raknovel Chapter 100 Introduction and Jared Leto
Chapter 100 Introduction and Jared Leto
Chapter 100: The Introduction of Jared Leto (4k views, please vote)
Just when the domestic film industry was in turmoil over a mere steamed bun, and moviegoers were feeling somewhat weary and disappointed with domestic blockbusters, entertainment media was suddenly flooded with news from Hollywood.
On a Christmas morning, several mainstream media outlets, including Sina Entertainment, Sohu Entertainment, and Popular Cinema, published an exclusive translated report from Hollywood on their front pages almost simultaneously.
"The brightest moment for Chinese-language directors! Lin Ruiyang's new film gets a high-profile Hollywood release date, and 20th Century Fox officially declares war on the $200 million behemoth 'Superman Returns'!"
China Film News: "Chinese director Lin Ruiyang's new film 'The Devil Wears Prada' is scheduled for release on June 30, 2006, directly competing with Warner Bros.' blockbuster 'Superman Returns'."
The Beijing News: "Fox makes a big bet on the summer blockbuster season, with Lin Ruiyang challenging a $2.5 million superhero film."
The Beijing Times: "From Berlin to Hollywood: Chinese Director's First Mainstream Commercial Film to Face Off Against Superman in Summer Blockbuster Season."
Yangcheng Evening News: "Why does Fox trust a Chinese director so much?"
Unlike the cautious approach taken by industry insiders, the online reaction was much simpler and more direct, with major forums instantly erupting in discussion.
On the Tianya entertainment gossip forum, a post titled "Brothers, come quick! Lin Ruiyang is going to take on Superman in Hollywood!" received over a thousand upvotes in less than half an hour.
"Holy crap, is this for real?"
"Wasn't the Superman movie an investment of over two billion RMB?"
"I checked, it seems to be 250 million US dollars."
;
"6
""
"That's it."
"What's the point of fighting?"
"Superman's cape alone cost more than your movie budget, right?"
But someone quickly refuted this.
"The person upstairs doesn't know anything. The Fox executives aren't stupid; they must have had the confidence to set this date!"
How many blockbusters can "Infernal Affairs" beat?
"Movies aren't about who spends the most money."
Others replied.
"The problem is, that's Superman."
"America's own son."
"Director Lin seems to have gotten a little carried away this time."
"Indeed, even if you win the Berlin Golden Bear, you still have to follow Hollywood's rules when making commercial films."
"A fashion film competing against a special effects blockbuster is like throwing an egg against a rock, isn't it?"
On Tianya Entertainment, pessimistic voices began to gain the upper hand.
In an era when visual effects were just beginning to dominate the global box office, Chinese moviegoers held an almost totemistic reverence for the figure of 250 million US dollars.
However, a few rational fans countered: "Don't boost others' morale and diminish your own. Fox dared to release the film at the end of June, which shows that Director Lin's finished film is of absolutely top quality."
The online debate gradually reached a stalemate, with no matter how much domestic netizens argued, no one could come up with any real core insights.
After all, the realities of business warfare are shrouded in mystery for ordinary people.
Unlike the heated online arguments driven purely by passion and intuition, the old office building of China Film Group outside Xizhimen was unusually quiet at this moment.
In the spacious general manager's office on the third floor, Han Sanping was slumped in a large leather swivel chair, a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers.
On the table were reports on various industry trends that had just been delivered.
The collapse of the reputation of "The Promise" and the backlash from public opinion have made things difficult for Han Sanping recently.
His painstaking efforts to support top domestic directors and his strategy of using large-scale, big-budget films to compete with Hollywood seem somewhat precarious.
"A narrow mind leads to a limited perspective." Han Sanping stubbed out his cigarette and shook his head to himself.
His gaze fell once again on the newspaper report about the release date of Lin Ruiyang's new work.
As the head of China Film Group, he knew that Lin Ruiyang's ability to secure this slot in Hollywood was definitely not a decision made on a whim by Fox executives.
June 30th is practically one of Warner's most important strategic battlegrounds for next year.
If Fox isn't crazy, then they must have enough confidence in the film.
Thinking of this, Han Sanping picked up the phone and dialed.
At this time, the United States is on winter time, which is 13 hours different from China.
Lin Ruiyang had just finished his final meeting with the Fox publicity team and was about to go home to rest when the phone rang.
"Mr. Han, it's just the start of the workday in Beijing, right? Why are you calling me personally at this hour?"
"Ruiyang, you've caused such a stir in America, how could I, the gatekeeper back home, not be concerned?"
Han Sanping's familiar laughter came from the other end of the phone.
"Mr. Han, if your position as a doorman is really considered a gatekeeper, then filmmakers all over the country would probably have to line up to get a key."
"Stop being so glib," Han Sanping cursed, but his tone was noticeably more relaxed.
"Let's get down to business. What's your movie all about?"
Lin Ruiyang naturally understood what he meant.
"The test screening data is very impressive, especially among female viewers."
Han Sanping hummed in agreement.
"What about the plot?"
"It's about career growth, about an ordinary girl who gets a job at a top fashion magazine in New York and has to make choices between dreams, career, and life."
"There's no political content, and there's little risk of censorship. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) just rated it PG-13."
(Parents are advised to guide viewers under the age of 13.)
Han Sanping paused for a moment, then said, "If there are no problems, I'll include your film in the import quota next year."
Lin Ruiyang didn't pretend to be polite, because he knew that Han Sanping's opening remarks meant he had already made a decision.
"Thank you, Mr. Han."
"Don't thank me. We can't let people say that our own directors made Hollywood movies, but domestic audiences can't even see them."
The two chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up.
After hanging up the phone, Han Sanping immediately instructed his secretary: "Notify the head of the import department to add 20th Century Fox's 'The Devil Wears Prada' to the first batch of imported revenue-sharing films for next year."
When Lin Ruiyang got home, it was already dark. He had a quick dinner and then started working on the actor information on the table.
Apart from Matthew McConaughey, who has already been confirmed as the male lead, none of the other roles have been finalized yet.
The real trouble comes from another character, Ron's (Mass) partner, Raymond.
Just like before her rebirth, the casting director still provided Gael García Bernal and Hilary Swank in the information provided. After all, there aren't many actors who are both affordable and have good acting skills.
Even if we move the timeline back to 2005, it seems that neither of these two actors is available.
Gael García Bernal's agent gave a tactful response, as the other party had just signed a letter of intent for Almodóvar's new film; while Hilary Swank's value skyrocketed after winning her second Oscar for Best Actress for "Million Dollar Baby," and her film contracts were already booked until 2007.
"The price is cheap, the acting skills are outstanding, and they can accept roles with large scale and marginality."
"9
Lin Ruiyang leaned back in his chair and chuckled to himself, then lightly crossed out the two names with a pencil: "There's no such thing as a perfect business deal in the world."
Lin Ruiyang closed his eyes, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. He was trying to find out about Jared Leto, the final choice for Raymond.
At that time, Jared Leto was a well-known maverick in Hollywood.
His stunning performance in Requiem for a Dream proved he was a genius method actor, but his rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars just released their second album, A Beautiful Lie, in August of this year and is now on a livehouse tour across the United States with a full set of heavy metal instruments.
"This guy's head is full of rock music right now. If you want him to shave his eyebrows, wear stockings, and play a dying AIDS patient, a regular audition invitation probably wouldn't even get him a chance to touch the speaker wires."
Instead of sending an email through the usual casting director, he called Roger directly.
"Roger, check the tour schedule for the band 'Thirty Seconds to Mars' for tomorrow night. Also, use your personal connections to send the script for 'Dallas Buyers Club' directly to the hotel next where Jared Leto's tour bus stops."
Roger on the other end of the phone was visibly taken aback: "You mean Jared? And are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Lin, do you know what the normal procedure is? First contact the agency, then contact the agent, and then arrange the audition."
""
"I know, but the normal procedure would most likely result in it being thrown in the trash."
Roger chuckled; that was indeed the truth.
Jared Leto has always been an eccentric figure in the industry.
While others were busy filming, he was busy forming a band; while others were busy attending parties to expand their network, he was carrying his guitar and touring the country.
But this guy really is talented. After Requiem for a Dream, many directors believed that he would eventually become one of Hollywood's best character actors.
As a result, they turned around and went to play music.
"Okay, I'll figure something out. But he hasn't taken on a serious feature film in almost two years, so I can't guarantee he's still interested in acting."
"And one more thing," Lin Ruiyang added, "Don't tell him it's just a regular audition."
"How so?"
"There was a director who thought he was the only one who could play the role."
A laugh and a curse came from the other end of the phone: "You're even better at bluffing than an agent."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Ruiyang finally put the documents aside.
With Christmas just around the corner, Hollywood is officially entering the busiest time of the awards season.
The very next morning, a news item suddenly caught Lin Ruiyang's attention.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAGAwards) have announced their nominations.
Brokeback Mountain once again emerged as one of the biggest winners.
Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michelle Williams were all nominated.
For Hollywood as a whole, the landscape of this year's Oscars is becoming increasingly clear.
Brokeback Mountain is far ahead, Crash is desperately chasing, and the rest of the films are looking for one last chance.
However, the situation for Chinese-language films is far less optimistic than the media reports suggest.
The Promise barely made a splash in the North American market, and the popularity of Kung Fu Hustle has already passed a year.
The one who truly maintains a consistent level of discussion is Li An.
Lin Ruiyang stopped paying attention to these things, since he wasn't involved in any of the films himself, so he could just observe.
However, he still sent Anne Hathaway an encouraging text message, telling her to stay in good shape and prepare for the new year's promotional plans.
Anne Hathaway replied quickly via text message: "Thank you, Lin! Lee (Li An) is a true genius, and Heath and the others did a fantastic job. But I'm even more excited for next summer; I can't wait for the world to see what we've accomplished together. Merry Christmas, and best wishes for the new film!"
Two days later, while the whole of North America was immersed in the holiday atmosphere before Christmas, Lin Ruiyang received a call from Roger.
It was already 11 p.m., and the background noise on the other end of the phone was a bit noisy, with the faint echo of a heavy bass guitar.
"Lin, you should really become a psychologist, or a shrewd negotiation expert on Wall Street." Roger's voice carried a hint of incredulous excitement.
"He got the job done; this guy is a complete art fanatic."
"Jered agreed?"
"He not only agreed, but he almost got into a fight with his manager on the tour bus."
Roger explained, "I had the script delivered to a motel in Ohio, which happened to be the next stop on their tour. This guy came off stage, still wearing his smoky makeup, and sat on the roof of the bus and read the script."
""
Roger paused, seemingly finding the scene amusing as he recalled it.
"And then?" Lin Ruiyang asked.
"Then he directly asked the person who delivered the script, 'Is that director crazy?'"
"What was the response from the person who delivered the script?"
"To answer in your exact words. He said: No, he just felt that you were the only one in all of Hollywood who could play Raymond."
This rhetoric might not work for ordinary actors, but it hits right where it hurts someone like Jared who values his identity as an artist more than his identity as a star.
Roger continued, "Later, this guy actually stayed up all night with the script in his arms. The next morning, his agent was about to urge him to go to the next rehearsal, only to find him sitting outside the motel smoking."
"His agent asked him what was wrong."
"He said—" Roger paused deliberately.
"What did he say?"
He said: "This character is fucking disgusting."
Lin Ruiyang raised an eyebrow: "And then?"
"Then he said, but if someone actually dares to put this kind of character on the screen, it will definitely be a good movie." There was a sound of turning over papers on the other end of the phone.
"In short, he's willing to see you."
"What about time?"
"After the tour ended."
"After Christmas?"
"Yes." Roger's tone was noticeably more relaxed.
"Although we haven't signed a contract yet, I think the problem is pretty much solved."
For actors, the hardest part is never negotiating prices, but getting them interested. Once they're interested, everything else becomes much simpler.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Ruiyang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The two most crucial pieces of the puzzle for "Dallas Buyers Club" have now been mostly completed.