Chapter 675: Old Monster Xu and Fat Wang

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Tsui Hark and Wang Jing glanced at each other, and after exchanging glances, the former said: "I have been preparing for "The Legend of Shushan" for three years, and I have invited 4 Hollywood special effects companies to use more than 100 professional computers to create 1,600 special effects shots before the final film is produced. If it weren't for the unsatisfactory box office, I would naturally be reluctant to give up this series. Therefore, if Mr. Guo plans to restart this project, I am personally very willing to be the director of the sequel to "The Legend of Shushan". ”

He's not stupid. Backed by Guo Shouyun and Matrix, there is no shortage of financial resources, and the promotion is top-notch, the sequel to "The Legend of Shu Mountain" will undoubtedly be a super blockbuster, and becoming its director is a dream for anyone aspiring to the directing industry, and the same is true for Tsui Hark. So how could he refuse?

"I would also love to be the director of the sequel to Heaven and Dragon Slayer. The reason why it cost 50 million pens to shoot back then was to strive for excellence and create a classic martial arts movie based on the main story line of "Heaven and Dragon Slayer". It's a pity that the Hong Kong film market is too small, and the external market is shrinking, resulting in losses that everyone doesn't want to see. However, I believe that with Mr. Guo's ability and the strong publicity and distribution channels of Matrix Company, if the film is reopened, it will definitely make a lot of money in the future. Wang Jing swore an oath.

Guo Shouyun nodded, "Mr. Xu, if the second part of "The Legend of Shushan" is filmed, have you considered its main story line?"

"I thought about it. In the original plan, the second part was originally written around the emotional line between Xuantianzong and Li Yingqi, as well as the negative character of Xuanyuan Old Monster. But then it disappeared because of the box office. ”

Guo Shouyun has watched the "Legend of the Swordsman of Shushan" by the owner of Huanzhu Mansion many times, and naturally knows who the old monster Xuanyuan is.

"Why don't you follow the main line of "The Legend of the Swordsman of Shushan" to shoot?" Guo Shouyun asked.

"I've thought about this too. However, the entire series of "The Legend of Shushan Swordsman" has 309 times and more than 5 million words, which is too long and has too many characters. In addition, the film has limited space, so only a part of it can be adapted from it. ”

Guo Shouyun nodded knowingly, "Long length also has the advantage of long length, in my opinion, we can shoot "The Legend of Shushan Swordsman" according to the original story line." For example, the second part can be changed to "The Legend of Shushan: Havoc in Ciyun Temple", and the third part is adapted around the Daijiachang War. The fourth part writes about the 'Qingluoyu' Snow Mountain faction war. The fifth part revolves around Emei. There are more than a dozen similar climaxes in the whole "Legend of the Swordsman of Shushan", and we can use Li Yingqiong and other Emei disciples as the protagonists to advance the whole story and form a movie of about two hours. ”

"You mean to adapt the entire "Legend of the Swordsman of Shushan" and shoot more than a dozen movies?" Tsui Hark was shocked. This is far beyond what he originally thought was the concept of the second part of "The Legend of Shushan". At the beginning, he thought that the reason why Guo Shouyun wanted to shoot "The Legend of Shushan 2" was just out of feelings. After all, if you have the experience of the first part, if you invest in film and television, who will take a fancy to this "Legend of Shushan" that once made the investor almost lose to his grandmother's house? Only Guo Shouyun, who is not bad for money, and then wants to find feelings in old movies, will not pay attention to the return on investment of the film.

But it can be seen from what the other party said just now that the other party is not what he thought at all, filming "The Legend of Shushan" for feelings, but for investment and making money.

Guo Shouyun smiled, "I do plan to adapt the entire "Legend of the Swordsman of Shushan", but I am not shooting more than a dozen movies. After a pause, "Does Mr. Xu know anything about Marvel?"

"Of course!" Tsui Hark nodded.

"I'm talking about comics, not movies!"

"Comics?" After thinking about it, Tsui Hark shook his head slightly, "My understanding of Marvel basically comes from his movie adaptations, and I don't know much about animation. ”

He is in Hong Kong, and he has no special hobby of straightforward American comics, so naturally he will not learn about it. Except for movies.

In Marvel's comics, characters such as Hulk, Captain America, and Thor all have their own stories. But in the end, they all came together in a comic called The Avengers. After the acquisition of Marvel, we at Matrix planned to use this as a plan, first to shoot a movie of a single superhero, and then to bring them together to shoot "The Avengers". ”

After a pause, "I think we can also learn from the adaptation of "The Legend of the Swordsman of Shushan". For example, Emei Sanying Eryun and Seven Dwarfs, we can choose four or five of them and shoot a movie with them as the main characters first, so that the audience can also have a full understanding of the characters. Wait until these four or five movies are finished, and then come to shoot 'The Battle of Tsz Yun Temple'. After that, we can make a sequel film with a single character, plus a new character movie or two to keep the audience fresh. Shoot the 'Qingluoyu War' again, and repeat the cycle. ”

There is no doubt that Guo Shouyun intends to create a huge 'classical Xianxia universe' in the form of Hollywood superhero movies, with the help of the excellent "Legend of Shushan Swordsman".

He felt that his plan was good, and he was a little excited in his heart. But Tsui Hark and Wang Jing next to them were completely stunned. They have lived for half their lives, and they have never seen a movie like this. If everything goes the way the other party says. A "Legend of the Swordsman of Shushan" is not a dozen movies, but dozens, or even hundreds.

"What, does Mr. Xu think this plan is not good?"

In the face of the inquiry, after taking a deep breath to calm down the violent fluctuations in his heart, Tsui Hark's tone trembled a little and said: "Mr. Guo's grand plan is really admirable. However, filming a movie like "The Legend of Shushan", there are too many special effects shots, the scale of investment is huge, and its cultural particularity determines that the audience of "The Legend of Shushan" is more of an East Asian cultural circle. But the size of the film market here is not as large as that of the United States and Europe, and it is unknown whether it will be able to recover its costs if filming starts. And dozens of movies have been put into the market at once, and they are all homogeneous classical fairies, will it make the audience feel aesthetic fatigue?"

If Guo Shouyun looks directly at the second part of "The Legend of Shushan", then it doesn't matter how he wants to be a demon. But now people are serious investments, and all of a sudden it is a super plan of dozens of films. As a director, how can he not have any worries in his heart?!

"It depends on Mr. Xu's shooting and adaptation skills! One to two solo movies a year, and one big collection movie every three to four years. The investment in each part is not less than 100 million Chinese dollars. If the currency depreciates in the future, or the production cost of the film market rises, investment will naturally rise with it. How about it, does Mr. Xu have the courage to be the director of this series of movies "The Legend of the Swordsman of Shushan"?" Guo Shouyun playfully looked at the man opposite with a hesitant look on his face.

Among the many directors in China, Tsui Hark can be said to be the most suitable director to make classical films. From "A Chinese Ghost Story" to "Smiling Proud Jianghu", from "New Dragon Gate Inn" to the "Di Renjie" series, his films have truly captured the 'fairy' flavor in classical Chinese culture. Guo Shouyun was deeply impressed. Therefore, if you want to create a classical Xianxia universe with "The Legend of Shushan Swordsman" as the main line, among the directors, Tsui Hark is his first choice.

For Tsui Hark, there is no doubt that this is a rare opportunity. Even if you miss it, you won't have the opportunity again.

Abundant filming funds, access to every corner of the globe publicity system, plus a strong production background. All the external conditions of a blockbuster movie are in place. Of course, there are many challenges. But he wanted to miss it more than a challenge.

"If I serve as the director of the "Legend of Shushan" series of films, what rights do I get?"

At first, he didn't care when he played the ticket. Guo Shouyun can shoot as much as he wants. But now it's different, since it's a serious film and television investment, it's natural to determine your rights and obligations at the beginning.

"Mr. Xu has the final say in the filming and the selection of actors, assisted by Golden Harvest Film Company, and is responsible for financial supervision and ensuring the smooth running of the entire filming process. The adaptation of the script is mainly based on Mr. Xu, supplemented by the script editing department of Golden Harvest. In addition, I personally suggest that the main actors should be chosen as young as possible, after all, we have to shoot for more than ten or twenty years, and don't be seventy or eighty at the end, so we have to change roles. In addition, you should sign more film contracts, so as not to delay filming in the end because of things like salary increases. ”

"As for Mr. Xu's directorial fee, 2 million Huaxia Dollars plus 3% of the net revenue share! If the box office of the movie exceeds 200 million Huaxia Dollars, for every 30 million increases, Mr. Xu can get 1% more of the net income! Therefore, how much money you can get depends on Mr. Xu's ability. ”

The minimum guarantee is 2 million Chinese dollars, plus a 3% net revenue share, which is a properly high salary in the Chinese film industry in 2004. You must know that now a movie has a box office of over 100 million, which is almost rare.

Stephen Chow's just-released "Kung Fu" has a box office of 173 million Chinese coins, which already makes people feel that it is difficult to surpass, let alone anything else.

Moreover, after deducting the production costs, publicity and distribution costs, and the share of the theater chain, the net profit before tax that can be transferred to the film company in the end may be 40 million. After the business tax and value-added tax are paid, a blockbuster with a box office of over 100 million yuan will have a net income of more than 20 million. The director fee of 2 million is one-tenth of the box office, plus 3% of the net revenue share, you can get an extra 600,000.

Therefore, even if you can't get a total box office of more than 200 million, for every 30 million increase in the box office, the director will get an extra 1% discount on the net income, and Guo Shouyun's conditions are superior enough.

In contrast, although Tsui Hark has gained a lot, it is Guo Shouyun who really gets the biggest benefit. Because what really makes money for a movie is not the box office, but the peripheral income. Although China is far less developed than Hollywood in this regard, it is enough to make a fortune after recovering the cost.

As for whether "The Legend of Shushan" can exceed 200 million, Guo Shouyun is not worried. The film has invested more than 100 million Chinese dollars, which is called a blockbuster in these years. Xu Laowei's reputation and directing ability are not lost to Chen Kaige and Lao Mouzi, and even big bad movies such as "Wuji" and "The City is Full of Golden Armor" can get 180 million and 291 million box office. There is no reason for him to invest 100 million, and the "Legend of Shushan" that the matrix company cooperated with the announcement could not reach.

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