You Do the First Year of Junior High, I Do the Fifth

Chapter 89 You Do the First, I'll Do the Fifteenth (Second Update)

Airport parking lot.

He Yi'an got into the car, leaned back in his seat, and pondered what he had just heard.

Han Sanping, sitting beside him, glanced at him sideways and said, "Xiao An, weren't your words just now a bit too impulsive?"

"Uncle Han, do you think I said something wrong?"

Han Sanping is a true protector of his own.

Even if He Yi'an had already proven himself, even if he were still a junior, he would still stand on He Yi'an's side. He shook his head after hearing the question.

"You're right. But Wu Baige has been in Hollywood for so many years; he has connections and influence. Don't you have plans to do some things in Hollywood? Offending him wouldn't affect your future development, would it?"

He Yi'an sneered: "Uncle Han, Hollywood is the stronghold of capitalism, where profit is the most important thing. Wu Baige made MGM lose so much money, how long do you think he can stay in Hollywood?"

He Yi'an's point of view surprised Han Sanping for a moment.

After all, the domestic film environment is completely different from that of Hollywood.

In Hollywood, the director is just a worker; the real important people are the project drivers, namely the producers and investors.

Secondly, one must be a director, and specifically, a director who has the ability to independently initiate a project.

The position of an ordinary director is actually similar to that of an editor, and in some scripts that already have a large following, the director's say in filmmaking is probably less than that of the screenwriter.

This is completely different from the director-centric system in the domestic film industry.

"Windtalkers lost so much money that MGM was almost bankrupted by it," He Yi'an continued to explain. "Hollywood is about box office success, not seniority."

"If he makes one film that loses money, people might give him another chance. But if he makes two films that lose money, who would dare to hire him?"

"So you mean Wu Baige will stumble again?"

He Yi'an thought for a moment, then offered no further explanation.

Based on the timeline, Wu Baige should have already begun contacting or filming "Memory Rift" at this point.

This film became Wu Baige's last movie in Hollywood.

It wasn't until 2026 that news broke that he would be returning to Hollywood to film a new movie, "Silent Night".

"Uncle Han, don't overthink it, just keep an eye on things."

Han Sanping thought for a moment and nodded: "Then you said he would come back, so if he comes back—"

At this point, Han Sanping was somewhat tempted.

Regardless of how Wu Baige is doing in Hollywood, he is indeed a great director.

Moreover, he's a renowned director of commercial films.

This was too attractive to Han Sanping.

Seeing him like this, He Yi'an could easily tell that Han Sanping had been fooled by Wu Baige's reputation as a famous director.

Then he led me to shoot a bunch of terrible movies that cost a huge amount of money.

Not only did they make bad movies, but Wu Baige also used China Film Group's money to promote Hong Kong and Taiwan artists.

"Uncle Han, don't have any excessive expectations of any big-name director. Many of them are just all show and no substance."

O

He Yi'an couldn't tolerate this behavior at all and directly interrupted what Han Sanping was about to say.

"Even if he comes back, so what? The mainland market is now under your control, Uncle Han. If he really comes back, won't he have to be mindful of your attitude if he wants to make a living in the mainland?"

Han Sanping laughed: "You kid, you still know how to talk."

"I'm telling the truth." He Yi'an continued, winking at him, "Uncle Han, don't be fooled by his current antics. Let's see who has the last laugh in a few years."

Han Sanping looked at He Yi'an with admiration in his eyes: "I believe what you say. If you continue to develop at this pace, and then at Cannes—by then, China Film Group will also have a big director—"

"Alright," Han Sanping said, "Go back first. Remember to come to China Film Group in a while to discuss some things about 'A Separation'."

He Yi'an nodded, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes.

Outside the car window, the streets of Beijing were rushing past.

His mind was racing.

Don't be fooled by his seemingly nonchalant words to Han Sanping; the abbot's petty nature won't grow up so easily.

Lu Chuan is one thing, but there are other ways to continue to control him later.

But Wu Baige —

This person has indeed been in Hollywood for many years, making decent action movies like "Broken Arrow" and "Face/Off," but his career has been on a downward spiral since "Mission: Impossible 2."

The disastrous failure of Windtalkers was just the beginning.

While the box office performance of the subsequent film, "Paycheck," wasn't dismal, it certainly didn't meet expectations.

At that point, he won't be able to make it in Hollywood at all.

Then he will come back and film "Red Cliff".

What did he do to turn a perfectly good Three Kingdoms story into this?

Historical figures are completely unrecognizable, the plot is absurdly melodramatic, and the dialogue is utterly ridiculous.

"I need to calm down, I need to fight, I need to calm down—" This line also comes from the movie "Red Cliff".

And that "Mengmeng, stand up!" —

Thinking about all this made He Yi'an feel nauseous.

The Three Kingdoms period was one of the most glorious periods in Chinese history, producing a galaxy of heroes.

Such a subject should not be ruined.

"Yeah, 'Hero' is coming out in a few months, and that will spark a trend of a lot of period epics. So why doesn't he make it himself?"

Thinking of this, He Yi'an opened his eyes and said to Han Sanping, "Uncle Han, I have an idea."

"What are your thoughts?"

"I want to film the Three Kingdoms."

Han Sanping was taken aback: "The Three Kingdoms? You mean movies based on the Three Kingdoms period?"

"Yes." He Yi'an nodded. "Hero is about to be released. I've seen Director Zhang's film and gone to watch it a few times. Although it has some problems, it will definitely set off a craze for period blockbusters."

"When doing things, you should always go with the flow. Since there will be a surge in historical dramas, I want to take this opportunity to film the Three Kingdoms."

"The Three Kingdoms?"

Han Sanping also fell into thought, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this project was feasible.

The only thing that made him hesitate was that He Yi'an had just made an art film, and now he was switching to making a period drama. The leap was too big.

He was afraid that He Yi'an simply couldn't handle such a large project.

"Xiao An, this project is indeed good, it has foresight and a solid audience base, but you've only made one art film, and now you're making this—"

He Yi'an understood what Han Sanping meant. He was actually a little unsure, since there was no original to copy.

But since things had already come to this point, he had to give it a try, even if it meant being forced into it, and besides, he wasn't entirely without confidence.

At least, he has Wu Baige as a negative example to refer to.

"Uncle Han, for a period epic like this, you definitely need helpers. Coincidentally, my assistant director was the first assistant director when Director Zhang was filming 'Hero'."

"You mean Liu Guonan?"

"Yes!" He Yi'an also knew that Liu Guonan would continue to serve as the first assistant director for Zhang Yimou's "All About White Steamed Buns".

His ability to direct scenes in period war films is beyond doubt.

"Besides, the preparation for such a big-budget film can't be completed in a short time. It will probably take several months just for preparation. I'm going to be filming with Director Zhang in January, and I'll continue to learn from him then!"

Having said that, Han Sanping finally had some confidence in He Yi'an.

After all, what he said was logical and well-founded.

Han Sanping was silent for a moment, then continued, "The Three Kingdoms theme is too broad. How do you plan to film it?"

"At least a three-part series is required."

He Yi'an's mind raced, and he actually found a spark of inspiration.

"The first part tells the story of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the beginning of the chaos at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The second part tells the story of the struggle for power among various warlords. The third or fourth part tells the story of the Three Kingdoms and the unification of the country."

The next few years will be a boom period for period dramas. Rather than letting others make bad movies, it's better to have your own company do it.

It can both capitalize on current trends and train the team.

Han Sanping looked at him, his eyes finally showing some seriousness: "A trilogy, you kid, you've got quite the ambition."

He Yi'an smiled and said, "Uncle Han, haven't you always said you wanted to make a blockbuster? This is a blockbuster."