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The book is called "Twelve Years a Slave," and it is a biographical novel written by Solomon Northup in 1853. (Please search Bayi Chinese Net, the fastest updated novel website!) The work is based on the personal experience of Solomon, a free, educated, and married man living in New York. Then he met two men who promised to help him find a job in Washington, D.C., only to find that Solomon had been abducted and kidnapped, and thus began his life as a slave. After years of hardship, he relied on a kind Canadian to help deliver the letter home, and after a lawsuit, he was freed. The details of the slave market in Washington are so realistic that many of the episodes are shocking......"

Li Donglai curiously picked up the book and flipped through it, there is darkness in China that abducts children, just like "Slumdog Millionaire". But in the United States, he is a foreigner, and he never knew that the blacks here were so miserable.

He reads quickly, but he reads very seriously.

Batches of guests came in the café, he was still reading a book, and Steve was waiting. During this period, several people recognized him and stepped forward to ask for autographs and group photos, which was a vignette, but it did not interrupt him from reading.

But the book is long, and the author has a lot to write about, to accuse. Obviously, a cup of coffee is not enough time for him to finish reading. But what I have seen has already turned back in my mind, and it is indeed very heavy.

It's no wonder Steve ran for this book, his art is all about expressing what confronts cruelty.

"It's a good book, do you have a plan?"

Steve waited for a long time, and when he saw Li Donglai asking, he finally said excitedly: "Yes, I have some plans, and I have already obtained the right to adapt the novel." Find a well-known screenwriter to adapt the novel into a screenplay first, because it is an art movie, and the box office may not be too ideal. Still, I wanted to find a generous boss to assemble a delicate crew and shoot the story. ”

Li Donglai pondered for a moment, art films rarely make money, if they can occasionally stand out at the awards. Maybe dVd can turn back sales. Most of these movies are going for awards, and there are not a few movies that Phantom is going to the Oscars this year. Spielberg and The Lee Case are both running for awards, although the former is a co-production.

"Who is in your exquisite crew, and what is the budget in mind? Don't hesitate to say the number that comes to mind first. ”

Steve opened his mouth and said, "I have some people in my heart, British actors Chiwetel Ejioot, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor...... The budget will probably be over 20 million. Then he couldn't talk anymore, because Li Donglai habitually pinched the bridge of his nose again. Even the assistant next to him opened his mouth wide.

"Maybe you'd like Will Smith to make a cameo."

As soon as Li Donglai heard these names, he knew that it was not easy to deal with. The people he said, although they are not top celebrities, are among the best among black actors. Especially Benedict Cumberbatch is white, but this guy has been lucky recently, and he has taken on a lot of blockbuster movies that are a mess, and the salary must be a lot.

"Twenty million. That's a problem......"

He opened the novel again and began to think about something.

Guo Biting reminded him beside him, "It's not early, Emma, they are still waiting for you to come home for dinner." ”

Steve McQueen was a little anxious, "Actually, you can seek a co-shooting, I called Plan B and ne-Regency-pictures before, and they are also interested in the film. Million. It's easy to get together. ”

"Plan B? Is it Brad Pitt's Plan B? ”

"Yes."

Li Donglai said: "He may not have time, because a blockbuster film "World War Z" we co-produced is also being filmed on location around the world. And Mr. Steve, you probably don't know much about my style. Whatever movie I fancy is rarely involved in other companies. ”

"Ahh ”

"You can just turn down other companies."

Li Donglai smiled, stood up and invited, "It's not early." Mr. Steve, if it's convenient, I'd like to invite you to my house for a light meal. I still have a lot of questions to discuss with you. ”

In the end, the discussion lasted until midnight. They quickly came to an agreement. Independently invested by the Phantom, director Steve's requirements can be met for most. However, those actors need him to invite the interview in person.

But after all, he first contacted Plan B, New Era Pictures Company, Li Donglai was very familiar with Brad Pitt, so he simply called Brad Pitt in front of him, "Sorry, man." Steve McQueen's adaptation of that novel is going to the Phantom. He knew that Brad Pitt's Plan B company was very keen on making art films, and he had previously filmed a "Tree of Life" that did poorly at the box office but won numerous awards.

And then made a big profit on dVd.

This is the filming idea of Plan B, which is a completely different type from Phantom's drastic big-gan-dry. And the vast majority of new genre blockbusters in Hollywood. In the absence of a good reference, it is not necessary to invest too much independently, which is a shortcut to bankruptcy. The strange thing is that the Phantom is always successful, so Li Donglai has the title of "Money Snatching Lee" in Hollywood, and some people call him crazy behind his back.

Brad Pitt was still a little confused, "Are you in Asia, what time is it, I'm sleeping." What novel by Steve McQueen? ”

"You don't know yet?"

Li Donglai was surprised, and Steve next to him also hurriedly wiped his sweat, "I just delivered the novel, and he also said that he was very interested." Li Dong came, this is probably a polite remark, he hasn't had time to read the novel urgently, after all, the sales of the original book is relatively narrow.

"Okay, it's okay. You go back to sleep and help me kiss Angelina. ”

"......" Brad Pitt hung up in wonder, and the woman next to her was woken up, "What's wrong, dear." ”

"It's fine. Maybe I'm missing something. Brad Pitt shook his head, kissed her and went back to sleep. The next day he remembered the phone call from last night, and when he arrived, he read the novel. Then he couldn't wait to call Li Donglai, "The book you said last night, has you signed a contract with the Phantom?" How could Steve do that, I'm very interested in this novel adaptation of the movie. ”

"Dude. He can't be blamed for this. Even if you are interested, you will hesitate. ”

"Why? Why did I hesitate. "Brad Pitt is still very hot.

Li Donglai understood his disappointment and patiently explained, "Okay. The budget for this black art film is going to be more than 20 million, and he came to me yesterday afternoon with a novel, and we talked until midnight. My girlfriend is upset. Are you sure that Plan B will invest 20 million in this movie? ”

Brad Pitt was stunned, and made up the scene where the two chatted until midnight last night, and said unconvinced: "As long as the movie is good, 20 million won't let me lose much." ”

"That's what you're thinking right now, so what would you do if you didn't know that I had my eye on the movie and was ready to invest it in full?"

Brad Pitt was dumbfounded, if this was the case, he would definitely not be willing to give up. However, according to the business situation of Plan B, it is likely that some companies will eventually be found to cooperate in the production of zuò, and there will definitely be a bunch of company names in the column of the company. Well, he gave up, among the people who have this kind of courage in Hollywood, Li Donglai is indeed a special one.

Cameron is also very good at burning money, but he burns other people's money, and his realm is still a step worse after all.

But Brad Pitt won't give up so lightly, "I asked for a cameo role in it. ”

"......" Li Donglai was stunned, "I will tell Director Steve, I believe he will be happy." If it's okay, so be it, I'm still working on the script. ”

Brad Pitt was curious again, "You adapted the script yourself?" Well, I really regret it, I shouldn't have slept last night. "World War Z" has also been filmed for a while, when are you going to come over and make a cameo. ”

Li Donglai was careless: "There will be time, leave me a good role." ”

"I'll give you one of the ugliest zombies."

"12 Years a Slave" did not sell well, but it could not change its status as a classic. Because of realism.

Adapting such a famous book is a more difficult thing to do, because everything has to be taken care of equally. Although this is not a very long novel, the characters, lives, and social backgrounds involved in it are very difficult to grasp. After all, what is written in a novel is not just a story, but an era and atmosphere.

Especially the black life in it, the ideas of the black people, as much as possible to restore the psychology of the original author so1omon-northup. The difference in living habits makes him feel like he can't control the atmosphere, and he needs help.

Steve is also not confident in this regard. He can only recommend John Ridley to Li Donglai, because he likes the "Escape from the Furnace" starring Christian Bale, and John Ridley is the screenwriter of that movie.

In fact, John Ridley is not only a screenwriter, but also a producer and director. There are many works in Hollywood, perhaps not as famous as Li Donglai, and there are not many high-quality works. Most importantly, he was black.

Li Donglai listened to Jian Yì and found John Ridley. John actually read this novel, and immediately agreed to it when he heard that it was "Twelve Years a Slave". Li Donglai doesn't have much time, and in the process of this cooperation, John can only accommodate Li Donglai's time. From slowly determining the main characters to forming a crew to start filming, there is a lot of discussion in between.

Li Donglai simply invited John Ridley to be the executive producer of the film and help him take care of the absence.

That's what John does, and the Phantom is not a small reputation, and this is a good opportunity for him, and there is no reason to refuse.

After the script is finally completed, "12 Years a Slave" can be put down for the time being. But a small and medium-budget movie like "Twelve Years a Slave" gave Li Donglai a great inspiration, and what Phantom lacks now is this kind of movie. And the vast majority of Hollywood movies are composed of such small and medium-budget films. After all, there are very few movies that can really sell hundreds of millions of dollars at every turn. Even Summit Entertainment, which has a lower market value than Phantom, has more than 100 movies in its library, and the comparison between Phantom and Phantom will highlight what it means to be a new entrant.

Thankfully, the apex library is now also a phantom.