Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 43 The Unpredictable Big Scissors

"Comfortable……"

Inside Zhang Jun's new house, Fan Pangbing came over for a secret rendezvous with Zhang Jun. The two engaged in a passionate encounter, which ultimately ended with Fan Pangbing begging for mercy.

Zhang Jun chuckled, letting Fan Bingbing experience the lingering afterglow.

Afterwards, they would usually have a cigarette, but Zhang Jun didn't have the habit of smoking.

He watched Fan Bingbing go to take a shower wrapped in her pajamas, her graceful figure swaying in the dim yellow light, incredibly alluring.

Recently, Fan Bingbing has been frequently visiting him for trysts. It's not just about sex; the two also go shopping, eat out, and watch movies together, just like any other couple.

Of course, as a celebrity, Fan Bingbing has to disguise herself when she goes out, and she can't be open and aboveboard.

Zhang Jun didn't care. The popularity of the campus heartthrob had passed, and the internet wasn't developed enough to allow him to enjoy the attention of a top-tier celebrity for an extended period.

"Little Miss Sunshine" has officially ended its run, having grossed 4250 million at the box office, making it a great success.

However, as the hype died down, the media gradually stopped reporting on it.

Since Zhang Jun is a director, not an actor, he doesn't receive as much attention as actors, so not many people recognize him in real life.

However, with his good looks and 1.8-meter height, plus Fan Bingbing standing next to him who was disguised but whose figure was still quite good, he still attracted a lot of attention on the street.

If paparazzi spot the two of them, the next day gossip media will probably be flooded with rumors of a romance between up-and-coming director Zhang Jun and rising star Fan Bingbing.

However, Fan Bingbing didn't want to expose their relationship like that. Putting aside the fact that they weren't in a romantic relationship, exposing a relationship would be quite devastating for a female star.

After taking a shower together, Zhang Jun and Fan Pangbing sat or lay on the bed, with Fan Pangbing holding a script in her hand.

"This is your new movie? Didn't you tell me you were going to make a martial arts movie?" Fan Bingbing asked.

Zhang Jun explained, "The investors are still hesitant, saying that my martial arts story is not actually a martial arts story and is different from what they imagined."

So I told him another story, but he was still hesitant.

I'm a restless person, so while he hesitated, I decided to shoot this first.

Boss Wang didn't really like the story of "Brotherhood of Blades," and Zhang Jun expressed his understanding.

After all, it's hard for someone who likes martial arts films to like "Brotherhood of Blades" with its cold-blooded tone, and the story doesn't have much of a martial arts flavor.

In addition, the script for "Brotherhood of Blades" encountered problems with the big scissors.

The issue of the Later Jin invasion was mentioned, which was considered to undermine unity, so the proposal was rejected.

When Zhang Jun received this news, he was completely baffled. How could a lousy movie be related to this?

Besides, whether or not this disrupts unity is not up to him to decide. History is there for all to see; can we pretend it doesn't exist?

Oh, so you can even change history? You win then!

However, Zhang Jun was somewhat prepared for the current era's mysterious censorship policies, and the reason he chose "Brotherhood of Blades" was to save money.

If filming were to take place on location, a budget of around 15 million yuan would be sufficient to complete the production of "Brotherhood of Blades," making it relatively easy to recoup costs.

But Reign of Assassins is different. According to online rumors, the production cost of this movie was 1400 million US dollars, but there is suspicion that the figure was inflated.

Even if the budget is inflated, Zhang Jun can still cut costs; he still needs to hire a well-known female action star to boost box office revenue.

Michelle Yeoh or Zhang Ziyi would be perfect, and with the addition of several other well-known stars, the actors' salaries alone would be more than ten million.

To make a movie like this, you need at least 40 to 50 million yuan.

This is why Zhang Jun didn't directly give Boss Wang the story of "Reign of Assassins" at the beginning, fearing that he would think it was too expensive and refuse to invest.

After "Brotherhood of Blades" was rejected, Boss Wang hoped that Zhang Jun could bring a better story. So Zhang Jun gave him the story of "Reign of Assassins" and proposed a budget of 30 million.

This portion is what Boss Wang will pay, while the remaining portion will be paid by Guanzhi Pictures, China Film Group, and Zhang Jun's personal director studio.

Sure enough, although he was a nouveau riche, Boss Wang's money didn't come from thin air.

If it were Zhang Yimou or Chen Gezi asking him for a budget of 40 million, he would definitely have agreed. But Zhang Jun only has one successful film, and he's still so young.

So Boss Wang was also hesitant: should he trust Zhang Jun to pay the money, or find someone else?

Zhang Jun ignored all that and focused on his other films first.

Perhaps the success of this movie will help Boss Wang make up his mind.

Fan Bingbing looked at the script for "About Time" and pointed to the female lead's introduction in the character introduction.

"Can I act in this?"

"You can't do it."

Zhang Jun shook his head and said, "I plan to find an actress with the qualities of a virtuous wife and loving mother for this role. You are too glamorous and don't fit that type of person."

Fan Bingbing's face fell: "Not only did you not give me a role, but you also called me 'seductive.' That's going too far."

Zhang Jun laughed and said, "Please, I'm just praising you."

If you went back to ancient times, you would be Yang Guifei or Su Daji, the kind who could bewitch all living beings…

"Neither of them seems like a good person! Both of them have been described as women who bring ruin to the country, but I'm not like that," Fan Bingbing said with disdain.

"The downfall of a dynasty is caused by a variety of factors; how can you blame it all on women!"

Zhang Jun put his arm around Fan Bingbing's soft waist, feeling the delicate texture, and continued, "You should play the role of Luo Wei. Although it's not the female lead, it suits your goddess image."

Although she didn't get the lead role, Fan Bingbing considers her relationship with Zhang Jun a long-term commitment, believing she will have a chance to play the lead role in the future.

Therefore, she did not insist on playing the female lead and readily agreed to play the second female lead, Luo Wei.

"About Time" has officially entered the preparation stage, and China Film Group has confirmed its investment.

Guanzhi Pictures contributed 5 million, China Film Group contributed 5 million, Zhang Jun's personal director studio contributed 1 million, and several small investors contributed 1 million, bringing the film's budget to 12 million.

In this day and age, a production cost of 12 million yuan reaches the threshold of a medium-sized film investment, and it is also the film with the largest investment since Zhang Jun traveled back in time.

However, unlike Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang, and others who start promoting their films with great fanfare from the moment they are announced, Zhang Jun remains low-key.

He chose Xiamen and Shanghai as the filming locations, and the protagonist Chen Xiu's journey from a small town near Xiamen to the metropolis of Shanghai is a reasonable setup.

However, the specific filming location still needs to be scouted on-site. Zhang Jun will personally lead the team to select scenes that match his vision.

Another issue is casting. Apart from Fan Bingbing, who has already been confirmed, Zhang Jun has found suitable candidates for the other actors.

He first called Fan Wei, with whom he had worked before: "Mr. Fan Wei, are you free recently? Would you like to make a cameo appearance in my new movie?"

Fan Wei was having dinner with Uncle Benshan when he received Zhang Jun's invitation and immediately accepted.

"Sure, no problem. When?"

Zhang Jun thought for a moment and said, "Filming will probably start next month. You will be playing a character who is eccentric but warm-hearted, and you won't have many scenes."

"No problem, no problem. I said last time that as long as you invite me, I will definitely come." Fan Wei agreed.

Fan Wei hung up the phone and saw Uncle Benshan looking at him curiously, so he smiled and explained, "It's Director Zhang, whom I met on 'Little Miss Sunshine,' who invited me to act in his new movie."

Uncle Benshan said, "I've seen 'Little Miss Sunshine,' it's a rare movie. If you have the chance, could you introduce me to this director, Zhang Xiao?"

Fan Wei clinked glasses with Uncle Benshan: "Okay, I'll invite him over for dinner next time..."