Chapter 154

Seeing Yan Li finished filming his role in "Railway Guerrillas" after just over a week.

After resting at home for two more days, Seeing Yan Li returned to Jingcheng.

The first thing he did upon returning to Jingcheng was sign a cooperation agreement with Hairen for "Sword of Valor."

"Sword of Valor" is estimated to cost 8 to 10 million yuan in investment; Hairen is the Primary Producer, and Yi'an invests 4 million yuan for a 45% share.

Distribution will be handled jointly by Hairen and Yi'an, divided by region or contract later.

The cast has not yet been finalized; they'll negotiate based on suitability later. Yi'an has only a few minor actors, at most adding Dong and Qin—easy to work with.

Yi'an invested in Hairen's project, and similarly, Hairen is participating in Yi'an's new project.

After much consideration, Seeing Yan Li decided that over the next two years, Yi'an would invest as Primary Producer on three television dramas.

Each series will exceed one hundred episodes, with an estimated total investment of 60 to 80 million yuan.

This level of investment is no small matter; it's expected to include two medium-to-large productions above 30 million yuan each, with the third also no less than 10 million yuan.

Of course, this is just the public slogan—Seeing Yan Li wants to launch all these projects at once to outshine Hairen.

So they must proceed slowly: start one first, and if progress goes smoothly, launch the next.

Otherwise, throwing tens of millions at once might be bearable for Seeing Yan Li, but the investors' wallets may not keep up.

The first project to launch will be a Wu Xia drama.

To be honest, Seeing Yan Li previously didn't want to shoot Wu Xia—earlier mentioned, this genre has been overdone, the market is fiercely competitive, and easily saturated.

But the current market trend is clear: investors and TV stations all recognize Wu Xia dramas.

In contrast, the several projects Seeing Yan Li wants to make have drawn vague responses from investors and TV stations.

A 30-million-yuan investment is no small sum in today's TV drama field; if Seeing Yan Li wants investors to pay and TV stations to spend heavily on buying it, he can't go against the market.

Seeing Yan Li is not a rigid, single-minded person—sentiment and passion cannot outweigh profit.

If Wu Xia dramas make money, he'll faithfully shoot Wu Xia.

The company is growing rapidly; first make money, then think about other things later.

Since deciding to shoot Wu Xia, original screenplays carry high risk and are hard to attract investment or sell; adapting famous works is safest.

The most profitable Wu Xia works, and the ones Seeing Yan Li most wants to adapt, are naturally Jin Yong's.

But Jin Yong's most famous works have been mostly filmed by Big Hu Zi Zhang in recent years.

In 2001, "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer"; in 2003, "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes."

Now Big Hu Zi Zhang is preparing to film "The Return of the Condor Heroes," with rampant casting rumors flooding the industry, bringing much noise to this summer's entertainment scene.

Male leads Huang Xiaoming, Nie Yuan, Xie Tingfeng, Tong Dawei; female leads Zhou Young Master, Liu Tianxian, Jiang Qinqin, Sun Li, and Jeon Ji-hyun—all these artists are caught up in it.

Especially regarding the male lead Yang Guo, Nie Yuan and Huang Xiaoming, two top young actors, have publicly declared their positions, nearly pointing fingers and cursing each other.

As for Jin Yong's works Big Hu Zi Zhang hasn't filmed, "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" starring Su Youpeng was a hit last year.

This drama was the most popular Jin Yong adaptation in recent years outside Big Hu Zi Zhang's productions, forcing him to delay his own "Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" project.

Also, Wang Xinmin, director of "Railway Guerrillas," previously filmed "The Linked City" and "The Assassin's Code"; Tang Ren filmed "The Book and the Sword" in 2002—all recent dramas.

Filming another version of a drama already made in recent years is not a wise choice, especially if the previous version was good.

That leaves very few Jin Yong dramas to choose from.

Works like "The Mandarins and the Knife" and "The White Horse Whistling in the West" have low fame, short length, and insufficient quality to support a multi-million investment.

"The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain" and "The Sword of the Blood" also feel underwhelming.

"The Deer and the Cauldron" has decent recognition, but Seeing Yan Li doesn't particularly like it, and Zhang Weijian already made a version in Taiwan in 2000 called "Xiao Bao and Kangxi."

More importantly, Jin Yong's copyright is also an issue.

Big Hu Zi Zhang's side has likely already set its sights on it; Jin Yong and the copyright holders surely trust him, given his successful works, and won't be easy to negotiate with.

After asking around, Seeing Yan Li found Jin Yong dramas too difficult to handle, so he shifted his target.

…

Among Wu Xia masters, the top choice is Jin Gu.

Since Jin Yong dramas are unattainable, Seeing Yan Li immediately thought of adapting Gu Long's works.

Although today's Wu Xia screen adaptations are dominated by Jin Yong's fame, it was actually Gu Long's works that first became popular.

In the 1960s–70s, every Gu Long film was a hit; there was even the case of "Xiao Shiyilang," where the screenplay was written before the novel, and the then-unknown Jackie Chan begged Gu Long to write him a script, drinking until he vomited.

At the end of the 1970s, Zheng Shaoqiu's "Chu Liuxiang Legend" was a massive hit, propelling him to superstar status; "The Master Thief" became known across both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong.

The reason Gu Long's screen adaptations later couldn't compete with Jin Yong's is twofold:

One, Jin Yong's style is better suited for screen adaptation; two, Gu Long died too early to refine his works or systematically manage copyright.

Haphazard productions, many bad films and few masterpieces, damaged Gu Long's screen reputation and prevented significant influence, allowing Jin Yong's adaptations to dominate.

Even so, compared only to Jin Yong, Gu Long's works still carry tremendous clout within the industry.

Although Seeing Yan Li previously avoided Wu Xia themes, now that he's committed, he won't settle for just one drama.

He plans to create a Gu Long masterpiece series akin to Big Hu Zi Zhang's, even building a full Gu Long Wu Xia universe.

He intends to adapt all of them: "Little Li Feidao," "Lu Xiaofeng Legend," "Chu Liuxiang Legend," "The Seven Weapons," and more.

Now when people mention Jin Yong dramas, they can't avoid TVB and Big Hu Zi Zhang; in the future, when people mention Gu Long dramas, they mustn't avoid Yi'an and Seeing Yan Li.

Along the way, he can even leverage the "Jin Gu Battle" branding to challenge Big Hu Zi Zhang—or collaborate in hype—to ignite a mainland Wu Xia craze and elevate Yi'an's corporate brand value…

Never mind whether Seeing Yan Li can actually achieve it—when he pitches this grand vision to investors and TV stations, everyone gets excited.

How popular and profitable Big Hu Zi Zhang's Jin Yong dramas are, everyone knows.

If Yi'an's Gu Long dramas can reach even 80% of that level, they'll still be top-tier projects in the industry.

So whether attracting investment or selling the drama, you must know how to hype!

Say you're making a Wu Xia drama, people don't care; say you're making a Gu Long drama, people get interested.

But if you say you're challenging Jin Yong dramas, reviving Gu Long's glory, becoming the pinnacle of Wu Xia dramas, and making a fortune while shaking up the industry—then you'll draw endless interest.

Some people think you're blowing smoke, but others will be very interested.

If you align with a proven success (Old Man Zhang's Hu Zi) and demonstrate genuine capability, there will definitely be people willing to bet big and join you.

In any case, Seeing Yan Li circulated this project proposal.

Hai Run tested the waters, willing to invest 6 million RMB plus related resources, securing a 20% stake.

Meanwhile, several major investors also expressed interest; negotiations are ongoing, but joint funding is expected to reach 22 million RMB for a 40% stake.

Seeing Yan Li's Yi'an holds the lead authority, 40% stake, and distribution rights, and plans to invest 2 million RMB.

In addition, there are other partners.

For instance, in Taiwan, to secure rights, Seeing Yan Li leveraged connections and made certain利益交换, likely to activate several Taiwanese actors.

Of course, who exactly is used is up to Seeing Yan Li; details will be settled later, and they don't necessarily have to appear in this drama.

There's also CCTV, which also holds high regard for this project; though not investing, it's willing to provide technical, team, and resource support in exchange for favorable purchasing terms from Seeing Yan Li's side.

Don't underestimate these contributions—they're precisely what Seeing Yan Li's side lacks most.

Yi'an was founded too recently and lacks depth; there are too few usable talents.

A lighthearted mythological drama like Huan Tian Xi Di is manageable, but to produce a high-quality Gu Long drama, just scraping the surface won't cut it.

As a giant, CCTV was once the center of mainland film and television production; many mainland talents and teams emerged from CCTV and can offer substantial support to the crew.

Moreover, CCTV's involvement can avoid complications and has already played a significant role in Seeing Yan Li's fundraising efforts.

But the most crucial thing is, Seeing Yan Li poached an unfinished script from CCTV—

The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng

…

When Seeing Yan Li first decided to produce a Gu Long drama, he wasn't sure which one to adapt; perhaps due to daily reading of Gu Long's novels, he successfully triggered the monthly intelligence.

【Monthly Intelligence x: The CCTV Movie Channel's series film The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng is acclaimed as the most faithful adaptation of Gu Long's original work; since its premiere, it has received widespread audience praise and repeatedly ranked #1 in movie channel on-demand views…】

Seeing Yan Li immediately shifted his plan from Chu Liuxiang to this one.

With the system's help, he successfully secured the initial script and writing team for The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng.

It sounds easy, but it was actually quite risky.

Had he been slow, the script was still in development, and the Movie Channel had multiple projects and insufficient attention—otherwise, it would've been hard to snatch.

After all, the Movie Channel is nominally under CCTV but actually隶属于 the Film Bureau; one signboard, two entities—Seeing Yan Li's connections at CCTV might not work.

But regardless, the final outcome was satisfying.

Yi'an's version of The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng was officially greenlit.

The first task after greenlighting was rewriting the script; no choice—the original was designed as a film series, and switching to a TV drama required adjustments.

However, Seeing Yan Li had seen the intelligence and knew the strengths behind this version of The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng.

So although the script was revised, it still followed the original's style.

First, it adhered to the source material, maintaining a detective-style Wu Xia tone with a brisk pace.

The original script featured one story per film; for TV, the pace must be slightly slowed, but not excessively.

The new The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng plans 40 episodes, with 8 to 10 cases, averaging 4 to 5 episodes per case.

Remember, a film lasts one or two hours—roughly equivalent to three TV episodes. This adjustment merely requires adding details, far from being padded.

Even so, Seeing Yan Li bore considerable risk.

Frankly, 4 to 5 episodes per case is fast and thrilling, but it may not suit TV drama norms.

Most detective suspense TV dramas feature only a few cases, or one main plot threaded with minor subplots.

The main issue is the pace is too fast, the information load too heavy; audiences easily grow fatigued, demanding exceptional storytelling and character development.

The last TV drama with such a fast pace and outstanding success was the first season of Young Bao Qingtian: 40 episodes, seven cases—critically and commercially acclaimed.

It was precisely this drama, combined with the monthly intelligence, that gave Seeing Yan Li the confidence to support The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng's film-style pacing.

Moreover, Seeing Yan Li was convinced by the writers to abandon the "female lead" and adopt an all-male protagonist team.

Lu Xiaofeng, Hua Manlou, Ximen Chuixue, Sikong Zhaixing—four men form the core team, each handling investigation, support, combat, and technical skills respectively.

But no female lead doesn't mean no female characters.

Each episode features a female character as the episode's heroine, engaging in various stories with the protagonist team.

This aligns with The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng's original theme: women come and go, but friends and brothers are eternal.

Moreover, these episodic heroines are easier for Seeing Yan Li to attract with established artists.

Without the pressure of being "Lead Actress One or Two," each is the core of her episode; though screen time is limited, they stand out easily, allowing controlled salaries while maintaining prestige—a string of star names gives the TV station strong leverage in negotiations.

Seeing Yan Li's little calculations clicked loudly—he was already figuring out how to persuade actresses and negotiate利益交换 with other companies before the script was even finished.

…

Besides The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng, another planned project is The Legend of Xue Rengui.

This project was proposed to Seeing Yan Li by Li Si, producer of The Heroes of Sui and Tang; initially, the drama was even titled The Heroes of Sui and Tang 2: Xue Rengui.

Thus, this drama does not follow historical accuracy but draws from folk legends, adapted from Xue Rengui's Eastern Campaign.

Seeing Yan Li doesn't oppose adapting pingshu; in fact, evidence shows that pingshu tales are more popular with the masses.

If you film Xue Rengui's rise strictly by history, aside from a few Gao Guang moments, it's not that compelling.

But adding veteran heroes from the Sui-Tang era—like old Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong—and weaving in classic pingshu tropes like rescuing the emperor, marrying a Princess, being granted a title, and turning the tide—now that's far more interesting.

However, Seeing Yan Li approves this adaptation direction but isn't impressed by Li Si's initial script.

Too slow, too padded, too oppressive to the protagonist!

Early on, it drags the protagonist down with an endless bait, sacrificing logic and character for the sake of climax.

Later, perhaps due to budget concerns, it added excessive court drama, making the entire plot even more sluggish and dull.

Seeing Yan Li clearly stated: the script must be rewritten.

The early plot can be circuitous, but it cannot endlessly suppress Xue Li; popular folk tales are about satisfaction— if the protagonist is constantly oppressed, it loses its flavor.

Court drama can be filmed, but only to a point, and ideally as a turning point.

For example, Li Zhi is deceived, then someone rebels; Xue Rengui leads troops to quell the uprising, rescues the emperor, and protects the dragon throne— isn't that better than the original script where he's framed by a concubine and fakes his death?

Isn't this "The Legend of Xue Rengui"? It's not just about "Campaigning East"— early on, he aids Li Shimin in pacifying Liao, and later, trusted by Li Zhi, he campaigns against the Uyghurs.

This is also the high point of Xue Rengui's historical record: three arrows securing Tianshan. Since we're filming "The Legend of Xue Rengui," omitting this segment would be a pity.

After defeating the Uyghurs, have Xiliang rebel next— this won't hinder future plans to film "Xue Dingshan Campaigns West."

Li Si Lin originally disagreed— changing the script like this would blow the budget; what if it lost money?

But after Seeing Yan Li took him to meet some investors and TV stations, and showed him Seeing Yan Li's connections, Li Si Lin felt it might be negotiable.

And the reason Seeing Yan Li was so picky and so actively helping with this drama was also due to his own private motives.

Both he and Li Si Lin intended for him to play the male lead, Xue Rengui!

Added to that, the previous drama "Heroes of Sui and Tang" had huge ratings; if this project is handled well, the chance of profit is still considerable.

It offers both investment profit and the chance to indulge as the male lead, portraying the famed general Xue Li— the personal appeal to Seeing Yan Li needs no elaboration.

He's poured in so much money and promoted so many people; since a suitable project has come along, it's finally his turn to reap some benefits…

(End of Chapter)