eurekapd Chapter 152 All-Star
Chapter 152 All-Star
The conference room was filled with smoke.
The discussions about the tone and script allocation went smoothly, with the big shots sharing their opinions and the atmosphere being surprisingly harmonious.
But when the budget was mentioned, everyone was dumbfounded.
All things considered, the total budget is only 3700 million!
This is barely enough to make a commercial film with even a slightly large scale, let alone an epic tribute film like "The Founding of a Republic".
The bulk of this money will be spent on set design, costumes, props, and striving to recreate history.
As for the actors' salaries? They're pitifully low.
Moreover, everyone knows what kind of market performance mainstream films have these days. In the past, audiences simply didn't buy into those tribute films, and if they managed to gross tens of millions, it was considered a stroke of good luck.
This is a tribute film! If it's made and nobody watches it, it'll be a complete flop.
All the bigwigs present were utterly humiliated, and Han Sanping, the head of China Film Group, even had to write a self-criticism.
Seeing that the meeting was about to reach a stalemate, Gu Heng cleared his throat and spoke up: "Third Uncle, directors, I have a small, albeit immature, suggestion."
Swish!
More than a dozen pairs of eyes were fixed on Gu Heng.
"It's actually quite simple. If we want this patriotic film to be watched and to generate box office revenue, we only have one option: an all-star cast."
"And, it was for free!"
These words caused everyone present to ponder.
Jiang Wen, that old rogue, reacted the fastest, slapping his thigh and exclaiming, "That's brilliant! This is a national event; just showing up is an honor. Who would dare mention money?"
Zhang Guoli nodded repeatedly, "Xiao Heng's idea is reliable, I agree!"
The others nodded in agreement.
Chen, the poet standing next to him, suddenly brightened up and his gaze towards Gu Heng changed.
He thought to himself: I knew this kid was just like me when I was young! We even have the exact same thoughts now!
In other words, he didn't know that he was the one who originally said those words.
Otherwise, he would at least compose a poem.
After careful consideration, Han Sanping, that old fox, realized that with China Film Group's appeal and this political significance, he had no trouble attracting visitors.
He immediately waved his hand and made the decision: "It's settled then! Time is tight and the task is heavy, so don't bother with any auditions. China Film Group will send out invitations directly. Everyone here, don't just sit idly by, bring in any suitable acquaintances you know!"
Once the general direction was set, Gu Heng didn't bother to get involved in the remaining details.
When the time comes, just pull that group of visionaries over there, and that's it.
He'd rather have some peace and quiet than let others make a fuss.
He's a master at slacking off during meetings. He leans back in his chair, arms crossed, eyes downcast, ignoring the bigwigs arguing heatedly beside him.
The meeting ended, and everyone dispersed. Gu Heng and Jiang Wen walked out side by side.
"Hey Uncle Jiang, have you finished the manuscript for 'Let the Bullets Fly' yet?" Gu Heng urged without any politeness. "If you keep dawdling like this, 'The Founding of a Republic' will have already started filming."
Jiang Wen chuckled and stroked his stubble: "Almost there, almost there. I'll polish up the last few scenes a bit more."
"Don't worry, once I finish filming my part in this tribute film, I'll jump right into the next project! At most two weeks, and the script will be in your hands."
Although Jiang Wen is known for being unreliable, he always keeps his word; if he says two weeks, then it's definitely two weeks.
Gu Heng then stopped urging him.
The two said goodbye in the parking lot, and Gu Heng got into Wang Gang's car and headed straight for the courtyard house.
As soon as I entered the courtyard, I heard a lot of shouting coming from inside the house.
"Hey! Use your skill! Quick, quick, attack him!"
"I'm out of blood! Hang in there!"
Gu Heng pushed the door open and went in. Good heavens.
Yang Mi and Liu Yifei were sitting cross-legged on the sofa without any regard for their image, gripping the Xbox controllers tightly and randomly pressing buttons on the game screen.
Little Blackie, who was being disturbed by the two girls, rolled his eyes and changed his position to continue sleeping soundly.
Over the years, the fairy sister has been led astray by her own little fox.
She went from being an innocent, naive girl to someone who comes to freeload every few days, and now she's completely addicted to video games.
Gu Heng leaned against the door frame and watched for several minutes as the two of them died yet again.
Their gameplay was absolutely awful; they were terrible at it but had a huge addiction to it.
After the two of them got tired of playing and tossed the controller aside, Gu Heng went over to pour a glass of water. He glanced at Liu Yifei and suddenly said seriously, "Qianqian, you still have American citizenship, right?"
Liu Yifei paused for a moment, then nodded, seemingly puzzled.
"Do you want to switch back?" Gu Heng asked.
Liu Yifei paused for a moment, then frowned slightly: "I've thought about it. But... my mother has always wanted me to develop my career in Hollywood, thinking it would be more convenient to keep that nationality."
Gu Heng laughed after hearing this. This is exactly the kind of misconception that many people have in this era.
"Sissi, whether you can succeed in Hollywood has never depended on what passport you hold, but on the capital behind you and your box office appeal. Now that the country is rapidly becoming stronger, restoring your citizenship will only make your path smoother."
Gu Heng paused, then softened his tone: "Think about the future. If you continue to earn money in China with a foreign citizenship, people will only see you as a foreigner. Besides, your father definitely wants you to change it back."
Liu Yifei lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. Having spent the last two years with Gu Heng, her self-awareness had long since awakened.
Gu Heng had previously advised her against going to Japan to do anything like singing, dancing, or releasing an album, and she took his advice to heart, resulting in a huge argument with the domineering Liu Xiaoli when she got back.
As it turns out, Gu Heng was right; Liu Yifei is now able to make her own decisions.
Mom objects?
Hmph, I won't listen.
After thinking for a moment, she raised her head, her eyes more determined than ever before: "Okay, I'll apply to switch back as soon as I get back."
Looking at her like this, Gu Heng smiled with satisfaction before offering his promise: "China Film Group is about to release a tribute film. Once you've settled your nationality issue, I'll take you and Mimi to the set for a cameo appearance."
At this moment, Yang Mi, who was still drinking water, finally realized what was happening.
She slammed her water glass down on the coffee table, her eyes gleaming: "A film commemorating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, isn't it?!"
"No wonder you wanted Sissi to change her nationality! Foreign actors who go on to star in patriotic films are guaranteed to be bombarded with criticism from netizens!"
Yang Mi was so excited that she jumped up from the sofa, pounced on Gu Heng, hugged his neck tightly, and gave him a big kiss on the cheek!
"Gu Heng, you're amazing!"
Gu Heng smiled and casually put his arm around his vixen's waist: "You're so smart."
Now it's Liu Yifei's turn to be speechless. These two aren't even acting anymore, even though there are other people around.