Chapter 720

For this script given to Jin Li, she felt it was quite different.

Because she had seen the previous version, she knew just how massive the changes were.

Almost the entire main storyline had been altered, retaining only the most essential parts of the original.

Calling this kind of change a complete overhaul would not be an exaggeration.

Jin Li had only provided a line of thought, giving them a reference direction.

The director seemed to take it very seriously, but how the script would ultimately turn out depended on what the screenwriter had in mind.

After finishing this script, Jin Li couldn't help but marvel at Director Chu's boldness.

It was almost entirely rewritten!

And rewritten in a completely new direction, combining her ideas to present a story that was both cruel and funny.

Dawn Part 2 did not continue the storyline from Part 1; instead, it employed a time-leap technique, jumping forward five years.

In the fifth year of the apocalypse, people had already found methods to cope with the zombie and mutated animal crises, developed various evolution serums, and established numerous bases.

Individuals bearing the same appearances as Ruan Ruanruan and Ji Ruibin appeared in one of these bases.

They possessed adult forms, but their memories had been completely rewritten, giving them experiences entirely different from those of Ruan Ruanruan and Ji Ruibin.

Only their appearances were similar; their life journeys shared not a single common point.

In reality, this base was a famous cloning facility dedicated to researching the code of human life.

The genes of Ruan Ruanruan and Ji Ruibin had been extracted by some special method and then replicated through cloning.

"Dawn 2: Apocalypse" tells a story of rebellion.

It is a tale of clones awakening to consciousness, rebelling, and ultimately seeking their true origin.

The story throws out many doubts right from the beginning.

The occasionally disordered memories, the world that feels not quite real, and the voice echoing repeatedly in dreams.

As the plot progresses, the audience, viewing through the protagonist's eyes, discovers the secrets of this base, only to spawn new questions.

"Who exactly am I?"

"Where is the real me?"

"As a product cultivated within an experimental base, am I truly a human being?"

Reading to the end, Jin Li felt that "Apocalypse" was also a journey of clones seeking their origin, uncovering the conspiracy of the cloning base.

The cloning base was not really trying to save the world, explore the mysteries of genes, or find a cure for the virus by cultivating clones.

The true purpose of the powers behind the scenes was to build a world dominated entirely by clones.

From the moment of their birth, every clone had a program written into them, making them unable to disobey the commands of those in power.

He hypocritically created an Eden and hypocritically wrapped it in a beautiful sugar coating, letting the clones immerse themselves in it.

Therefore, in the script, when the clones of Ruan Ruanruan and Ji Ruibin awakened and sought to uncover the base's secrets, they encountered obstruction from other clones.

These obstructing clones were all individuals whose consciousness had already awakened and who had recovered their original memories!

They stopped Ruan Ruanruan and Ji Ruibin from seeking the truth, believing that their current life was fine and that recovering fragmented memories of the cruel apocalypse would only cause them more harm.

Ruan Ruanruan rallied whatever allies she could while simultaneously seeking to uncover the truth buried for five years.

In the end, the story concluded with the real Ruan Ruanruan being resurrected by her clone.

After reading the entire script, Jin Li couldn't help but praise Director Chu's boundless imagination.

Shifting the setting to the post-apocalyptic world five years later, where order had been restored, brought a fresher worldview to the audience, yet the suspense remained; unresolved issues from the first part were carried over to be pursued in the second.

One might have thought the second part would wrap everything up, but the ending stalled on the resurrection.

After Ruan Ruanruan's resurrection, what level had the virus within her body reached?

Would she become the strongest in the world?

The missing code had been hidden within the clone all along!

Would Ruan Ruanruan seek revenge?

Burdened with a series of questions, the audience would begin anticipating the third installment.

If the first part depicted the tragedy of people struggling to adapt to life after the apocalypse erupted,

then the second part was a story constructed with "Ruan Ruanruan" as the absolute protagonist.

Starting from the second part, the creative team placed the core of the story on the character of "Ruan Ruanruan," making the plot revisions even more interesting.

Although the newly written script took less time than the initial first draft, the storyline was very complete, and Jin Li felt the quality of the second version was higher.

However, this did not mean that the first version, crafted with so much effort, was entirely useless.

In fact, the first version served a great purpose, as it further refined the worldview of Dawn.

Precisely because the worldview had been established, the screenwriter was able to rapidly produce the second story within that same framework.

Whether it was the first version or the second one currently being read, the worldview utilized was essentially the same.

Jin Li spent three days finishing this script and immediately called Director Chu.

"This version is more innovative; when will filming begin?"

Director Chu paused, then asked in return, "No other opinions?"

Jin Li shook her head. "No, the plot is very complete; I can't find a single flaw."

She paused briefly, then smiled and said, "Director Chu, I have a premonition that Dawn Part 2 will be a huge hit."

The weight hanging on Director Chu's heart finally settled.

Jin Li's Counterattack had been a massive hit this year, its achievements already far surpassing those of Dawn.

After all, Dawn hadn't even made it into the top ten films in mainland China.

Many within the industry believed she had a unique knack and keen eye for selecting scripts.

Coupled with her own metaphysical luck, as long as a project received her approval, there was none that didn't become a success.

From film and television dramas to variety shows, all confirm this truth.

So ever since Jin Li was not very satisfied with the first version of the script, he had non-stop worked with the screenwriter to revise it into a second version.

During the revisions, he also realized the shortcomings of the first version; indeed, it had many flaws, the plot was too clichéd, and in the realm of commercial blockbusters, it could only be considered passable, far from excellent.

He himself was holding back a breath of determination, thinking to create an even better second version.

Now that Jin Li had approved the second version, Director Chu's heart finally settled firmly to the ground.

Chu Chenliang pondered for a moment and said, "Finalizing the script is only the first step; preparing the sets and producing the props will also consume a great deal of time."

"We definitely cannot start filming during next year's winter break, but we will strive to begin shooting by next summer, and at the very latest, production will commence by the end of next year."

Jin Li turned around to comfort him, "Science fiction blockbusters involve a great deal of special effects production; the more thorough the preparation, the faster the filming speed will be."

"Once filming is complete, with your team's production speed, it will be released very quickly. Director Chu, there is no need to be so anxious; slow and steady wins the race, let us take our time."

This was exactly what Chu Chenliang thought as well.

He smiled and said, "I previously rushed to film the second installment because I worried that the popularity of the first part would be exhausted within these few years, that people would no longer anticipate it, and then I would lose our early advantage."

"But ever since your 'Counterattack' became a massive hit, netizens began cataloging your past works, among which 'Dawn' prominently appeared on the list; the waning popularity that 'Dawn' should have experienced has instead increased."

"Not to mention domestically, many foreign audiences are also anticipating this drama; compared to 'Counterattack,' they would prefer watching 'Dawn' even more, as it aligns better with their understanding of popcorn blockbusters."

"Because you are providing the safety net, I am no longer anxious, and can instead look forward to the reactions of overseas fans; when the time comes, we can launch our promotional campaign globally all at once."

Chu Chenliang spoke with great ambition, "Once the script is finalized, I can begin seeking external investment; this time, many global film studios wish to cooperate with us."

"Jin Li, collaborating with you is my fortune!" he remarked with emotion.

Jin Li felt embarrassed and said modestly, "No, no, it is because Director Chu wrote a good script and directed it well that my character had the opportunity to break out of the circle; the key lies in the excellence of the production team and the quality of the script."

Chu Chenliang shook his head, "The blockbusters I have directed in the past never lacked in script or production quality, and I always hired stars with massive traffic and real strength, yet very few of them became hits."

"So whether you achieved me, or we achieved you, I understand clearly."

"I will not say more words of gratitude; I keep them all in my heart. During the preparation stage of 'Dawn 2,' I will reserve for you a share of the film's sales profits."

"The profit-sharing ratio will not be very high; consider it merely a token of my sincerity, and do not decline when the time comes."

Upon hearing this, Jin Li was truly surprised.

In the past, when she signed for the first installment of 'Dawn,' she received only a pure acting fee and did not participate in any profit sharing.

This was not strange; Director Chu was, after all, an internationally renowned great director, and in the field of shooting special effects films, if he claimed to be second, no one dared claim first.

His own production team was excellent, so during filming, Director Chu was always the dominant party.

Stars could not obtain significant benefits.

And now, 'Dawn' was about to film its second installment, a sequel launched on the foundation of the first part's massive explosion in popularity.

With high popularity already established as a base, as long as the filming was not a disaster, the box office results would undoubtedly reach at least the passable line.

In such a film where losses were a foregone impossibility, it was very difficult for a star to intervene and demand a share of the film's profits.

In the second installment, Director Chu similarly occupied an overwhelmingly dominant position.

Now he wanted to grant her a share of the box office profits; Jin Li felt somewhat overwhelmed by this unexpected favor.

It was not that she could not accept these profits, but rather that there was still a gap in status between the two parties, and Director Chu had no need to curry favor or bind her in this manner.

Even if she did not participate, many actors with strength and international popularity would rush to film this drama, even if it meant lowering their own acting fees.

Jin Li said, "Director Chu, please consider it again; there is no need to be so impulsive."

"When filming the first installment of 'Dawn,' I gained much knowledge about shooting special effects films; this drama also achieved me, so even if you did not offer profit sharing, I would still accept the role."

Director Chu spoke with an air of serene confidence, "Just consider that I am getting old and prone to overthinking; I am always afraid you will run away, so I hope to bind us together with benefits."

"Otherwise, I will spend my days unable to think of tea or rice, unable to sleep, and lacking energy... just consider it as caring for an old man like me."

Jin Li: ...

With words delivered to this point, if she still did not agree, Director Chu might truly suspect she did not want to film the second installment.

After all, the script for the second part had not yet emerged, there had been no external investment solicitation, no casting calls had been issued, and not even a letter of intent had been drafted.

Jin Li said with a mix of helplessness and amusement, "Very well, if you dare to give, I dare to accept; bring it on."

She hung up the phone, and Gu Cheng, who had been watching from the side the whole time, asked, "Was that Director Chu calling to discuss 'Dawn 2' with you?"

Jin Li nodded.

Thinking of something, she asked, "I only paid attention to the results of 'Counterattack' and did not follow other films; has the recent call for 'Dawn 2' been very loud?"

Gu Cheng also knew Jin Li's habits; for things she did not watch, she simply would not look, devoting more energy to other matters.

He nodded, "And not just generally loud."

"Ever since 'Counterattack' became famous overseas, many film fans have sought out your past films, and they unanimously believe that 'Dawn' suits their tastes even better."

"I remember you also flew abroad before to attend promotional events for 'Dawn,' but none of them brought the level of influence that 'Counterattack' has this time."

"Whether domestic or foreign film fans, they have spontaneously voted; in those lists of movies desired to have sequels, 'Dawn' ranks near the top, and 'Counterattack 2' also prominently appears on the list, but the call for it is not as loud as for 'Dawn'."

Jin Li said, "Currently, 'Dawn' is still in its peak popularity period, so it is on the list; by next year, it will rapidly fall off. For youth inspirational films, the most important element is youth."

"Inspiration is also a main thread, but under the nourishment of youth, it appears even more charming."

After chatting casually with Gu Cheng for a bit, she sent a message to Sister Fang, informing her that the script for 'Dawn 2' had been finalized, and filming could begin next summer or, at the latest, by the end of the year.

Since it was still early, Sui Lingfang did not call to ask, but merely sent a message.

[It has been registered in your schedule; I will remind you when the time comes.]

This matter was concluded for the time being, but Jin Li did not expect Director Chu to act so quickly.

Only three days after the script was finalized, Director Chu sent the contract to Chenxi Entertainment.

It not only invited Jin Li to be the female lead in the second installment, calculating the acting fee at the industry's ceiling price of fifty million, but also additionally granted her 5% of the box office profit sharing.

These generous contract conditions made Sui Lingfang unable to resist calling Jin Li, asking cautiously:

"Are you sure you didn't cast a spell on Director Chu? Five percent of the box office profits, and for a film that is obviously destined to be a massive hit."

Jin Li: ...

"Earlier, Director Chu called to tell me the script was finished; after I read it, he discussed the film's profit-sharing with me."

Sui Lingfang asked curiously, "How did you negotiate? Why was Director Chu willing to give you 5% of the box office revenue?"

If this were a low-budget film, with funding from Chenxi Entertainment and Jin Li joining the cast, offering actors 5% to 10% profit sharing would not be surprising.

But this is Dawn II!

It is an IP clearly destined to succeed; the first installment built up such massive popularity that even if the sequel performs poorly, it will still recoup its costs.

Giving away another 5% under these circumstances—isn't that like cutting flesh from one's own body?

Jin Li said, "I was stunned when I first heard it. I told the director there was no need to give me any box office share, as I had already promised him I would continue starring in Dawn II."

At that time, neither party's status had changed; Jin Li still relied on the film's popularity to consolidate her own position.

Who could have imagined that in just one year, the balance of power between them would shift so completely?

Instead, it was Director Chu who urgently needed Jin Li's popularity to bolster the film.

"But Director Chu worried I might back out; he insisted on giving me a share of the box office, saying otherwise he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully."