Chapter 249: Ma Weidu, the Big Boss in the Art Circle
Of the three spots, Xu Xiaoming asked for one, but the subject matter had not yet been determined, let alone the script and actors.
Zou Shifang asked for a spot and gave him his own short martial arts novel "Big Knife Wang Wu", and is currently looking for a suitable director.
The remaining spot was taken by Ma Weidu, who had taken a fancy to a novel and planned to adapt it into a movie.
Liu Hongmin looked at the title of the novel and a strange expression appeared on his face. "Farewell My Concubine", won't it take another five or six years before it will be adapted?
Thinking of this, he called Ma Weidu and asked, "What's the situation with Farewell My Concubine?"
Ma Weidu explained: "I like this novel very much, and it must be very good if it is adapted into a movie. So, I bought the adaptation rights of Farewell My Concubine some time ago and am currently contacting the director."
Liu Hongmin reminded: "I have read this book. Given its content, I am afraid it cannot be shown in mainland China."
Ma Weidu thought about it and said, "That's possible."
Liu Hongmin said, "It's not possible, but it will definitely not be released. Don't let it take up the quota for co-productions. Contact Lao Zou and ask the Hong Kong head office to invest directly, and then release it directly in Hong Kong."
Ma Weidu did not insist, "Okay, then what about the co-production quota?"
"Why don't you just find other novels that are suitable for both mainland China and Hong Kong, and adapt them?"
"Okay, I'll think about it!"
Ma Weidu hung up the phone and immediately picked up the phone to call his good friends. Although he was humble in front of Liu Hongmin, Ma Weidu's status outside was always high.
With the name of Tomorrow Film Company, Ma Weidu has helped many people in the literary and artistic circles. No matter writers or star directors, they have all received help from Ma Weidu.
In addition, Ma Weidu was a generous person, and he used the money he earned to either buy antiques or treat people to dinner.
Although drinking buddies are unreliable, as long as there are benefits, these people will really do it!
Just like now, Ma Weidu has a project in his hands, and with one phone call, he calls twenty or thirty writers and directors.
Among them are many of Liu Hongmin's friends, such as Liu Zhenyun, Liang Zuo, and popular writer Wang Shuo. This group of people currently has only two core members, one is Ma Weidu and the other is Haiyan. One of them is the head of the Beijing Tomorrow Film Company, and the other is the director and deputy general manager of the five-star hotel Kunlun Hotel. Both are rich and powerful.
But relatively speaking, Haiyan's status is slightly inferior to Ma Weidu's. After all, behind Ma Weidu stands Liu Hongmin, who is not powerful, but Liu Hongmin is also the richest man in the country.
Ma Weidu followed Liu Hongmin and not only managed the Tomorrow Film Company, but was also responsible for summarizing information from other companies, saving Liu Hongmin a lot of trouble.
In the conference room, twenty or thirty people gathered in groups of three or four to chat. No one knew why Ma Weidu called them here this time.
After a while, Ma Weidu pushed the door open and walked in. He nodded to Haiyan first, then sat down in the main seat, "I called everyone here today to ask for your help. I have a quota for a co-production film, which was originally intended for Farewell My Concubine. However, considering that the content of Farewell My Concubine cannot be shown in mainland China, I need to find a new novel to adapt."
"Regarding the novel I'm adapting, I only have one requirement, which is that the content of the novel must be suitable for both the mainland and Hong Kong, and the adapted novel must be able to get decent box office in both places."
The fewer the requirements, the more difficult it is to achieve.
Ma Weidu's request immediately left everyone scratching their heads. So far, only four co-productions have been released.
The content of "Mr. Donkey" and "Let the Bullets Fly" is more inclined to the mainland, so the box office in the mainland has exceeded 100 million. But in Hong Kong, "Mr. Donkey" relied on marketing to get 10 million box office. Excluding marketing, it is estimated that the box office is only 30 to 5 million. "Let the Bullets Fly" is different. It actually got 30 million box office.
The content of "The Devotion of Suspect X" and "Days of the Night" is more oriented towards Hong Kong, and the box office in Hong Kong has exceeded 30 million. However, the box office in mainland China is not so good, only about 20 to 30 million. Although it seems a lot, it is still a long way from being a big hit.
It can be said that among the four co-productions, only one, Let the Bullets Fly, sold well in both the mainland and Hong Kong. The other three films could only focus on one side.
"Let the Bullets Fly" is the best of Liu Hongmin's works, and it is no exaggeration to say that it is the best.
It is difficult to find a novel that can rival Let the Bullets Fly. It is even more difficult to find a novel that is suitable for both the mainland and Hong Kong in terms of content.
Seeing everyone racking their brains, Haiyan couldn't help but say, "Lao Ma, this is a bit difficult! It's not easy to find a novel that can rival Comrade Hongmin's. What's more, you have to guarantee the box office. Even Comrade Hongmin wouldn't dare to guarantee it, right?"
Everyone followed suit and said, "Yes! Comrade Hongmin's novels are unmatched by everyone."
Smart Wang Shuo said, "Why not choose another novel by Comrade Hong Min? Hasn't he published two novels recently?"
"That's science fiction!" Liu Zhenyun reminded: "With our current conditions, it's very difficult to shoot a science fiction film."
Wang Shuo smiled and said, "Of course I know that we can't make a science fiction film. But this is a co-production! Let's discuss it with Hong Kong. They provide the technology and we provide the ideas. It should be no problem to make a movie."
Everyone's eyes lit up. Yes! Our technology is not advanced, but Hong Kong's technology is advanced!
In addition, many of the people present here have a good relationship with Liu Hongmin. If they shamelessly come to ask for advice, will Liu Hongmin still ignore it?
Ma Weidu also nodded and said, "I'll talk to Hongmin about this. If he has no objection, it's settled. You guys chat first, I'll make the call."
After saying that, he stood up and went to the office to make a phone call.
Liu Hongmin was a little surprised to hear Ma Weidu's proposal. "With the current special effects, we can't even shoot Source Code, let alone Moon. And you have to understand that mainland audiences are not very receptive to science fiction films."
Ma Weidu smiled and said, "That's your novel. Even the worst-selling film, Shao Bao, must have made 30 or 40 million, right?"
"How can they be the same?" Liu Hongmin said helplessly.
Ma Weidu said: "I just want to give it a try. After all, science fiction films are still a blank for us. If this movie is successful, then we will have more and more science fiction films in the future."
Liu Hongmin thought about it and decided that since the Hong Kong box office was at the bottom, the foreign copyright could probably be sold at a good price, so he didn't stop it.
"Okay! You can do it yourself!"
(End of this chapter)
