Chapter 1784 1786 [Cong Shan comes to Hong Kong]
Zou Wenhuai knew that if the film was all invested by Xiang Nan, then after the film was produced, it might not be handed over to Golden Harvest for distribution. After all, Xiang Nan and Princess Jin also have friendship.
If the movie becomes a hit, Golden Harvest will suffer a great loss.
Golden Harvest invested half of it, but only six million Hong Kong dollars. This investment can be earned back through issuance in the future. In short, he will not lose money.
In this case, it is better to take a gamble. Even if the movie fails, he won't pay for it. If the movie makes money, he will post it.
Xiang Nan also understood Zou Wenhuai's thoughts, but he didn't try to expose it. To be honest, he was also betting. He is betting on the audience's taste and his own popularity.
You know, not every filmmaker will succeed in transition.
Like Zhou Xingchi, when he was filming "Shaolin Soccer", "Kung Fu" and "Yangtze River No. 7", he was also criticized by fans for not being funny enough and losing his previous taste.
The great director Zhang Yimou made the blockbuster "Hero" for the first time, and was almost scolded. It wasn't until ten years later that the audience realized that the movie wasn't that bad.
So Xiang Nan is betting now, but he thinks the bet is worth it.
If the transformation is successful, he will continue to be popular. It doesn't matter even if he fails, with his current status and popularity, failure doesn't mean he's dead.
Zhou Xingchi had a disastrous failure in "A Chinese Journey to the West" back then, but it still did not damage his status as a double-weekly success.
…
The preparations for "Police Story" then began, and Xiang Nan was solely responsible for selecting the cast.
In terms of actors, Lin Qingxia and Zhang Manyu were used as the two heroines in the original version.
At that time, Lin Qingxia had already become popular in Southeast Asia with the Qiong Yao movie, and was quite well-known in Xiangjiang. At that time, Zhang Manyu had also made films such as "The Frog Prince" and "Fate", which not only made a box office of over 10 million Hong Kong dollars, but was also nominated for the Best Newcomer Award at the Academy Awards.
Especially in 1984, "Senior Brother Xin Zha" starring her and Liang Chaowei achieved extremely high ratings in Xiangjiang, and it was absolutely popular.
So Jackie Chan chose the two of them as the protagonists, and he really chose the right one.
But Xiang Nan is not easy to choose them. On the one hand, Lin Qingxia was too old, four years older than Xiang Nan, so she really wasn't a good match; on the other hand, Zhang Manyu hadn't participated in Miss Hong Kong's beauty pageant yet, so there was nowhere to find her for filming.
So Xiang Nan can only find someone else. After the final screening, he selected Miss Hong Kong 1979 Miss Hong Kong beauties, the champion Zheng Wenya and the runner-up Zhong Chuhong.
At first, the two of them are beautiful enough. Zhong Chuhong is known as the oriental Marilyn Monroe, and Zheng Wenya is the prototype of the Goddess of Starlight at the Academy Awards, and the appearance alone is worth the ticket price;
Secondly, both of them are relatively dedicated actors. And "Police Story" has a lot of action scenes, and even the actresses can't escape it. If the actors are too hypocritical, they will be tired and painful after shooting a few scenes, then there is no way to shoot.
So he ended up picking those two.
At that time, although Zheng Wenya and Zhong Chuhong both participated in the Miss Hong Kong beauty pageant, neither of them stayed on TVB. Zheng Wenya went to Lai's TV station, while Zhong Chuhong failed in the interview with TVB.
However, she was spotted by Liu Songren and urged her to film "Death to Gold in Clear Water and Cold Mountain". This film is Du Qifeng's debut work and is currently being filmed.
After receiving Xiang Nan's invitation, the two of them accepted the invitation when they learned that they were playing the heroine.
For these two newcomers, being able to star in such a big production and cooperate with a star like Xiang Nan is definitely a great opportunity, so good that all artists are jealous.
When "Police Story" was being prepared, Cong Shan had already taken the college entrance examination. According to her own estimation, the results are quite good.
Xiang Nan was very happy for her after receiving her telegram. Then he helped her apply for a visa and brought her from the mainland to Xiangjiang.
For ordinary people, it is not easy to apply for a visa. But for a billionaire like Xiang Nan, it is much easier to apply for a visa.
Cong Shan’s first long-distance travel, first time on a plane, first time to Xiangjiang, everything feels very fresh.
"Wow, this is Xiangjiang. It's really different from Yanjing. There are so many tall buildings and cars, wow~" She couldn't help sighing as she looked at the colorful and bizarre Xiangjiang.
"I've seen it for a long time, but it's actually the same." Xiang Nan said with a smile, "Let's go, let's have dinner first, and then I'll take you for a stroll."
Cong Shan nodded upon hearing this.
Xiang Nan then took her to Fulinmen Seafood Restaurant to eat the most authentic Cantonese cuisine. Then go to Ocean Park to watch beluga whales, go to Victoria Peak to watch the sunset, go to Central to shop in department stores...
After three full days of shopping, Cong Shan's legs became thinner.
On the last day, Xiang Nan found a copy of the movie he acted in, and let Cong Shan enjoy watching it, and let her know what movies he had made in Xiangjiang in the past few years.
"Wow, is this a real beating, will it hurt?" Seeing Xiang Nan being beaten so badly, Cong Shan asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, it's all fake, just acting." Xiang Nan comforted her with a smile.
In fact, shooting action movies is still very dangerous. Although it is not likely to kill people, injuries are inevitable.
For example, when Yang Ziqiong was filming "Royal Warrior", he fought with Qian Jiale, and was really beaten to the bone by Qian Jiale; Liu Jiahui was filming "Chinese Husband", was beaten until he stopped breathing, and once thought he was going to die...
So action actors usually don’t let their family members be present when they are filming, lest they will feel distressed when they watch it.
However, Xiang Nan inherited Tianbao's martial arts.
Tianbao has practiced Shaolin hard skills such as pot-lifting skill, iron sand palm, iron head skill, etc., which makes the body as firm as steel and soft as cotton. Ordinary boxing skills can't hurt him at all.
In the film, he and Jun Bao perform in the street, and people beat them to make money. It doesn't hurt at all. The strength of the body can be seen.
What's more, Xiang Nan also practiced Shaolin Golden Bell Kungfu, from the inside out, strengthening the viscera inside and strengthening the muscles and bones outside, making him less likely to be injured. Therefore, he still has an advantage in making kung fu movies.
He dares to do moves that others dare not do, and he dares to try stunts that others dare not try. That's why Xiangjiang has so many action actors, including Yuan Biao, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and others who can fight and act, but he is still the number one action movie star.
…
After watching Xiang Nan's movie, Cong Shan felt that Xiang Nan acted very well.
Not only is the game well played, but more importantly, the story is also beautiful.
Compared to mainland movies, they pay more attention to education, so in terms of entertainment, there is always a lack of stamina and a sense of scratching the surface.
"I hope that one day, I can make such a good movie." Cong Shan looked forward to it.
"Don't worry, I will." Xiang Nan said with a smile, "If they don't invite you, I will invite you."
"Yes." Cong Shan nodded.
(end of this chapter)