raknovel Chapter 68 Measure and Determination
Chapter 68 Measure and Determination
When Wu Siyuan saw that Tang Long agreed without hesitation and was even willing to forgo payment, he couldn't help but smile.
"Then you need to set aside your schedule. Filming will begin once Tsui Hark finishes filming 'Once Upon a Time in China II,' around mid-December."
Since Tang Long is willing to participate, Huang Bingyao needs to revise the script.
The concept of identical twins is clearly inappropriate.
However, this is not a big problem. The script was just a first draft, so it is easy to revise or even rewrite it.
The script isn't that important; what matters are the two lead actors, Jackie Chan and Tang Lung.
"Mr. Wu, isn't 'Reign of Assassins' scheduled for release in mid-December?"
"Don't worry, I'll arrange your schedule."
"Okay, then I'll wait for your announcement."
In the following days, news of the upcoming release of "Reign of Assassins" began to appear sporadically in some newspapers.
Just as Wu Siyuan was preparing to intensify his efforts, the Hong Kong District Court began hearing a case that shocked the public.
A man surnamed Qian is accused of impersonating multiple identities, including a film director and a wealthy young man, over the past few years.
He lured dozens of female celebrities with performance opportunities and then took photos to blackmail them.
Because the court prohibited the disclosure of the victim's identity, the media used code names such as Miss A, Miss B, Miss C, Miss D, and Miss E, sparking a citywide guessing game about who the "letter lady" was.
Tang Long was a little confused when he saw this news.
How come such sensational news didn't gain fame in later generations?
Is it simply because the photos haven't been leaked?
However, as someone in the industry, Tang Long could easily find out who had been fooled after making a few inquiries.
None of them became household names later on; most of them were lower-level female artists who aspired to rise to fame.
The only actresses with some fame in later generations are the tragic actress Chen Baolian and the former ATV actress Xu Baofeng, who is currently somewhat famous.
Before the news about "Miss Alphabet" had even died down, Oriental Daily News suddenly broke the news of Rosamund Kwan's affair with Charles Heung, along with intimate photos of the two.
Rosamund Kwan reached the peak of her career with her role as "Aunt Thirteen" in "Once Upon a Time in China".
In recent years, they have become a frequent subject of gossip news.
She was recently reported to have broken up with rich second-generation Ma Qingwei, but in the blink of an eye, the media photographed her having a close relationship with tycoon Liu.
With continuous media exposure, her current popularity is arguably the highest among all female stars in Hong Kong.
Apple Daily later reported that Mrs. Heung, Chen Lan, was furious about this, and it even led to a physical altercation.
Tang Long and the citizens of Hong Kong thoroughly enjoyed the gossip, but the publicity for "Reign of Assassins" was completely overshadowed.
As December approached, Wu Siyuan had no choice.
Despite the fact that the buzz surrounding these gossip stories hadn't completely died down, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and begin a large-scale promotional campaign for "Reign of Assassins."
Having worked on several films, Tang Long understands that current film promotion strategies are quite fixed.
It mainly involves the two platforms, TVB and ATV, print media, and traditional methods such as public transportation on buses and subways.
Even if you know these promotional tactics, most people still can't handle them.
Because these platforms have no shortage of partners, if you don't have a relationship or can't have a stable partnership, they really won't pay attention to you.
Unless you throw money at it, which would greatly increase the film's cost, it's only suitable for big spenders.
When Tang Lung began to frequently appear on TVB and ATV television programs, Ng See-yuen sent him the script for "Twin Dragons".
He opened it immediately, wanting to see how the script differed from the original.
The original story is about twin brothers who were separated at birth and later swapped identities by mistake, leading to a series of hilarious events.
Ultimately, their friend was kidnapped by the gang, and the two brothers joined forces, using their unique telepathic connection and tacit understanding as twins to stage a spectacular final showdown.
The new script tells a similarly clichéd story: Ah Long, a down-on-his-luck stuntman, loses his memory after an accident on set and is rescued by Ah You, a passing intern doctor.
Ah-you discovers that Ah-long looks remarkably like his long-lost brother.
In order to help Ah Long regain his memory and to find his brother's whereabouts, Ah You decides to take him in.
One is rational and prefers quiet, the other is impulsive and reckless; the two begin a chaotic cohabitation life.
Meanwhile, a counterfeit money case that Ah Long was involved in before losing his memory gradually comes to light, and the mastermind behind it is arranging for his men to hunt him down.
During the escape, Ah Long's memory is awakened, and he recalls that Ah You is his long-lost younger brother. In the end, the two join forces to fight against the mastermind behind the scenes.
"Mr. Wu, I'm playing the younger brother, Ayou, right?"
"That's right, but don't worry, your role won't be much smaller than Jackie Chan's."
Furthermore, Ayou isn't the kind of doctor who can't even kill a chicken; he'll be given a background of practicing free fighting from a young age, with plenty of action scenes.
Although the new script features two male leads, Jackie Chan is clearly the core of the entire film, and the story unfolds from his perspective.
Wu Siyuan was worried that Tang Long would be dissatisfied with this.
"I'm fine with it. Has the specific filming start date been confirmed?"
"Xu Ke will have three more days to finish filming 'Once Upon a Time in China 2,' but Ringo Lam is already making preparations."
Filming will begin on December 10th, and you can join the crew on the 15th.
There were no promotional events in Hong Kong. After the film's release, the main creators had almost nothing to do, at most accepting some media interviews.
"Reign of Assassins" will be released on the 12th, and joining the film crew on the 15th is just right.
"Who did you hire for the female lead?" Tang Long couldn't help but ask.
Because the script was revised, the female lead was changed from two to one, which is Ayou's girlfriend.
Rosamund Kwan.
"Rosamund Kwan?"
"What's so strange about that? She's the most popular right now, so of course we'd invite her."
Tang Long originally thought that the female lead would be chosen from either Li Zhi or Zhang Manyu, but unexpectedly, he didn't choose either of them and chose Rosamund Kwan instead.
Then the famous scene of Cheng Long loosening Li Zhi's shinbone and posing her in various ways would be gone.
The two were rumored to be having an affair while filming this movie.
Jackie Chan was particularly badly targeted, with rumors circulating that actresses he had worked with had all been subjected to his sexual harassment.
To show her loyalty and determination to Li Lianjie, Li Zhi completely withdrew from the entertainment industry and focused on business.
Without this movie, I wonder if Li Zhi will still retire from the entertainment industry.
If he hadn't backed down, then Jet Li would have escaped a disaster, and he should thank himself properly.
"I'm just a little surprised that Rosamund Kwan was willing to act for free?"
"Twin Dragons" is a project strongly promoted by all directors in Hong Kong. As long as she's not stupid, she won't insist on this small amount of pay.
If she wanted payment, I wouldn't have hired her.
"You'd better be careful if you're acting opposite her; this woman is no simpleton."
"How can it not be simple?"
"Do you think a woman who's constantly rumored to be dating so many big shots can be simple?"
She's undeniably beautiful, but who knows, she might already be some powerful figure's kept woman. Don't be so impetuous as to provoke her.
So that's what Wu Siyuan was worried about. Tang Long couldn't help but laugh:
"Don't worry, Mr. Wu, I know exactly what I'm doing."