[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-academic-director-reborn-in-the-film-industr":3,"chapter-the-academic-director-reborn-in-the-film-industr-the-academic-director-reborn-in-the-film-industr-chapter-110":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Academic Director: Reborn in the Film Industry",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2297110,4493,"Chapter 110: Involved","the-academic-director-reborn-in-the-film-industr-chapter-110",110,"\u003Cp>It was no secret that Cao Yang was marching into Hollywood; Belman had long since spread the word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the film was truly underway, Belman received calls from countless agents of actresses, but he could only regretfully tell them that this was a male-driven film with very few female roles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, in order to build a good relationship with Cao Yang, many agents for actresses indicated that as long as the role was suitable, they would consider it, even if it were a supporting role.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seven major Hollywood film studios, plus DreamWorks, which was quietly becoming the eighth, all showed a certain degree of interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They still held great respect for art-house directors who could elevate actors—art films not only required less investment, but those that could win awards rarely performed poorly at the box office, basically guaranteeing a profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was actually quite an extraordinary thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before a film project was officially launched, any slightly larger Hollywood film studio would commission a research firm to conduct preliminary surveys to ensure the film could make money as much as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Cao Yang, many Hollywood film studios had his profile; this young man had risen rapidly over the past two years, not only winning the Golden Lion but, more importantly, cultivating three Best Actresses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This last point was what the film studios valued most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being able to elevate actors meant that film stars who wanted to win awards would compromise and lower their salaries; if there was a chance to win an award, they would even personally step in and pay out of their own pockets to lobby for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These reduced salaries, the out-of-pocket expenses for lobbying, and the star's own boost to the box office were all things film studios craved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first to extend an olive branch to Cao Yang was Columbia Pictures; it was actually easy to understand, as in the U.S., Columbia usually handled the public face, and once things were negotiated, it would eventually be presented under the name of Sony Pictures Classics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sony Pictures Classics focused primarily on the art-house film sector.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Columbia opened with a budget of 20 million dollars and promised not to interfere with Cao Yang's creative process, but they demanded control over the project.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, you have creative freedom and we won't interfere with the content, but the actors and everything else in the project must be decided by us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply put, you just focus on filming according to your own vision, but the choice of actors, the various expenses of the project, and the shooting schedule are all for us to decide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The conditions seemed okay, at least they wouldn't interfere with the creation, but regarding the final cut, which Cao Yang valued most, Columbia was rather vague.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belman told Cao Yang not to panic and not to rush into agreeing to anything; it was still early days, just the initial stage of contact, and the final result was still a long way off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, as someone from Sony Pictures Classics, he stood directly on Cao Yang's side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps to put Cao Yang's mind at ease, he also told him that a big star had already contacted him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who is it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Yang was a bit curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belman looked as if he had a toothache; he took a breath before saying somewhat reluctantly, \"Kevin Costner, you should have heard of him, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Yang thought for a moment and asked with some uncertainty, \"The Kevin Costner who won the Oscar for Best Director?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's right, the guy who directed and starred in *Dances with Wolves*, which received twelve Oscar nominations in '91 and won seven major awards, including Best Director and Best Picture.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Yang understood; no wonder Belman had that constipated expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In terms of fame, Kevin Costner was truly huge in Hollywood, especially during the decade from 1990 to 2000.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just that he had been riding high in Hollywood for the first five years, but the storms were too strong in the latter five, and he almost drowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In '95, he directed and starred in *Waterworld*, which had an investment of 250 million dollars, but the North American box office was only a little over 80 million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In '97, he directed and starred in *The Postman*, which had an investment of 80 million, but the box office was less than 20 million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In '00, he starred in *Thirteen Days*, which had an investment of over 100 million, but the North American box office was only a little over 30 million. The successive failures of his films left Kevin Costner with nothing but fame; he couldn't shake the label of \"box office poison,\" and it was estimated that he would never star in an A-list production again in his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hasn't he always been in the commercial film field? Why does he want to act in an art-house film?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belman shrugged and explained with a wry smile, \"That's the only path he has left right now to potentially rise again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you think?\" Cao Yang asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Using him doesn't benefit us, and it might even hinder negotiations with the studio; 'box office poison' isn't just a saying.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then let's wait a bit longer. I've finished reading the material on Milk; I'll set up the framework of the script first, then fill in the story, and then find someone to revise it to better fit local idioms and the historical background.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this script, Cao Yang would only write the framework and fill in the story, leaving the rest to be localized by someone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after Belman left, Cheng Jianye walked in from outside and said to Cao Yang, \"Director Cao, the company you asked me to register has been handled by a specialized firm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good, thank you for your hard work. For this project, I will try my best to get you a position as a Unit Production Manager; you should observe Hollywood's operating model more, as you might need it for shooting commercial films in the future.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you, Director Cao.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Jianye was delighted, \"Any position is fine, as long as I can stay by Director Cao's side and handle whatever I can.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get out of here, your flattery is too blatant; it's not useful at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Jianye chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subsequently, Cheng Jianye asked, \"Director Cao, are you going to invest in this film in the company's name?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Yang shook his head, \"Not necessarily, let's see how the negotiations go. This film is just to gain a foothold in Hollywood, so there are too few conditions I can demand. Besides, if I invest, it's very easy to get scammed; I can only wait until I've stood my ground before talking about that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few days ago, Belman had told Cao Yang that besides Columbia, MGM had also approached him before Cao Yang even arrived in the U.S. to inquire about Cao Yang's new film, and they seemed very sincere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, as Chen Kaige's *Killing Me Softly* was released in France in early June, the market response was lukewarm and the box office was very disappointing, so MGM's enthusiasm had diminished somewhat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You have to know that because Chen Kaige had won the Palme d'Or, his fame in France was very high, but it didn't reflect in the box office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time John Woo's *Windtalkers* was released on a large scale in the U.S. on June 14th, it was starring Nicolas Cage at his peak; logically, the box office should have been very good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the reality was that the reviews were terrible, saying that John Woo had turned a war film into a gangster shootout film, and one couldn't see the command structure of the U.S. Marine Corps when they were engaging the Japanese army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coupled with the chaotic scene choreography, there was always a sense that the U.S. Marine soldiers only knew how to fire machine guns wildly, while the Japanese only knew how to hide in bunkers to shoot, launch sneak attacks, and perform banzai charges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were also many unreasonable aspects that broke the immersion for military fans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reflected in the box office, it was far below expectations; based on the box office trend, it would be good if it could reach 40 million in North America, and losing money was a certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, with the cautionary tales of Chen Kaige and John Woo, MGM also began to hesitate about Cao Yang, a bit afraid to invest in films by Chinese directors again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Cao Yang didn't care; right now was the most chaotic time within MGM, and even if they wanted to invest, Cao Yang would still have to consider whether to accept it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A company in such a mess, who knows how many troubles there might be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time Cao Yang finished writing the script, Belman also brought good news: two more very famous male stars had a very strong desire to collaborate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Created a small group, 605650175\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1505,"2026-06-20T05:36:32.009Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","c831f3102b50f0b8459ab1522c5f76745a6e2118ba728b3748afa2aa5539e336","the-academic-director-reborn-in-the-film-industr-chapter-111","the-academic-director-reborn-in-the-film-industr-chapter-109",411,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-academic-director-reborn-in-the-film-industr-cover.jpg"]