496: He Really Made a Name for Himself
In 1993, Long Wei's Lunar New Year film "Forbidden Zone" grossed more than 50 million Hong Kong dollars in Hong Kong, more than 100 million Taiwan dollars in Taiwan, more than 80 million RMB in the Mainland, and more than 29 million US dollars in North America. Together with the box office in other regions, it achieved a record-breaking box office result and became the first Chinese star to become world-renowned.
But in fact, "Forbidden Zone" was Long Wei's sixth attempt to hit Hollywood, and he had already failed five times before.
This shows how difficult it is for Chinese stars to make a name for themselves abroad.
So, when Jiang Ge started shooting movies to hit the overseas market, most people in the industry were not optimistic.
Whether it was "Detective Chinatown", "Swordsman" or "A Chinese Ghost Story", they were all very Chinese in style, and most foreigners could not understand them because they did not understand Chinese culture.
Who would have thought that Jiang Ge would not take the usual path, shoot a Fast and Furious series, and then shoot a "Kung Fu Panda", which received good responses overseas.
Now they have found a group of action stars who once dominated Hollywood, and filmed a movie called "The Expendables" that "excites men and excites women", which has successfully won the recognition of foreign audiences.
They are used to being slapped in the face by Django, but they are a little unbalanced. Why is it so easy for Django to impact Hollywood?
You know, there are Long Wei, Zhang Shucheng, the Four Heavenly Kings... These predecessors include directors, actors, singers, etc. There are too many examples, and their abilities are not bad. How can Django make a name for himself?
I can't figure it out.
Django: It's right that I can't figure it out, because ah - I'm from Earth!
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United States, New York.
"Jackie, have you asked Jiang about the script of "The Expendables 2"? "Backstage, Rocky asked expectantly.
"Do you want to continue filming?" Long Wei glanced at him and said unhappily, "Do you know what the media said about "The Expendables 1"? They said that the movie you and I directed would not win any Oscars, and that the height of the "stupid" genre it reached was difficult for others to catch up."
"Do you still care about their opinions?" Rocky took a puff of his cigar and laughed, "In the past few decades since I entered the entertainment industry, my acting skills, my movies, my life, everything has been criticized?"
"Do you think I care?" Long Wei laughed.
"I want to continue filming because "The Expendables" brought us old guys together and brought back the enthusiasm for action movies back then." Rocky is 68 years old this year. Although he has made movies in recent years, it is more like work.
"Haha, I thought I was the only one who felt this way." Long Wei laughed.
At their age, there are not many movies they can make, let alone action movies.
In fact, the script of "The Expendables" is average, and the story is relatively old-fashioned, but the "friendship" of a group of old guys in it is very moving.
Rocky put down his cigar and urged, "You haven't answered me yet, what's going on?"
Long Wei spread his hands and said, "I didn't ask Xiao Jiang, he is preparing for the wedding now, let's talk about it later. When we were in Sanya, he said that if the box office and word of mouth are good, he will continue to make sequels."
Rocky heard this and said, "Then I will work harder."
Long Wei nodded in agreement.
A few minutes later, the two left the backstage and came to the recording site of the program.
They were on a Tom talk show that is very famous in the United States and has a very high ratings. As long as it is a popular Hollywood blockbuster, the creators will almost come here.
"Wow, wow, wow, finally see the two of you, my favorite action stars, appear as the protagonists in a movie." At the beginning of the recording, the host Tom came up and expressed his feelings.
"Rocky and I have known each other since 1995. We have always said that we would make a movie together, but in the past 30 years, we have only made a cameo appearance in each other's movie once." Long Wei smiled and said, "Now this dream has finally come true."
"This is thanks to a very young and very talented new friend, Django, who created such a good script for us." Rocky started to brag.
"I know him." Tom made an exaggerated expression and said, "He wrote an English song called "Welcome to New York", which not only made it to the Billboard singles chart, but also won the championship for five weeks."
In this way, the recording was centered around Django.
In fact, the purpose of Long Wei and Rocky coming to Tom's talk show was, first, to promote "The Expendables" again, and second, to help Django increase his popularity.
When the show was broadcast on the weekend, the effect was quite good.
"I've been following this Django for a long time. The racing movie he shot, Initial D, is very good."
"I just found out today that he is the author of Welcome to New York. I knew before that the singer is a Chinese female singer."
"Oh my god, he is only 27 years old!"
"A very impressive young man."
"It seems that I Am Legend, which was released on Christmas Eve, was also written by him."
"I have to go and see it then."
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Another December has arrived. This is the fifth year that Django has traveled to Blue Star.
He is preparing for the wedding, but he is not particularly busy because the planning is fully handed over to Wei Ge Company. They can handle variety shows, so weddings are certainly no problem.
That day, after breakfast, Zhou Lingwei and Chu Pianpian went to coordinate the wedding ceremony process together.
Jiang Ge was in the hotel room, sitting on a recliner on the balcony, looking into the distance, he saw the vast and tranquil ocean, the ebb and flow of the tide, and when he relaxed his body and mind, he turned on the system and plunged into the mall.
He wanted to give Zhou Lingwei a surprise at the wedding, singing a song, a song that could express his love.
However, the song selection process was really a headache.
"Little Love Song? Is it suitable?"
"A Little Touched? It seems not bad."
"Love, Love, Love? Let's sing and dance enchantingly?"
...
Finally, Jiang Ge chose a very old song, "The Moon Represents My Heart", written by Sun Yi in 1973, composed by Weng Qingxi, and first sung by Chen Fenlan.
This song has no gorgeous language, nor gorgeous embellishment. Although the simple language seems plain and unpretentious, the emotions expressed are sincere.
Even if it looks simple, the lyrics and tunes must be sung with natural voice and emotion.
And Jiang Ge didn't plan to record the accompaniment. When the time came, a wooden guitar or a piano would be enough.
As the wedding date approached, the bride and groom gradually became excited and expectant.
Before that, the annual Golden Eagle Awards ceremony was held in Xingcheng.
Jiang Ge's absence was a great pity for his fans, but their expectations did not decrease. They were all waiting to see "Nirvana in Fire" sweep the world.