Chapter 435

Jiang Heng initially only saw Wang Baoxuan, recalling his splendid performance in "A Lone Wolf's Martial World", and merely wanted to get this film made.

Then he had the idea of a cameo, to have a showdown with Feng Yuxiu, who lives by the creed "to distinguish superiority and decide life and death".

After thinking it over, Zhen Zidan could play the role, and he himself wasn't bad either; besides, he wasn't planning to shoot a big film next year, so he could just make an action movie for fun.

But after he got home, his idea changed again.

Rather than doing a showdown with Wang Baoxuan, it would be better to summon all the famous action stars in the entertainment industry and make a lively, bustling big film, which would be more satisfying.

But when he pondered what kind of action film could accommodate so many stars, he suddenly felt there was no suitable story.

Especially with original material, if there are too many characters and each gets only a short screen time, eight or nine times out of ten the audience will be confused; the most suitable choice is still a major IP.

Setting aside mythological tales, the most suitable option is wuxia.

He immediately recalled the classic wuxia film "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber: The Cult Leader of the Demonic Sect", and it seemed the sequel had never been released; speaking of which, Zhao Min has been waiting in Dadu for Zhang Wuji for nearly twenty years—surely the fans deserve an explanation!

"If you were to play Zhao Min, do you have the confidence to pull it off?" Jiang Heng, lying on the sofa, suddenly said.

"What?"

Jing Tian beside him was stunned, eyes wide: "Zhao Min? We were just talking about an action film—how did it turn into a wuxia picture?"

"I suddenly feel that making an action film with Baoxuan is too small-time; if we're going to do it, let's go big—directly film the second half of 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber', rescue Zhang Wuji, and summon all the somewhat-famous action stars in the entertainment industry!"

"Then you want to play Zhang Wuji?"

"Definitely!"

"You play Zhang Wuji, and I'll play Zhao Min!" Da Tian Tian said, blissfully, leaning in.

For her, what role she plays isn't important; being able to act as a couple with Jiang Heng is what matters most.

The next day, Jiang Heng went to the company and told Du Huan about this; the latter's expression was one of shock, and he stared for several seconds.

That look seemed to say, "You really are just thinking up one crazy idea after another!"

Jiang Heng leaned back in the boss's chair, took a puff of his cigar, and asked, "Any problems?"

Du Huan hurriedly said, "No, definitely not! It's just about the rights?"

Jiang Heng said, "Go find Wang Jing and have him ask Boss Xiang how much the sequel rights to 'The Cult Leader of the Demonic Sect' cost; if it's cheap, just give it to him. If it's expensive, I'll still contact Mr. Jin Yong directly."

Du Huan said there was no problem, and added, "Boss Xiang is a smart person; he shouldn't ask for an exorbitant price. The so-called sequel rights are merely an extra publicity gimmick. With your stature, Director Jiang, you don't need this gimmick!"

Jiang Heng laughed and said, "Of course, I just feel it's a pity that this film was left unfinished; consider it a little benefit for the fans."

This version of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" was indeed well done; it should be considered the most successful adaptation. The ambivalent Zhang Wuji, the humorous and interesting Zhang Zhenren, the tight plot, and the enjoyable fight scenes are truly not comparable to those later wuxia films with slow motion, spinning, and blowing fans.

However, speaking of Du Huan contacting Wang Jing, the latter was extremely surprised, then immediately overjoyed.

"What does Director Jiang mean?"

"Director Jiang means, please come and serve as director; he will only play Zhang Wuji."

Wang Jing laughed even more brightly: "Good, good! This way, Director Jiang won't be going back on his word in public, after all his main identity is director, and he indeed hasn't directed a big film."

Du Huan rolled his eyes, thinking Director Jiang cared about this, and that he just didn't want to be too tired. "Director Jiang means the preparation period should be low-key, we should keep it as secret as possible for now, and the start date will probably be sometime after August or September this year."

Wang Jing chuckled, "Don't worry, I understand; I'll call you right away as soon as there's good news."

After Du Huan left, Wang Jing immediately contacted Xiang Huaxuan, chatting for a long time before hanging up.

He then called Du Huan and conveyed the other party's conditions.

The other party doesn't want a copyright fee; they just want Xiang Ruo to have a slightly more important role in the film.

Du Huan heard this and hurriedly reported it to Jiang Heng.

"No problem, I'll agree to it!" Jiang Heng thought briefly and then agreed.

Although Xiang Ruo's acting is somewhat lacking and he can't carry a leading role, playing a supporting role is actually not a big issue.

Moreover, his gaunt appearance made Jiang Heng think he'd be perfect as the Blue-Winged Bat King Wei Yixiao! Afterwards, he again tasked Du Huan with handling preparations, contacting actors according to the list he provided, coordinating schedules, ordering the screenwriting department to write the script, and then put the matter aside for now.

…….

The Spring Festival of 2012 fell on January 23, arriving earlier than usual, which means we are now at the publicity stage of "Battle Through the Heavens".

All theaters have already put up publicity posters, and outdoor buses and subway stations also have the corresponding ads.

Of course, these are merely regular publicity methods.

The focus of Broad Sodium Film Industry's promotion is still on the Internet.

The first important promotional method is still ticket subsidies; the company pulled out fifty million to cooperate with group-purchase firms, creating a bunch of low-priced tickets at 9.9 and 19.9, which were enthusiastically welcomed by the vast audience.

The second is to have people write promotional soft articles, for example posting on various forums claiming that "Battle Through the Heavens" is Director Jiang Heng's final film to date.

After the film's release, who knows how many years one must wait to see a new one; fans of effects-heavy blockbusters simply cannot miss it.

Then came all sorts of "rumors": some self-proclaimed insiders said Jiang Heng claimed he was tired and needed a rest, but in fact he had earned enough money and was preparing to secretly marry and start a family, to enjoy life.

Some genuine fans concerned about Jiang Heng's career posted, wondering if he would stop filming altogether.

Some netizens replied, saying he would still make films, but surely not as prolifically as before; it's very likely he'd release one every two or three years!

This statement was widely agreed upon by netizens, because that's just the norm for directors!

The result was that a large number of fans spoke online, urging support for Jiang Heng, so that Director Jiang could create history again in the first half of his career.

Besides that, the promotion team also released the trailer for "Battle Through the Heavens"; regardless of special effects or fight scenes, they were extremely spectacular, making even more people want to see it.

As for the tickets to the upcoming premiere, they had already been snapped up, and on the secondhand market their transaction prices had reached astronomical levels.

January 15, 2012, a Sunday, was also the day of the premiere ceremony for "Battle Through the Heavens".

Jingcheng in January wasn't too cold, with daytime temperatures around minus seven or eight degrees; Zhao Qiang stayed at home during the day, rewatching "Battle Through the Heavens" from the start, only going to take the bus after lunch, heading to the Olympic venue.

He was a freshman; when he first saw "Battle Through the Heavens" back then, he was still in middle school—it was the first online novel he had ever read, and he became instantly addicted, wishing he could spend all day and night reading it! At that time he wondered when he would be able to see the film adaptation of this book; surely he would buy a ticket right away and go to the cinema to support it. (End of chapter)