Chapter 17: Suspected of Stealing the Script

Xianggang, Jiahe Company.

Zou Wenhuai, Cai Yongchang, and Liang Nen gathered in the meeting room, naturally discussing the 1998 Spring Festival slot.

Before Jiang Heng burst onto the scene, only three films were slated for the 1998 Spring Festival: the January 16 release of 'Lucky Dragon,' the January 17 release of 'Who Am I?,' and the January 24 release of '98 Triads: Dragon vs. Tiger.'

'Lucky Dragon' was a favor-made work by Zhou Xingxing, and its quality was limited.

'Triads' was hot in 1996, but even its highest-grossing sequel, 'Dragon Crossing the River,' only made over twenty million, nowhere near the level of Cheng Long's films.

Moreover, Zhou Runfa had already gone to Hollywood; in Jiahe's leadership's eyes, the Spring Festival box-office crown was already theirs for the taking.

When Jiang Heng and his 'The Matrix' announced a Spring Festival release, set to battle Cheng Long and Zhou Xingxing at the box office, Jiahe couldn't be bothered to pay attention.

How to put it? The gap was too great; it felt like even if they noticed or responded to Jiang Heng a little, they'd already be losing.

Who would have thought that this out-of-nowhere 'The Matrix' would premiere first on the mainland, its box office soaring nonstop to over seventy million, even reported by CCTV News—this could not be ignored!

"Who the hell is this kid, and where did he come from?"

Zou Wenhuai's eyes were deep, and he took a hard drag on his cigarette.

Cai Yongchang said: 'He was originally just an extra at the Shaw Brothers lot; after his father died, he left him a house, a car, and plenty of cash and stock—estimated at over twenty million. Not long after, this kid registered a film company called You Teng, a total shell with no staff.'

Zou Wenhuai showed a doubtful look; back then he, He Guanxiang, and Liang Nen left Shaw Brothers to found Jiahe Company, also roping in his cousin Cai Yongchang and other Shaw colleagues, hiring Li Xiaolong at high pay to film 'Fists of Fury,' which let Jiahe gain a foothold in Xianggang's film world.

Jiang Heng seemed to have popped out of a stone—just one person, a shell company, tricking two newcomers into starring, and he churned out a special-effects blockbuster that swept the mainland for tens of millions, possibly over a hundred million—utterly unbelievable!

"Too weird!"

Zou Wenhuai didn't know where to start for a moment, and only after a long while managed to blurt out that sentence.

Liang Nen suddenly said: 'I've actually heard of something even stranger!'

Seeing Zou and Cai looking at him, Liang Nen unhurriedly took out a cigarette, lit it, and inhaled slowly: 'I heard that Yuan Hepping is in the States, helping Warner Bros. train actors for what sounds like a movie about the internet, AI, and sci-fi!'

"What do you mean?"

Zou Wenhuai's eyes narrowed slightly, full of pressure.

"I'm wondering, could it be that someone stole Warner Bros.' script and then…!" Liang Nen boldly guessed.

"How could that be? How could an extra from the Shaw Brothers lot steal Warner Bros.' script? Even Yuan Hepping probably only knows the rough plot!" Cai Yongchang questioned.

Hollywood's film industry is far more regulated than Xianggang's, and in terms of script secrecy it employs many measures.

For example, printing on dark red paper makes every character on the script hard to recognize, whether photographed with a phone or camera, or photocopied.

Or not giving actors paper scripts, only allowing them to read on an iPad with an auto-delete setting.

Meanwhile, when Marvel filmed 'Avengers 4,' it's said only one actor read the whole script—the one playing Iron Man, little Robert Downey—while the others only saw scenes related to their own roles.

Even if we suppose Jiang Heng used to be an extra at the Shaw Brothers lot, and now he's an extra at Warner Bros.' lot, he still couldn't steal the script!

"Why would you think that way?" Zou Wenhuai asked with a puzzled look.

Liang Nen chuckled: 'It just feels too strange—Jiang Heng's upbringing and work history have nothing to do with the story of The Matrix, so it doesn't seem like he could have written it. And that film obviously has a Hollywood style!'

Although Liang Nen hasn't gone to the cinema to see it, he sent people to Shenzhen and knows what The Matrix is about!

Zou Wenhuai and Cai Yongchang both nodded slightly.

The latter said: 'What do you mean?'

"I suspect it's other Hollywood studios that got Warner Bros.' script out, somehow ending up in Jiang Heng's hands!"

Liang Nen voiced his judgment, and Zou Wenhuai and Cai Yongchang actually thought it quite possible—otherwise the special effects would be hard to explain!

Without the backing of a major Hollywood studio, how could Jiang Heng alone possibly handle such difficult post-production special effects?

"Verifying the guess is simple—right away send people to Shenzhen to secretly film some video and photos and send them over!"

Zou Wenhuai's eyes were deep, his words striking the ground.

Jiahe and Warner Bros. have been cooperating since the Li Xiaolong era, maintaining contact all these years; as long as we send over the 'evidence,' Warner Bros. won't dismiss it as a prank.

Cai Yongchang said: 'Stealing the script is just our wild guess; the odds are too low. Instead, let's talk about how to respond if the plots aren't the same.'

Zou Wenhuai declared grandly: 'When soldiers come, we meet them with generals; when water comes, we block it with earth—do we still need to fear Long's films?'

Cai Yongchang gave a wry smile; his older cousin, who has dominated Xianggang's film world for decades, is becoming ever more arrogant.

The three went back and forth in discussion, all they talked about were the usual 'tactics'!

Actually there's another off‑the‑book move: have people go to Shenzhen theaters to film, try to get a clearer complete source, send it to Li Pangzi's side, first produce a pirated videotape—this will definitely affect The Matrix's box office.

However, Jiahe's employees cleared customs to Shenzhen, filmed clips and photos of The Matrix in theaters, and upon returning handed them to Liang Nen.

He then wrote a brief summary of The Matrix's plot, packed it together with the photos and emailed it to the Warner Bros. China office, and also sent a compressed clip of the film's plot.

He then immediately called the office manager Zhao Yan: 'Hey, brother, I saw some interesting stuff in a mainland cinema, feels related to whatever Warner Bros. is preparing—I've already emailed it to your company's inbox, hurry up and take a look!'

Zhao Yan, who took the call, was a bit dazed—what connection could a domestically released film have with Warner Bros.?

His position as manager of Warner Bros.' China office sounds impressive to outsiders, but within Warner Corp. it's only mid‑level.

First, the mainland market accounts for a very low share of Hollywood's global box office, so the company attaches limited importance to it.

Second, Xianggang's market is even smaller; were it not for the company valuing Xianggang's talented filmpeople, they wouldn't have set up this department.

Thus, since Zhao Yan joined, he's known little about headquarters' affairs—after all, it's across the Pacific!

Then again, I heard the company paid one million USD to buy a script from the Wachowski Brothers, needed excellent martial‑arts guidance, so they contacted Yuan Hepping and recommended him.

As for what the film they're preparing is actually about, he's completely in the dark.

Moreover, under normal circumstances, who would think a script could leak and be filmed ahead of time?

That's impossible!

Zhao Yan returned to his office, opened the email, and read Liang Nen's plot outline and the stills taken in the theater.

"Is this Jiang Heng's The Matrix?"

Regarding the sudden emergence of this director and effects blockbuster, Zhao Yan had heard of it, but he never imagined it could be related to his own company.

All one can say is that headquarters' secrecy measures are too tight, or perhaps because he's ethnic Chinese, gaining the company's trust requires time and achievement.

Zhao Yan felt his heart pounding fiercely; although this matter isn't his responsibility, he was utterly thrilled.

He downloaded the video from the second email, watched it for a few moments, then closed the player.

Phew!

Zhao Yan let out a breath, paced a few steps in the office, and dialed the Warner Bros. Vice President.

"Hey, buddy, I have huge news that I need to confirm with you!"

Warner Bros. Vice President Xi Er Fu glanced outside, stood up, and pulled down the blinds.

"What happened?"

Zhao Yan was recruited by him, and he also strongly recommended him for the manager position at Warner's China office; normally he is called Vice President on the phone, but calling him "buddy" now shows the matter is serious.

"Is the company planning a film called *The Matrix*?"

"Who told you that?"

"Forget that for now, tell me, is it true?"

Xi Er Fu replied, "That's right, the company is preparing a sci‑fi blockbuster, but the title *The Matrix* was only decided this morning. How did you know?"

Many films change their titles repeatedly from pre‑production through filming to the final release—some because the original name seemed poor, others to keep secrets, using a garbled title to confuse rivals.

So even though Zhao Yan had heard the words Jiang Heng and *The Matrix* long ago, he could not link them to the film his own company was preparing.

Because the script was confidential to him, the title was only finalized after revisions.

At that moment, Zhao Yan felt his brain about to explode—something he had never experienced before!

"Um, on the mainland, a special‑effects blockbuster is now in theaters and has grossed over 80 million, so its performance is excellent!"

Xi Er Fu smiled disdainfully, "So what? You call me across the Pacific just to tell me this? Chinese sci‑fi films—this joke isn't funny at all!"

"The film is called *The Matrix*!"

Xi Er Fu found it even funnier, "And then? You don't actually think what they made is the same as what we're preparing, do you? That's impossible!"

Zhao Yan was speechless; although he knew the situation was odd, Xi Er Fu was being overly arrogant.

"Um, I don't know either, because I don't have the script outline for the film we're planning, but the *Matrix* released on the mainland already has its story out!"

Zhao Yan immediately read aloud the content written in the email, slowly.

After only a few lines, Xi Er Fu on the other end looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Impossible, impossible! How could that be? How did you get the script's content, and where did you see it?"

Zhao Yan, looking helpless, closed his eyes and said slowly, "Jiahe Company sent it to me!"

"Theft! They're despicable thieves who stole our script; we'll sue them into bankruptcy!"

The script we were preparing was stolen and filmed early by another company—a huge scandal for the firm.

Xi Er Fu wasn't sure whether he'd be implicated; after all, many things become unclear in the end.

Once caught in power and factional struggles, the truth becomes irrelevant.

That's why it appears frantic and even illogical.

"That film wasn't produced by Jiahe Company; it was made by a young man named Jiang Heng, and it's already released on the mainland. In Xianggang, it's scheduled for January 17!"

"Phew, sorry, this is too serious; I just lost my composure!"

Xi Er Fu admitted he'd been too flustered, steadied himself and said, "Alright, let's recount the whole sequence again!"

"Fine, let's go over it again!"

Zhao Yan combined the email's content with what he'd heard lately and slowly recounted it to Xi Er Fu.

After Xi Er Fu confirmed he fully understood, so he wouldn't misreport to the board, he ended the call and ordered Wu Jiazu to promptly email the relevant materials.

After Zhao Yan sorted everything out, he went online, found a report of Jiang Heng's interview, looked at the young handsome face, and murmured, "Young man, you don't know the limits; crossing Warner Company won't end well!"

He didn't realize that Warner's headquarters had already been thrown into chaos by the news he brought.

First, they need to confirm whether the mainland release of *The Matrix* was filmed from the script written by the Wo Zhuo Si Ji brothers.

Second, they must hold someone accountable!

This is undoubtedly Hollywood's biggest scandal in recent years, without equal.

They spent a million buying the script, even eagerly invited stars to audition, only to have someone film it ahead of them.

How can they pursue responsibility, how will it end? There's no precedent!

Of course, pondering that is far off; the immediate priority is verification.

The company immediately booked tickets, arranging for the screenwriters Wo Zhuo Si Ji brothers and Vice President Xi Er Fu and others to fly to Shanghai.

At Pudong Airport, after the group disembarked, the assistant was instructed to deliver farewell gifts to the hotel, while the others headed to the nearest cinema.

"I never expected so many people in China would come to watch a film?"

"Didn't they say the Chinese film industry is bleak, with many theaters closing?"

"Looks like they're all here for *The Matrix*!"

"Let's go see it first!" the older Wo Zhuo Si Ji brother said.

They entered the ticket hall, waited a long time before getting tickets, but not for the nearest showing, so they had to idle in the lobby.

Xi Er Fu finally got clever, stopped a couple, and in a slightly odd accent said in Chinese, "Hello, I'm in a hurry, extremely eager to see that film—could you sell me your tickets?"

Seeing Xi Er Fu's urgent stare at the *Matrix* poster, the young couple felt a sense of pride.

Foreigners are now watching Chinese blockbusters, and they're so eager!

"Fine, here you go!"

(End of chapter)