China Entertainment: Director’s happiness is so simple

In order to increase the publicity effect of "Happy Death Day", Summit announced this latest plan immediately.

After cost accounting, it was 4.5 million US dollars, and the director was still Lu Ping'an.

The North American film industry, fans, and media expressed their expectations after learning the news.

After the Oscar ebb, Lu Pingan's reputation in the United States has dropped a lot, but because of the movie "Chainsaw", his popularity is still good, especially among horror movie fans.

However, what everyone is looking forward to more is when Lu Ping'an will make "Chainsaw 2", but they don't expect that this time he will not make a series, but a different movie.

Fans and media were slightly regretful but also expressed understanding.

After all, this is normal practice in Hollywood.

If a work is a hit, you don’t necessarily have to rush to make a sequel. Instead, you need to try a new theme first to see if it can still be successful.

If that doesn't work, a popular sequel is a good insurance policy.

This is especially true for non-Old American filmmakers.

This is the case with Cheng Long. After "Rush Hour 1" became a hit in 1998, he took advantage of this trend to shoot a new film "The Dragon of the West" in Hollywood. The result was not very satisfactory at the box office, so he started filming "Rush Hour 2" in 2000. It was successful again after its release in 2001.

The reason why Lu Pingan is not filming "Chainsaw 2" for the time being is the same as most people think.

But many people are curious, since your first film has been successful, why did the cost of "Happy Death Day" only cost 4.5 million US dollars?

Many film and television companies feel that Summit may not invest more.

In addition, they also wondered why Lu Pingan didn't tell them first if he wanted to make a new work.

After all, I had made some promises to Lu Ping'an before when I met him.

For example, Universal once offered a new movie contract with a minimum production cost of 50 million.

But Lu Pingping seems to have forgotten?

After the news was released, Lu Pingan received many calls.

"Lu, why didn't you say anything when you returned to the United States?"

"Lu, do you remember what we said last time?"

"lu"

Lu Ping An's answer to each company was the same: "Sorry, I thought you were saying polite words, but I didn't take it seriously."

If a work from another company really has great potential, he would naturally be willing to accept it.

But it is true as he said, who knows whether these people were serious or polite at the time. In addition, he himself has no shortage of good projects, so there is no need to regard their invitation as a life-saving straw for his career.

Furthermore, even if there is a good project, "Happy Death Day" won't take much of his time, and it won't be too late to talk about it after the filming is over.

Through a phone call, the film and television companies on the other side learned that this was a "misunderstanding" and was caused by poor communication.

So a new recruitment process was quickly started.

Lu Ping An quickly received project proposals from various companies.

Project costs range from US$5 million to US$30 million.

The themes are mainly horror and suspense, and the scripts are average. There are actually quite a few kung fu movies.

None of them was familiar to Lu Pingan.

In other words, people don’t really take it as seriously as they say.

The same goes for Universal. They said they were giving you 50 million US dollars to make a big production, but they had never heard of the script they presented.

Lu Ping'an asked if other scripts would work. The other person shook his head, meaning that the company didn't approve of other themes.

The reason was also mentioned by the other party: "There are too many failure cases on the market, such as "Windtalker" and "The Incredible Hulk." After finishing speaking, the other party shrugged and said no more.

Lu Ping'an knew that the other party didn't directly say that he didn't trust the Chinese director, which was considered polite.

Last year Wu Yusen changed a new theme, and "Wind Talker" jumped on it.

In June this year, Li An also changed to a new theme, and "Hulk" was also launched.

Chinese directors failed one after another, and Ping An Lu was also implicated.

However, Lu Ping'an also knew that the so-called "involvement" was actually still an excuse.

To put it bluntly, it is because I am Chinese, and the results I have made are not enough to convince the public. The subject matter of "Chainsaw" is somewhat limited. Some people even think that "Chainsaw" became a hit because of good luck.

Therefore, Lu Ping'an was not surprised when such a situation occurred. This was expected.

After politely declining a group of people, Lu Pingan continued preparations for "Happy Death Day".

The main scene of "Happy Death Day" was very simple, and Summit completed it in one day.

Then came the casting.

This time it was the main heroine, and Lu Pingan directly targeted a few that he was interested in, such as the widowed sister, Jessica Alba, etc.

Anyway, regardless of whether they are suitable or not, contact them first. If they can come, these people will soon become famous, which will also be good for the film.

Among the rest of the actors, little brother David must be taken care of.

This time when he came to the United States, he still took the initiative to pick him up at the airport.

This can be considered a more friendly American.

But this is also related to the fact that "Chainsaw" did not bring him many bonuses.

After "Chainsaw", he also acted in new works, but just like those projects sent by production companies, there were not many splashes.

In Hollywood, just like in China, movies that can make money and become famous only account for 10% of all movies.

Actors have acted in many films but remain unknown. This is the norm.

After invitations are sent out, auditions are scheduled.

That night another person from the production company came, it was Warner.

The relationship between Warner and the Mainland is quite deep.

Next year, Warner will establish China Film Warner Hengdian Film and Television Co., Ltd. with several mainland companies such as China Film and Hengdian. It will be the first Sino-foreign joint venture film and entertainment company in Chinese history. Its main business will include investment, production, distribution and promotion of Chinese films and TV movies. .

Later, he participated in the investment of films such as "Crazy Stone", "Red Cliff" and "Tou Mingzhuang".

Last year, Warner also collaborated with Feng Dapao on a mainland TV series.

Therefore, if Warner can come to the door, it is estimated that its sincerity will be better than other companies.

But Lu Ping'an also has his own ideas.

There is no problem in cooperating with Warner, but it cannot be the same as mainland directors. Hollywood beckons and they make all kinds of films. They don't care about quality and just want the halo of "Hollywood". That would be too low.

Therefore, for Warner, Lu Pingan has only one purpose, and that is to participate in their DC comic adaptation project.

Nolan's "Batman" trilogy is the goal.

In 1997, "Batman and Robin" directed by Joe Schumacher was named "the fifth worst sequel movie in history."

Because of this movie, the Batman series has become a hot potato in Warner's hands.

It has been almost 7 years now, and the "Batman" IP is still hidden by Warner. However, Nolan will soon volunteer to ask Warner to restart the IP, and then the first "Batman Begins" will start filming in March next year. ", followed by Nolan's "Batman" trilogy.

The Batman trilogy is of great value, but Warner currently doesn't pay attention to it. Lu Pingan feels that if he really wants to cooperate with Warner, if they are willing to give it, then it is really possible. As for other projects, Lu Pingan is not interested, and Warner is afraid that too Not given easily.

So after seeing Warner's proposal for a purely Sino-US co-production, Lu Ping'an asked directly: "I'm more interested in your Batman."

The visitor, an old white man named Henry, looked surprised.

Why do you fall in love with Batman?

"Operating such a big IP and having experienced huge failures is not a good thing for young directors."

Henry advised.

His goal is still to reach a Sino-US co-production with Lu Ping An to enhance Warner's influence in China.

But Lu Ping'an has made up his mind: "Go back and ask if this IP can be transferred. We can discuss the money."

If you want to be Batman, there are only two ways.

One is to just be a director, make good films, and gain fame for yourself.

Or just take down the IP.

If it is a cooperative investment or something, let alone whether they are willing or not, even if they are willing, Lu Ping An will not do it.

Warner's character is well known to everyone.

"Harry Potter" is still hanging in the crooked neck tree!

After Henry knew Lu Ping'an's attitude, he chatted for a while and left.

Lu Ping An didn't put all his hopes on him. Henry's main business was in China, so Lu Ping An asked Tina and Xiang Guoqiang to cooperate with Dingfeng to contact Henry, and then negotiated with Warner over copyright. way to start negotiations.

If the "Batman" IP can be held for five to ten years, he will be willing to spend more money.

The dividends from the trilogy are considerable.

Of course, it's okay if you really can't get it. After all, this is just a matter of grabbing it before Nolan takes advantage of it.

After talking about the matter, Lu Ping'an also started the audition.

The male protagonist here is David, and the rest can be found as you like.

It's a pity for the heroine that Lu Ping'an couldn't get the few that she liked.

Either there is no schedule, or the agency simply doesn't care about a small production worth more than four million yuan.

The widowed sister couldn't come either.

Widow Sister and Lu Ping'an met once at Oscar in the first half of the year. The two had no contact information at the time, but they would definitely be able to talk more easily if they met once.

After contacting her through Dell, the widowed sister expressed her regret. She had a very good impression of Lu Ping'an, who was a great painter and director. She also liked the creativity of scripts, so she was naturally willing to cooperate.

But she really doesn't have time right now.

"Lost in Translation" will be released in North America at the end of August. Before that, it will be released in Maple Leaf Country, Mexico and other places. The company has arranged various announcements for her.

At only 19 years old, she didn't have much choice.

Even if "Happy Death Day" only needs 15 to 20 days to schedule, it won't work.

This reason is indeed strong. "Lost in Translation" also cost 4 million US dollars. In the end, it won more than 100 million US dollars in global box office. It is currently being released in North America, the largest box office. It is understandable that the other company attaches great importance to it.

Lu Ping'an didn't feel too sorry. He just asked and tried.

However, through this communication, the two became somewhat familiar with each other. In the end, Lu Pingan chose an actress who would be famous in the future among more than two hundred girls who auditioned: Rachel McAdams.

This girl from Maple Leaf Country is the same age as Lu Pingan. She is currently a "Hollywood drifter". She has been drifting for two years and has played many small roles. The most important role she has played and has been released is last year's "Transformation Hot Girl", a A role that swaps bodies with the male protagonist, and is also a supporting role.

There is also a role as the heroine in "The Notebook". She plays the role very well and Lu Ping'an is very impressed. However, this film was filmed at the end of last year and will not be released until next year's summer vacation, so it does not help her career. Rachel is still unknown. .

Now being directly selected by Lu Ping An to be the heroine, Rachel cried with joy on the spot.

I don’t know how many bitter things are hidden in those tears.

The character was finalized and filming officially started the next day.