Laurie MacDonald, a British producer, is a pioneer among the many Britons active in Hollywood. www.biquge.info He not only collaborated with Steven Spielberg to create works such as "Broken Lock", "Impunity", and "Happiness Terminal", but he can also be seen behind the "Men in Black" series, "Gladiator", "Escape from Clone Island" and other works. It is worth mentioning that when Paramount and Lance negotiated "The Unfortunate Adventures of Raymond Snicky", Lance and Laurie had a relationship.

By the time we met again, the stage had already arrived in Berlin, and Reims was worth a lot more than ever.

"Yes, I watched a Helen Mirren." Lance readily admitted that the photo of him appearing with Gisele Bundchen at the door of London's West End theater also made the headlines of gossip magazines the next day, and the "Sun" also maliciously speculated that Lance was digging into the corner of Leonardo DiCaprio, and said conclusively that the reason why Lance refused Leonardo to play "Fury Road" was to break up the couple.

Laurie understood immediately and nodded slightly, "'A certain love story,' Arthur-Miller." Apparently, he knows all about the theatre currently being shown in London's West End, "but unfortunately, Helen will miss at least two quarters of performances to promote the film." ”

To promote the film, Helen will invest in the promotion of "Queen" in the second half of the year, and this film is one of the highlights of Chaos Pictures this year, because this is the first time that Chaos Pictures has produced a work directed by Chaos Films.

As if he hadn't heard the meaning of Laurie's words, Lance smiled and nodded, "It's a pity, but that's the current state of theater, isn't it?" Compared to Broadway, the West End is already much better. ”

"The world has changed so fast in the last two decades." Laurie nodded and then shook his head, "In the eighties, theatre was still the main means of entertainment for the British, and there was no one. "At that time, Hollywood entered the end of the golden age, and although British films also developed rapidly, the conservatism that remained in the bones of the British people still made drama highly sought after." You've been in London before, and you've certainly wandered around the West End a lot. ”

"Of course, it's part of our schoolwork, and it's another school for us." There is a huge difference between the British acting teaching system and the United States, and one of the most obvious factors is the proportion of drama, "However, there are still a lot of excellent theater actors in the West End, which is a good thing, and there is no such scene on Broadway." ”

British actors have a tradition of honing themselves on the theatrical stage, and actors like Helen Mirren or Judi Dench, even if they carve out their own niche in the film industry, will return to the West End theatre scene every once in a while to hone their skills. Therefore, every few years in the West End of London, there are some excellent plays, and some excellent actors, but this background is not available in the United States, and it is also what Broadway is looking for.

"That's true, the last time I heard that Len-Cariou was preparing a play next spring, it's really worth looking forward to, isn't it?" Laurie succeeded in surprising Lance, a Canadian, but a veteran actor who won both Tony and Olivier Awards, but as he got older, he was more active on TV series and movie screens.

Laurie noticed the change in Lance's expression and smiled, "So, you've seen Ran's 'Sweeney Todd'?" ”

"No, I missed the best of times, I watched the version starring Alun-Armstrong." There was a hint of regret in Lance's eyes.

"Sweeney Todd" is one of the most famous plays in Britain, before Jack the Ripper came out, Sweeney Todd was the most famous serial killer in history, half true and half fictional stories have added more thriller effects, and people can't tell which are facts and which are legends.

The adaptation of this well-known story into a play became a huge hit, and seven different versions were rehearsed over the course of half a century, with the 1973 version hailed as a turning point, as it first enriched Todd's image and penetrated into his motives and mindset for his constant killing, which led to the classic 1979 version, the one starring Lan Karlew, which swept the Tony and Olivier Awards that year.

When Lance went to England to study, he watched the 1994 rearranged version, which won three Olivier Awards, but was still not as classic as the 1979 version.

"Alan Armstrong, he's back in London, and the 'Battle for the Sun' is coming up this fall." The proficiency of Laurie's words can be heard, and this is the area he is most familiar with, which is difficult to feel in Hollywood.

Lance chuckled and shook his head, clearly not interested in the play.

Laurie didn't go any further, and the conversation changed, "So, have you read the script of 'Sweeney Todd'?" "This is talking about the drama script, and there are still many differences between the script of the stage play and the movie, in addition to the details of the scene transition, the way the actors perform, the use of language, etc., are also very different, especially the British stage play script.

"We spent most of our time with Shakespeare." Lance replied with a smile.

"Oh, the unique yet irritating Shakespeare." Laurie's teasing made Lance wonder, "What do you think if Ran-Karryle's version of 'Sweeney Todd' is adapted into a movie?" ”

"Movies?" Lance's tail rose slightly, although he guessed that Laurie was definitely not looking for him for small talk, but the core of Laurie's topic was actually "Sweeney Todd", which was indeed a little surprising, "Not all plays are suitable for the big screen." ”

"But what about this one?" Laurie didn't let up and pressed further.

In history, "Sweeney Todd" has been adapted into a movie four times, but all of them have failed. The last "Sweeney Todd" movie was shot in 1970 called "The Bloodthirsty Butcher", three years before the classic drama script came out in 1973, and those works all shot this story as a thriller horror movie, with a weak script and pale characters, it is difficult to resonate with people. Since then, the play has been a big hit on stage, but no one has put it on the big screen anymore.

Lance took a sip of the champagne in his hand, "So, you're inviting me to do the job?" Or invite me to rate the feasibility of the job? ”

"Oh? What's the difference? Laurie asked curiously.

Lance shrugged, "Quite simply, if you're asking me about the possibility of adaptation, I'll tell you that it's an excellent idea." "After entering the 21st century, due to the lack of original scripts, comics, novels, and games have all become the prey objects of the film industry, and drama is no exception. However, on the whole, those excellent adaptations of classics still appeared in the last century, such as "The Desire/Hope Train", "Death of a Salesman", etc., and the adaptations after the new century still lack the soul and depth of the drama after all. "But if it were to give me this job, I don't think it would be the right choice."

"You're too modest." Laurie smiled and shook his head, "There's no one better suited than you." "Born in London's West End, excellent scriptwriting skills, excellent dramatic comprehension, outstanding film interpretation skills, plus high-profile acting skills...... Laurie is not saying polite words, if among all the current directors, find a person who can be qualified for the adaptation of "Sweeney Todd", it must be Lance.

What's more, the momentum of Ereims is now in full swing, which is the icing on the cake. Not only in North America, but even in Europe, where art flourishes, Reims's prestige is rapidly rising. Of course, this is not to say "everyone loves Lancelot", Europe is a place that likes criticism, the more artistic things are, the more personal they are, everyone's aesthetics and preferences are different, criticism never subsides, in Europe, art that everyone praises is almost non-existent; But it is undeniable that Reims's discussion of the combination of business and art has sparked a lot of discussions, and this tireless spirit of exploration has been recognized in Europe, that is to say, other commercial film works have no discussion value in the European art circle, even if they are too lazy to criticize, but now Reims's work is also an accident.

This rise in prestige has become an important symbol of Reims's global dominance.

In the eyes of a producer like Laurie, the situation is much simpler: a project is given to Lance, and that is enough, and they can trust Lance as to whether he wants to shoot art or commercial. This weight of trust that Steven Spielberg spent two decades fighting for, until the success of Schindler's List. But now, Lance was firmly in the palm of his hand.

However, Lance, who has the initiative, clearly knows that with great trust comes great responsibility, so he did not argue and diverted the topic with a smile, "Humility is a virtue, but unfortunately, this is also something I don't have." I'm looking forward to it now, someone can invite me to come back to the theater stage and direct a play...... Laurie didn't dwell on any longer, and went on with Lance's topic, and the two of them talked and laughed and relaxed.

However, when Lance returned to the hotel, he saw the 1973 musical script of "Sweeney Todd" on the coffee table in the living room.

"The one left by the front desk said it was a small gift." Percy explained, "I looked through it and there was no problem, so I brought it up. Percy caught a hint of helplessness in Lance's eyes, a little nervous, "What's wrong?" Is there something wrong? Do I need to return it? ”

After thinking about it, Lance waved his hand, "No, just leave it there." (To be continued.) )