.

This was also a first in the country, and Wei Jin had to give him a thumbs up; truly awesome! Han Sanping's efficiency was high; he really did announce the situation regarding Edge of Tomorrow in two days.

"Female lead: Jing Tian; some supporting roles will be played by actors from the Beijing Film Studio and the Art Troupe, with filming expected to start in mid-October."

Once the news came out, the circle immediately exploded; everyone was waiting for auditions, and who knew it had already been decided.

However, thinking about it carefully, not to mention the relationship between Jing Tian and Wei Jin, just the fact that her company, Starlight Splendid, was also a shareholder of Wanda Pictures, if there was only one female role, she was indeed the most suitable from every perspective.

"Why? It was clearly agreed that it would be arranged for me, why? Where exactly am I worse than them?"

Watching Yang Mi looking as if her Dao heart had shattered, muttering incessantly, Ceng Jia couldn't help but try to persuade her.

"Mimi, cheer up. Do you really think you can't make it without that man? Even if you had landed this film, so what? Without the support of continuous global releases, you would be nothing more than the next Zhang Ziyi. Is this what you want? Listen to me, I have already made comprehensive plans for the Studio."

Yang Mi was, after all, a woman with strong career ambitions; listening to the beautiful blueprint constructed by Ceng Jia—turning the Studio into a company, signing artists, investing in movies and TV dramas, seeking a public listing—every step was clearly visible.

Yang Mi suddenly raised her head, her voice hoarse.

"Jia Jie, I was just feeling sad, was it necessary to preach so much?"

Seeing Yang Mi as if she had awakened, a look of relief flashed across Ceng Jia's face; Yang Mi hadn't changed, she was still the ambitious and motivated Yang Mi.

"You scared me to death; I thought you were going to be devastated."

"Hehe, Jia Jie, no one can defeat me. Go reply to the production team, I'll take Tiny Times."

At this moment, Yang Mi completely severed her romantic ties, and a light flickered in her eyes—that was called ambition.

She, Yang Mi, would never be weaker than anyone in her life! (End of chapter)