Chapter 156

To produce a TV drama, the first phase is project planning: deciding what to shoot, analyzing its market potential, and studying the budget.

Some projects begin with a script, then develop the entire initiative; others plan the project first, then find a suitable screenwriter to write the script.

The second phase is securing funding—whether self-financed or through investment; without adequate capital, the project will stall.

If funding is secured smoothly, the project can move into the third phase: assembling the production team.

These three phases generally follow this sequence, though many proceed concurrently.

Some bold figures bring money and seek projects, while others assemble a team or secure funding then abandon the project.

The world is a makeshift operation; the film and entertainment industries are full of outsiders and amateurs, with countless bizarre incidents.

But Yan Li's handling of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" strictly followed all three phases in order.

First, confirm the project; then secure funding; next, assemble the crew.

First, find the director!

Yan Li can easily attract tens of millions in investment, or effortlessly sell a drama to a TV station at a high price.

When discussing the script, Yan Li can accurately identify flaws and propose relevant revisions.

When acting, he can handle suitable and uncomplicated roles without difficulty.

As producer, Yan Li can calmly manage all major and minor matters of the production, providing sufficient logistical support and coordinating resources across all fronts.

But if Yan Li were to sit behind the monitor and direct the entire set himself—orchestrating the filming, translating the script into visual imagery, and conveying narrative, pacing, aesthetics, emotion, atmosphere, and depth—he simply couldn't do it.

However, Yan Li can review what the director shoots, point out flaws if unsatisfied, or simply demand reshoots.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses!

Yan Li doesn't insist on becoming a director; he is a natural businessman and a competent actor—doing these two well is enough.

"The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" aims to be a masterpiece, so it cannot hire an ordinary director—their ability must be sufficient.

Currently, the most renowned martial arts director in mainland China is Yu Min, Zhang Dahu's longtime director; Yan Li definitely can't poach him.

Another is Wang Xinmin, director of "Railway Guerrillas."

His dramas "The Knight of the Sword" and "The Connection of the Soul" were both above average; though their influence was slightly weaker, their reputation was no worse than Zhang Dahu's Jin Yong adaptations.

However, Wang Xinmin excels in hard-boiled martial arts; he can skillfully handle dark, gritty worlds like "The Connection of the Soul," and his work carries strong street-level martial spirit with distinctive action design.

These traits do align to some extent with Gu Long's style.

But for character emotional development and suspenseful, cunning storytelling, Wang Xinmin isn't incapable—he's just not quite suited for "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng."

Though both Gu Long and Jin Yong dramas are martial arts, they are entirely different concepts.

Jin Yong dramas revolve around nation and history, telling the stories of heroes' growth and the great knights who serve their country and people.

Gu Long explores self-existence, depicting the plight of wanderers: in the martial world, one has no control over one's fate.

One is real, grounded in the world!

The other is ethereal, detached from the world!

Yan Li doesn't claim he can fully replicate Gu Long's martial arts and philosophical essence, but he must capture at least some of Gu Long's unique flavor—otherwise, this material would be wasted.

So Wang Xinmin can be used, but he needs a partner specifically skilled in portraying character emotions and capturing Gu Long's style.

Such a director is hard to find—until someone recommended a new drama to him—

"The Water Margin," starring Zhang Zhilin and Zhong Hanliang.

Honestly, the drama's martial world conspiracies and human struggles were portrayed quite well; its overall style was cold, sharp, yet hauntingly desolate, genuinely evoking Gu Long's aura.

This makes sense—Wen Rui'an, author of "The Water Margin," is nicknamed "Little Gu Long"; their styles are indeed somewhat similar.

If someone can successfully film "The Water Margin," they naturally have unique insights into Gu Long's style.

Director Ju Jueliang's resume is also impressive, Kancheng a perennial favorite in martial arts dramas.

In his early years at TVB, he directed several martial arts dramas and contributed to Zhang Dahu's "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber."

Wang Xinmin + Ju Jueliang

Yan Li believes "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" can stand up to Zhang Dahu's "The Return of the Condor Heroes."

Feng, Diao!

Haha, even his own name outshines the other's.

…

After confirming the director, Ju Jueliang was easy to hire—his current projects were clearly less appealing than "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng," and Yan Li's offer was fair, so the choice was simple.

Wang Xinmin was trickier; he was already planning another martial arts drama, "The Whistling Horse," and his schedule was tight.

More importantly, Old Wang belonged to the old-school mainland director type.

Though he had collaborated with others before, he always took the lead and wasn't fond of relatively equal joint directing roles.

That's why mainland directors are sometimes less favored by film companies than Hong Kong directors—there's a reason.

Many Hong Kong directors just need money; they know their place, are willing to follow the boss's instructions. Some mainland directors are troublesome, arrogant, and sometimes need to be coddled.

Leaving aside ability and skill, as a film company boss, who you choose to work with speaks for itself.

But because of this, many Hong Kong directors' work quality fluctuates wildly, while some skilled mainland directors who hold firm to their vision can maintain a reliable baseline.

Yan Li may have a small heart, but it depends on the matter—if you have talent and can help him make money, his tolerance rises.

Besides, Wang Xinmin hadn't refused outright—he just had conditions; they could negotiate slowly.

Wang Xinmin was still in talks, but Director Ju Jueliang had already reported to Yi'an and attended "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng"'s casting meeting.

Yi'an Pictures, conference room

The executive producer in charge of casting reported the target candidates for the drama's roles, focusing primarily on the core characters of Lu Xiaofeng.

With a 30-million-investment budget, this was a medium-to-large-scale production, so the casting approach naturally wouldn't be small.

Though they didn't rule out new actors, Yan Li's preference was to choose from currently popular young male stars or promising newcomers.

Thus, the list presented by the executive producer mostly consisted of well-known male actors in the industry.

First, the male lead: Lu Xiaofeng—the absolute core of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng," and currently the hardest role to cast.

In the original novel, Lu Xiaofeng ranks among the most brilliant characters in Gu Long's pantheon of heroes.

Charming, witty, agile, possessing humor, liveliness, and a martial hero's spirit, with a touch of cynical detachment and a playful attitude toward life, yet still deeply loyal to friends and devoted to women.

Yan Li didn't expect to find a "living Lu Xiaofeng"—just someone who embodied some of these traits, even a few similarities would suffice.

The executive producer pinned a photo to the conference room whiteboard and introduced the first candidate.

"Chen Kun, since 'The Golden Powder Family,' he's become one of the most popular young male stars in mainland China—his fame absolutely meets the requirement."

"Based on his performances in 'Like Mist, Like Rain, Like Wind' and 'The Golden Powder Family,' Chen Kun's acting is solid; his appearance is handsome, his demeanor blends melancholy with liveliness—he can portray Lu Xiaofeng's elegance and depth, and his signature smile matches the humor of the 'four eyebrows'…"

Yan Li visualized the image in his mind and found it plausible; he looked at Ju Jueliang, who nodded.

"On hold."

The executive producer placed Chen Kun's photo at the top, then pulled out another.

"Lu Yi, one of the most popular young male stars currently—handsome, with a composed yet slightly playful aura…"

Before he finished, Yan Li raised his hand to stop him: "Too serious. Not suitable."

The executive producer removed Lu Yi's photo and replaced it with Su Youpeng—before he could even introduce him, Yan Li stopped him again.

"Too well-behaved. Also unsuitable for Lu Xiaofeng."

But Su Youpeng's demeanor might suit Hua Manlou—though he's slightly shorter, and it's uncertain whether he'd accept a supporting role.

Later candidates like Lin Zhiying, Zhou Yumin, Li Yaping, Huang Sanshi, Bao Jianfeng, and Lin Feng were all rejected by Yan Li or Ju Jueliang.

Oh, and Huang Xiaoming.

Yan Li was speechless at this candidate—ignoring Qin Lan's matter for now, they technically had no feud, but Nie Yuan nearly fought to the death with him over the role of Yang Guo.

No matter what, they were friends; Yan Li had just turned down Nie Yuan, and now turning to Huang Xiaoming would be too crude.

Though many were rejected, some candidates remained on hold.

For example, Huang Haibing—he's handsome, his demeanor is versatile, his acting range is broad, like a jack-of-all-trades.

Put simply, Huang Haibing might lack certain specific traits, but he's reliable, with a low risk of failure.

Deng Chao, the least famous of them all, is best known for playing the Shunzhi Emperor in "The Young Emperor"—he gives off a clear, tragic vibe.

He wasn't originally on the list, but after hearing about the casting, he sent a self-recorded audition video of Lu Xiaofeng; his image was good, and he captured Lu Xiaofeng's humorous, unrestrained spirit in an intriguing way.

Later, Yan Li learned Deng Chao started in comedy—he'd performed in the stage play "Cuihua, Bring the Sauerkraut" in college, which received high praise.

Also on hold: Huang Haibo from "The Lucky Pig Zhu Bajie."

Yan Li had a good impression of this senior actor—he believed he could capture Lu Xiaofeng's humor and wit, though his appearance lacked the charm and elegance of a true roué.

So he's at the bottom of the Lu Xiaofeng shortlist, but ranks high for Sikong Taixing.

After Yi'an's list was presented, Yan Li turned to Ju Jueliang: "Do you have any suitable candidates we can discuss?"

"I actually have two."

Ju Jueliang didn't hold back—he was the director, and he could see Yan Li genuinely valued actor quality, with no hidden agendas, so he spoke openly.

The two actors he recommended were Zhang Zhilin and Zhong Hanliang, whom he had previously collaborated with on "The Water Margin."

Especially Zhong Hanliang—Ju Jueliang highly praised him, believing his acting and appearance were excellent.

"Zhong Hanliang?"

Yan Li had only seen Zhong's performance in "The Water Margin" and knew little else about him.

Secretary Hu Ya went to retrieve and print his materials; Yan Li briefly reviewed them and learned Zhong was a singer first, had starred in some idol dramas, and though not extremely popular, had a solid fanbase across Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China.

Yan Li recalled Zhong's portrayal of Gu Xizhao in "The Water Margin"—his image was indeed good, his aura… well, put him on hold.

After all, Ju Jueliang strongly recommended him; give him an audition—then decide if he's right.

Compared to Lu Xiaofeng, Yan Li found the male second lead, Hua Manlou, and male third lead, Ximen Chuixue, much easier to cast—no one stood out as particularly unsatisfactory.

The second male lead, Hua Manlou, and the third male lead, Ximen Chuixue, were much better.

Huamanzhou was refined, elegant, and otherworldly; though blind in the eyes, his heart saw clearly—a gentleman of profound insight, broad-mindedness, and quiet grace.

Ren Quan, who once portrayed Gong Sun Ce in "The Young Bao Qingtian," is practically born to play such a scholarly gentleman.

Qiao Zhenyu, who played Yan Li in "The Seven Fairies," also handles this type of role well.

Additionally, Taiwan has recommended an actor named Zhang Zhiyao, whose ancient costume appearance and demeanor are equally fitting.

Yan Li's view was that any of these three could be chosen; they could later decide based on salary or exchange of favors.

Ximen Chuixue, the Sword God of the drama, is the martial pillar of Lu Xiaofeng's team—cold, aloof, with a powerful aura, outwardly icy but inwardly passionate, requiring strong emotional depth.

Huang Haibing, mentioned above, could play it.

Yan Kuan, with his icy face and piercing eyes, has the right image for this proud, brooding, cool swordmaster.

Yi An's Zhou Weiyi could barely pull it off if he cleaned up his act—but only if the first two decline.

By the way, the executive producer and director Ju Jueliang also suggested another candidate.

"We feel that Director Yan could also play this role—his demeanor is rugged, his gaze deep and icy, and his action scenes are exceptional; he could convey Ximen Chuixue's solitude and obsession with the ultimate path of the sword…"

"Cough. Cough."

Yan Li raised his hand to stop his subordinates' flattery—he knew his own limits. Playing heroes and tough guys was fine.

He could play Tie Zhongtang, Yan Nantian, and even try Fu Hongxue or Xiao Shiyilang.

But Ximen Chuixue—a role so steeped in icy perfection, "white jade like snow, a sword comes from the west"—felt somehow off. He could act it, but he didn't like that aesthetic.

As for Sikong Taixing, he is witty, cunning, and humorous—a comic figure in the drama, not requiring handsomeness.

Besides Huang Haibo, Xia Yu, and Wu Jing, Zhang Songwen is also an option; several comedic actors are not ruled out.

The female roles and supporting characters have limited screen time and little weight, so casting is not difficult.

For supporting roles, Yan Li simply delegated authority to his team and would review their choices later.

But for female roles, he would personally oversee them—after all, beautiful women are one of the drama's selling points, and he wouldn't allow ugly or mismatched faces to be shoved in.

Lady Shangguan Yan, Miss Wuyan, Gong Susu, Xue Bing, Beef Soup, Sun Xiuqing, Ouyang Qing, the Peacock Queen Consort…

More than ten named roles, with seven or eight having substantial screen time and weight.

Yan Li planned to invite one or two top rising actresses to anchor the cast, then pair them with several lesser-known beauties—key was beauty.

Handsome men + beautiful women

Yan Li couldn't guarantee his Gu Long drama would be the best, but he would make sure it was the most visually pleasing.

After the meeting, the main cast wasn't finalized, but the pool was nearly set.

The only uncertain role was still Lu Xiaofeng; Yan Li planned to think more, consult Wang Xinmin, then begin costume fittings and auditions.

Yan Li spoke with Ju Jueliang and producer Wang Decai, then made the decision.

"Release news to the public—start promoting and stirring up buzz over casting. Besides these names, bring in other unsuitable actors to stir controversy."

Internal casting is one thing; external hype is another. Cast for suitability, hype for controversy.

Zhang Dahuzi's casting for "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" caused a huge stir—its wide scope, long duration, and sheer spectacle were rare in the industry.

Though it drew plenty of criticism, it made "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" the most talked-about production of the moment, with TV networks eagerly waiting to buy it.

If "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" set the precedent, "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" certainly couldn't miss out.

Ideally, they'd later contrast it with "The Legend of the Condor Heroes"—given the media's nature, Yan Li didn't believe they wouldn't fan the flames.

With Zhang Dahuzi's temper and love of hype, he'd almost certainly jump in to curse; Yan Li would then "respond" with a few words of his own.

The 【Phoenix vs. Condor Martial Arts Battle】 is inevitable!

(End of Chapter)