Xiang Nan then took out the script of "Longwei Boy".
This story tells the story of a young boy named Daniel who came to New Jersey with his mother. He met a cute girl at school, but was also bullied by a group of bad classmates.
Later he met the gardener Mr. Miyata and learned karate from him. Through continuous hard training, Daniel strengthened himself and not only defeated his inner fear, but also gained a happy love.
This movie was very successful that year. Not only did it rank fifth at the North American box office in 1984, but the series also ranked fourth at the North American box office in 1986. It can be said to be a very successful work.
Twenty years later, the film was adapted into "Kung Fu Dreams", starring Will Smith's son Jaden Smith and Chinese kung fu superstar Jackie Chan, which also achieved good box office results.
It can be seen that this story is very good.
However, Xiang Nan still made some slight adjustments.
The protagonist changes from learning karate to learning Jeet Kune Do. The gardener's name was also changed from Miyata to Li.
On the one hand, it is to ride on Bruce Lee's popularity. Although he has passed away now, his influence is still there and he is still very famous in the United States;
On the one hand, Xiang Nan is from China and is good at Chinese Kung Fu, so using Jeet Kune Do will help establish his image.
When he learns kung fu such as karate and taekwondo, his image will be blurred and people will not be able to tell whether he is Chinese, Japanese or South Korean.
…
Xiang Nan handed the script to Zou Wenhuai.
After Zou Wenhuai read it, he felt that the script was feasible.
Xiang Nan is only nineteen years old this year, so it is quite suitable to play a middle school student.
However, Xiang Nan went to Hollywood to cooperate with Warner Pictures.
Although Golden Harvest will also contribute money and have a certain say, it is Warner who makes the final decision.
Therefore, whether this script is suitable or not ultimately depends on Warner's opinion.
Zou Wenhuai then sent the script to Warner Pictures.
While waiting, Xiang Nan began to prepare for the filming of "Master Long".
Because Zou Wenhuai knows that Hollywood is very sophisticated in doing things.
It takes several months to review the script, several more months to establish the project, and several more months to officially shoot. By the time the final filming is completed, maybe a year or two will have passed.
If you just wait, a lot of time will be wasted.
…
Xiang Nan started preparing for the filming of "Master Dragon" in September and officially started filming in October.
At the same time, "Ghost Fighting" starring Jackie Chan, Lin Zhengying, Yam Shiguan, etc. was officially completed and subsequently handed over to Golden Harvest for distribution.
This fantasy kung fu film combines elements of kung fu, horror, and comedy. It has novel themes, exciting stories, suspense, and climaxes. Therefore, it has been very popular with the audience since its release.
At that time, due to the emergence of a large number of kung fu movies, the audience was actually a little tired of aesthetics. After all, in any theater, there is always punches and kicks, and no matter how exciting the fight is, the audience will get tired of it.
Just like when "Mr. Zombie" became popular, the Hong Kong film industry released nearly a hundred zombie movies within three years. It immediately turned the audience off.
So now that I see this "Ghost Fighting Ghost", although there are still fighting scenes, the audience still gets a different visual experience because of the addition of fresh elements such as ghosts, zombies, Taoism, and fighting techniques.
This is why "Ghost Fighter" became a box office hit. In the end, it earned nearly 5 million at the box office, and Jackie Chan, who had always been depressed, finally tasted the taste of becoming popular.
…
This also made Jackie Chan very happy.
At the celebration party for the box office hit of "Ghost Fighting", he raised a glass to Xiang Nan and said, "Mr. Ning, I really want to thank you for your appreciation, otherwise I wouldn't be where I am today. I dedicate this glass of wine to you!" "
"There's no need to thank me, Aaron. Your achievements today are all due to your hard work. I'm just doing a little favor for you. Don't take it to heart." Xiang Nan waved his hand quickly.
To be honest, he has to thank Jackie Chan.
"Mr. Ning, I also want to follow you. Are you willing to accept me?" Jackie Chan asked again.
He didn't want to go back to Luo Wei. Although he worshiped Luo Wei as his godfather, Luo Wei was not very kind to him.
Previously, the movies he invested in had suffered huge box office losses. Due to financial constraints, he temporarily stopped paying Jackie Chan's salary.
Moreover, the movies he made were not in line with Jackie Chan's acting style.
He always wanted to make Jackie Chan the second Bruce Lee, so he asked Jackie Chan to film "Fist of Fury" and also asked him to imitate Bruce Lee's movements. But the key point is that there is only one Bruce Lee, and there can be no second one.
When the road of imitating Bruce Lee failed, Luo Wei also asked Jackie Chan to star in "Flying Over the Juanyun Mountain" and "Swords and Flowers in the South" to copy Ti Lung's acting style.
The result was equally unsuccessful. Jackie Chan doesn't have the pretty face and dashing temperament of Ti Lung, and he looks very silly wearing a hood and costume, so he's naturally not popular.
It also corresponds to the saying, those who learn from me will live, and those who resemble me will die.
However, this time starring in "Ghost Fighter" gave Jackie Chan finally a taste of popularity.
That's why Jackie Chan thought of defecting to Xiang Nan.
On the one hand, Xiang Nan understands him better and can make movies that suit his acting style, so he can become famous by following Xiang Nan; on the other hand, Xiang Nan is more generous, does not default on his salary, and usually takes them to play. With such a boss, it is not easy for him to suffer.
…
Hearing that Jackie Chan wanted to defect to him, Xiang Nan was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
I have to say, he was still in a very happy mood. However, if you want to take in Jackie Chan, you have to confront Luo Wei.
Although Xiang Nan is not afraid of Luo Wei, even getting rid of him is just a matter of one palm. But it’s really not worth killing a life just to steal an artist.
And if you don't want to kill him, you have to fight with him.
After all, Luo Wei is a senior in the film industry and became famous many years ago. Moreover, I heard that he has connections with gangs.
Therefore, after accepting Jackie Chan, it will inevitably cause trouble. With Xiang Nan's current power, it is still impossible to fight without bloodshed.
So after thinking about it, he smiled and waved his hand, "Aaron, I am very grateful for your thoughtfulness. However, a gentleman does not take away what others like.
After all, you are Director Luo's person. If I just sign you, it will be difficult for me to explain to Director Luo. In the future, when I work with other people, they will be wary of me.
In this case, you'd better go back first. When your contract with Director Luo expires, if you come back then, I will definitely accept you. "
Jackie Chan was quite disappointed when he heard this, but he still nodded.
…
Although Jackie Chan was not accepted, Xiang Nan still asked him to film another movie "The Scary Man" at a price of 300,000 Hong Kong dollars.
It is also a fantasy kung fu movie. Compared with "Ghost Fighter", the plot of this movie is more twists and turns, and it also adds more horror elements. I believe it will be a very attractive movie for the audience.
Jackie Chan is also very grateful to Xiang Nan.
He really doesn't want to go back to Luowei Films now, where he will be subject to regulation and poverty. On the contrary, staying at Zhen Kung Fu Pictures, with suitable filming opportunities and high salary, really made him feel a little happy.
