nucmednet Chapter 55 Poaching
Chapter 55 Poaching
Li Rengang is a very refined and easy-going director. When Lin Feng met him, he was still busy on set, personally designing costumes and props. He had previously led a team to the Hongmenban Museum in Lintong, Shaanxi Province, to scout locations.
Without wasting any words, Lin Feng briefly introduced himself and then frankly asked, "Director, to be honest, I don't think I'm suitable for this role. Why do you think I can play 'Xiang Yu' well?"
"Okay, no need to say anything, let's try it on first and see how it goes."
In fact, Li Rengang didn't know either, but he just felt that Lin Feng was capable, believing that his handsome appearance, three-dimensional features, and tough temperament matched the audience's imagination of "Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu".
First impressions are key, which means costumes and styling. Not only must Lin Feng himself believe it, but the audience in front of the screen must also believe that this is the ancient overlord "Xiang Yu".
So Lin Feng sat there letting the costume designers and stylists work on him, while Li Rengang personally supervised Lin Feng's styling, making changes here and there.
"The hairstyle should feature thick eyebrows, a short beard, and long, slightly wavy hair, with a few strands of silver mixed in. This not only fits the unruly nature of Xiang Yu as the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, but also hints at the character's vicissitudes and tragedy through the detail of white hair. The long hair is draped in a wild manner, adding to the character's domineering and unruly aura."
"The facial makeup should feature thick eyebrows and a beard, with an imposing and dignified appearance. The exaggerated treatment of the beard and eyebrows can further amplify the character's masculinity and kingly demeanor."
"The clothing and armor should be designed to be oversized, not only ornately designed but also exquisitely made. Black military uniforms will exude a commanding presence and battlefield majesty!"
It took a full nine hours, going back and forth, to complete Lin Feng's styling design, successfully enhancing the visual compatibility between Lin Feng and "Xiang Yu".
After the styling was completed, Lin Feng stood up and tried to portray a powerful and ruthless ruler. His eyes were firm and deep, naturally presenting a unique temperament of "overbearing aura and noble spirit", as if "the overlord has been reborn".
Her appearance and temperament are a perfect match!
This time, Li Rengang retorted to Lin Feng, "You still don't believe you can play 'Xiang Yu'? You're a born actor!"
"I believe it!" At this moment, Lin Feng felt that he could also play this role well. Could this be the power of dominance?
Subsequently, Li Rengang immediately decided to cast Lin Feng as the male lead, and the "Xiang Yu" of "The Legend of the Feast at Hongmen" was finally found.
The rivalry between "The Last Supper" and "The Legend of the Feast at Hongmen" is not over yet, with the three main characters continuing their clash:
"Liu Bang": Liu Ye in "The Last Supper" vs. Li Ming in "The Legend of the Feast at Hongmen";
"Xiang Yu": Wu Yanzu in "The King's Feast" vs. Lin Feng in "The Legend of the Feast at Hongmen";
"Yu Ji": Yang Mi in "The King's Feast" vs. Liu Yifei in "The Legend of the Feast at Hongmen".
The role of "Yu Ji" in "The Last Supper" was actively sought by Yang Mi. Although she couldn't work with Lin Feng, she and Lin Feng essentially played the couple "Xiang Yu and Yu Ji".
At the same time, this also has other significance for Yang Mi, meaning that she can now stand on equal footing with Liu Yifei, and she is no longer the little girl "Guo Xiang" from "The Return of the Condor Heroes".
Moreover, Yang Mi was quite satisfied with her team's lineup. She even proactively called Lin Feng to "provoke" him, saying, "Lin Feng, if 'The Last Supper' and 'The Legend of the Feast at Hongmen' are released at the same time, we'll definitely crush you!"
Sister, where does your confidence come from?! The main characters in *The Last Supper* are clearly weaker than those in *The Legend of the Feast at Hongmen*; this is obviously a "weakened version of *The Legend of the Feast at Hongmen*".
Moreover, given Lu Chuan's style, how could he dare to release a movie without taking half a year or a year to film it? Are you sure "The Last Supper" can be released this year? How dare you say that? Even Fish Leong doesn't have that kind of courage! Lin Feng was a bit speechless.
However, before Lin Feng could say anything, Yang Mi was replaced. It seems that she is always being replaced. This time, it was a betrayal from her good friends, the "Teddy Sisters," who replaced her with Huo Shiyan.
Yang Mi tolerated being replaced in a previous role because she was a minor celebrity; but this time, she was really angry. She never expected that she would be replaced after becoming a big star. In a fit of anger, she slapped Huo Shiyan and withdrew from the "Teddy Sisters Group" organized by "Big Sister" Qin Lan.
Perhaps because of Yang Mi's slap, Lu Chuan replaced Huo Shiyan again, casting her as "Lady Qi," while the role of "Yu Ji" has been relegated to the second female lead.
Then Lu Chuan announced the open auditions, and many future stars such as Dilraba Dilmurat, Gulnazar, and Xin Zhilei participated. In the end, however, Lu Chuan chose an actress named He Dujuan. It just goes to show that the entertainment industry is a small world!
As for whether Yang Mi actually slapped Huo Shiyan, Lin Feng didn't know, because it was Yang Mi herself who said that she used to be very optimistic about "The Last Supper," but now she curses it just as much.
"Lin Feng, I actually have high hopes for your 'Legend of the Feast at Hongmen'. You swore you'd crush 'The King's Feast'!"
"Lin Feng, why do they always bully me and want to change my role? Is it just because I'm easy to bully?!"
"Lin Feng, I swear I can't let myself be replaced by others anymore. I want to be the one in charge, I want to be the one organizing the event! I want to replace others!"
"Oh right, Lin Feng, I completely forgot to ask you why you didn't participate in 'Painted Skin 2'. That way we could have worked together again! Huayi Brothers still wants to sign you! What are you thinking?"
How could I have thought of that? Of course I didn't want to. It's just a supporting role in "Painted Skin 2," why would I want to participate? It's just that I wanted to use Lin Feng and Yang Mi's popularity to boost the box office, and I didn't want to spend more money. Lin Feng definitely wouldn't agree to that.
In fact, Lin Feng became popular again because of "Palace". A top agent within Huayi Brothers did contact Lin Feng and offered three movies, "Painted Skin 2", "Tai Chi 1: From Zero to Hero" and "Tai Chi 2: Rise of the Hero", as conditions for Lin Feng to join the company.
"Lin Feng, Huayi has high hopes for you. These three movies are just our welcoming gift. Once you officially sign with Huayi, we will tailor-make movies for you to star in, and eventually you will participate in Feng Xiaogang's movies."
None of these three films featured Lin Feng as the male lead, so they didn't significantly boost his career. Furthermore, both "Tai Chi 1: From Zero to Hero" and "Tai Chi 2: The Rise of the Hero" were box office flops.
As for Huayi Brothers' biggest asset, "Feng Xiaogang's movies," it stopped working after "Back to 1942" in 2012. Why did Lin Feng sign with Huayi Brothers again?
The most crucial point is that "Painted Skin 2" only paid Lin Feng 50 yuan and made him play the second male lead. Is this how they treat a beggar? Only a fool would take that role!
So Lin Feng turned to Hu Shan and said, "If 'Painted Skin 2' changes the 50 yuan salary to a 5% share of the box office, it wouldn't be impossible for me to play the second male lead."
Of course, quite a few companies have poached Lin Feng's film and television company during this period:
For example, Yu Zheng still wants to poach Lin Feng. I don't know what he's thinking. Does he think that Lin Feng will look up to him just because he acted in his drama "Palace"?
Furthermore, Cai Yinong from Tangren also called Lin Feng. I don't know if she was deliberately trying to annoy Yu Zheng or Lin Feng, but how dare she invite Lin Feng to join Tangren!
"Lin Feng, as long as you join Tangren, you'll be Tangren's number one star. As for Hu Ge, he won't be acting in fantasy dramas anymore. You'll be the absolute male lead in the dramas we're preparing to invest in: 'Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky,' 'Qin's Moon,' 'The Legend of the Desert' (adapted from 'Ballad of the Desert'), and 'Chinese Paladin 5: Legend of the Clouds'!"
Does Tangren still want to become a "Hugo replacement" or a "domestic abuser" like Jiang Kungfu?
Moreover, none of these works seem to be very good. Only "Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky" made a splash. After that, Tangren Media completely declined. Joining Tangren Media at this time is undoubtedly like joining the National Revolutionary Army in 49. Lin Feng doesn't want to die so soon!
Of all the companies, H&R Century Pictures was the most sincere. Their chairman and founder, Zhong Junyan, personally came to invite them. Putting everything else aside, that attitude alone is touching.
"Lin Feng, to be honest, Huanrui Century previously only invested in film and television projects. Next year, we plan to launch a 'big production' plan. We will not only build our own production team, but also sign multiple projects in the form of studios."
We would like to sign some artists who are truly our own, and you, Lin Feng, are one of the ones we value most. As long as you agree to join us, you will definitely be the "Number One Male Artist of Huanrui". Even the shares are negotiable.
We don't need to lie about this. Moreover, we have purchased the copyrights to many films and television series online, including "Legend of Fragrance," "The Lost Tomb," and "Zhu Xian," a pinnacle of fantasy fiction. The copyrights to all of them are in our hands.
If you'd like to make movies, Enlight Media is one of the shareholders behind H&R Century Pictures, and we'll actively recommend you for roles. We're absolutely sincere in this regard.
Regarding the contract termination with EE-Media, I can also speak with the higher-ups at Mango TV. It won't cause any unnecessary trouble. Please consider it; we can wait for you.
Huanrui is indeed very sincere. Isn't this the path to fame for Li Yifeng, the future top star? But why don't you mention the drama "Gu Jian Qi Tan" that made him an overnight sensation?
Is it possible that H&R Century Pictures hasn't acquired the film and television rights to "Gu Jian Qi Tan" yet?!
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