thefictionvixens Chapter 45 The Invitation Rejected, Lu Zheng's Promise
Chapter 45 The Invitation Rejected, Lu Zheng's Promise
When they arrived at the entrance of China Film Group Corporation,
Han Ziming saw Wangda's CEO Zeng and quickly called out to him.
"Mr. Zeng! Wait a minute!"
Zeng Maojun turned around.
Han Ziming immediately leaned over and asked.
"Mr. Zeng, do you have a moment? I need to ask you something."
But there was a hint of gossip in his eyes.
Zeng Maojun asked, looking puzzled.
"What is it? Tell me."
Han Ziming lowered his voice, as if he were whispering.
"I just want to ask, what's Ida's background? Wanda has been giving her a lot of resources."
Upon hearing this, Zeng Maojun relaxed and said with a smile:
"Hey, what's wrong with saying this? She has an elder who's on good terms with our CEO Lu, so we're just looking out for her. Anyway, it doesn't matter who gets the resources, so we gave them to her."
Han Ziming understood immediately and said with a smile.
"Oh, I see."
Mr. Zeng suddenly became serious and looked at him as he spoke.
"Don't get any funny ideas, you little brat!"
Han Ziming quickly waved his hand and said.
"What bad intentions could I possibly have?"
He pondered to himself, if it were really as rumored, it was impossible for a major investor to invest resources for ten years, including various large-scale productions, and still lose so many billions, unless it was some kind of fraudulent scheme.
Moreover, Ida wasn't very pretty when she first debuted; she only grew into her beauty later on.
Another possibility is that this person is of Wu Zetian's caliber. Jing Tian isn't the type to drive men crazy, so it seems her background is indeed extraordinary.
However, this did not affect his plans; he would still make money by making movies first.
Not long after, Han Ziming and Li Feng also went home.
Li Feng was unaware that Han Ziming had another idea: he wanted to see if he could help Jing Tian.
She remembered that in her past life, she and Teacher Zhang hadn't started dating yet, so breaking them up was a good thing.
Since others can do it,
Then why can't he do it?
Although Han Ziming did not consider himself a gentleman,
But he was by no means a low-class person; he felt he could definitely do better than Teacher Zhang.
If Li Feng knew, he would definitely tell.
"You're shameless! You just said you were lusting after her body!"
the next morning,
Han Ziming returned to the office of Mozi Film and Television Company.
"Boss, the Jingda team has turned down the offer for 'Cry Me a Sad River.' Do you think we should find someone else?"
As soon as Li Feng saw Han Ziming, he said anxiously.
Han Ziming thought about it. Although Wanda had joined, and Ida could be replaced, what if Wanda tacitly agreed to give it to Ida?
That would be awkward. It's better not to change him. He's confident he can make a good movie on his own, and we can just train him properly then.
"Don't rush, do you have Ida's private number?"
"Got it."
Li Feng quickly replied.
"Let me ask around before I decide."
"All right."
Just as Han Ziming was about to dial Jing Tian's number, his phone rang, and the caller ID showed an unknown number.
He took it casually.
"Boss Han, this is Lu Zheng."
"Oh, it's Mr. Lu! What brings you here to call me?"
Han Ziming had never met this well-known producer in the film and television industry.
Lu Zheng's cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone.
"I'm here to discuss something with you. I heard you're going to make a new movie, and you wanted Ida to play the lead role, but she declined."
Han Ziming was taken aback, not expecting the other party to be so well-informed, and nodded.
"Indeed. What, Mr. Lu, do you have other ideas?"
Lu Zheng smiled.
"Well, I've read the script, and it's really good, so I still recommend Ida for the role, but I don't want her to know."
These words immediately puzzled Han Ziming.
"Are you kidding me?"
Lu Zheng's tone was somewhat helpless.
"To be honest, her new movies haven't been well-received. I know she turned them down, and you probably don't want to work with her again."
After a pause, Lu Zheng offered another tempting offer.
"In that case, as long as you agree to let her star in it, I guarantee that the movie will get plenty of screenings in theaters when it's released."
"Even if the movie doesn't meet expectations in the end, I'll personally give you 1000 million, so you won't lose out."
Han Ziming held his phone in silence, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously.
He knew in his heart that although he had a successful TV series, his foundation in the industry was not yet solid.
Moreover, he had no intention of getting Wanda to invest in this new movie, so the theater distribution channels that Lu Zheng had were exactly what he needed.
The road ahead is long, and no one can guarantee that everything will always go smoothly. Having more reliable partners means having more options for survival.
He took a deep breath and spoke.
"Okay, Mr. Lu, I agree."
"That's good, but I don't want Ida to know, so just pretend nothing happened and go talk to her."
Lu Zheng smiled.
Han Ziming knew that he was worried about Jing Tian's self-esteem, so he nodded and agreed.
"no problem!"
After hanging up the phone,
Han Ziming called Jing Tian again.
Actors like Jing Tian, who have resources, don't usually look favorably upon projects; they probably wouldn't even get past their agents' approval with a normal invitation.
Ida's voice came through the phone very quickly.
"Hello, who is this?"
Ida's voice sounds very gentle.
"Hello, Senior Sister Jingtian, I am Han Ziming from the Literature Department of Yanying School."
Han Ziming said with a smile.
Ida seemed somewhat surprised that this person had obtained her private phone number.
"Oh, junior brother, what's the matter?"
"Here's the thing, my company would like to invite you to play the female lead in 'Cry Me a Sad River.' It's a film by Guo Jingming, and he has a huge fan base, so the box office is guaranteed."
Han Ziming gave a brief introduction to the project.
Ida was silent for a moment, then said:
"I'm sorry, junior, I have a reality show in April next year, and my schedule is already full. I really can't take the role."
Han Ziming did not give up and continued to persuade him:
"We can adjust the filming schedule. I know you're busy with 'The Great Wall,' and there's still the promotional tour to come. But that movie was written by an American screenwriter, so it's difficult for them to tell a good story about China."
I saw that the online reviews after the premiere were just so-so, so the box office performance might not be very good, and you might even get criticized.
I have a TV series airing soon, and a movie coming out on New Year's Day. You can check them out before deciding.
"And this movie gives you a 5% investment share; if it succeeds, your reputation will recover."
Jing Tian remained silent for a while, seemingly moved by Han Ziming's offer.
In fact, she was also worried that "The Great Wall" would flop after its release, and as the female lead, she would bear a great responsibility, so she was very cautious about taking on her next film.
After figuring it out, Ida said tactfully:
"Alright, let's see how strong you are first, junior brother."
The main reason is that Han Ziming is a newcomer. If he were like Chen Sicheng, then a lot of people would want to cast him in the film.
Han Ziming said happily.
"Then I'll add you on WeChat. Let me know when you've made up your mind."
"good!"
After hanging up the phone,
Han Ziming breathed a sigh of relief.
He felt there shouldn't be any problems, and he was quite confident about the broadcast effect of the TV series "The Beginning".
He added Jing Tian on WeChat and told Li Feng about the results of the communication.
Li Feng was busy sending investment contracts to China Film Group, Fiber Optics, and Wanda, and getting the contracts signed with other investment companies first.
December 14nd arrived quickly.
With the support of China Film Group, "Take My Brother Away" has passed censorship.
Li Feng wanted to officially announce the release date, but Han Ziming stopped him.
"Right now, the internet is full of marketing for the movie 'The Great Wall,' so our official announcement won't generate any buzz."
"That's true. So, boss, when do you plan to make it official?"
Li Feng inquired.
"Let's wait until the results of 'The Beginning' are in and the hype surrounding 'The Great Wall' has died down before we start promoting it. That will definitely attract audiences."
Han Ziming stroked his chin and said.
"Okay, I'll go adjust it."
Subsequently, Han Ziming instructed Li Feng and the publicity team to arrange for the lead actors to shoot short videos, appear on variety shows, and hold preview screenings.
He then picked up his phone and excitedly posted in the crew's group chat.
"The movie is set for New Year's Day! Everyone get ready! After the official announcement in a few days, let's cooperate with General Manager Li and Director Wen to promote it!"
The WeChat message has just been sent.
The main creators of the movie "Take My Brother Away" quickly chimed in, and the group chat became lively.
Xiao Hu: "Really, Director Han? Don't worry, we'll definitely cooperate fully!"
Peng Peng: "Wuhu, take off! It's finally going to be released!"
MaiMai: "I'm suddenly a little nervous!"
Ono: "Me too!"
Xiao Wang: "+1"
Xiao Hu: "But Director Han, you're really fast!"
Ono: "You two have this kind of relationship? A three-second real man?"
Han Ziming: "Do you want to hear what you're saying???"
Xiao Hu: "I meant editing and release. The movie only wrapped up filming half a month ago, didn't it? [doge emoji for protection]"
Ono: "Oh, I thought..."
Han Ziming: "Xiao Ye, don't corrupt Mai Mai! I'm not going to chat with you guys anymore. The premiere is tentatively scheduled for the evening of the 31st."
Ono: "I didn't!"
Fumino: "Just follow my instructions when the time comes!"
Han Ziming: "Although the theme doesn't quite fit the Lunar New Year film season, it's been trending on social media before, so it's getting a lot of attention. Listen to Director Wen, everyone, set aside time for the roadshow, and I'll give you red envelopes during the New Year!"
Xiao Hu: "I'm definitely taking this red envelope!"
Peng Peng: "+1"
"Alright, everyone get back to work."
Han Ziming has just finished replying.
Ono then sent a private message.
"Senior brother, you said you'd take me out to play."
"Does it still count now? (´༎ຶД༎ຶ~)"
Han Ziming smiled after reading it.
"I'll take you there after the movie promotion tour is over and your exams are done!"
"There's still a month left, so you'd better keep your word!"
"OK!"
Han Ziming had just finished talking to Xiao Ye and put down his phone when it rang again. It was Li Feng calling.
"Boss, there was a trending topic about this before. I can't guarantee no one will try anything funny. Should we prepare something in advance?"
Han Ziming thought for a moment and said:
"No need. As long as the film is of good quality, they won't dare to do anything. The production company behind 'The Love Saint' at the same time is Sony, and they won't use such methods."
Besides, our target audience is different. We can invite well-known film critics to the preview screenings in advance so they can provide objective evaluations of the promotional materials.