Chapter 537: R-Rated Film Project: The Assistant Wants to Play Landlord Again

As a Fast Gunner, Wei Jin had never taken more than three months to shoot a film since his debut.

But upon hearing Hunter's report that *Dallas Buyers Club* had entered the final stages, Wei Jin was still taken aback.

One must know, this film started shooting in mid-February, and less than a week after the start, the investor ran off, causing the production to stall.

Summit Entertainment's funds were injected in mid-March; calculating it this way, damn, the entire shooting cycle was actually less than a month.

"Are you sure it followed the original script, without any cuts or changes?"

"Boss, I'm sure. It's the same as the script outline we received at the beginning."

After hearing Hunter's explanation, Wei Jin could only sigh; damn, when forced by money, North American efficiency isn't incapable of being fast.

The film's Producer, fearing Summit Entertainment would withdraw capital again, went full throttle the moment the money was received, working overtime.

And the director and actors, due to contract stipulations, had to cooperate with the overtime to avoid their schedules being trapped.

Just like that, with everyone united in purpose, they actually staged a display of North American speed in front of Wei Jin; who could one reason with about this? "Boss, it's wrapping up in two days. Do you want to come over and take a look?"

"Fine."

Back home, April is indeed not considered a hot release window.

*Witch* was still harvesting box office in the film market, bringing in over ten million daily, slowly approaching the 400 million mark; it looked to have quite long-lasting potential.

On the other hand, Huang Bai's *Chef Actor Rascal*, with its word-of-mouth further collapsing, had already dropped to five or six million per day.

Du Qifeng's *Drug War* remained half-dead, reporting four or five million daily.

As for Huayi's *Saving General Yang*, the theaters gave it enough respect and it hadn't been pulled yet, but the screen share was already less than 5%.

As for the other imported blockbusters, besides *Magic Land* performing decently and crossing the 100 million mark, *Jack the Giant Slayer*, *A Good Day to Die Hard*, and *Resident Evil 5* had all reached the end of their theatrical runs.

And as the May Day holiday drew closer, the promotion for several domestic films also entered a heated stage.

Zhao Yanzi, directing for the first time, relied on her connections within the Shanghai Film Group and was held in high regard by the industry, with a large number of producers and celebrity artists helping to endorse her.

Even the lead actress of *So Young* was dubbed "V Girl" by the media; the intensity of the spotlight was truly unrivaled for a time.

And *Kung Fu Jungle* was also a focal point of attention both inside and outside the industry.

A massive amount of local promotional posters had already landed in theaters nationwide.

On the posters, Zhao Wenzhuo and Wang Baoqiang looked, one like a glaring Vajra, the other like a demonic ghost.

The two stared at each other from afar, filled with a murderous atmosphere.

Lu Yang led the cast and crew on a non-stop national roadshow, and they didn't let go of any major popular variety shows either.

Everyone in the entire crew seemed to be holding their breath, vowing to become the king of the May Day holiday.

The smoke of the May Day holiday seemed to be permeating from this very moment.

*Dallas Buyers Club* wrapped up, and it was Wei Jin's first time meeting the main creative team.

It must be said, Matthew McConaughey, this North American actor with 20 years in the industry, was indeed very professional.

In this film, Matthew played a drug addict dying of AIDS; to realistically portray the character's frailty, he specifically went on a diet for half a year before filming started.

It is said that when he joined the crew, his weight had dropped from 180 jin to 135 jin; he was definitely a ruthless man.

But if one were to talk about who caught Wei Jin's attention the most, it had to be the lead actress, Jennifer Garner.

Deserving of being voted the "World's Sexiest Woman" by the men's magazine *MAXIM* in 2001, even past 40, her charm remained dazzling.

Unfortunately, looking at the wedding ring on her hand, Wei Jin had no thoughts left.

After chatting a few words with the director, the producer, and the actors, Wei Jin intended to leave, but didn't expect Hunter to have more work to report.

"Boss, when you asked me to buy copyrights before, I swept up a few more bestsellers. Lionsgate took a liking to one of them and wants to co-develop it with us."

Wei Jin was not surprised that Hunter would proactively hoard copyrights, but asked casually, "Which one is it?"

"*Fifty Shades of Grey*."

"."

Good heavens, since Wei Jin transmigrated, he had never considered making erotic films; after all, there were too many profitable films, so there was no need.

He didn't expect this fellow Hunter to have actually picked up a bargain; his eye for things wasn't bad at all.

But thinking about it, Hunter had long been mingling among North American beauties, so it wasn't strange that he could discover this novel.

"Alright then, you talk to them. It's best to leave the production team to them; of course, our share cannot be lower than 70%."

"Don't worry, Boss. The copyright is in our hands; Lionsgate will agree."

"Mm, then that's that."

In half a month, *Witch*'s box office crossed the 400 million mark.

Liu Shishi took another step forward, becoming a 400-million-box-office lead actress, thoroughly proving herself on the big screen.

Because Tangren had been in a slump for over two months due to Lin Gengxin's contract termination scandal, they immediately seized this heat, and related press releases flew everywhere.

On one hand, they praised Liu Shishi's acting and drawing power; on the other, they subtly pointed out that Lin Gengxin couldn't endure loneliness and would flop sooner or later.

People in the industry were joking that Miss Cai was using a tiger's skin as a banner; the resources for *Witch* weren't something Tangren could have produced.

However, this move by Tangren seemed to have pressed the switch for the rivalry among the Four Dan Actresses.

First, *Kung Fu Jungle* released its trailer.

Bai Bin's costume in the film, with a bombshell figure, both seductive and charming, caused quite a few lecherous netizens to drool over their screens.

Subsequently, Yu Zheng Studio announced that a new film was about to start shooting.

"One of the newly promoted Four Dan Actresses, Yang Ying, will star in the new Yu Zheng Studio drama, *Song in the Clouds*."

Yang Ying also followed up with a Weibo post, high-profilely announcing: "Joining the crew at the end of the month, I definitely won't let everyone down."

The wife-spoiling maniac Huang Xiaoming displayed his usual style, cheering for his girlfriend on Weibo and waving the flag; the momentum was quite large.

It's just that the netizens' roasting was quite sharp, with all sorts of sarcasm and mockery pouring in. There was no helping it; the lead actress of this show had no acting skills, the lead actor was from the Stabbing Sect, and the screenwriter was a plagiarism dog—the negative news for the entire cast was maxed out.

It would be quite difficult not to be scolded.

Immediately following that, Huanyu jumped out and announced their new film plan.

"The large-scale ancient costume Xianxia drama 'Swords of Legends', adapted from the game of the same name, has been officially approved for production, with an expected investment of no less than 100 million. Yang Mi, the head of the Four Dan Actresses, has been confirmed to join, while the rest of the cast is yet to be determined."

Once the news broke, it suppressed all previous headlines, attracting the attention of almost the entire entertainment industry.

It was not because Yang Mi lowered her status to star in a television drama, but because almost all young actors were drawn to the four words "cast to be determined."

There was no helping it; the game-adapted 'Chinese Paladin' series had directly propelled several first-tier and even super-first-tier actors to fame, such as Hu Ge, Liu Yifei, Yang Mi, Zhang Li, Wang Kai, and Liu Shishi.

The subsequent 'Xuan-Yuan Sword', despite not being as explosive as 'Chinese Paladin', provided no small boost to Jiang Jinfu and Rouba.

Now, another game-adapted Xianxia drama had been approved, and the scale of investment far exceeded that of the original 'Chinese Paladin' series and 'Xuan-Yuan Sword'.

It wasn't just the actors who were tempted; even the audience and game fans were incredibly excited, directly launching polls online in hopes that their favorite actors could participate.

However, those in the industry were well aware that these thoughts from netizens were too naive; for such a high-quality project that boosts one's career, the production company would certainly prioritize their own people.

Even the roles that could be released would, in all likelihood, be minor supporting roles.

But even so, companies that had developed brokerage businesses, such as Huayi, Tangren Media, Orange Sky, and Xingmei, were all eyeing it.

After all, in the current entertainment industry, Xianxia dramas are indeed very effective at boosting careers.

Moreover, in game-adapted Xianxia dramas, even supporting roles have their own stories and characteristics, similar to an ensemble cast—they are definitely not bad! Sometimes the entertainment industry is just that unfair.

While countless actors outside were waiting for auditions, Wei Jin had already received a call from the investors.

"Little brother, do you have any thoughts on the roles this time? Although the female lead is set as Yang Mi, the female second lead has quite a lot of screen time. If you have any ideas, just speak up."

Recently, 'Chef Actor Rascal' had achieved great success with a small budget, and now that he had invested in a Xianxia drama that the industry unanimously favored, Old Wang was in a very good mood and was making grand promises over the phone.

However, Old Wang did indeed have the qualifications to do so.

"Old brother, then help me secure the female second lead role: Dilraba from Tangren Media."

The company's artists were not lacking in resources, but Dilraba was tied up at Tangren Media and was indeed having a rather miserable time; Wei Jin couldn't bear it and wanted to help where he could.

Moreover, he remembered that Dilraba did appear in this show, though it seemed to be a transparent role.

Turning her into the female second lead this time could be considered a form of compensation.

"No problem, just wait for my notification. By the way, little brother, 'Badges of Fury' has been scheduled for June 21st; your movie will have to make way for your old brother..."

"Fine, I will keep that in mind. By the way, old brother, when does this show start filming, and what is the shooting cycle?"

"According to the Hong Kong production team's plan, casting and preparation will be completed within two months, with filming expected to start in July. As for the shooting cycle, it is tentatively set for four months."

"Alright, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, a trace of inexplicable emotion appeared on Wei Jin's face.

He didn't know what to say about Yang Mi's luck; he had originally wanted to give her a surprise, but now it seemed it would be better not to let her know.

'Fast & Furious 7' was officially announced, with James Wan replacing Lin Yibin as director.

At the invitation of James Wan, Wei Jin attended the press conference.

Looking at James Wan standing on stage, looking triumphant, Wei Jin could not help but feel a bit emotional.

In Hollywood, those who haven't directed a blockbuster cannot be considered top-tier directors; this Chinese-descent director, whom he had known for many years, had finally made it.

After the standard procedures, the reception began. James Wan walked up to Wei Jin with a glass of red wine and greeted him with a smile: "Wei, thank you for coming."

"Don't be so polite, my good friend. Congratulations, but car racing scenes are not your specialty; be sure to pay attention to safety during filming."

In his past life, Wei Jin didn't pay much attention to foreign news; he only remembered that the male lead of this film passed away during filming, but he didn't know the specific details, so he mentioned it cryptically.

"Don't worry, Wei. I will be learning with the stunt team for the next few months. I will definitely handle this series well."

James Wan didn't pay much mind to Wei Jin's well-intentioned reminder, instead bringing up another topic.

"Wei, there is an Asian male character in this film. I know you have artists signed in Huaxia; are you interested?"

"Oh?"

Wei Jin hadn't expected an unexpected gain. Although what James Wan could offer would certainly be a supporting role, being able to appear in such a major production would still be very helpful for elevating one's status, so he immediately accepted the kind offer.

"Then thank you, James. I will recommend a suitable candidate to you."

"You're welcome, my friend."

James Wan waved his hand; to him, this was just a small favor.

Inside the bedroom of the Beverly Hills villa, Wei Jin and his two assistants were playing Fight the Landlord.

They were returning to the country in two days, and both Liu Yan and Meng Ying knew very well that with so many beauties back home, there wouldn't be much time left for them to spend intimately with their boss.

Therefore, in tonight's card game, the two of them could be said to have exhausted all their tricks.

Meng Ying couldn't help but let go of Wei Jin and coquettishly said, "Boss~~ why won't you eat me?"

"Hiss~~ you little vixen, you have quite a lot of demands."

Feeling the different warmth brought by Liu Yan taking over the position, Wei Jin teased her and leaned his lips in; the youthful fragrance of someone in their twenties struck him instantly.

After about a few minutes, Wei Jin looked at the beautiful scenery before him and knew the time had come.

After running his fingers casually over Meng Ying's thigh, which was wrapped in black silk, Wei Jin gave it a slap.

"Smack!"

"It seems Meng Ying can't wait anymore; let's do it together tonight."

"Mm, Sister Liu Yan, come quickly."

Accompanied by the familiar singing and rhythmic beats, the card game for the night officially began. PS: There have been some changes to the schedule regarding the professor title in Chapter 507. After checking the information, I found it wasn't that simple. Sorry.

(End of chapter)