Translator: Legge Editor: Legge
A few days later.
On Weibo.
The news got out.
“Have you heard?”
“China’s richest man is buying out a Hollywood studio!”
“I heard about it too.”
“That’s probably just a rumor, right?”
“No, it should be true. It seems like the deal is almost complete.”
“Qian Haitao is too rich!”
“If he can successfully buy it, many of our Chinese celebrities will get a chance to enter Hollywood.”
“There are some media outlets saying that Qian Haitao has already invited Zhang Ye to help him out.”
“Wow! Is that really true?”
“If Zhang Ye were to make a movie in Hollywood, that would definitely be big news!”
“Face-smacking Zhang is going to make a Hollywood movie? I will definitely watch it!”
“I’m also looking forward to it. Even with the military-themed domestic movie that Face-smacking Zhang made, he was still able to use it to break into the Top 100 global box office movies of all time. If he were to really make a Hollywood blockbuster, just how fucking crazy would the box office earnings be? It’s very possible that it would break Wolf Warrior 2’s record! In the past, Zhang Ye has always done unconventional things like poetry, crosstalk, calligraphy, Go, hacking, math, etc. But if he really wishes to keep advancing in international showbiz, he will need to depend on making movies. This time, Face-smacking Zhang is finally going mainstream!”
…
Back at home.
The family had already returned from their vacation.
Old Wu asked, “Do you want to bring this?”
Zhang Ye answered, “Yes.”
“I’ve also packed some gastric medicine for you.”
“Aiya, that won’t be necessary.”
“Just bring it along.”
“Alright. Pack in a few more clothes as well.”
“OK.”
Wu Zeqing was packing for Zhang Ye.
His mother said in a speechless manner, “You’re going off again so soon after coming back?”
“I’m just packing in advance.” Zhang Ye said with a chuckle, “I’m still waiting for the confirmation from Old Qian, so I’ve got to be ready to set off at a moment’s notice. I don’t want to get blindsided by lack of preparation.”
His father said, “Why don’t you rest a few more days?”
Zhang Ye laughed and said, “I’ve already rested for a week, it’s time I got back to work. Otherwise, my popularity is going to fall and I’ll drop back into the C-list. It’s fine, I won’t be too worn out this time. It’s just making a movie in Hollywood anyway. Once I’m done there, I’ll head home immediately. It’s my first time making a Hollywood movie, so this is a rare opportunity for me.”
Sisi said, “Daddy, you can do it!”
Zhang Ye gave his daughter a kiss. “Thanks, my dear!”
His mother said, “Will the staff from your studio be going as well?”
Zhang Ye nodded. “Yeah. I’m bringing them with me.”
His mother asked, “Why can’t you shoot the movie in China?”
His father also asked, “Yeah, why do you have to insist on going to America?”
Zhang Ye explained, “It’s different. Making a Hollywood movie isn’t just about where you shoot it. There’s also the facilities, personnel, technical skills, distribution channels, and publicity efforts to consider. They have a lot of equipment that isn’t readily accessible here, while their personnel and technical skills are also top-notch. As for the distribution of the movie, there is a need to consider the overseas market as well. That’s why I still have to go to America. Why else do you think Old Qian is spending so much effort to acquire a Hollywood studio? What he really wants is to get ahold of is their technical facilities and distribution channels. Perhaps in the future, I can choose to shoot a movie wherever I want after bringing our people over there to learn from them.”
His mother curled her lips. “Learn from them? As if!”
His father said, “Your mom is afraid that you’ll go there and start trouble again.”
Zhang Ye laughed and said, “I won’t.”
Even Wu Zeqing, who was beside them, couldn’t help but smile when she heard that.
They still understood Zhang Ye very well. What learning? They were quite sure that Zhang Ye absolutely did not hold such a belief. They also knew that Zhang Ye was going to America this time simply because he wanted to cause trouble there. They had already seen too many such incidents happen before. This fellow would always cause chaos in whichever industry he went into. Just look, he had basically turned the television industry upside down over the past few months, and now, he was thinking of taking on Hollywood again. However, they were still supportive of Zhang Ye’s choice. The influence of Hollywood movies in the international entertainment industry was so obvious that even a three-year-old kid knew about it. This could be seen by how 90% of the current crop of A- and B-listers in the international entertainment industry had come through from Hollywood movies.
He rested.
He prepared.
He waited.
Zhang Ye was ready to leave at any moment. Even now, countless choices were popping up in his mind as many classic movies from his previous world kept flashing by. He could pick any one of them with his eyes closed and still be confident that he could shoot a Hollywood movie that would stun the world. Zhang Ye had been thinking of entering Hollywood for a long time. However, the chance to do so hadn’t presented itself. Now that it had, he didn’t know how to select which movie he wanted to film.
This movie?
Or that movie?
He kept going through his choices.
…
America.
Wilson’s company.
“What?”
“One of our Hollywood studios is getting acquired by China?”
“They’ve already commissioned Zhang Ye to make a movie?”
“Is that fellow really coming to Hollywood?”
“Dammit! I don’t like him!”
“Me neither. Over the years, Director Wilson has only had one movie, Commando 2, underperform at the box office. It was precisely Zhang Ye who ruined that record!”
…
Japan.
“Zhang Ye is going to Hollywood?”
“The day has finally come?”
“I knew that the day would come, but I never expected it to arrive so soon.”
“If he manages to establish himself in Hollywood, won’t he become unstoppable?”
“Yeah, but he’s already as good as unstoppable now.”
“The showdown between Zhang Ye and the Hollywood big shot directors is finally going to happen.”
…
The UK.
“Zhang Ye should still be considered a newcomer to Hollywood, right?”
“I guess so. After all, he hasn’t directed a Hollywood movie before.”
“There’s a huge gap between Chinese movies and Hollywood movies, so there shouldn’t really be much to worry about, right?”
“But don’t forget this: He never made any movies prior to the Chinese movie.”
“Yeah, for someone who has never made a movie before, he broke into the Top 100 global box office movies of all time with the very first movie he directed and acted in. It would be a wonder if Hollywood isn’t worried about him!”
…
Russia.
“I heard that there are people from the Directors Guild making a commotion.”
“What are they making a commotion about?”
“It seems like they’re trying to block the acquisition by the Chinese company.”
“There are indeed a lot of difficulties in the way of this acquisition deal.”
“Haha, so those big shot Hollywood directors also have something to fear?”
“The man at the top of the food chain has turned his sights on Hollywood!”
“I’m actually looking forward to what kinds of works he produces.”
“This could very well determine how far Zhang Ye can go in the international entertainment industry.”
…
There was uproar in the outside world.
There was international buzz.
People from all over the world turned their attention to this acquisition deal. In fact, they were even a little overly concerned about it. If it were an American CEO acquiring the studio, or an English company doing so, there wouldn’t be a problem at all, nor would it cause such a big hubbub. It was such a big issue because a Chinese company was looking to acquire the studio. The ownership of a medium-sized Hollywood studio could eventually affect the status quo of the international entertainment industry, so be it the media, the common folk, the industry, or the celebrities, everyone would naturally pay attention to this matter and wait to see what the outcome would be.
Some people were pleased.
Some people were excited.
Some people were worried.
Some people protested.
There were all kinds of reactions from people.
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