Chapter 120 Selection and Cast

Seeing Zhong Lifang coming over with great interest, Liu Zhou put aside his thoughts and asked:
"Oh, which TV show makes you so happy?"

“It’s called ‘Snow Goddess Dragon’, a very good martial arts drama.

Ever since Zhang Da Huzi's "Swordsman", there has been a martial arts craze in our mainland.

I read this script carefully. Although it still has the old plot of the heroine looking for her mother and the revenge in the underworld, it avoids the theme of good defeating evil and uses "love" to give an in-depth interpretation of the world of underworld.

The characters are portrayed in great detail, and the plot is full of climaxes. I think the ratings will be very good.”

Liu Zhou saw that Zhong Lifang actually said a lot and it seemed that she really liked this drama.

Liu Zhou certainly knew the TV series "Snow Goddess Dragon", which was a dark horse in the TV drama market in 2003.

2003 can be said to be the year when martial arts TV dramas in mainland China exploded.

In this year, Zhang Da Huzi's version of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" were broadcast on satellite TV one after another;
At this time, Huang Haibin, a young actor in ancient costume, also starred in two ancient costume martial arts dramas, "Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties" and "Pingzong Xiaying";

There is also "The Six-Fingered Lute Demon" starring Ning Jing and Wu Qilong, and "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" starring Su Youpeng, Gao Yuanyuan and Alyssa Chia, which is known as the best version.

"Snow Goddess Dragon" has carved out a bloody path among the TV series adapted from a bunch of well-known martial arts novels.

You have to know that those TV series are all starred by popular stars, only "Snow Goddess Dragon" is almost starred by newcomers.

But even though it has no stars and is a small-scale production, the ratings of "Snow Goddess Dragon" are second only to "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber", surpassing all the other dramas.

It’s a bit regrettable that although "Snow Goddess Dragon" has high ratings, because the production company of this TV series is a small company, it is unable to realize its full potential.

As a result, its ratings surpassed Zhang Da Hu Zi's two Jin Yong martial arts dramas, but in terms of influence, it can't even catch up with these two dramas.

Especially "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", Liu Zhou thinks this should be the best Jin Yong drama filmed by Zhang Da Huzi, and also the best version.

Although the Huang Rihua version of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" is also a classic, it is certainly not as grand as the Hu Jun version. Its only advantage may be the soundtrack and the childhood filter.

The soundtracks of Hong Kong dramas have always been awesome!

Of course, this is just one person's opinion, and everyone has different choices.

"Since you think so highly of this drama, then invest in it. However, this is our first time making a TV series, and we don't have a suitable team, so we need you to be the producer and follow the crew to prevent them from doing anything fishy."

"no problem."

"By the way, have you obtained the copyrights for the novels I asked you to purchase?"

"We have already won the bid for The Sky of History, but we have not yet won the bid for Du Liang's two novels. We have met a competitor, and Hai Run has also taken a fancy to these two novels."

“Can you discuss this with Hai Run? Let’s take a step back and each take one copy. But I hope you can try your best to get ‘Bright Sword’ and give ‘Blood Romance’ to them.

Both of these TV series had huge ratings, but "Drawing Sword" is the king of TV series, a classic that has lasted for a long time.

During the mask era in his previous life, Liu Zhou and his father stayed at home and watched "Drawing Sword" three times, but he still enjoyed it and didn't get tired of it at all.

"Okay Mr. Liu."

"Is there anything else?"

"Gone."

"If you don't have any, you can start preparing for "Snow Goddess Dragon". This is our studio's first TV series, and we should try to make it a success."

After Zhong Lifang left, Liu Zhou couldn't help but smile. He didn't expect that she had such a good vision and could actually bring this drama up.

But after all, TV series are not his focus, movies are.

After Zhong Lifang's interruption just now, Liu Zhou suddenly stopped struggling and the choice in his mind became clear.

"Embroidered Spring Knife"!
This is the next movie Liu Zhou is planning to shoot.

Although "Sword Rain" is also very good, it has been brought up again later, saying that it was born at the wrong time. When it was released, it encountered Xu Ke's big-cast "Detective Dee".

However, when "The Blade of the Immortal" was released, no one was interested in it, but it managed to earn 80 million at the box office just by relying on word of mouth.

Moreover, both films have been fermenting word-of-mouth for more than ten years, but "The Blade of Red Mansions" has more fans and its influence is much greater than that of "Sword Rain".

This proves without a doubt that the quality of "The Sword of Sword" is better than that of "Sword Rain".

Since we are going to take pictures, of course we should take better pictures.

After choosing the target, Liu Zhou also began to write the script of "Xiu Chun Dao".

After all, this is not a fictional story. It clearly states that the story is set in the period just after the death of Emperor Tianqi of the Ming Dynasty.

Some details require special attention, as people in later generations often find loopholes in the details of ancient costume historical dramas.

So after Liu Zhou finished writing the script, he checked it carefully twice, and then went to the Central Academy of Drama and found a professor who had some research on Ming history and asked him to check it again.

After confirming that there were no problems, Liu Zhou sent it to the higher authorities for filing and review.

After the script is completed, the next most important thing is casting.

Since we are going to make "The Blade of the Dragon King" into a martial arts blockbuster, first of all, we cannot be as petty in casting as in the previous life.

Although Zhang Zhen has some fame in Taiwan and Hong Kong, his popularity in mainland China is not as high as Zhou Jie, so it is impossible for him to be chosen for the role of the male lead Shen Lian.

Of course, it is not possible for Jet Li either. Firstly, he is too expensive. Secondly, the role of Shen Lian is rather deep and not very suitable for him.

The first person that came to Liu Zhou's mind was Liu Dehua, as he felt he was suitable in all aspects.

After the male lead was temporarily selected, Liu Zhou planned to find Hu Jun, the eldest brother of the three Jinyiwei brothers, Lu Jianxing, because he was dignified and majestic. Moreover, when "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" was broadcast next year, Hu Jun's fame would be greatly enhanced, which would also be good for the movie.

The third brother Jin Yichuan and Liu Zhou plan to find Xie Tingfeng or Wu Yanzu. These two are the most popular rising stars in the Hong Kong entertainment industry, and both of them are very well-known in the mainland.

There is no big problem with the acting skills of these two people, they may be a little immature, but it’s not a big problem. And the key is that these two people can fight and are very popular, which is very important.

For martial arts action movies, if the actors do not have the corresponding foundation, it will be difficult to shoot and the effect may be poor.

The main villain, the eunuch Zhao Jingzhong, the original Nie Yuan is too young now and not suitable, so Liu Zhou prefers the mighty Tianlong Zhao Wenzhuo.

Zhao Wenzhuo is a good fighter and has also played a eunuch, a tough one at that, which was quite impressive. I believe he can play this role well.

He was doing well in the past few years, but has not been so popular in the past two years. Many resources are directed towards Jet Li who returned to China and Zhen Zidan who has just emerged, so he has been acting in TV dramas in mainland China.

However, as the saying goes, "A cloud over a cloud". Zhao Wenzhuo's popularity in the mainland increased greatly through TV series such as "Storm of Wind and Cloud" and "The Empress of China", but his popularity gradually declined due to lack of subsequent resources.

Right now, he is at his most popular in the mainland.

The role of Zhao Jingzhong is not light and is relatively outstanding, so Liu Zhou is still very confident that he can invite him.

Wei Zhongxian was played by Jin Shijie, who played the original version. He didn't have many scenes in the movie, but he was still very memorable. The heroine Zhou Miaotong was a vase role, which was not difficult. Liu Zhou planned to let Zeng Li or Zhang Tong make a cameo appearance.

As for that "Sister Run" Zhang Yan, Liu Zhou will try to invite an actress with a better figure. I just don't know if Liu Yan has made her debut yet.

The other characters were all okay, the only role that made Liu Zhou feel like he didn't know who to cast was the role of Ding Xiu, the lay Buddhist who had money, and it was also the most outstanding one in the movie.

No one cares about my supporting role for ten years, but once I say just give me more money, everyone will know!

It may be a bit of an exaggeration to say that Zhou Yiwei became famous because of this line, but it did help a lot.

But Zhou Yiwei is also too young now and also not suitable.

If there is really no suitable candidate at that time, Liu Zhou plans to ask his senior brother Sun Honglei or Duan Long to try.

After shortlisting the candidates, Liu Zhou first contacted Liu Dehua.

After dialing his number, there was a sudden noise from the receiver, and after a while, Liu Dehua said:

"Director Liu, how come you have time to call me?"

"Are you busy right now? If so, I'll call you later."

"No, I'm on the set right now, so I don't have any scenes for now."

"Isn't the movie you're filming right now the Infernal Affairs that you guys were arguing about a while ago?"

"That's right. I didn't expect that Director Liu was also paying attention to this film."

"So what do you think of the movie "Infernal Affairs"? Can it save the Hong Kong film market?" Liu Zhou asked with a smile.

"Director Liu, please stop joking. The idea of ​​a movie saving the market is all media propaganda. We all know that the Hong Kong film market is hopeless and it cannot be saved by just one movie.

But to be honest, the movie "Infernal Affairs" is really sharp and very different from previous Hong Kong films."

"Infernal Affairs" can be said to be the template for Hong Kong films after the new century. The various types of Hong Kong films in the past have disappeared, and instead, they are gangster films about undercover agents and police.

However, Hong Kong's filmmakers are really amazing. They have been shooting on this subject for more than ten years, and they are still able to come up with various new ideas.

"Okay, I won't joke around anymore. I called you this time to ask if you have any schedule recently. How long will it take to finish filming Infernal Affairs?"

"We can finish the filming this month. If you have an appointment, Director Liu, I can clear the next two months."

"Brother Hua, you haven't even read the script yet?"

"I don't need to read the script for your movie. I believe in your level, Director Liu."

"Haha, since Brother Hua trusts me so much, I will definitely not let you down. This time I am planning to shoot a costume martial arts film and I would like to invite you to play the leading male role."

"Okay, has the specific shooting time been determined?"

"Not yet. I will contact you as soon as the script is finished. But if nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to start filming next month."

"Okay, then I won't take any more roles after I finish filming Infernal Affairs."

"Thank you, Brother Hua. By the way, do you have the contact information of Xie Tingfeng and Wu Yanzu?"

"No private ones, but I can give you the contact information of their agent."

"That's fine. It would be more convenient to talk to their agent directly."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Zhou did not contact anyone else, but went to Han Shanping's office at China Film Group.

Seeing Liu Zhou, Han Shanping immediately put down his work and said with a smile:

"What a rare guest! How come Director Liu has time to come here for inspection today?"

"Please stop joking, Mr. Han. Didn't you keep asking me if I had any plans for a new film? Now I have one. I spent dozens of days and nights rushing to make it."

After saying that, Liu Zhou handed the script to Han Shanping.

"The Piano Tuner" has been off the production line for half a year. Han Shanping thought that Liu Zhou would strike while the iron is hot and start a new project, but he didn't expect that he had not made any move.

He was so young and full of creative energy, but he took a break for half a year. Even the donkeys in the production team didn’t dare to take a break like that!

So Han Shanping couldn't help but ask a few questions from time to time. Now looking at the script in front of him, Liu Zhou was indeed a donkey, and he needed to be whipped from behind before he would move.

Han Shanping frowned when he opened the script. It turned out to be a costume martial arts film. However, he did not say anything. Instead, he patiently read the script first.

“How much investment is required?”

Han Shanping did not persuade Liu Zhou to switch back to the subject matter he was familiar with just because Liu Zhou suddenly changed his style. He was already a big director in the industry and no longer the newbie he used to be.

Since he had made his decision, Han Shanping decided to support him.

Besides, the script is really well written, and judging by Liu Zhou’s past record, he should be able to handle a costume martial arts film.

"I don't know yet. I haven't made a budget yet, but I'm going to go big this time. The investment will need at least 50 million!"

"Fifty million?" Han Shanping said a little shocked.

"Yes, didn't I say that at the seminar? I want to shoot a blockbuster with Chinese characteristics. This movie, Embroidered Spring Blade, is my first attempt."

"Liu Zhou, you have to think carefully. It's hard to recoup the cost with such a high investment. Costume martial arts films don't sell well in the overseas market either."

"I know, but I still want to give it a try. Besides, isn't there Director Zhang Yimou's masterpiece?"

"Director Zhang's film is different. They invited Jet Li to make it, and it can sell box office around the world. Although the investment is large, the pressure to make a profit is very small."

That’s right, at this time, Jet Li has the ability to convince investors.

This is the case with "Hero" and the subsequent "The Warlords".

"Although my film doesn't have Jet Li, it still has Andy Lau. Even if there is a loss, it shouldn't be much. I can still afford this loss."

“Okay, since you are determined, I will support you. However, China Film Group is working on those theaters recently, so we may not be able to support too much. But I can make the decision and squeeze out 5 million.

Although the money is not much, I will talk to the group about the issuance and see if I can give you some discounts. "

When Liu Zhou heard Han Shanping's words, he couldn't help but feel touched. He really did spare no effort in supporting him.

"Boss Han, that's enough. I'll find a way to deal with the remaining funds."

"Then please prepare the budget as soon as possible. If there is anything else that requires our China Film Group to intervene, you can tell me directly."

(End of this chapter)