Chapter 201: Road, I Want to Convert to Your Religion

Lu Kuan watched his hesitant expression, remaining calm and composed himself; this was the nonchalance of a cheater.

In the future, the split between Harvey of Miramax and Disney would happen next year.

Inducing this profit-seeking Jew now was merely pushing the boat along with the current.

Boss Lu first cast out the bait to stir up his painful past.

"Harvey, do you still remember *The Lord of the Rings*? If you are still hesitating, then *Alien* will become the second *The Lord of the Rings* for you."

Perhaps only Harvey himself understood this sentence.

In 1999, Peter Jackson found Harvey, saying he wanted to film a big-budget fantasy movie adapted from the British author Tolkien's *The Lord of the Rings*.

It must be said that as an independent filmmaker, Harvey showed extremely high foresight, whether in discovering Quentin or this work.

When he brought the film before Disney CEO Eisner, it was flatly rejected by this CEO known as a tyrant.

He believed the cost of this film was too high; if it had to be made, Disney could only support them in filming the first part to see the effect.

And he threatened him and his Miramax to keep in step with Disney.

Helpless, Harvey went to communicate with Peter Jackson, but the latter flatly refused, spending his own money to recruit actors and film in New Zealand first.

Afterward, he took the same pre-sale promotional trailer as *Alien* and found New Line, who were amazed and spared no expense to buy the rights from Harvey's hands.

When the film's box office soared to 3 billion USD, Harvey really wished he could shove his own manhood into Eisner's mouth.

"I admit your *Alien* is the most astonishing sci-fi film I have seen in recent years, but how will you solve your current problem? Your lead actress?"

The shrewd Jewish businessman had to thoroughly determine the value of *Alien* and determine the profit the entire plan could bring him.

As for loyalty to Disney?

To hell with it; that only depends on whether the chips for betrayal are sufficient.

"First, the box office of *Alien* mainly relies on Leonardo to carry it, including Gary Oldman and Travolta."

"Secondly, Zhang Zhang Ziyi is not indispensable..."

Boss Lu's mind raced, thinking about how to give a convincing answer.

"By the way, do you remember the Chinese girl beside me at the presentation?"

Harvey nodded: "Of course, your little girlfriend."

Boss Lu did not waste more breath to explain.

"She is actually Zhang Zhang Ziyi's stunt double. All the martial arts shots from the side and back that you saw in the fifteen-minute pre-sale trailer were performed by her."

Harvey was truly surprised this time.

At the time of the presentation, many professional filmmakers, including him, could see that Zhang Zhang Ziyi's kung fu scenes were clearly different from those in *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* and *Hero*.

They lacked some of the free-spirited elegance of scattering flowers and brushing willows, and had much more sharp, swift, and decisive lethality.

So it was that little girl...

Thinking of her beautiful face, it really was a huge contrast with such martial arts movements.

This was definitely a selling point.

Boss Lu pressed his advantage: "Harvey, don't forget that Eisner who makes you sick. Do you want you and Miramax to live in his shadow forever?"

Harvey's mouth twitched; you damn well know my business clearly.

This involved the grievances and grudges between him and Miramax and the tyrant CEO of Disney, Eisner.

For Disney, which always pursued healthy and uplifting themes, Harvey was like Li Yunlong.

Casting aside his shameful personal morals, Harvey was indeed brilliant when fighting, and his talent was also outstanding.

But at the same time, he was no slouch at causing trouble, disobeying orders, and constantly threatening to bring out the Italian artillery to blast Disney's mother.

Disney's mainstream film style emphasized being suitable for all ages, suitable for the whole family to watch together, similar to our mainstream values.

But what did Harvey do?

In 1994, he introduced the religious-themed gay film *Priest* from the UK—damn, the double buff of religion and homosexuality.

In 1999, he invested in and distributed Kevin Smith's *Dogma*, followed by *Kill Bill* in 2003.

Religion, homosexuality, blood, violence.

What you Disney oppose is what I, Harvey, love.

In terms of development strategy, Harvey and Eisner were worlds apart. Eisner felt that Harvey's Miramax had a tendency to become too big to manage and had been trying every means to cut and limit their investment quota.

In 2002, Harvey invested 80 million USD in *Cold Mountain*, incurring Eisner's dissatisfaction.

That same year, his suggestions to acquire "Miramax" and buy shares in cable channels Bravo and IFC were also rejected.

Among these events, what hurt Harvey the most was that the tyrant Eisner made him miss *The Lord of the Rings*; that was the pain of his life.

Harvey was silent for a while; his conflict with Eisner was known to everyone, so it was not strange that Lu Kuan knew.

"Lu, you are really too weak. If I choose to go with you to fight against Disney and Eisner, we might both be overturned by this giant ship."

Boss Lu shook his finger at him confidently: "Wrong, dead wrong!"

"This time, the global distribution of *Alien* is handled by Disney's subsidiary Buena Vista. Tell me honestly, whose person is Buena Vista's Rondo?"

"Eisner."

"That's right! We are opposing Eisner! Opposing him for fostering his own cronies under the pretext of swallowing projects—what does that have to do with opposing Disney?"

"In other words, how much longer can Eisner last? Have you thought about this question?"

A sharp light flashed in Harvey's eyes; had he only thought about it?

He was almost driven crazy to the point of hiring a hitman to take him out!

"Lu, please tell me your judgment of Eisner; this will be the most important reason for you to convince me."

The little immortal went online.

"Harvey, last time you didn't believe I could guess your bidding strategy for *Hero*, thinking I was playing mystery."

"This time I believe you will completely submit to our ancient and mysterious Eastern religion."

"You Jews have a classic that integrates ritual and law called the *Talmud*, right?"

Harvey sneered when he heard him talking about strange powers and chaotic spirits again.

Even the president was lying while pressing his hand on the Bible, and you're here trying to pull these religious beliefs on me, a Jew.

"That's right, so what?"

"The *Talmud* has passages that analyze personal character and destiny through eye shape, body type, and the Jewish nose; this is connected to certain side-branch thoughts of Daoism."

"In other words, not just Eisner, but anyone—I can make reasonable inferences and predictions through the date of birth calculated according to the Chinese calendar, as well as the person's facial features."

Harvey clapped and laughed: "An interesting joke. The ghost stuff you drew last time could only fool that China-fan Quentin."

Boss Lu glanced at him with a calm expression, preparing to turn up the intensity.

He stood up, pushed the door open to look left and right, then turned back to lock the door, his expression solemn.

"Harvey, your character is known to all of Hollywood, but except for those very close to you, only I can see the secret."

"This secret is right here; I have known it like the back of my hand since the first time I met you in person!"

Seeing him point his finger at a certain part of himself, Harvey's expression suddenly turned cold.

This young director had touched his deepest scar.

Lu Kuan ignored his reaction and continued to output.

"You are hermaphroditic, female-like." (Note 1)

"Bullshit! That's not true!"

Harvey slammed the table and stood up. If there was anything that made him more furious than taking away his wealth, it was undoubtedly this physical defect of his.

Such private information from the little immortal naturally came from revelations in the future.

After the #MeToo movement in the future, Harvey was brought to justice.

In court, a female model named Lauren accused him of sexual assault in court. Her description recorded in the court evidence was: it looked like it had been cut and stitched.

Another model, Jessica, provided the same testimony to prove she had also been violated.

"It looked deformed, hermaphroditic, and seemed to have undergone surgery."

The court asked if that was the case, how did Harvey perform?

Both answered that he took medicine.

Since this kind of privacy could not be known between people who had not had a relationship, and given Harvey's tyranny and temperament, no one would dare to leak it easily.

Therefore, the court determined that at least the description of Harvey's certain part by these two models was consistent with the facts, indirectly proving that Harvey did indeed have a relationship with them.

As for whether it was forced, further evidence was needed to determine.

And the photo of that thing of his was circulated among the jurors in court, which was how it was made public through gossip.

Generally speaking, some people with hidden physical ailments or disabilities will have drastic changes in temperament. Harvey's tyranny and licentiousness in the future might have stemmed from this car accident in his childhood.

This is a psychological feedback stemming from inferiority.

Lu Kuan was not willing to anger him; this was just to give the white-skinned pig a little psychological shock.

"There is an old Chinese saying: 'concealing a disease to avoid treatment.' Harvey, your troubles can be smoothed out and resolved through the cultural principles of mysterious Eastern religion."

"Even if it cannot make up for your physical regrets, it can allow your soul to obtain unprecedented tranquility."

I don't know if he was really shocked by Lu Kuan's precise prediction, but at least Harvey had just searched his heart and found no possibility of anyone revealing this news.

If there really were, with so many enemies he had in Hollywood, wouldn't this news have been flying everywhere long ago?

How could a Chinese person who was only twenty-two years old describe it so clearly?

Yahweh, the true God of the Jews, please guide my path forward...

Although he was already eighty percent convinced in his heart, Harvey still insisted on his own questions; he had to know how Lu Kuan viewed Eisner's future at Disney.

After the precise prediction about him earlier, he even began to look forward to it.

If you, Lu Kuan, really possess this mysterious religious power, then you had better be able to screw Eisner to death!

After a small interlude, the conversation between the two returned to the right track.

"Eisner's term ends in 2005, but you know the situation at Disney better than I do; I think it is highly likely he will leave office early."

A sharp glint flickered in Harvey's eyes: "Reason."

"First, he has undergone four major surgeries since 1994 and has been forcing himself to work while ill for nearly a decade. Under such pressure, his health will become the final straw that breaks the camel's back."

Eisner is quite interesting; he has survived four life-threatening surgeries, yet he clings to his position and has not followed custom by selecting a successor in advance.

He keeps an envelope in his office drawer with the name of his designated successor, having instructed his secretary and vice president that it may only be opened if he is terminally ill.

Doesn't that sound like the Kangxi Emperor placing the decree of succession behind the "Justice and Brightness" plaque in the Palace of Heavenly Purity?

"Second, Eisner is stubborn and self-opinionated, and his management style has serious cognitive defects. It's not just you, Harvey; almost all of Disney's top brass call him a tyrant, right?"

Without waiting for Harvey to chime in, Boss Lu continued to entice: "Most importantly, the unexpected passing of his good assistant Wells completely shattered the balance of his ruling team!"

Harvey stood up abruptly, looking at this young director from China in disbelief!

Having just listened to him ramble for so long, this was the first time he had shown such intense emotion, aside from being rattled by having his physical disability pointed out.

"You can actually see so deeply! Lu, you have truly surprised me this time."

Boss Lu sneered inwardly; you foreigners who have only been a nation for 200 years are just making a fuss over nothing.

The relationship between Wells and Eisner, as he described it, is just like the relationship between a monarch and a virtuous minister in our country's history.

Eisner is a tyrant with a strange temper who is extremely harsh to his subordinates, while Wells was the one who stepped on the brakes for him and maintained interpersonal relationships.

To use an inappropriate example, it's a bit like Li Shimin and Wei Zheng in the late Tang Dynasty.

"The final point: I heard that the son of Disney co-founder Roy Disney, the current Vice Chairman, Enzo Disney, is already preparing to resign."

"If this is true, it will be a major blow to Eisner!"

Harvey had indeed heard this rumor; he had worked with Enzo before.

"What if it isn't true?"

Boss Lu smiled: "Then make it true!"

"What a simple logic. Wouldn't you publish a message in the newspapers in Enzo's name to bombard Eisner?"

"With Eisner's temper, whether it's true or not, he will definitely give a fierce counterattack, and the worst result will be both sides suffering."

"And the reputation of your arch-nemesis Eisner will also suffer an unprecedented blow!"

Boss Lu suddenly leaned in close to entice the Jew: "Harvey, tell me! Are you tempted!?"

If there had been a camera on set to capture this two-shot, one could see the handsome profile of the young Chinese man and Harvey's ugly face in the same frame.

Very eerily, the eyes of the more vicious-looking Jew seemed to hold a bit more fear as he looked at the young Chinese man.

A genius, a risk-taker, a devil who plays with human hearts.

This is Harvey's current stereotype of this young Chinese man.

Harvey let out a long sigh and took the cigarette Lu Kuan had just tossed him, tucking it into his mouth.

"If I don't agree to you now, are you going to turn around and go find Tom Cruise or Eisner?"

Lu Kuan watched him with a smile and said nothing; did such a thing even need to be asked?

Pick the softest persimmon to squeeze first, and conquer the person with the most loopholes.

His advantage lies in his foresight regarding industry trends and various details; and who has more loopholes than this Jewish white-skinned pig?

When it comes to knowing the times, a Jew like Harvey is definitely a leader among men, and he quickly changed his mindset.

"Lu, what do you need me to do?"

"I will first have news released domestically about Zhang Zhang Ziyi being injured and replaced; you keep an eye on the arrival of Buena Vista's pre-sale film funds and seize the opportunity to instigate him to issue a statement."

"And Tom Cruise?"

Lu Kuan pondered for a few seconds; when it comes to settling scores, one way or another, he should be given a hard time.

But after all, he is the producer, and his presence is still needed to maintain the reputation and word-of-mouth of *Foreign Land*, so it's not great to have a fierce conflict on the surface.

But under the table is fine!

Replace the lead actress with Liu Liu Yifei, set a salary budget of 10 to 20 million USD for her; after the books are cooked, this money still belongs to oneself, but the 13% total that Tom Cruise takes will be less.

These are all standard operations for these dirty bastards.

"You go communicate with him; I won't show my face. I will reduce the number of times I meet with you all in the next few days."

The stone in Harvey's heart fell; from his initial arrogance to being struck by lightning midway, until finally being instigated by this young Chinese man who dared to break into Hollywood to "regicide."

This is fucking too exciting.

He suddenly thought of something and said cautiously: "Lu, actually..."

"Actually, I am very interested in your religion. I wonder if you could teach me some cultivation techniques or something similar?"

Boss Lu chuckled inwardly; this son of a bitch doesn't want to learn from the Wheel King in *Reign of Assassins* and regrow his balls through secret cultivation methods, does he?

"If you are truly interested, you can go to China with me next time. I will introduce you to famous masters, both from the mainland and Xiangjiang."

Harvey said in a fawning manner: "Good, good, good! I have always been close to you Chinese people, and you are also very friendly to Jews. It feels like my second hometown!"

This statement couldn't be said to be entirely deliberate flattery.

The Harvey brothers grew up in Flushing, Queens, New York, which is an important settlement for immigrants from the mainland and Taiwan, so he had been exposed to all kinds of East Asian culture since he was a child.

Like his buddy Quentin, he was quite interested in Chinese film and culture, such as filming the Tokyo scenes in *Kill Bill* in Beiping, and purchasing the North American rights to *Hero*.

In the later year of 2007, which was also the second year after he left Disney, Harvey established an Asian film fund with an investment of 285 million USD.

The filming plans proposed that year included a remake of Akira Kurosawa's *Seven Samurai* starring Zhang Zhang Ziyi, though the project later fell through.

As well as *The Forbidden Kingdom* starring Liu Liu Yifei; even the collaboration between Li Li Lianjie and Cheng Long was only made possible through the coordination of the Harvey brothers.

By tempting him with heavy profits and adding the intensity of mysticism, Boss Lu finally managed to win Harvey over to his camp.

It takes Highway 5 to get from Los Angeles to Vancouver; this highway connects the US-Canada border.

After crossing the border, take Highway 99 north to finally arrive.

A-Fei parked the car in the underground parking lot; Lu Kuan had already arranged to meet Liu Liu Xiaoli and her daughter at the hotel's water bar to discuss matters.

He had been thinking about the lead actress issue while still in the country.

For *Foreign Land*, the primary consideration is the familiarity and recognition of the North American audience.

In this regard, there is no one else to consider besides Zhang Zhang Ziyi, the lead actress of *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* and *Hero*.

Currently, there is indeed no actress in the country more suitable for the lead role in a co-production than her.

Since she is unavailable, then consider it directly based on acting skills and character fit.

The actresses who participated in the casting before, Zhong Zhong Xintong, Jia Jia Jingwen, and Zhao Little Yanzi, did not meet the requirements in all aspects.

Zhang Zhang Baizhi is with China Star, and besides, she has already been recommended to the *Love Is Not Blind* crew to take the lead role.

Fan Fan Bingbing is on the surface with Yanda Huayi Society, and she has already received a supporting role with fewer scenes but still allows for screen time;

Zhou Xun's acting skills are sufficient, but all her brilliant roles on the big screen in later years were performances of emotional dramas; her action scenes are too poor.

In this era, when a Chinese actress appears in a Hollywood movie, the audience only has one expectation when they see your face.

How well can you fight?

Note 1: His genitals are deformed, appearing similar to hermaphroditism. From evidence presented in court.

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(End of this chapter)