Chapter 108: Inviting Liu Dehua, *Source Code* Released

"Say that again?"

Lin Nan darkened his face, looking at Lu Yang.

"Haha, Director Lin, am I wrong?

Look, the female lead has a cold and aloof temperament, untainted by the mud; isn't that perfect for Liu Yifei?"

Lin Nan didn't speak, his face remaining gloomy.

This guy, auditioning was one thing, but he actually had the nerve to set his sights on Liu Yifei, the producer.

Lu Yang looked at Lin Nan's expression and smiled brazenly.

"Don't worry, during filming, I will be careful with all of Yifei's scenes.

Any dangerous scenes or slightly intimate ones, there absolutely won't be any..."

"Stop, stop, stop. Have you thought about Yifei's current status? Is she suitable for this role? Besides, this is an open audition; what will outsiders think?"

Lin Nan retorted irritably.

Lu Yang was stumped by Lin Nan's words. Yes, he had truly forgotten to consider that.

In his view, Liu Yifei was very suitable for this role.

Although the role might be a bit small, Liu Yifei was half an investor; there shouldn't be any problem with her acting in her own production.

But Lin Nan's words brought Lu Yang back to reality.

He had forgotten that Liu Yifei's primary profession was an actress, and an actor's status was a very important thing. If he let Liu Yifei play this role, it would also bring her unnecessary hostility.

…………

"Lin, *Lunar Eclipse* is about to be released. Are you really not concerned at all?"

A phone call from Tang Mu reminded Lin Nan of this matter.

The third installment of *Twilight* was also about to be released, right alongside *Source Code*.

"I won't go over this time. You keep an eye on it, and also the matter regarding *Now You See Me*..."

Lin Nan arranged everything in a few words; fan-driven films only had that ten days or so of potential, nothing worth worrying too much about.

"Alright then, should the profits this time go toward buying equipment again?"

"Yes. And those people who went over to study, if they are ready, arrange for them to be sent back."

"Mm, I will."

Hanging up the phone, Lin Nan continued to think about the casting.

People he wanted to collaborate with, like Liu Dehua and Cheng Long, were all within his consideration this time.

But scheduling was a problem; for actors of that status, schedules were generally packed.

"Better wait until the investment is finalized before deciding; they are all quite expensive," Lin Nan muttered.

Still at China Film Group.

In the past, when Wanda participated in the investment for Lin Nan's films, the people who came were from the cinema chain division.

Now that they had established a film company, that part of the business had been transferred over, including those in charge.

"Director Lin, thank you for the opportunity. Honestly, the film company has been established for almost two months, and this is the first major project..."

The people from Wanda didn't look like they were lying. It made sense; ordinary directors wouldn't have the chance to touch projects with budgets over a hundred million.

This time, there was no Enlight Media, nor was there Shanghai Film Group.

The former was preparing several films at once and couldn't spare the funds, while the latter... Han Sanping felt there were enough people involved...

"You said you wanted big-name actors this time; do you have any candidates in mind?"

"For this type of subject matter, my first choice is Cheng Long, followed by Liu Dehua. Actually, Liang Jiahui and others are also on my list.

Additionally, for mainland actors, I also want to find some more mature ones, including for the female roles..."

Lin Nan spoke unhurriedly, and Han Sanping and the people from Wanda listened very carefully.

This intended cast lineup sounded reliable.

"And the budget?"

The people from Wanda asked, not out of fear that it would be too high, but worrying it might be too low.

"Between 100 million and 200 million. This is an ensemble piece, so the actors' salaries will be high. Since the big names aren't set yet, the budget is hard to determine.

I even have the idea of letting one or two big-name actors take a share of the box office."

Hearing this, both people opposite him frowned.

Domestic is not like Hollywood, where taking a share is quite common, but domestically, producers are still very traditional.

Especially since Lin Nan's commercial films were highly likely to be profitable.

This made the two of them even less willing to see others come in to share the cake.

"How about we forget about Cheng Long?"

Han Sanping brought it up.

He knew Cheng Long's price, and this wasn't a Hollywood film that could make a lot of money from video tapes.

"I'll have someone contact him first to see. Things aren't what they used to be, and the domestic market isn't the international one."

Lin Nan said, implying something.

In one morning, the three parties agreed on a rough distribution plan.

China Film Group 30%, Wanda 30%, and Lin Nan 40%.

Additionally, China Film Group's share included publicity and distribution work; Wanda also needed to provide support for cinema scheduling.

Both China Film Group and Wanda were a bit resistant to giving actors a share of the box office, so Lin Nan could only let the matter drop.

The next day, Liu Yifei told Lin Nan that Lu Yang had apologized to her.

He said he had been too careless before, actually wanting to invite her to play Zhou Miaotong.

"Actually, at first, I really wanted to agree."

Liu Yifei tilted her head and said.

"After all, this character's background is quite tragic: the descendant of a loyal official, wrongly accused and forced into the courtesan house, her fate not her own, like duckweed in troubled times, yet she keeps herself pure..."

Blah blah, Liu Yifei said a long string, the sentimentality of a literary girl manifested to the fullest.

"Your status is no longer suitable for playing such roles," Lin Nan said.

"Mm, I know. Mom told me too, telling me not to be silly, hehe."

Liu Yifei knew that if she played this role, it would lower her status, and the brands she endorsed would have opinions.

After all, Lu Yang was still just a small director.

"As a producer, I can't not pay you a salary. How about changing it to an investment?" Lin Nan said softly.

…………

"Hello, Lin Nan?"

"Brother Hua, it's me. Do you have any availability recently?"

"Haha, if you're calling to ask me, then I must have. What kind of script is it?"

……

Lu Yang announced some of the casting for *Brotherhood of Blades*.

"The female lead is still under consideration and will be announced later..."

Sharp-eyed media discovered changes to *Brotherhood of Blades* in the Film Bureau's filing records.

The original producer column only had Lin Nan Film, but now it included Hongxingwu.

The meaning behind this was self-evident.

At the same time, news that Lin Nan was starting a new film spread.

"According to reliable sources, Director Lin Nan's new film is currently undergoing script review."

Many companies in the industry came to inquire about the news.

Following Lin Nan's instructions, Yue Jun gave a positive reply.

Now, whether in the industry or online, there was even more attention and discussion.

Many actors felt a hint of relief, relieved they hadn't been chosen for Lin Nan Film's previous few movies.

Now, they might have a chance at a big stroke of luck.

"According to Director Lin's habits, after an award-chasing film, it should be a commercial film!"

"Director Lin Nan really does have that habit!"

"I wonder what type of commercial film it is?"

"I'm very curious that Director Lin didn't let Liu Yifei act in his new film."

……

Lin Nan also read the comments online.

In *The Thieves*, there was indeed a female thief who flaunted her figure.

But that role was best suited for a mature, seductive actress aged 27 to 35.

Liu Yifei had read the script; that character even had seduction scenes, and she wasn't suitable for it at all.

Of the few big names Lin Nan intended to cast, only Liu Dehua accepted his invitation on the spot, even saying that the salary was negotiable.

Actually, Lin Nan could accept Liu Dehua's salary.

Cheng Long's side said they needed to consider it; sometimes one can't just take whatever they want.

Lin Nan understood what that meant; changing the salary slightly would affect many things.

……

"The Hunt" was ultimately an award-chasing film, but with a box office of 68 million, China Film Group definitely did not lose money.

"Source Code" did not hold any premiere ceremony and was released directly on November 1st.

Guo Fan was a bit restless. He paced around the company in circles, and finally ran to the cinema.

Lin Nan did not even care about the release of "Lunar Eclipse," as he was also waiting for the data for "Source Code."

If one sets aside the fact that Guo Fan was a novice director, this film still had competitiveness based solely on the fact that the screenwriter was Lin Nan and the post-production and special effects were by Tiangong Color.

The next day, the box office data came in from China Film Group.

"Director Lin, how much?" Guo Fan asked anxiously.

"Hmm, it's alright, 6.23 million on the first day," Lin Nan said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Guo Fan immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Based on this first-day data, if there are no major surprises, the final box office should be around 50 to 60 million."

"Really?"

"Just about."

Guo Fan knew Lin Nan's strength; this meant his first film was a success!

Half a day later, the first-day box office data for "Source Code" also appeared online.

"6.23 million on the first day, Beijing Film Academy director Guo Fan, a successful first battle!"

"This counts as the first new director cultivated by Director Lin from scratch, awesome!"

The online reviews for "Source Code" were very good, mainly focusing on the script's creativity and imagination.

The official website of the Film Academy already had a report on Guo Fan; after all, the latter was still a first-year graduate student.

As the saying goes, when a student achieves results, it is certainly to the credit of the school and the mentor!

"Signed at the beginning of the year, right? And already producing results?!"

Many teachers and professors at the academy were very astonished.

But the school truly could not learn Lin Nan's method of cultivating newcomers. Giving projects for practice with real money—the teachers and professors were still lining up waiting for that.

More and more people were coming to inquire about Lin Nan's new film.

Actors who had collaborated before were also included.

Huang Xiaoming, Hu Jun, Chen Minghao...

"In a couple of days, I will release a casting notice; if you feel you are suitable, come and try out..."

For old acquaintances, there was no such thing as submitting a resume.

Yue Jun posted a message on the company's Weibo account.

"Welcome Mr. Liu Dehua to join Director Lin Nan's new film."

Once this news came out, the industry became even more lively.

The first actor confirmed was of the caliber of Liu Dehua!

Many people instantly recalled Lin Nan's filming habits.

Then this new film would most likely be a commercial film, and a commercial film with a not-insignificant investment scale at that.

Immediately following this, China Film Group and Wanda announced that they would participate in producing Lin Nan's new film.

A large number of actors were eager to give it a try, waiting for the casting news.