Chapter 356: Wolf Warrior Begins Filming

"One Person Under" started filming not long ago, and "Wolf Warrior" is about to start filming as well.

Wu Jing visited the crew once before the new film's press conference, hoping to invite Jiang Heng to cameo in a role.

"Um, Director Jiang, I know you're extremely busy, but you also know that realistic military films really lack hype and still need your backing! Besides, the two hundred million investment is basically all yours!"

The film Wolf Warrior has three investors: Outstanding Rising Film Company, the Jinling Military Region Political Department Television Art Center, and Chengfeng International Film Company under Wu Jing.

The latter two really couldn't put up much money, so Outstanding Rising's investment made up the overwhelming majority.

Of course, the film's rights naturally also belong to Outstanding Rising Film Company.

Jiang Heng heard that and showed a somewhat uneasy expression.

He is naturally very busy in his daily life.

As for time, it's not that he can't squeeze it out; it's just that he feels the film isn't particularly outstanding, so he's weighing whether to cameo.

Of course, if it were a film like Wolf Warrior 2 or Operation Red Sea, Jiang Heng wouldn't mind a cameo to show off his skills.

"Um, it won't take much time; one or two days is enough, even a single day can finish!" Wu Jing humbly pleaded.

He started as a kung‑fu star, debuting by following Li Lianjie's path to fame, directly playing the male lead in movies.

Unfortunately, he missed the golden era of kung‑fu films; the movies he made were outdated formulas that never made a splash, and later he drifted into the TV circle or did cameos in films.

In this life, thanks to Jiang Heng's support, he starred in many "Journey to the West"‑type films, gaining considerable fame, status, and wealth.

The problem is he plays Sun Wukong, which requires heavy makeup; even after watching a whole film, you might not see his true face.

So even now he can only be considered a second‑tier star, incomparable to someone like Huang Xiaoming who also co‑starred in Jiang Heng's movies.

In recent years he naturally also shot other movies, but they were all mid‑to‑low‑budget action films with rather average market performance.

To improve, he needs a new path; after seeing Mighty Troop become a hit, he got the idea to make a war film.

Considering that, aside from Jiang Heng, no domestic director has tackled military action films in recent years, he thought of directing and starring himself, promoting himself.

Fortunately, thanks to the good cooperation over these years, he actually managed to secure nearly two hundred million in massive investment from Jiang Heng's side—a truly unexpected turn.

Speaking of Xu Ke back then, when he tried to pull investment from Jiang Heng to shoot "Seven Swords", he was outright rejected! Directors from Xianggang and Neidi could raise three to five tens of millions and that was considered a lot.

He, an action actor with no directing experience, jumped straight into a two‑hundred‑million‑yuan project.

He felt both excited and genuinely uneasy.

Needless to say, he intends to try every possible method to make the film great.

For this, he basically tapped every connection he'd built over his years in the industry.

Wu Yan Zu was his "master‑nephew" when he studied at the Shichahai Military Academy, and they've always gotten along well; now Wu Yan Zu is an "international superstar", yet they remain in contact.

Wu Jing mustered the nerve and called for help.

Wu Yan Zu didn't agree immediately; he first asked about the shooting schedule, then said, "During the May 1st holiday I'll return to Xianggang, will drop by to see you and maybe do a cameo."

Wu Jing heard that and was beyond grateful.

Later he also contacted Huang Xiaoming and conveyed his request.

Brother Xiaoming didn't hesitate at all and agreed—truly straightforward.

In fact, even in another timeline, the two's relationship would be fine.

When Master Huang got married, Wu Jing was among the groomsmen. In this life, because they both starred in Jiang Heng's films and collaborated in Mighty Troop, their relationship is naturally even better.

Although the cast looks strong and the budget is high, Wu Jing still feels a bit insecure.

The preparation phase was fine, but the closer it got to the start of filming, the more panicked he became.

In the end he couldn't hold back and came over to ask Jiang Heng for a cameo.

He thought to himself, "Even on a low‑budget film like 'Lost on the Road', Director Jiang still cameoed; this is a two‑hundred‑million‑yuan project! All the money I'm spending is yours!" Jiang Heng saw his anxious face and guessed that if he refused, his morale might collapse.

He replied, "Alright, I'll cameo as a character. What role are you planning to give me?"

"A soldier king, okay? The kind that can take on ten opponents!"

Jiang Heng laughed, thinking to himself, "Are soldier‑king novels trending now? I really hadn't noticed that!"

"You're the protagonist, you should be the one with the highest combat power in the whole film!"

Wu Jing chuckled, "You could play my instructor, appearing only in my memories, teaching me various advanced tactics and combat skills. For example, when I'm fighting a rival expert, I recall a high‑difficulty move you once performed that I couldn't do before, but this time I can pull it off instantly!"

Jiang Heng laughed heartily, "When masters duel, every second counts; you still have time to daydream about that!"

That said, Wu Jing's idea isn't bad; after all, if he played a rookie with average skill or died in battle, it would be too disappointing.

Playing Wu Jing's former instructor is indeed fine, and a higher skill level is easier to justify.

As for why such a capable person would stay in an ordinary unit, that's for the director and screenwriter to explain.

Jiang Heng agreed to the cameo, boosting Wu Jing's confidence.

He immediately replied to the crew, and within a few days the Wolf Warrior crew gathered in Jinling for…

…the new film's press conference and start‑of‑shooting ceremony.

At the press conference, Wu Jing expressed gratitude for Jiang Heng's support of the film, then announced that Director Jiang Heng would also act in the movie, portraying a mysterious master.

This immediately piqued the media's curiosity.

Jiang Heng has actually done many cameos in recent years, so this isn't particularly surprising.

The movies he starred in were consecutively released as "A Chinese Ghost Story" and "The Origin of the White Snake".

Unfortunately, Ning Caichen and Xu Xuan are both fifth‑rate warriors, so Jiang Heng's abilities never got to show.

Speaking of back then, Jiang Heng's cameo in "Hero" alongside Li Lianjie's epic battle has long been a favorite topic among fans.

In "Saving Mother by Splitting the Mountain", his portrayal of the Erlang God Yang Jian was both handsome and formidable, captivating countless young women.

Unfortunately, Jiang Heng seems not particularly dedicated to the acting path; despite having kung‑fu not inferior to Li Lianjie's, he refuses to shoot action movies, much to fans' regret.

One should know that the current Chinese‑language film market is facing a slump: Li Lianjie's output has decreased, and big brother Cheng Long is also losing steam, leading to a shortage of hits! "Director Wu Jing, are you serious? Will Director Jiang act in this film?" a reporter couldn't help but ask loudly.

"Why didn't he attend?" someone asked directly.

"Then why isn't he present?" someone asked directly.

【61】 "Well, everyone knows Director Jiang is currently filming, his schedule is extremely tight, so he couldn't attend the press conference, but he will definitely appear in the movie; please rest assured," Wu Jing hurriedly explained.

Nobody really suspected Wu Jing would lie in public; they just wanted to confirm.

Fortunately, Jiang Heng's side came through; later, he posted a launch photo from Wolf Warrior on Weibo, captioned: "I'm the expert!"

(End of chapter)