Millennium director

"Hey, Daniel!"

"We did it again!"

"The North American box office reached US$138.2 million in the first three days of the weekend, setting a record for the fastest revenue of US$100 million!"

"In the second week, the single-day box office still exceeded US$30 million for three consecutive days, breaking the record for the fastest revenue of US$200 million!"

"The box office forecast has now been raised to US$400 million in North American revenue!"

"As for the global market, in regions other than North America, it is now being premiered one after another, and has already achieved over 100 million US dollars in overseas box office. The next half month will be the focus of the overseas market!"

"Judging from the current momentum, with a global box office of US$890 million, breaking the record of the first film should not be a problem!"

"Daniel, maybe you have a chance to enter the billion-dollar box office club!"

"This is really good news!"

Jerry's face was red and he hugged Wu Yuan tightly as soon as he entered the door.

Now that he sees Wu Yuan's Asian face, he really likes it!

After entering the 21st century, in fact, not only the mainland box office market continues to expand, but the global box office market, in addition to European countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, including the United States, is also entering a period of box office surge.

From the "Harry Potter" to the "Lord of the Rings" series, the box office of Hollywood blockbusters is soaring like a rocket.

Now, "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" has also delivered extremely gratifying results, breaking many records in North America.

It can be said that the success of this movie is already certain and has set many new records. It will become the blockbuster of the year this year!

How could this not make Jerry happy?

You know, Jerry has invested in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series. His personal production company has always participated in the investment of this IP. Although it does not occupy a large proportion, it is also one of the investors!

As a developer, he hopes that the box office of this movie will be as high as possible!

Back then, when "Pirates of the Caribbean 1" exploded at the box office, Disney executives couldn't sit still and immediately summoned gold medal producer Jerry to put the production of the sequel on the schedule as quickly as possible.

Originally, Jerry planned to shoot two or three movies in a row, but Wu Yuan was very reluctant to do so, and the screenwriter was still unable to come up with the script for the third movie, so he unfortunately stopped the continuous shooting plan.

But now with the popular release of "Pirates of the Caribbean 2", Jerry and Disney can't sit still anymore.

Do you know how much money the IP "Pirates of the Caribbean" has earned so far as a by-product of the film for investors?

$1 billion!

Yes, by selling peripheral products, DVDs, souvenirs, Disney-limited events, etc., "Pirates of the Caribbean" earned Disney $1 billion in addition to the movie's box office!

There are rumors that the box office of Hollywood movies only accounts for one-third of the total revenue. It is really not a lie!

The Disney president’s mouth was almost crooked with a smile.

Naturally, Disney attaches great importance to the "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" project, because the crew director, main actors and screenwriters all signed contracts for three films at once. At least for the third film, everyone still has to fulfill the contract. Disney also I can get everyone together and make money again.

No, "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" has only been released for a week, and Jerry has already approached Wu Yuan to discuss arrangements for the third film.

"Daniel, as per your request, several screenwriters not only invited professional Asian historians to restore Singapore in the 17th century, but also revised the script according to your ideas."

“The subplots of the two characters, Sao Feng, the most powerful pirate king of the South China Sea among the Kings of the Seven Seas, and his daughter Wei’er are almost polished.

"Do you have any thoughts on the casting of these two characters?"

"I think Chow Yun-mao from Hong Kong Island in your country is quite good. He is very suitable for playing such a domineering and fierce role."

Some news about "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" has actually spread in Hollywood in the past half year.

For example, there are many rumors that the third part will introduce the stories of other oceans and other pirate kings, and that the third part will have Asian superstars joining the cast.

Of course, these rumors were put out by Disney on its own initiative, just to test whether fans would accept them.

For example, when Asian superstars join, they wear clothes with noses and eyes.

Today a Hollywood tabloid said that according to insiders, Disney is contacting Hong Kong star Chow Yun-mao.

Tomorrow, the rumor will become that Disney is contacting Li Lianjie, the day after tomorrow it will be Zhang Guorong, and the day after tomorrow it will be Cheng Long.

Anyway, all Chinese actors with some international reputation have been given a tour.

The process of building hype and attention for new movies and recruiting actors originally originated in Hollywood, and Hollywood companies are very familiar with this method.

However, the news released is indeed somewhat true.

Disney does intend to choose one of the above-mentioned actors to play Sao Feng.

After all, this is a Chinese pirate king, so it is definitely best to find a Chinese actor. There are only a few internationally influential Chinese actors at present, so there really is not much room for selection.

But when Wu Yuan came to see this casting, he would really look sad.

Zhou Runmao?

Wu Yuan really couldn't accept his performance in "Pirates of the Caribbean 3", not only because of his appearance, but also his acting skills.

Logically speaking, Zhou Yunmao's acting skills are not bad, and he relied on his acting skills to make a living in Hong Kong back then.

But in "Pirates of the Caribbean 3", his acting skills focus on "glaring". No matter what happens, no matter which scene, the way he expresses all emotions is to stare, which is a good interpretation of what "glaring" means. .

In addition, Zhou Runmao's character is really not very good.

After being in contact with Zhang Guorong for a long time, Wu Yuan has a good understanding of the actor circle in Hong Kong Island.

After all, Zhang Guorong loves gossip.

According to him, Zhou Runmao especially loved to eat the tofu of actresses on the set.

Actresses who have worked with her, such as Zhang Manyu, Zhong Chuhong, and Li Zhi, have all been taken advantage of or bullied.

He often does things like having sex and touching people after being called out, or directly hitting people on the set.

In the past two years, Zhou Runmao has been filming in the mainland, and there are rumors that he is acting like a big star on the set and looks down on the mainland staff.

Wu Yuan really didn't want him to play Sao Feng.

This would require him to play the role of Sao Feng, and after he went to Hollywood to become rich, he would have to raise his tail to the sky, mocking mainland actors in all kinds of ways.

But if you don’t choose Zhou Runmao, the remaining options are not very good either.

Li Lianjie is a bit hard to describe. I can only say that he and Zhou Runmao were just as good as each other for a while, and their artistic ethics are not much better.

Zhang Guorong's artistic ethics are very good, and Wu Yuan is willing to praise him, but his image is really not on par with the "Pirate King".

In the end, Cheng Long was still the only choice left.

In Hollywood, there are really too few Chinese actors to choose from, especially for such S-level super-large productions.

Even if he was only the third or fourth male lead, Wu Yuan could not recommend to Disney an actor who was not well-known in Hollywood.

Otherwise, Wu Yuan would like to recommend Zhang Fengyi and Zhang Hanyu.

"Chow Runmao is not suitable. Let's contact Cheng Long first. If he is available, ask him to play Sao Feng." Wu Yuan said firmly.

"Why?" Jerry was a little confused. "Chou is quite good. He has acted in many movies in Hollywood."

"The cold killer in "The Replacement", the Chinese police detective in "The Edge", and the male protagonist in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" all played great roles. His image is very suitable."

"No, I don't think it's suitable." Wu Yuan shook his head firmly.

Helpless, Jerry spread his hands and said, "OK, you are the director, I will listen to you."

If these words had been heard during the preparation of "Pirates of the Caribbean 1", it would have never been heard from Jerry. At that time, Wu Yuan did not even have the right to cast the film.

But when the third part of this series was filmed, Wu Yuan had become a truly powerful director, and most of the decisions on the crew were ultimately made by him.

"What about Sao Feng's daughter? There doesn't seem to be a suitable Asian actress in Hollywood, Zhang Ziyi?" Jerry asked again.

For this role, he really couldn't find a suitable actor for a while, so he had to let Wu Yuan make the decision.

After all, Wu Yuan is a Chinese director, and he knows too many Chinese actresses.

International chapter?

Wu Yuan frowned, "Zhang Ziyi is not suitable. She is a bit old."

In the script, Sao Feng's daughter is set to be a girl of seventeen or eighteen years old, which is about the same age as Elizabeth Swann when she appeared in the first film.

As for why it is set like this, it is of course Wu Yuan's selfishness. This is what he specifically asked the screenwriter to do.

"I have a suitable candidate." Wu Yuan chuckled, "Have you seen my movie "Your Name"?"

"Of course." Jerry nodded.

Although "Your Name" was not released in North America, the film was the box office champion in Asia that year.

Jerry, as a producer, must be paying attention.

"I understand what you mean." He also smiled, "Daniel, you want to use the heroine from "Your Name", right?"

"She was indeed a beautiful girl."

"But I heard that she is your girlfriend?"

The fact that Wu Yuan brought Liu Yifei to guest star in "Night at the Museum" is not a secret in the industry.

Raising his eyebrows, Wu Yuan responded matter-of-factly: "Jerry, there is an old saying in China, which is that when you promote a virtuous person, do not avoid relatives."

"It means that when recommending talented people, there is no need to avoid relatives."

"Crystal is perfect for this role, isn't she?"

Jerry pondered.

Among Chinese actors who are popular around the world, Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi are currently the only ones, but neither of them fits the age of their characters.

If we settle for the next best thing, Liu Yifei, the actress who earned US$200 million (1.6 billion RMB) at the box office in Asia with "Your Name", is indeed the best choice.

At least she is still famous in Asia and can contribute to the box office of "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Disney wants to find a Hong Kong actor to play Sao Feng, isn't it also to achieve better box office in Asia?

"It's indeed a good choice." Jerry quickly accepted Wu Yuan's opinion.

Even if he knew that Wu Yuan wanted to flatter his girlfriend selfishly, this situation was completely normal in Hollywood.

"It's a pity that "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" didn't make it to the screen in mainland China, otherwise it would have created more momentum for "Pirates of the Caribbean 3." Jerry said with some regret.

However, Wu Yuan didn't see it that way. He suppressed a smile and said, "Jerry, you are wrong about this."

"Believe me, although "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" will not be released in mainland China, mainland movie fans will definitely see this movie."

Do you look down on China’s pirated disc industry chain?

"Pirates of the Caribbean 2" will be available on DVD and Blu-ray, so mainland movie fans will have access to pirated versions.

"Oh!" Jerry slapped his forehead and smiled himself, "I forgot that the piracy market in your country is very developed."

To what extent is China’s piracy market developed now?

As long as foreigners come to China, especially tourists from Europe, America, Japan and South Korea, they will definitely bring home a lot of "pirated souvenirs".

Just like going to the supermarket to scan for goods, you can always see foreigners buying pirated discs in large numbers at major pirated disc stalls and markets.

They even learned to communicate with pirate vendors in Chinese.

"This, this one, and this one!"

"Want them all!"

China's pirated discs are so delicious, and the price is less than one-tenth of the genuine discs. For this group of European and American tourists, it is simply a paradise.

As a result, the news of rampant piracy in China spread very quickly around the world, which had a very bad impact on the country's reputation.

Wu Yuan didn't want to talk to Jerry about this topic.

As a Chinese, he can laugh at himself, but hearing such ridicule from a foreigner really makes him unbearable.

"Jerry, when do you plan to start filming "Pirates of the Caribbean 3"?" Wu Yuan asked, changing the subject.

"Well, January 2007." When talking about business, Jerry's expression immediately became serious. He counted on his fingers and said, "Although when we were filming the second part, we had deliberately left the scene at that time. and photo studio.”

"The Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman have also been retained, and the Royal Navy warships have also stayed on St. Vincent."

"But this time the third part also needs to build new scenes, such as Singapore in the 17th century."

"Several ships are also due for refurbishment work."

"So the preliminary preparations should still take three to four months."

"In addition, the main creators have to do frequent movie promotions this month."

"The official launch should not be until January next year."

However, Wu Yuan frowned when he heard the news.

"Jerry, January may not work." He sighed: "I have a movie in China. It is China's first science fiction blockbuster. It has an investment of nearly 300 million yuan. It is expected to be shot from the end of this year to the beginning of next year."

"It won't be finalized until March at the earliest."

If "Gravity" is fast, it can start shooting in December, and then wrap it up in early March next year. The shooting period will be four months, which is considered normal for a blockbuster.

However, this would conflict with Disney's arrangements.

Jerry's expression also became ugly. He looked at Wu Yuan silently and asked solemnly: "Daniel, can't your Chinese movie be advanced or postponed?"

"I'm afraid not." Wu Yuan shook his head, "Our country's space agency is also involved in this movie and has official support. Although it is not officially led, there is indeed the participation of administrative forces. It is difficult to change the plan. of."

Wu Yuan was somewhat fooling Jerry by saying this. The Space Administration and the Ministry of Culture had no guidance on when and how to shoot "Gravity". It was purely based on Wu Yuan's temperament.

The reason why he is unwilling to change the plan is so that the film can be released in June or July before the Olympics, so that it can form a linkage effect with the Olympics.

Before watching the Olympics, let’s watch a science fiction movie that boosts national self-confidence and promotes China’s aerospace power. How delicious!

As for the post-Olympic Games, most Chinese people are in a post-Olympic euphoria "sage mode". The excitement period has passed, the national self-confidence is also full, and there is really no intention to go to the cinema to watch movies.

If the filming of "Gravity" is postponed until next summer, then the film, including the time for special effects, may not be released in time for the 2008 Olympics.

Wu Yuan's special effects company is just starting out. Even if the quality of its backbone is comparable to that of Weta Digital and Industrial Light \u0026 Magic, its number of people can't compare.

Large companies such as Industrial Light and Magic may be able to complete the post-production of "Gravity" in half a year, but if it is replaced by a light and shadow special effects company, it will take a year.

Of course, as more and more companies’ own special effects artists are trained, this speed will accelerate.

If we strive to have half the efficiency and scale of today's top special effects companies like Industrial Light and Magic within three to five years, then the light and shadow special effects company will already be the strongest in the country.

Of course, in three to five years, the scale of Industrial Light and Magic will have doubled again, and that will be a thing of the past.

The next ten years will not only be a decade of rapid development for the Chinese film industry, but also a decade of rapid development for the Hollywood film industry.

After "Avatar", Hollywood's 3D special effects film industry also ushered in a big explosion, and reached its peak in the superhero era.

In this era of 3D special effects movies, special effects companies such as Industrial Light and Magic have seen their scale expand crazily, and their business volume has also surged. They have become the main contracting company for the global movie special effects business.

This wave of development dividends is due to Hollywood’s global dominance and is brought about by Hollywood special effects blockbusters such as “Transformers”, “Avatar” and “Iron Man”.

No one in the Chinese film industry would envy him.

There is no way, this is a limitation of the domestic film ecology.

There are currently no special effects blockbusters in the mainland. In the next five or ten years, the development of domestic special effects blockbusters will be boring. With such a market, it is really impossible to raise a special effects company that can match the scale of Industrial Light and Magic.

Make bricks without straw.

What Wu Yuan can do is to develop a small but sophisticated company capable of producing special effects for his own movies. When he is not working on company projects, he can take on external orders to support himself.

After achieving self-sufficiency, it will be enough to look at the development of domestic special effects films, expand the scale appropriately, and try to capture the mainland's special effects production market.

Just when Wu Yuan was thinking about deserting and drifting into the film special effects industry, Jerry, who had been pondering for a long time, finally thought about it and said again: "Daniel, I understand."

"I will coordinate with Disney about the schedule. I also hope you can give an accurate completion time. We will coordinate the schedule and try to balance both ends."

"As soon as your movie in China is finished filming, "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" will start filming immediately."

"We will try to finish filming before July next year and release it in time for Christmas next year!"

Yes, we have to keep spinning again.

Wu Yuan resisted rolling his eyes and nodded reluctantly: "OK, in principle I have no objection."

In his heart, he secretly vowed that after filming "Pirates of the Caribbean 3", no matter how good the conditions Jerry and Disney offered, he would never take the directing job in 4 and 5 again!

Whoever likes to take over can take over!

The era of superheroes in Hollywood is coming soon. He wants to take advantage of the fact that superhero movies have not yet dominated Hollywood. He wants to make some movies of his own in Hollywood and leave his own mark. He can no longer work for the Big Six. Got it!

This chapter has a lot of words, so I’ll continue writing it when I wake up at night.