PNB Chapter 67: Reconciliation and Participation in "Twin Dragons"?
Chapter 67: Reconciliation and Participation in "Twin Dragons"?
Three days after Li Lianjie disappeared, Cai Ziming went straight to Zou Wenhuai's office.
He showed no restraint whatsoever in front of this film mogul.
They arrogantly stated that Golden Harvest would not only settle the remaining three million in payment to Li Lianjie, but also void the six-month renewal contract.
Zou Wenhuai came from a chaotic era, how could he be intimidated?
They kicked Cai Ziming out immediately.
Cai Ziming didn't say anything, but before leaving, he revealed the large black star tucked into his waistband, then snorted coldly and left.
Raymond Chow was able to withstand the suppression from Shaw Brothers and gradually lead Golden Harvest to its current status as Hong Kong's premier film company.
Naturally, he is no ordinary person; he has connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds.
But this time, Tsai Tzu-ming held firm.
He displayed the same ruthlessness he displayed when he was campaigning in the Netherlands, fending off several waves of people who came looking for trouble.
Then they fought back fiercely, and all of Golden Harvest's film crews were harassed, even to the point of complete shutdown.
Zou Wenhuai is now a well-known entrepreneur who has already achieved great success, so he is unlikely to dare to go head-to-head with Cai Ziming like Deng Guangrong did.
Moreover, Jiahe is a large and powerful company, and it's simply not worth it to go head-to-head with a desperate man like Cai Ziming.
Now, every day that is delayed, Jiahe loses hundreds of thousands of yuan.
In addition, Tsui Hark and Ng See-yuen, who were involved in the production of "Once Upon a Time in China II", advised Golden Harvest to prioritize peace because the film had been stalled.
Left with no other option, Zou Wenhuai had to negotiate with Cai Ziming.
However, he disliked Tsai Tzu-ming and did not go in person, but entrusted his old friend and producer of "Once Upon a Time in China II", Ng See-yuen, to negotiate with Tsai Tzu-ming.
Wu Siyuan met with Cai Ziming several times, appealing to his emotions and reasoning with him to analyze the pros and cons.
Jet Li has just become a sensation with his role as "Wong Fei-hung," and completing "Wong Fei-hung 2" will greatly help his future career.
As Li Lianjie's agent, both he and Fu Yi Film Company benefited.
In addition to shared interests, they also persuaded me from the perspective of legal risks.
Li Lianjie's withdrawal from the filming violated his contract with Golden Harvest.
If Golden Harvest pursues legal action and obtains an injunction, not only will the filming of his subsequent new films be delayed,
Even if Li Lianjie forces the filming to be completed, the new movie cannot be released, which will cause huge losses to Cai Ziming's company.
Finally, Ng See-yuen stated that on behalf of Golden Harvest, he would pay another HK$2 in film fees to allow Jet Li to finish filming "Once Upon a Time in China II".
As for the remaining three million Hong Kong dollars, that's impossible; Golden Harvest isn't someone to be trifled with.
Cai Ziming was not a mindless brute; he understood that Wu Siyuan's words made sense.
After more than half a month of negotiations, the two sides finally reached a consensus.
Jet Li waived the remaining three million in payment, and Golden Harvest agreed to terminate its contract with him.
However, "Once Upon a Time in China 2" needs to be completed, and there is another film contract that needs to be fulfilled, with the actor's salary paid according to market price.
They both knew perfectly well that the other film deal was "Once Upon a Time in China 3".
This is beneficial to both sides, and no one objects to it.
Having finally broken free from Golden Harvest, Li Lianjie trusted Cai Ziming more and more.
On November 20th, filming for "Once Upon a Time in China 2" officially resumed.
Wu Siyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then immediately took over the publicity and distribution of "Reign of Assassins".
"Mr. Wu, would you like to rest for a couple of days?"
When Tang Long saw Wu Siyuan again, he could clearly see that Wu was very tired.
His hair, which was always meticulously styled, was now somewhat disheveled, and his face was a little oily.
It seems that dealing with a lawless figure like Cai Ziming is indeed very mentally taxing.
"No need, time is of the essence. Ah Long, besides the publicity for 'Reign of Assassins,' I have another favor to ask you about."
"What is it? Tell me."
Wu Siyuan took a sip of tea, organized his thoughts, and said:
"Our Directors Guild has been established for three years, but due to a lack of funding, we don't even have a fixed address."
I went with Tsui Hark, Clifton Ko, Ringo Lam, and others to ask several major film companies and cinema chains for donations.
But they were rejected without hesitation, and some were even kicked out.
"It's better to rely on ourselves than on others. Our Directors Guild is preparing to make a film to raise funds for our own headquarters."
"Mr. Wu, do you want me to play a role?"
"That's right, not just playing a role, but being the male lead."
Wong Bing-Yiu wrote a script with two male leads, the other being Jackie Chan.
We've already decided on a title for the movie: "Twin Dragons."
Originally, they only invited Jackie Chan, since he was the most popular and his movies were the most profitable.
Jackie Chan prioritizes loyalty and readily accepted the Directors Guild's invitation, even stating that he would act in the film without receiving any payment.
Wu Siyuan and his team initially wanted Jackie Chan to play two roles, which is how the movie got its title.
However, Tsui Hark and others later discovered that with the current level of special effects, it would not be easy to make two Jackie Chans appear and interact on the screen at the same time.
You could hire an American special effects company to do it, but the cost would be too high.
After discussion, in order to reduce the difficulty, it was decided to ask two people to perform.
Since the movie is called "Twin Dragons," let's invite another dragon over.
As the core creators, Wu Siyuan and Xu Ke immediately thought of Tang Long.
As a fellow kung fu star, he could easily collaborate with Jackie Chan on stage.
"No problem, Mr. Wu. In addition, I can forgo my salary as a way of supporting the Directors Guild."
When Tang Long heard Wu Siyuan mention "Twin Dragons," he understood what was going on.
The creation of this film is the result of the hard work and dedication of the entire industry, with everyone participating in the film without receiving any payment.
The film is co-directed by two renowned directors, Tsui Hark and Ringo Lam.
Fifty-six directors, including Ng See-yuen, Wong Jing, Ann Hui, Chan Ho-hang, and Tsang Chi-wai, willingly took on minor roles, even playing extras without any lines.
Cheng Long acted in the film without pay, and Li Zhi and Zhang Manyu also did not receive a penny.
The behind-the-scenes staff, including action choreographers, cinematographers, and screenwriters such as Yuen Woo-ping, all worked voluntarily.
Ultimately, "Twin Dragons" grossed HK$33 million in Hong Kong and over US$10.3 million overseas.
The Hong Kong Directors Guild bought an entire building.
In the original timeline, Jackie Chan played two roles, and Tsui Hark and his team ingeniously used film overlay technology.
That is, Jackie Chan first had to act with a stunt double, and after finishing one role,
Then, keeping the camera position, lighting, and all other conditions unchanged, Jackie Chan was asked to accurately perform another role according to the markings on the ground.
Finally, through post-production editing and film overlay, the amazing effect of the "two dragons" in the same frame was achieved.
Unexpectedly, he was now being invited to participate. Tang Long had been in this world for nearly two years, and the butterfly effect was beginning to appear frequently.
Tang Long was naturally very happy about this.
Even if we don't give face to Ng See-yuen and Tsui Hark, we should also give face to the Directors Guild.
Having acted in this film, any director who is a member of the Directors Guild of China would owe him a favor, albeit implicitly.
Moreover, Jackie Chan is currently at the peak of his career, and being able to co-star with him as a dual male lead would also enhance his influence.
It's worth noting that Jackie Chan's movies are bestsellers throughout Southeast Asia and can even be distributed in Japan and North America.
Even Stephen Chow, Chow Yun-fat, and Jet Li today cannot do this.