Chapter 158: Rejecting

Ning Hao was much more cautious this time; he brought the new script for "No Man's Land" to Lin Nan.

"Help me take a look. I've kept as much of the original plot as possible."

Perhaps recalling the experience of being sent back by censors time and again, Ning Hao's tone carried a hint of dejection.

"Alright, let me see."

Lin Nan began to flip through the newly completed script.

How should he put it? "No Man's Land" could no longer be considered a reshoot; to be precise, it was a remake.

After all, more than half of the content in the script was different.

"Do the three of them have any objections?" Lin Nan looked up and asked.

The market value of Huang Bo, Xu Zheng, Yu Nan, and the others had risen quite a bit.

"Mm, we agreed on it a long time ago. The schedule and pay are both fine."

Ning Hao knew what Lin Nan was asking; he still had that much social capital.

"Then let's shoot it. Although it's not as stunning as before after the changes, it's still very brilliant." Lin Nan gave an affirmative answer.

"With those words from you, I can go to Han Sanping for the money with peace of mind, haha." A smile finally appeared on Ning Hao's face.

For projects invested in by China Film Group, even if an accident occurs halfway through, one still has to communicate with them first when funds are needed for a reshoot. It wouldn't be easy for others to intervene rashly.

In the afternoon, Lin Nan received a call from Ning Hao.

Han Sanping was very generous, directly approving 20 million, which was even higher than the initial investment amount.

…………

There was a lot of news in the entertainment industry, and quite a bit of it involved acquaintances.

In the first half of the year, "Iron Man 2" grossed over 600 million USD globally.

At the same time, "Black Widow" was officially released and was quite popular.

Looking at Ryan Reynolds again, he seemed to be marking time, waiting for an opportunity...

Lin Nan remembered that Ryan had once invited him to attend his engagement party. That scene felt like it was just yesterday.

Yet in the blink of an eye, the two of them had divorced as soon as they said they would—it was exceptionally clean and decisive!

Lin Nan didn't take this news to heart when he saw it; wasn't that just how things were in this circle?

He began to immerse himself in the post-production editing of "The Fault in Our Stars".

Perhaps due to personal feelings, he always felt that there wasn't much that needed to be cut from this film; it was all very good...

"Keep a complete version; I want to save it myself."

Regarding this request from Lin Nan, the editors could all guess his intention.

He probably wanted to keep it to watch with Liu Yifei in the future; after all, this was a very beautiful and unforgettable memory.

"Don't worry, Lin Dao, absolutely no problem."

For their own boss's film, the employees were putting in twelve times the effort.

……

The highly anticipated "The Flowers of War" announced its main cast to the outside world.

According to the original novel, the male lead was chosen to be a foreigner, Bale.

What the industry cared about most was still the "Zhang Girl".

Although this time it was "Thirteen Flowers", there was only one true "Zhang Girl".

Ni Ni!

New Pictures Film went against the norm and released the character stills in advance.

A large number of industry insiders were sighing; as expected of Zhang Yimou, his eye for selecting actresses was still as sharp as ever.

Lin Nan also paid attention to it at the company; to be honest, it was really not bad!

It wasn't until he saw the production cost of "The Flowers of War" that Lin Nan realized why the promotion had already started even though the film hadn't begun shooting yet.

A production cost of 600 million! And it was exclusively produced by New Pictures Film!

This figure made all the production companies in the industry widen their eyes.

Relying on the box office to break even was absolutely impossible; they could only rely on selling copyrights.

But the story background of "The Flowers of War" wasn't the type that foreigners liked...

Ceng Jia and Yang Mi also saw Ni Ni's character stills.

"To be honest, it does look the part..."

Ceng Jia had previously complained about the selection requirements for "The Flowers of War", but seeing the girl in the photo now, she had nothing left to say.

She truly fit the eight characters: "alluring and charming, both innocent and seductive"!

"What good luck..." Yang Mi sighed and said.

Not coming from a professional acting background, her first film was as the female lead for Zhang Yimou, and it was a film with an investment of 600 million.

In Yang Mi's view, this newcomer's starting point was likely the ceiling of the circle; it could make a group of people envious, including herself.

Of course, among actresses born in the 80s, Liu Yifei was still the strongest...

…………

Ever since "Inception", Liu Yifei's film salary had risen to 12 million.

Although she was already among the highest-paid actresses, the more that was the case, the more film projects were eyeing her.

Just like the invitation received today.

"I heard them say that the main cast hasn't been decided yet, and I was the first one they thought of for the female lead, so they sent an invitation."

Miss Liu was still quite happy when she said this.

"What film?"

"'The Last Supper', they want me to play Consort Yu."

Lin Nan put down the water cup he had just picked up.

He looked at Liu Yifei and asked for confirmation: "A Hong Kong crew?"

"Mm, it seems so. The director and screenwriter are both from there."

Lin Nan felt relieved now. "Reject it."

"Ah? Why? You haven't even read the script."

Liu Yifei asked in confusion. Although she would listen to Lin Nan, she still wanted to know the reason.

"Because people from Hong Kong can never film historical themes well.

Of course, don't go around saying this, haha..."

Miss Liu nodded and rolled her eyes at Lin Nan. "I'm not stupid; I wouldn't go looking for trouble for no reason."

"Then I'll have the company people reject them?"

"Mm, reject it."

Lin Nan recalled the previous entertainment news.

Originally, the investors wanted to find Lu Chuan to film "The Last Supper", but that guy was dawdling and had too many issues, so he was replaced.

Although he was kicked out, Lu Chuan, who considered himself to have put in some hard work, was not reconciled.

After bickering with the investors online for a few days, he turned around and went to StarMe to pull in investment, and after that was done, he continued to write the script for "The King's Feast".

In Lin Nan's view, both films were destined for their endings.

One was a Hong Kong historical film, which had inherent flaws. The director of the other was Lu Chuan, a guy with absolutely no experience in commercial films and who had high standards but low abilities.

"Heh, if this doesn't lose money, I'll be damned!"

……

The last time he saw Xue Xiaolu was in early November. At that time, "Love is Not Blind" hadn't been released yet.

Seeing Xue Xiaolu again now, things were already different.

"Xue Dao, congratulations." Lin Nan teased.

"It still sounds more comfortable as 'Sister Xue'.

These days, the words 'Xue Dao' have made my ears grow calluses."

Among "Lost on Journey", "Brotherhood of Blades", and "Love is Not Blind", the latter had the highest profit.

Lin Nan couldn't be partial. Yue Jun had already prepared the red envelopes for Bao Jingjing and Xue Xiaolu.

"Actually, you don't need to give so much extra.

I still have to thank you for giving me this opportunity, letting me have the title of a 300 million box office club director."

Lin Nan waved his hand. "It's only right. If there are any projects in the future, we can continue to cooperate, right?"

Hearing this, Xue Xiaolu was no longer polite.

"Alright, if you are short of a director for a film in the future, come find me anytime.

Also, if I have any suitable film roles here, I will definitely think of Yifei, Zhang Yi, and the others first..."

……

The premiere of "Sacrifice" was today.

Lin Nan definitely had to give face to Chen Kaige.

He remembered that the first time he attended a premiere for Director Chen's film was when Lin Nan was filming "Space Cruise".

It was just that "The Promise" left him bewildered the whole time.

"Alright, let's go."

Liu Yifei, who had cut her hair into a short bob, had specially chosen a casual outfit today, highlighting her heroic and dashing beauty.

Makeup also only took a little over half an hour; it was much faster.

"Let's go."

After the two got into the car, the driver set off toward the destination.

Although Lin Nan had been mentally prepared, he was still quite emotional upon arriving at the place; Chen Kaige really knew how to play.

The premiere of "The Promise" back then was very flashy, and it was the same this time.

Hundreds of people dressed in ancient costumes stood on both sides of the red carpet, lined up neatly to welcome the guests.

It was also Liu Yifei's first time seeing this kind of premiere, and she was very interested for a moment.

"Let's get on the red carpet."

Lin Nan reached out his hand, and Miss Liu took it.

As soon as the two stepped onto the red carpet, they saw the "ancient costume actors" on both sides make a unified welcoming gesture.

This pomp was truly done to the fullest!

The protagonists at the venue today were Chen Kaige and Ren Zhonglun, one the director, the other the producer.

Han Sanping didn't seem to have come; he was probably with the "Beginning of the Great Revival" crew.

"Lin Dao, Yifei."

"Lin Dao..."

The first to come over was Huang Xiaoming, followed by Fan Bingbing.

"Congratulations on winning Best Actress in Tokyo."

"Thank you, Lin Dao."

Fan Bingbing smiled and thanked him. Among international A-list film festivals, although the Tokyo International Film Festival wasn't ranked at the top, its Best Actress award was still something to show off.

Lin Nan held Liu Yifei's hand and walked toward the most central position.

"Lin Nan, Yifei, welcome to the premiere of 'Sacrifice'."

Chen Kaige had one characteristic: he always maintained a posture and was very attentive to etiquette.

"Director Chen is too polite."

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Chen Kaige and Ren Zhonglun, Lin Nan and Liu Yifei went to sit in the first row.

Not long after, the premiere officially began.

There were over a dozen people on stage, including the director and actors; it looked so much like "The Promise" back then.

Lin Nan couldn't help but laugh.

When asked about box office expectations, Chen Kaige didn't speak; instead, it was the producer, Chen Hong, who spoke.

"Our film's investment plus promotion definitely exceeded 100 million.

Director Chen put a lot of effort into this film.

Regarding the box office, we hope for a guaranteed 500 million; the more, the better..."

Lin Nan looked at Liu Yifei. "When 'The Fault in Our Stars' holds its premiere, I'll leave the speaking to you too."

Miss Liu smiled sweetly. "No problem, don't underestimate me."

Starting from Ge You, one actor after another introduced their roles in the film and their feelings...

The feature film arrived.

Liu Yifei watched quite seriously; she was quite interested in the non-commercial films of people like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige.

The first third was truly good, the middle third was mediocre, and the latter part... let's not talk about it...

This was Lin Nan's viewing experience.

"Why does it feel a bit chaotic toward the end?"

Liu Yifei leaned against Lin Nan's shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"Xixi, your skills have improved." Lin Nan whispered back.

Hearing this, Miss Liu was stunned for a moment, then sat up straight. Even a great director makes mistakes?

In Lin Nan's view, if it were an ordinary director, this film would actually be qualified...

The film ended.

Amidst a round of applause, Chen Kaige smiled very happily. This was a great director addicted to flowers and applause.

During the cocktail party, Liu Yifei joked with Huang Xiaoming, bringing up the latter's girlfriend, which left the "Leader" stuttering, and finally, he bluntly said he would definitely introduce them another day.

After Lin Nan greeted the two, he walked away. He saw an actor he was interested in.

"Mr. Zhao, hello."

There was almost no one beside Zhao Wenzhuo.

He had originally prepared to sit on the side to eat something and go home after it ended.

Who knew that Lin Nan would come over at this time, catching him off guard for a moment. "Lin Dao, hello, I am Zhao Wenzhuo."

Many people in the distance saw this scene and had some faint conjectures in their hearts.

At premieres, it wasn't as if Lin Nan hadn't greeted unfamiliar actors; the last one was Wang Baoqiang, and later there was "Lost on Journey"...

Many people saw Zhao Wenzhuo hand a business card to Lin Nan with both hands.

"This is my contact information; I hope there will be an opportunity to cooperate with Lin Dao in the future."

Zhao Wenzhuo also didn't expect to have an unexpected harvest today.

"There aren't many excellent action actors now. Next time there's an opportunity, I will contact Mr. Zhao."

Lin Nan nodded and took the business card.

"Thank you, Lin Dao."

……

Returning to Liu Yifei's side, he heard Huang Xiaoming say with a smile:

"When we were on the crew, Brother Zhuo performed his skills; it was very shocking!"

……

The media was already reporting news about "Sacrifice".

The slogan of a guaranteed 500 million box office had spread throughout the circle.

In addition, the topic of Zhao Wenzhuo and Lin Nan getting acquainted also appeared online...

"Do you have plans to film a kung fu or action movie?" Liu Yifei was a bit curious.

"There's no such plan in the short term, but seeing him, I just took his contact information by the way; maybe it will come in handy one day."

Liu Yifei thought there was a new play, and her happiness was in vain.

Lin Nan wasn't lying; last time when Lu Yang invited them to watch "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen", he was talking about finding Zhao Wenzhuo to film in the future if there was an opportunity.

……

"Love is Not Blind" didn't finish its release period, and the box office stopped at 355 million.

It became the biggest dark horse in this year's film market, unless some film in December had a higher return rate, but that possibility was slim to none.

Lin Nan continued to focus on the post-production of "The Fault in Our Stars".

Liu Yifei also came to Tiangong Color from time to time to take a look, and by the way, bought a pile of fruit to distribute to everyone, buying people's hearts...

"Lin Dao, someone came to the company wanting to see you."

"Who is it?"

"They said they are the person in charge of film selection for the Asian region of the Berlin Film Festival."

Hearing this, Lin Nan patted his forehead; he had forgotten all about this.

In the 3rd-floor conference room, Lin Nan saw a foreigner.

Previously, his films were all submitted by himself; this was the first time he had contact with someone from the selection committee.

"Lin, very happy to meet you.

I heard you filmed an art film called 'The Fault in Our Stars'?"

……

Berlin had a different significance for Lin Nan.

His first Best Director trophy was won from Berlin.

In the eyes of outsiders, he was considered a direct descendant of the Berlin International Film Festival.

……

"Yes, 'The Fault in Our Stars' is currently in post-production."

Lin Nan had nothing to hide; he was very clear about the other party's intention.

"Lin, you are an internationally renowned great director, having won the Silver Bear for Best Director twice.

I represent the organizing committee in extending an invitation to you; come to Berlin..."

……

……

Lin Nan didn't agree on the spot; he promised to give an answer when the post-production was completed.

After all, the Berlin Film Festival wouldn't open until February next year, and there was still a long time until the submission deadline in early January.

"Berlin?"

"Cannes?"

"Venice... let's forget about it."

There is only one chapter today; this chapter was written while holding on.

Because the author has caught it, the second time, the symptoms are about the same as the first time... ===== CHAPTER 159 =====