Chapter 212: Twenty years of chasing the Oscars, it

"Contact these few people. If they are interested, I will meet with them in person to discuss it after I return."

Wu Yuchen was giving instructions to producer James regarding the main cast of *Pirates of the Caribbean*. Now, he could truly be said to hold absolute power over the project; basically, his word was law.

The people to be contacted were naturally the actors for the main roles in *Pirates of the Caribbean*. For Jack Sparrow, it had to be Johnny Depp; that was beyond doubt. He was the soul of the entire film, and only he could pull off that rare, eccentric charm of a protagonist who twists his waist while holding his fingers in an orchid gesture.

Then there was the second male lead, the young blacksmith Will Turner. Compared to Captain Jack, he possessed the consistent traits of a traditional protagonist: upright, brave, kind, and possessing combat prowess, but in this film, he could only be the second lead.

This role was originally played by Orlando Bloom, but he couldn't do it. It certainly wasn't that he didn't want to; there were few people who could refuse a Wu Yuchen film now. It was simply because he was currently following the *Lord of the Rings* crew in New Zealand, playing his iconic role as the Elf Prince!

Fortunately, the actor for the young blacksmith was not irreplaceable. Wu Yuchen intended to find Hugh Jackman to play him. To be honest, compared to the Elf Prince, "Uncle Wolf's" masculine aura was significantly stronger, which fit the character image of a blacksmith much better.

Come to think of it, Hugh Jackman already had a certain level of fame after starring in Wu Yuchen's *Frequency* two years ago. Later, although he didn't end up starring in *Phone Booth*, he had been doing quite well over the past two years. Last year, he took on the role of Wolverine in *X-Men*, which was set to be released in the summer season this year.

In his past life, when Hugh Jackman starred in *X-Men*, his salary was only 500,000, but this time, his salary for taking on *X-Men* was 3 million. He was very willing to be personally selected by Wu Yuchen for a major production, and he agreed with a single phone call.

Wu Yuchen wouldn't treat him unfairly either; he would offer him a salary of 4 million for *Pirates of the Caribbean*. Once *X-Men* was released in a few months, Hugh Jackman's popularity would rise to another level, and by then, inviting him would likely start at 8 million.

Then there was the villain, Captain Barbossa. The actor from the past life, Geoffrey Rush, played it very well, so naturally, he wouldn't be replaced; he would still be sought out.

"As for the female lead... let's hold open auditions. She must be suitable for period costumes and have that kind of classical beauty. Also, she needs to be brave, or rather, possess a wild, untamable temperament. A lady's appearance and a rebellious personality—that creates contrast."

"Warmly welcome *Love* for winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film!"

"Hey, this is really a massive mobilization this time. Look, even the officials have been dispatched. When has there ever been such a setup before!"

As for those character actors among the pirates, they would naturally be left to the crew to select; Wu Yuchen didn't need to worry about them.

Wu Yuchen stated his requirements. Actually, Keira Knightley from his past life wasn't bad either, but he wanted to see if there was anyone better. For now, he would keep Keira Knightley as a fallback option; if nothing else worked, he'd go with her.

Finally, after a long while, the moment the group walked out, the crowd erupted.

He had also thought about some film themes in his mind, such as the classic *The Pianist* or something similar. Themes of Jewish suffering were very popular in recent years and were easy to win awards with.

Further inside this circle was a group of reporters carrying long guns and short cannons. However, because the plane hadn't landed yet, they hadn't lit up their gear for the moment and were just chatting and joking around.

Just then, the person leading the way was none other than Wu Yuchen. He was at the very front, wearing a smile, walking with his head held high and chest out, holding none other than the Oscar statuette in his hand!

"The Oscar is here!"

As a Chinese person himself, if Wu Yuchen were to film a civil rights movie, he would have to prioritize filming for the Chinese. Otherwise, if you film a black civil rights movie, the stance is just wrong! If he really filmed a black civil rights theme, maybe only his black brothers would thank him, and he reckoned even a bunch of white people would find it inexplicable: "You, a Chinese person, are you that empathetic toward the black brothers?"

Therefore, although these two themes were easy to use for chasing awards and were hot topics for many films to chase Oscars in the future, he wouldn't choose either.

The copyrights for best-selling novels in Europe and America weren't cheap, and many had already been snapped up by major studios. However, Wu Yuchen's goal wasn't necessarily best-sellers; among them were also some that weren't very famous but were preparations for chasing Oscars in the future.

"Welcome home!"

As the reporter said this, he looked toward the small group of people standing at the very front of the arrival gate; Han Sanping was clearly among them.

"Hehe, Wu Dao is still so young; he will definitely be able to take the position of global champion in the future!" The reporter said this with full confidence, clearly full of faith in Wu Yuchen.

Just at this moment, the roar of the plane outside grew from small to large.

Wu Yuchen revealed a smile; the current enthusiasm in China for the Oscars was truly indescribably high!

Before boarding the plane yesterday, he had known through a phone call that there would be people coming to pick him up today, so he took out the Oscar before getting off the plane. The other passengers on the plane were also very gracious, letting Wu Yuchen and the *Love* crew members come out first to enjoy this glory.

At an arrival gate of the Beijing airport, a huge crowd stood, surrounding the place three layers deep. The airport had anticipated this and specifically sent a team of staff to maintain order here.

Listening to the screams erupting outside, Wu Yuchen saw the red banner being held up:

"They're here, they're here!"

After finishing with the producer here, Wu Yuchen turned his head and said to his agent, Luo Yi: "There are a few novel adaptation rights; go help me contact the authors and get them if possible."

The same logic applied to black civil rights theme films. White people could film black civil rights films because white people already had high status in the US; it was similar to the strong upholding justice for the weak. But Chinese people, or Asians in a broader sense, had even less of a voice in America and suffered more discrimination.

Han Sanping was still able to keep his cool: "It's an international flight, after all; flying for ten-plus hours, having a little error, it's normal not to be on time."

"You have to say Wu Yuchen is truly amazing. He said he would go get an Oscar, and this move of his really got it in his grasp! He said he would go to the US to make money, and the box office just kept rising with a splash. A few days ago, Disney just announced that the global box office for *The Sixth Sense* had reached 750 million; I don't know if it can rush to 800 million."

"Ahhh! Wu Yuchen, I love you!"

Did Chinese people not have a history of suffering in World War II? For a Chinese director not to speak up for the Chinese but to go film a story about Jewish suffering—even if he won an award, that would be something that would make his own people poke him in the spine. Wu Yuchen would definitely not do this.

Among the small group of people in front of the arrival gate, not only was there Han Sanping, but there was also Hou Keming from the Tao Jingying Academy. The boss of Shanghai Film Studio, Zhu Yongde, had also run over in person this time; after all, the female lead in the film, the old lady Wang Danfeng, was from their Shanghai Film Studio!

Zhu Yongde raised his watch for the third time and took a look: "It's already past the time; why haven't we seen the plane land yet?"

"Gong Li!"

Suddenly, the reporters all shouldered their long guns and short cannons, picked up their tools for making a living, and stood by in full battle array. The circle of fans outside was also buzzing, raising banners. Han Sanping and the others were also craning their necks at the passage entrance, looking forward to it.

"Also, hire a few historians who understand the history of pirate culture in the 17th century to act as consultants. Costume design, props, navigation, and weapons, as well as the set design, all need to be involved."

Luo Yi also immediately took out paper and pen to record.

However, he couldn't film that kind of movie. Not to mention whether the original author would sell it to him, just the fact that he was a Chinese person going to film the history of Jewish scars—wasn't that just nonsense?

"Right, this is worthy of being our China's number one director! No wonder he could pull in 100 million USD in investment with a casual move; just Wu Dao's name is worth 100 million!"

Although he didn't get Best Director, just the Best Foreign Language Film *Love* in his hand was enough to make the country boil. They were impatiently waiting for him to bring the statuette back. Han Sanping's side had been calling him once a day to urge him; if he didn't go back, the country would be turned upside down.

Everyone's hearts were full of anticipation, only feeling that every second of time now was exceptionally long.

"Can that be the same? This is our China's first Oscar! This significance is extraordinary!"

Listening to Wu Yuchen's instructions, James noted them down one by one.

Wu Yuchen left everything he could do to them, naturally because he was about to take the Oscar statuette back to China. As the saying goes, wealth without returning home is like wearing silk in the dark.

*Star Wars* was equivalent to America's *Journey to the West* and was one of America's cultural symbols. The box office for this *Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace* had already exceeded 900 million, making it the second-highest-grossing film in history, second only to *Titanic*.

"800 million USD! Tsk tsk tsk, the box office of this one film is four or five times our entire annual box office in China; it really can't be compared! It's just a pity; a few years earlier, that would have been the global box office champion for sure, but as a result, there was a *Star Wars Prequel* last year. Sigh!"

On the outermost periphery were passersby and fans watching the excitement. Some were holding flowers, some were holding banners, chatting and chirping, their faces full of joyful expressions.

"Uncle Ge!"

When Wu Yuchen led the group to the arrival gate, Han Sanping took the lead to welcome them with the crowd, taking the initiative to shake hands with Wu Yuchen: "Wu Dao, welcome back in triumph! Chinese cinema thanks you all!"

Wu Yuchen didn't speak but handed the statuette in his hand out, immediately causing Han Sanping, Zhu Yongde, and others to reach out and touch it together: "Twenty years of chasing the Oscars, it's finally done!"

Hou Keming came up and hugged Wu Yuchen tightly, grabbing his shoulders. There were no other words, just three "good" words in a row.

At this time, reporters and photographers were also constantly surging forward, clicking their shutters frantically to take pictures, all recording this scene of the Oscar landing in China.

The screams of the fans on the periphery were even crazier. Security personnel struggled to maintain order, but they did let a few people who had discussed presenting flowers in advance come through.

Not only did Wu Yuchen have them, but Ge Cunzhuang, Wang Danfeng, Gong Li, and even Huang Lei had people coming to present flowers. Han Sanping and the others also shook hands with everyone in the crew one by one.

Looking at this scene, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but sigh with emotion. In his past life, when Ang Lee won an Oscar for *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, he didn't have this kind of treatment!

Why?

Because the submitting party for *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* wasn't the Mainland; it was Taiwan!

Although the filming was done in the Mainland, they represented Taiwan in submitting for the award. What did it have to do with the likes of China Film Group? They couldn't get any benefits at all. The Mainland side, like China Film Group, could at most clap their hands and congratulate them.

But now it was different. *Love* was a Mainland film, submitted by the Mainland. Wu Yuchen was a director purely and authentically from the Mainland. The film's production process had connections with both China Film Group and Shanghai Film Studio. If they didn't welcome him grandly and create a big scene, how could they show the contributions that our China Film Group and Shanghai Film Studio had made to Chinese cinema? How could they show that I, Han Sanping, had merit in leading Chinese cinema?

After finishing these superficial tasks with Han Sanping's small group, Wu Yuchen was just about to leave with them when a unified shout erupted from the crowd:

"Wu Dao, say a few words!"

"Wu Dao, say a few words!"

Not just reporters, many fans were also shouting along.

At this time, Han Sanping also smiled and said: "Wu Dao, it's hard to refuse such kindness; you should say a few words~"

Wu Yuchen thought for a moment, picked up the statuette in his hand, held it to his chest, and then said to the reporters and fans: "May this Oscar make our Chinese cinema better and better!"

"Good!" Suddenly, a unified cheer erupted all around.

And this scene of Wu Yuchen speaking was frozen in time, captured by many reporters and becoming the headline photo for many newspapers.

"Joyfully welcoming China's first Oscar!"

"Wu Yuchen returns home in glory with the Oscar statuette!"

"Chinese people won an Oscar!"

"Chinese cinema enters the world's highest film hall!"

"Oscar, a victory for Chinese-language cinema!"

"The Oscar for *Love*, an honor for Chinese people all over the world!"

In an instant, the urgently reprinted newspapers were distributed to newsstands in the streets and alleys, reaching people's hands. Of course, there was an even faster way, and that was television stations, which directly started broadcasting it on the news. And on the internet, it went without saying!

After a few days of fermentation, *Love* and Wu Yuchen winning the Oscar was no longer news. Anyone who didn't know this news was definitely an outdated old fogey. But the fact that the Oscar statuette had really come to Mainland China still made everyone feel excited again!

"This Oscar has finally come back; we've been waiting for several days!"

"It finally arrived after much anticipation, but this is an Oscar, after all; it's particular. Waiting a few days is no big deal; it's normal!"

"This really has to be Wu Yuchen; if it were anyone else, there would really be no chance."

"I heard his *Love* is going to be released tomorrow; I'll go see it then."

"Go, must go! It's fine not to watch other movies, but this one must be watched to see what the movie that won China an Oscar is like!"

Originally, some older people didn't know what this Oscar was, but after this period of popularization, everyone knew that the Oscar was the most powerful film award in the world. Winning this award meant that Chinese cinema had stood up!

This immediately ignited everyone's national pride; we Chinese people can really do it!

Whether Chinese cinema had stood up or not, he didn't know, but Cai Yinong truly felt at this very moment that their Miracle Film and Television had stood up, the kind that stood out from the crowd!

She, Cai Yinong, the most correct choice in her life was to join Miracle Film and Television and work with Wu Yuchen!

An Oscar, the only—oh no, the second Oscar statuette in all of China, and they were all in their company!

Which company could compare to them after this?

What company are you? What company am I? Comparing to our Miracle Film and Television?

Whatever Golden Rooster or Golden Horse, none of them are qualified to open their mouths in front of me. And that Hong Kong Film Award of yours, don't think that just because everyone is called a Film Award that we have the same status. What level are you to be worthy of being called by the same name as my Oscar statuette?

Cai Yinong also went to pick up the plane in person this time, chatting and laughing with these high-level people in Chinese cinema. After Wu Yuchen came out from China Film Group, she couldn't help but ask Wu Yuchen: "Wu Dao, do you want to put this trophy back in the company to be worshipped now?"

Miracle Film and Television had long ago specifically made an exhibition cabinet for Wu Yuchen, and inside were all the various awards, big and small, that Wu Yuchen had won before.

Wu Yuchen waved his hand: "Wait for two days; these two days, quite a few people still need to see it~"

Jiang Qinqin naturally had long ago bought a house in Beijing. At this very moment, she was also watching TV, looking at the relevant reports about Wu Yuchen on TV while looking at the news in the newspaper in her hand, smiling happily.

Actually, she had the impulse to go pick up the plane today, but she was persuaded by Wu Yuchen, so she was just waiting at home for Wu Yuchen to come over.

The knock-knock-knock sound at the door made Jiang Qinqin jump up from the sofa immediately, rushing to the door. As soon as she opened the door, she saw an Oscar statuette being held up in front of her by Wu Yuchen.

"Ta-da~"

Seeing this, Jiang Qinqin was also overjoyed, took the Oscar statuette into her hands and touched it, then stepped forward to hug Wu Yuchen, tiptoed, and kissed him on the face:

"Husband, you're amazing! Too incredible!"

Wu Yuchen chuckled and hugged Jiang Qinqin into the room, listening to Jiang Qinqin excitedly saying in his ear:

"Husband, you don't even know, now everywhere in our school is talking about you winning the Oscar this time. Not to mention things like banners, now they are even going to hang up your photo~"

Hanging a photo naturally meant a photo of an outstanding alumnus. Actually, having won quite a few awards before was already enough to qualify, but because Wu Yuchen was still studying at the Tao Jingying Academy and had the status of a student, it hadn't been hung up. Now it seemed that once this Oscar was won, regardless of whether he was a student or not, it had to be hung up.

"And now everyone says you are China's number one director! Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou can't compare to you either!"

Wu Yuchen chuckled and shook his head. Logically speaking, whether a movie is good or not is a relatively subjective matter, and it's hard to evaluate the high or low of different types of films shot by good directors. But because of awards and box office, everyone had a standard of measurement, and anyone mixing in the film and television circle couldn't escape these two standards.

When it came to box office, these two people really weren't enough to look at in front of Wu Yuchen. When it came to awards...

Not to mention that Chen Kaizi didn't have any gains last year. Old Mouzi actually had some gains at the Berlin Film Festival just this past February; *The Road Home* won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. Unfortunately, compared to the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, it seemed too weak; it could be said that it was completely submerged in the Oscar statuette of *Love*.

Wu Yuchen smiled and gently pinched Jiang Qinqin's slender waist: "Then what do you think?"

"Of course it is! Not just China, you are the most amazing director in the whole world!"

Looking at Jiang Qinqin's admiring appearance, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but kiss her.

After a long while, Jiang Qinqin hugged Wu Yuchen and acted like a spoiled child: "Husband, I don't want you to leave~"

Wu Yuchen said patiently: "Good Qinqin, I also want to stay today, but there are too many things today. You also know that me winning this Oscar is not just my own business; there's no shortage of social engagements."

"Then what about tonight, will you come back?" Jiang Qinqin asked, raising her small chin.

"I just came back, I have to go home to accompany my parents~"

Hearing this, Jiang Qinqin showed a helpless expression, then hugged Wu Yuchen and thought for a while, as if she had made up her mind, and said to him: "Then how about, I go with you?"

Wu Yuchen paused upon hearing this and asked back: "Today? Are you sure? My grandparents, aunts, and uncles are all there."

"Ah?"

Hearing this, Jiang Qinqin immediately shrank back a bit. While she was hesitating, she heard Wu Yuchen say:

"How about this, Qinqin, when I'm free another day, I'll take you to meet my parents alone first."

Hearing this, Jiang Qinqin's face turned red: "Okay, I'll listen to you~"

"Don't worry, I'll come to accompany you in two days~" Wu Yuchen patted her back.

One hour later.

"Good Pear, I also don't want to be separated from you, but I still have to go back to celebrate with my parents today."

"Good Garden, I also can't bear to part with you, but my parents are still waiting for me~"

After getting back into the car, Wu Yuchen breathed a sigh of relief; now he could finally go home. Naturally, there were no social engagements in the evening; they were all pushed to tomorrow, but tonight he was definitely accompanying his parents.

However, Wu Yuchen really wasn't wrong. When he returned home, a whole family of relatives was really waiting at their house. Who would want to miss this opportunity to see the statuette with their own eyes and touch it with their own hands? Quite a few people brought cameras over just to take pictures for commemoration!

At this time, Wu Yuchen's grandfather waved his hand: "Everyone be quiet!"

Then everyone followed his gaze to look at the *Xinwen Lianbo* (News Broadcast) playing on the TV.

Actually, as early as the day of the awards ceremony, when *Love* won the Oscar, it had already been on *Xinwen Lianbo* once, but today, when Wu Yuchen brought the Oscar statuette back to China, naturally, it couldn't avoid being on it again.

Just listening to the announcer say: "Today, our country's famous director Wu Yuchen and the *Love* crew returned to China in glory with the Oscar statuette! Please watch the detailed report."

The scene shifted, and it was exactly the scene of Wu Yuchen being welcomed at the airport today, with the crowd cheering when Wu Yuchen first appeared, and Han Sanping shaking hands and congratulating him. Finally, naturally, it was the sentence Wu Yuchen said while holding the statuette: "May this Oscar make our Chinese cinema better and better!"

Subsequently, the announcer said: "This is our country's first Oscar statuette, and also the first Oscar statuette for Chinese-language cinema! May Wu Dao achieve even greater success, and may Chinese cinema rise to a higher level!"

This news segment wasn't short, giving a full 3 minutes of time. And as the announcer's voice fell, Wu Yuchen's grandfather shouted directly: "Good!"

Then he took the lead in applauding, and the circle of people in the room naturally followed suit, clapping their hands vigorously. Not only in Wu Yuchen's home, but the same scene was happening in thousands of households across the country. ===== CHAPTER 213 =====