LRAB Page 40
Page 40
Xu Ke said to Cheng Xiaodong, mistakenly believing that Long Yan was exceptionally talented.
"Once or twice could be a coincidence, but the third time is enough to prove that this kid has an extraordinary talent for film. We've struck gold!"
Xu Ke was somewhat excited, and Cheng Xiaodong also found it unbelievable.
This monk's understanding of film is more professional than that of the director!
"Little Master, have you seen A Chinese Ghost Story?" Cheng Xiaodong was unwilling to give up and wanted to verify it one last time.
"Classic Hong Kong films, of course I've seen them." Long Yan chatted with the two older men while watching Uncle Da film, trying to pass the time.
"Do you know that they're going to film A Chinese Ghost Story 3 soon? What do you think of this movie?" Cheng Xiaodong asked.
"A poor sequel, just so-so," Long Yan said bluntly.
"If it weren't for the success of the first two films, plus Wang Xian'er playing the female lead, this movie wouldn't be very interesting."
The A Chinese Ghost Story series was a collaborative effort between Tsui Hark and Ching Siu-tung.
So when they heard Long Yan's evaluation of A Chinese Ghost Story 3, neither of them remained calm.
"Little Master, you can't just say things like that!"
As the chief director, Cheng Xiaodong was naturally unhappy with Long Yan's disparaging remarks about his work, and said:
"A Chinese Ghost Story 3 is still in the filming stage and has not been released yet, so where do you get your basis for judgment?"
"I know the plot!"
Long Yan started talking and recounted the plot of A Chinese Ghost Story 3.
Directors Tsui Hark and Cheng Hsiao-tung were both stunned!
Is our production crew really that bad at keeping things secret?
The script was barely finished, and you already knew?!
"In short, A Chinese Ghost Story 3 is far inferior to the first two. If it weren't for the nostalgia for the first two, it would be a terrible movie." Long Yan commented bluntly.
Cheng Xiaodong couldn't take it anymore!
Veins bulged on his forehead, dissatisfied with Long Yan's assessment, and he said:
"If you're so good, then you do it! If you're so capable, go and play the male lead!"
"I'll do it!" Long Yan laughed and said, "The problem is the production team won't hire me."
We want you to act!
Xu Ke smiled and handed over his business card.
.......
029 Million-dollar salary! Starring in A Chinese Ghost Story 3: Dao Dao Dao
"Are you Tsui Ko, the producer of A Chinese Ghost Story?"
Long Yan saw the business card and suddenly understood.
No wonder this person looked familiar; it turns out to be Xu Ke.
"It is indeed me, without a doubt!"
Xu Ke said with a smile:
"Little Master, you just said you wanted to play the male lead in A Chinese Ghost Story 3, so you can't go back on your word."
"Huh...are you sure?" Long Yan asked, somewhat puzzled. "Isn't Liang Chaowei the male lead of A Chinese Ghost Story 3?"
"You even know that!" Cheng Xiaodong, who was standing to the side, was dumbfounded.
The cast list hasn't been released yet!
In other words, apart from the core members of the production team, such as the producer, director, and assistant director, very few people knew about it!
But Long Yan seemed to know everything.
"Damn! Do you own the entertainment industry?" Cheng Xiaodong couldn't help but complain, even wondering if this monk had some kind of supernatural ability to see the future.
“We’ve only tentatively cast Liang Chaowei, but I think you’re more suited to the role of the young monk Shifang.” Xu Ke wasn’t joking; he had his eye on Long Yan.
“While your idea is wise, I advise you to think it through. I’ve never made a movie before,” Long Yan said truthfully, to avoid being criticized later.
Let me make this clear from the start!
I have never acted.
So please don't expect me to be a professional actor.
"Although you've never made a movie before, your understanding of film is better than that of the two of us directors. I believe you can do it."
Xu Ke believed he had made the right choice, and said:
"When you're filming, just be yourself. You won't need any extra acting skills. At most, you'll just need to memorize your lines."
Since Long Yan himself is a monk, having him play a monk makes the performance very realistic, without needing to deliberately create a persona.
Every move he makes is just like the male lead!
Wow! You guys want to cast my senior brother as the male lead?
Overhearing the conversation, Choupiwen suddenly shouted out excitedly.
Uncle Da heard the sound and came over, quite surprised and delighted.
Unexpectedly, Long Yan was chosen by the director and even got the role in the third installment of A Chinese Ghost Story.
However, Uncle Da valued practical benefits more and asked on Long Yan's behalf:
"Director Xu, what about the salary? Although my junior brother isn't a star, he's a pillar of our Wulong Academy and the future abbot's successor. If your asking price is too low, it won't be commensurate with my junior brother's status, and the entire Wulong Academy will not agree!"
“We can give you this amount!” Xu Ke held up one finger.
"One hundred thousand?" Uncle Da felt that number was quite high.
Poverty limited his imagination; after all, he usually lived in the Oolong Temple and hadn't seen much money.
"Of course not 100,000, but 1 million!" Xu Ke looked at Long Yan to see the little monk's reaction.
"One million?!" Uncle Da was dumbfounded, his true energy became somewhat disordered, rushing to the top of his head and emitting white smoke.
Making money is so easy!
one million!
He could never earn that much money in his entire life.
"That's a lot of money!"
Even the arrogant rich kid Wen had never seen so much money before, and he cheered with joy.
Although Xiaowen's family owns a factory, most of it consists of assets, and their cash flow may not even reach one million.
In the late 80s, being a millionaire was a very prestigious title.
Enough to live an extremely comfortable life.
Compared to Uncle Da and Stinky Wen's excitement, Long Yan remained relatively calm.
While one million could indeed make one a millionaire overnight,
However, Long Yan believed that his life had just begun, and what was a million? There would be plenty of opportunities to make money in the future.
"Little Master, you're so calm!"
Xu Ke noticed that Long Yan remained completely calm.
No way! That's a million! For a monk who has never acted before, that's an windfall!
If it were me, I would have been overjoyed.
The young master has a very steady temperament!
This is the most important characteristic when filming!
Focus on the role; don't laugh or break character.
"Young master, if you have no problems, shall we sign the contract now?"
Xu Ke needs to lock onto Long Yan immediately, so that filming for A Chinese Ghost Story 3 can begin.
“Okay.” Long Yan readily agreed.
Playing yourself is relatively easy.
"Director Xu, could you give me a role too? I can play anything." Uncle Da was very tempted by the million-dollar salary and tried to play a role in A Chinese Ghost Story 3.
"Xiaodong, you're the director, what do you think?" Xu Ke asked Xu Xiaodong, who was standing next to him.
"Huh?" Xu Xiaodong looked Da Shu up and down and said, "That's not bad, you can play the Tree Demon Granny."
"Huh? Grandma?" Uncle Da was a little taken aback; Grandma's appearance was too ugly!
“I also think your image, with makeup, is very suitable for playing the grandmother.” Xu Ke nodded and said, “If you are willing to play the role, we can give you a fee of 100,000 yuan.”
Grandma's role isn't particularly large, so 100,000 is quite a lot.
"One hundred thousand?"
Uncle Da achieved his goal in one fell swoop.
If I earn enough 100,000, I can buy Xiaohong from her adoptive father.
"I can!" Uncle Da accepted without hesitation.
"Is there a role that would suit me?" Even the arrogant Wen joined in the fun.
“No, there are no scenes with children in the script.” Xu Ke shook his head regretfully.
Arriving at the office of the A Chinese Ghost Story 3 production crew.
The signing process has begun.
"Little master, take a look at the contract, sign your name, and put your fingerprint on it."
Xu Ke handed Long Yan a stack of contracts, dozens of pages long, written in great detail.