The Best Director

No matter how "peacefully broke up" between Flame Films and James Wan \u0026 Leigh Whannell, or how "we are still best friends", in the eyes of the outside world, the two's switch to Universal is definitely a signal of discord!

At the same time, most of FF's new film projects in the next two years will be strange. Wang Yang has used several of his ace producers and directors indiscriminately. After winning double annual championships and reaching an unprecedented peak, what performance will FF have in the next few years is really better than this year's awards season? Still confused and starting to go downhill? Or will it maintain its miraculous power and continue to overthrow mainstream blockbusters such as Warner Bros., Sony, Paramount, and Universal?

Being able to poach FF's foundation and usher in the two fathers of chainsaws in their prime, Universal is inevitably a little proud, as if it has received half a magical boost! Universal spokesperson Cindy Gardner said: "With the clear proof of the "SAW" series, why should we not look forward to "Dead Silence"?" Universal has not said "Dead Silence" will be better than "SAW" Success!" This horror film with a production budget of 20 million yuan has been scheduled to be released in April 2007.

There was certainly no shortage of horror films in the same period, such as "Grindhouse" and "The Harvest"... At that time, Fire Movies also had plans to release. The action comedy "The Green Hornet", which was initiated, produced, and written by Wang Yuyang, was likely to be staged by then. The drama of "traitor".

Why FF always attracts doubts is because its projects are always so unusual. For example, "The Green Hornet" is a superhero comedy, and it brings together the "Kings of Comedy" Jim Carrey and Stephen Chow from Hollywood and Hong Kong. Together, two old guys who add up to 88 years old this year are nearly a hundred years old. But in fact, the early publicity effect of this project has been very good. Fans and audiences who love comedy think it is very interesting. The two leading actors are the kind of kings who can make you laugh to death without speaking. They can't wait. I want to see its appearance and have a good laugh.

"It's hard to imagine the chemical reaction they have when they are funny together." More than one fan who knows both Jim Carrey and Stephen Chow said this. Compared with the plot and story of "The Green Hornet", this is the most exciting thing. Even film critic Roger Ebert expressed his expectations when talking about movies in the next few years: "Carrey + Zhou + Oedekirk + Magic Young, God knows what kind of comedy effect these guys will bring .”

Since Steve Oedekirk joined, the progress of "Green Hornet" has quickly made a big breakthrough. In the fourth quarter of last year, the three completed the script adaptation work. It is still in the preparation stage and will be released in May this year. Shooting will start in August and will be completed by August. It will be directed by Stephen Chow.

Stephen Chow's fame in North America is due to the release of "Kung Fu" last year. The film received a total of 17.1 million North American box office, with a maximum of 2,503 theaters across North America; and its global box office was 100.9 million US dollars. Although the box office of 17.1 million seems to be very small, it is already ranked eighth in the box office list of North American foreign language films (1980-present). The highest is "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) with 128 million (China, Taiwan). Bay), the second place is "Beautiful Life" (Italy) with 57.56 million, the third place is "Hero" (China) with 53.71 million... The tenth place is "Iron Horse" (China) with 14.69 million (Hong Kong, Hong Kong).

As a person who has loved movies since childhood and is "erudite and polyglot", it is difficult for Wang Yang to understand why most North American audiences are so narrow-minded and not interested in watching foreign language films with subtitles, thereby missing out on countless classic films, such as his beloved "Paradise" "Cinema" only had a North American box office of 12.39 million, and the market has not changed for more than ten years. But this is the status quo. After all, no matter what time, there are too many choices of popular English movies on the poster walls of the theater.

However, even though "Kung Fu" ranked eighth, Wang Qiyang and the Fire Publishing Department felt very sorry for it. If it were distributed by FF, they were confident that the box office of "Kung Fu" would reach more than 50 million.

Not to mention the issue of schedule selection, in April, today's publisher Sony Classics still made a big mistake. It did not treat "Kung Fu" with the patience it had when releasing "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", or "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" 》The huge success made them think about things simply.

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" opened in 16 theaters in the first week, and the screening scale lasted for 5 weeks with less than 200 theaters, 8 weeks with less than 1,000 theaters, and 2,027 theaters in the 16th week at its maximum. It finally screened for 32 weeks before going offline; "Kung Fu" ended its journey in 19 weeks. It was only previewed in 7 theaters in the first two weeks, with average single theater averages of 53,577 and 51,38, respectively. The scores of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" were 41,450 and 34,798, but it was on Rotten Tomatoes The good reputation of 90%/85%/86% has not spread, has not formed influence, and has not increased publicity. In the third week, the number of hotels quickly increased to 2503 (+2496), and the average number of single hotels also dropped rapidly. It reached 3,436, which is a typical example of pushing back the growth.

"Motorcycle Diaries" (2004-9-24), which ranked ninth with a box office of 16.78 million, was screened for 21 weeks, with a maximum of 272 theaters (11th week); "Life is Beautiful" 35 weeks, with a maximum of 1,136 theaters (25th week) Weeks); while Miramax released "Heroes" (2004-8-27) in 2,031 theaters in its first week, with an average of 11,680 per theater, because this was a belated release, and it had already hit the Golden Globes before. It won the Best Foreign Language Film Award and Oscar, and has a certain reputation.

Now "Kung Fu" is also hitting the awards season, and has been shortlisted for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. However, judging from its advertising volume and other publicity aspects, Sony/Columbia has no intention of campaigning for it, especially Stephen- Zhou's new film "The Green Hornet" belongs to the FF, and even if he wins the trophy, it is just a wedding dress. If it were promoted by FF, there is no doubt that it would spend a lot of money to build publicity and help it maximize its potential to compete for the best foreign language film.

Unfortunately, this can only be a pity. Sony/Columbia themselves are not nervous. There is no way for Flames to dictate. They should think about how to make "The Green Hornet" well.

Of course, "Kung Fu" still has a chance to win the Golden Globe Award. Although Wang Qiyang knew in advance that it lost to the Palestinian "Heaven Now", who knows whether there will be any changes?

In addition to "The Green Hornet", other projects of Flame Films are also moving forward on their own tracks. Luc Jacques, the director of "Diary of the Penguin", has agreed to take over the directing microphone of "The Story of Hachiko". He will work with Robert Scully ("The Lion King 2", "Superman", etc.) jointly adapted the script. With the assistance of producers Todd Leibman and Robert Scully, Luc- Jacques' shortcomings have been made up for, but the advantages have not been lost. FF does not doubt that "" can become a touching film with a high reputation.

After many months, "Marley and Me" was adapted from the script by two screenwriters, Scott Frank and Don Ross. Producer Gil Nate invited David Frankel ("Marley and Me" "Love Rhapsody", 6 episodes of "Sex and the City", 2 episodes of "Band of Brothers", etc.) picked up the microphone and is currently in the casting and preparation stage.

Although these two dog movies are both scheduled to be released in 2007, because they are not special effects blockbusters and do not require much post-production time, and a gap in publicity will have many adverse effects, so both projects have Don't rush, give the crew and creators sufficient preparation time; although they are full of interest in the script and story, the two directors still need to spend time finding the feeling of directing and getting along with the staff of various departments. This process may take four months, it may take half a year. Even suddenly one day, he quit the crew due to conflicts.

"The Story of Hachiko" is scheduled to start filming in the fourth quarter of the year; "Marley and Me" is likely to not start filming until the first quarter of next year.

"Assassin's Alliance 2", which will be released at the end of the summer vacation next year, will no longer be directed by John Woo. This is indeed a "peaceful breakup". John Woo's emotions and thoughts are all put in "Assassin's Alliance". This It's like a person who has been holding it in for a long time finally lets out a breath, but after he relaxes, he can no longer regain the momentum. If he is allowed to make a second film in such a short time, Huo Film is not optimistic that it can "receive both box office and word of mouth". At the same time, according to market research, the audience hopes for some new excitement.

On the other hand, John Woo once again proved that his reputation as the "King of Guns" was not in vain, and he no longer needed to prove anything. After getting used to the ups and downs of people in Hollywood, he wanted to return to Asia and join forces with China Film and other companies to produce movies. A Chinese-language film, "Red Cliff" is a historical war film based on the Battle of Red Cliff during the Three Kingdoms era.

So both parties are happy despite the breakup. Flame Films has sent a director invitation to the 44-year-old "Russian John Woo" Timo Bekmambetov, and received a YES reply; in addition, the sequel script directed by Chris Morgan will be about to be After completion, the original team will be recalled to prepare... "Assassin's Alliance 2" is expected to start filming in the third quarter of this year at the earliest, and in the fourth quarter at the latest. Otherwise, it will be too bad to miss the release date.

As for whether to participate in the investment of "Red Cliff" and serve as its North American distributor, Flame Film Production Department believes that it is still open to discussion.

"Iron Man" and "I Am Legend" seemed much busier, with a consistent "magical style". Jon Favreau has finished his vacation and has already devoted himself to the work of the crew. The screenwriting team headed by Mark Fergus and Hawke Ostby also followed the framework ideas given by Wang Yuyang to shape characters, write lines, and stories. Details, etc., from October last year to now, the script has been nearly completed, and the two starring candidates, Robert Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams, have been confirmed. "Iron Man" is expected to start filming in August and be released early in the 2007 summer vacation. .

At present, the script of "I Am Legend" has not been handed over to the various departments of the crew, and the crew has not even been formed. However, Wang Yangyang's production preparations have always been very smooth, and "I Am Legend" is different from "Firefly" is so huge, it only has one lead actor, and there is no need for martial arts training, etc. Wang Yang's plan is to officially start production in February. It is expected to start filming in another 5-7 months, and it will be released in the middle of the 2007 summer vacation.

In addition, the production progress of films such as "Mamma Mia" and "The Prestige" are in line with expectations; "Saw 4" has entered the preparatory stage, and FF has decided to use 27-year-old newcomer Darren-Lynn Bousman. Director and screenwriter, he is the director of the Lionsgate version of "SAW" 2, 3, and 4. Boseman's insights and enthusiasm for "SAW" are enough to support him in creating a movie after the story of the first trilogy ends. A great sequel that unfolds new horrors.

Nancy Lenore will also serve as the planning producer and assistant director of "SAW4". As early as "SAW1", she has done some assistant work with the crew, and her outstanding performance in "500 Days of Summer" last year This is even more reason for her to win the trust of others. So when she expressed great interest in "SAW4", the FF production department and Wang Yangyang agreed without much thought. If she has excellent results this time and Bosman lacks energy, the director's microphone of "SAW5" will be Priority is given to her, the third female director of FF.

But compared to the youth, singing and dancing, and comedy of Sarah Sugarman and Anne Fletcher... Nancy Lenore made an R-rated bloody horror film? It seems very weird, even weirder than old Jigsaw, especially since she is so beautiful. At first glance, the first impression is that of a woman who faints at the sight of blood and screams at the sight of ghosts. The second impression is that of a stubborn and confident woman.

Who doesn’t scream when he sees a ghost? Maybe just James Wan. Although he had known that this junior school girl or sister had a lot of personality, Wang Yangyang was still surprised: "This is not "SEW" (sewing, needlework), it is "SAW". Have you seen it? Are you sure? In front of the little girl Sawing and sawing the legs..." Nancy was quite disdainful: "In the past few years, I have thought of many interesting killing games, each of which is more terrifying than sawing the legs, and some of them use SEW. Do you want to listen?"

"Okay, I admire your character!" What else could Wang Yang say? Isn't she interested in youth campuses, romantic comedies, etc.? Nancy said frankly: "You know my idol is you. Yes, I want to follow in your footsteps and debut in a horror film. Anyway, I am really interested. I will talk about the rest later."

However, Mark Slant has not forgotten what his agent said. He believes that FF can join forces with Nancy's agent and agency to make her an "idol director" who is both talented and sexy. Hot and beautiful female director! Easily Sofia Coppola, Jodie Foster, Miranda July... A few days ago, because of the Rose Bowl game, she followed Wang Yuyang on the national live broadcast channel many times. After that, many people on the Internet asked " Who is that woman?", "The one wearing the ball cap next to Miracle Young!", "Has she acted in any movies?" You know, absolutely rk!

If she wants to follow this development route, she can't touch scary things like "SAW". Romantic things such as the "Dance My Life" series and "Twilight" are suitable for her. All men, women, old and young can be killed! Flame Movies has another shining directorial signature. And now "The Twilight Saga" is getting more and more popular. It has been on the "New York Times" bestseller list for many weeks in a row. It has become a super best-seller, "Idol Director" + "Idol Starring" , a wonderful publicity stunt.

"I want to be a director, not the cover girl of "Flower Flowers". Otherwise, why would I go to USC? To become a highly educated cover girl?" This suggestion was rejected by Nancy. She rejected it mercilessly, and she was very angry because she didn't like others to associate her appearance with her talents.

Wang Qiyang remembers that he said the same thing at the beginning, "I don't want to be a star." Today, his popularity is as good as any other star. Although he still doesn't think he is a star, but as the saying goes, "an animal looks like a star." What does it look like, what does it sound like, what does it sound like when it walks, then it is what it is." In the eyes of the outside world, there is no difference between him and a star. Only he himself knows that he is not. He makes movies, participates in promotions, and participates in awards seasons. Then what? there is none left.

Many things develop involuntarily. When Nancy began to take over the director's microphone on her own, how could she not be included in the entire film promotion from beginning to end? Just go with the flow and do a few interviews, take a few photos for ordinary entertainment and fashion magazines, and as long as there is attention, the media and paparazzi will stare at her. When the movie is successful, then even if Nancy doesn't want to Being an "idol director" will gradually turn into "beautiful director", which may be her nickname.

"What do you think? I'm not lying to you." Wang Qiyang told her all his years of experience, and then said: "Actually, it's nothing. The most important thing is to maintain your own mentality. Don't know what you are doing in the flash and glitz. Anything will do." When Nancy heard that this was indeed the case, she was immediately very annoyed: "Now I actually envy Harry George!" She was also very annoyed: "No, the nickname 'Beautiful Director' is too silly. 'Spicy Director', 'Sexy Director'...I don't want it! I thought of it, I want to give myself a nickname first, uh-huh, what do you think?"

Wang Yang couldn't help but sigh: "She is still a girl after all." During the phone call, Nancy suddenly laughed: "Isn't it too early for us to talk about this? It's so funny! It's like I'm going to walk on the red carpet of the Golden Globe Awards. What on earth is it? Who?" Wang Qiyang said: "Muscle Director."

The two first met in Park City, where the Sundance Film Festival is held, 6 years ago in 2000. This year's Sundance Film Festival will open on the 19th, and the Film Acquisition and Distribution Department of Flame Films is gaining momentum. Waiting for release, I hope there will be some major harvest, such as the kind of film that can be used as the main impact of the next awards season, but everyone knows that such a film is rare. Not every year will have "Crash". Not every "Crash" film can be easily recognized.

Before that, the 63rd Golden Globe Awards Ceremony held on the evening of the 16th arrived earlier.

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