Chapter 415: 415 Will Not Change!

“That’s a very exciting project, yes… yes! Yes!!! Don’t worry, OK, goodbye.”

A thud echoed in the office! The receiver was put down, and Wang Yang leaned back in his chair with a hand pressed against his forehead, letting out a breath. What on earth was going on!? The reaction from those people was way more intense than he had anticipated, all because Jon Favreau screwed up “Zathura,” and he had previously invited Favreau to direct “Iron Man.”

In Wang Yang’s view as both an audience member and a filmmaker, there were redeeming qualities in “Zathura.” It had impressive visual effects and managed to capture the rhythm and atmosphere of an adventure thriller. But failure always has its reasons, and one key issue he identified was its promotion as a sequel to “Jumanji.” Indeed, the 1995 “Jumanji” had a global box office of 262 million, boasting significant influence. He had been quite fond of it at the time, as the film was fun and engaging while maintaining suspense, leaving a strong impression.

Beyond their shared premise of playing a board game, “Zathura” had no continuity in terms of plot or characters, and it didn’t feature any actors from the original. Kirsten Dunst, who was 13 at the time of the first movie, is now the “Spider-Man girlfriend.” Even their titles were different, yet it was labeled as a “sequel,” burdened with the pressure of the original’s fans. The kids and teens from ten years ago are now young adults pursuing “sunshine, beaches, and beauties”; he was nearly a father himself, so how could he expect them to appreciate a sequel to a children’s movie? Nostalgia? They would certainly find it boring now; and the children of today are not interested in sequels.

If “Zathura” hadn’t tried so hard to associate itself with “Jumanji,” it probably wouldn’t have failed so miserably. Insisting it was a sequel without considering the changes in the era was a mistake.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be fair to say that the failure of “Zathura” was solely Jon Favreau’s fault. Although he was partly responsible, the main blame lay in the mistakes made with the script and the promotion—the script chose space as the setting inappropriately, and the promotion mispositioned it as a sequel. These were Columbia’s errors. Now they were making Favreau the scapegoat, yet anyone who thought about it knew the fault was not his alone. This certainly contributed to the reason why Wonder & Paramount dared to invite him to direct “Iron Man.”

Wang Yang had explained all this to the heads at New Line and Warner Brothers. What he told Michael Lynne was also sincere—Favreau’s failure with “Zathura” gave him an even greater drive, a stronger desire to prove himself. In any case, he was the best director for “Iron Man” at the moment.

“Tap tap tap,” Mark Slant, dressed in a sharp suit, knocked and entered the office. As he took a seat in front of the desk, he asked, “What’s up?” Wang Yang looked at him and spread his hands: “I don’t know! Everyone’s acting like they’ve gone mad, swapping Favreau for Nolan… What is this even about?”

Mark Slant shrugged while adjusting his glasses. Favreau’s issue was just the tip of the iceberg that had gotten bigger. The key was their lack of trust in him and dissatisfaction with his bold production approach. After all, this was the first time Flame Film was so proactive in collaboration with others, especially for a blockbuster with a budget of a hundred or two hundred million. Look at how Lionsgate was on edge over “Paranormal Activity 3”; Mark Slant said, “You used to handle things too perfectly. With high expectations, even a small change will get noticed.”

“Really? I thought I just dragged down a movie company.” Wang Yang shook his head in resignation. Mark Slant chuckled, “You could take it as a good thing. Favreau will like the ‘Iron Man’ script, but is he really up to it?” Wang Yang suddenly grabbed a paper ball and threw it at him, speaking calmly, “I never doubted that, not for a second. Don’t ask that kind of question again! Unless you want my head to explode.” Mark Slant caught the paper ball and placed it on the table, reminding him, “Yang, it’s best not to fall out with them too much.”

“I know there’s nothing unpleasant yet, but if we keep going, there will be, haha!” Wang Yang laughed, if anyone had patience, it was him, but those old men… who knows if they’ll deliberately exaggerate the pressure to force a change? They can’t be that foolish, can they? Wang Yang gave his instructions seriously, “That’s why I called you over, you handle them for me! I don’t want to coddle them anymore, damn it, I’m not their husband.” Mark-Slant said, “These guys are tougher than wives.” Wang Yang pointed his index fingers at him, “MY-MAN, it’s your thing!”

After talking a bit more, Mark-Slant got up and left. Wang Yang watched the perpetual motion desk toy spin and, after pondering in silence for a while, he suddenly muttered to himself, “It’s time to have a proper talk with Will.”

“But first…” Wang Yang picked up his phone and called Favreau; from the sound of his “hello,” one could tell Favreau was feeling down. Wang Yang greeted him, “Hey, Jon! I’m really sorry about what happened with ‘Zathura,’ but I don’t think it was your fault…”

Listening to Wang Yang’s viewpoint and comforting words, Jon Favreau felt quite relieved, intermittently saying, “Yes, thank you, yes… thank you.” Then, hearing Wang Yang switch to “the matter of ‘Iron Man,'” his heart skipped a beat; in fact, ever since the opening day box office for “Zathura” had come out, he had given up on directing ‘Iron Man,’ and he was genuinely hurt now, needing some time to lick his wounds. Wang Yang said, “I think you need a good rest,” and, surely, those were just platitudes.

Though he had anticipated it, Favreau was still somewhat taken aback. He couldn’t blame the remarkable Yang for being harsh; why had he been so toxic? But then he heard “then quickly pick yourself up and start preparing for ‘Iron Man.'” Favreau was stunned and couldn’t help exclaiming, “What? You still want to invite me?”

“Ha! What are you talking about? Did you think everything I just said was nonsense, or what?” Wang Yang laughed, and Favreau chuckled on the other end, not meaning to make him feel awkward. Wang Yang chuckled into the receiver, “Seriously, I feel ‘Zathura’ was just an operational failure. Jon, I know you have what it takes…”

After listening to him for a while longer, Favreau finally dared to believe this wasn’t a joke. The amazing Yang truly wanted him to direct ‘Iron Man.’ A first weekend box office of $13.42 million for ‘Zathura,’ this was really… He was overwhelmed with indescribable feelings: surprise, delight, amazement, disbelief, some self-doubt, and hesitation, his voice slightly thin, “You think I can do well with ‘Iron Man’?” Wang Yang burst into laughter, “Don’t believe in me? Believe in yourself, but it’s best to not ask stupid questions. Jon, don’t listen to what anyone else says, enjoy your vacation, it won’t last long. ‘Iron Man’ is set to release in the summer of 2007.”

“Oh, I will… get some good rest,” the two continued their conversation, then hung up. After a while, Favreau slowly came back to his senses, sighing, “Oh, my God!”

As the afternoon neared its end, Margaret looked after the editing work for “500 Days of Summer,” while Wang Yang stayed busy in his office due to production and company matters, even as standard quitting time approached. When his assistant announced a scheduled visitor over the phone, he nodded in good spirits, “Please, let him in.”

“Tap tap tap,” as the assistant opened the door, a young Asian man in a jacket and jeans with black hair entered. Upon seeing Wang Yang, a flicker of excitement passed over his polite face, and his hands seemed unsure of where to rest, “Mr. Wang, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am David Ren…”

The young man was the Chinese-American director David Ren (David-Ren, Yi Ren), born November 5, 1986, in Shanghai, China, and raised in Queens, New York, from a young age. In 2003, at the age of 17, Ren Yi moved to Los Angeles to pursue his film career and was currently studying at the University of Redlands, College of Arts and Sciences. Despite his young age, he had already married his fiancée, Athena Hu (Athena-Hu), this year.

After arriving in Los Angeles, Ren Yi actively sought investments for his own screenplay “Shanghai Kiss,” later receiving investments from the Konwiser brothers and others, co-directing with Kern-Konwiser, and casting Ken Leung, Kelly Hu, and Hayden Panettiere as lead actors. This was also the film that paid the 16-year-old popular child star, Hayden Panettiere, the least in her acting career, making it somewhat of a friendly appearance. Shot between July 4th and September 2nd during the summer break, the film then entered post-production but also faced the difficult task of seeking distribution.

“Shanghai Kiss” is a film with a Chinese male lead, depicting the theme of a second-generation immigrant struggling with their identity. How could such a low-budget movie with an unknown lineup and a 19-year-old Chinese director become extraordinary? Aside from Panettiere, how many people knew of the others? And how many knew Panettiere? After hitting walls everywhere, the Konwiser brothers found their last hope in FM Company.

Of course, FM wouldn’t be reckless just because the director was Chinese. The company had its standards. After reviewing the screenplay and a rough cut, FM felt that “Shanghai Kiss” had too many flaws and very limited market potential, not qualifying for a cinema release. However, with the successful example of “Better Luck Tomorrow” and its comedic nature, there was still room to try DVD and screening distribution strategies. Valuing a diverse film library, they negotiated to distribute the film with a small upfront payment plus a share of the revenues.

“Hello, nice to meet you,” Wang Yang said, having invited Ren Yi to meet after he heard the news, because “Shanghai Kiss” wasn’t in the mental database of films and he didn’t know what to expect from Ren Yi. However, FM would get the job done. Wang Yang stood up to greet him, shook Ren Yi’s hand, then gave his shoulder a pat as he walked towards the chairs and welcomed him with a smile, “David, make yourself comfortable. You know, I’m also 19, we’re both young men, and we’re both mature married men.”

“Hehe!” Finally seeing his childhood idol, Ren Yi was so thrilled that his heart almost stopped beating. Despite years in the business, he was momentarily struck dumb and speechless. So handsome! Oh my, if only he could work on set with the amazing Yang… He drifted off into his daydreams, sat down in the chair across the desk, his face breaking into an uncontrollable smile, and laughed, “Yang… I don’t know what to say, I’m your die-hard fan.”

Wang Yang smiled, looking at his youthful face which still bore traces of innocence, and remembered the early summer of that year when he had visited a lot of movie companies. It seemed like a very long time ago but also just like yesterday. He suddenly burst into laughter, “Thank you, but I won’t give you an autograph, VVV, that’s too cliché.” Sometimes sitting in the office for too long made him miss the hard days running on the streets. Suddenly, he felt that the elders weren’t so bothersome after all. He received a surge of energy from Ren Yi. Regardless, keep moving forward!

“Oh, okay…” Ren Yi chuckled heartily, understanding what he meant. Amazing Yang didn’t want their relationship to be like that of an idol and a fan, which pleased him greatly. He said, “Could you give my wife Athena an autograph? She’s also a die-hard fan of yours.” Wang Yang nodded with a smile, “OK, I’ll write it in both Chinese and English. So, how is your Chinese? Do you watch sports? Are you a Knicks fan?” Queens is a streetball mecca in New York, producing many NBA players. Ren Yi replied with embarrassment, “My Chinese isn’t very fluent; I watch sports, but I’m not an avid fan.” Therefore, Wang Yang dismissed the idea of communicating in Mandarin and, smiling, got straight to the point, “Is ‘Shanghai Kiss’ all cut?”…

Although Wang Yang had told Ren Yi to relax, Ren Yi was still in a near-overwhelming state of excitement, slowly settling down as they spoke. With no specific knowledge of “Shanghai Kiss”, Wang Yang couldn’t provide much feedback on the film itself, particularly as it was already in the final stages. Nonetheless, he had plenty of experiences to share with Ren Yi and answered his questions at length. The two talked for a long time, continuing their meeting well past the end of the workday. FM would distribute “Shanghai Kiss” in the coming spring.

Having heard Mark Strands’ many words, the elders at New Line and the executives at Warner Brothers were still very troubled. Should they trust Amazing Yang 100%? Actually, they weren’t unreasonable fools; Amazing Yang indeed had his reasons, but… was there any way to change his mind?

As the week of November 11th to 17th drew to a close and the atmosphere of Thanksgiving grew thicker, “Chicken Little” maintained its lead at the North American box office with $35.63 million, while “Jarhead” with $15.31 million and “Zathura: A Space Adventure” with $15.18 million shared second and third place. In its third week, “Saw III” took in $14.44 million (down 45.8%, in 3,240 theaters, averaging $4,458) and ranked fifth, bringing its total box office to $94.72 million.

“Zathura” grossed a pathetic $1.76 million at the box office in the four days following its opening weekend! How could it not be mocked and ridiculed by Wang Yang’s critics? “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” declared its doom with its widespread release on the 18th. Owners of 3223 cinemas wept as their eyes swelled, and if Jon Favreau suddenly appeared before them, the consequences would be unimaginable. The media and the public’s skepticism toward Favreau and Wang Yang still blazed, and the discussion grew louder, becoming the topic all fans and movie buffs had to talk about these days when mentioning Yang.

“Excuse me!? What did you say?” At a friend’s party, when Evelyn heard someone say the amazing Yang had gone crazy, she opened her mouth in astonishment. Who had gone crazy!? Everyone turned to look at the white guy being questioned. He shrugged and said, “I just think Wang Yang has been acting like a fool lately…” Evelyn chuckled and said, “Which incident are you referring to? The nearly $1.8 billion box office of ‘Firefly’? The over 14 million DVD sets sold?” The guy hurriedly said, “He was played by Jon Favreau! And now he’s about to ruin ‘Batman’ and ‘Iron Man’.” Evelyn shouted passionately to everyone, “I strongly disagree with this guy! I think Yang doesn’t care about ‘Zathura’ at all, Favreau is part of his plan…”

“Haha!” The guy laughed out loud, joined by several others who probably thought Wang Yang was really caught off guard this time! Feeling supported, the guy smirked and said, “Think about it. I’m not saying his brain is abnormal, it’s that he’s too arrogant. Why can’t he be more normal? Right now, he’s just playing games, acting recklessly, and reality will teach him a lesson… BOO! Just like Favreau.” Evelyn sneered and hummed coldly, “All I know is that the amazing Yang will teach you a lesson. BOO! BOOBOO!”

“Favreau’s ‘Zathura’ wasn’t amazing Yang’s idea! And that movie isn’t bad either.” At another friend’s gathering, Clair was helplessly explaining the situation to everyone, as some still thought that “Zathura” was produced by Wang Yang—no idea where they got such mixed-up information!

However, there were also some professional movie buffs in opposition, not to mention the eager film critics, whose well-argued points left Yang’s fans momentarily unable to retort. Weren’t Wang Yang’s projects all fraught with enormous risks? Weren’t they all essentially dead ends? Even if the producer wasn’t the amazing Yang, these questions would still arise! Different projects, different people, maybe no problem; but now, all the dead ends were Wang Yang’s path, and he was crazy.

“Let’s just wait and see!” That’s what Yang’s fans said, the neutrals said, and even Yang’s doubters said, “Let’s just wait and see!” Before seeing the outcome of those movies, let’s first see if he will replace Favreau?

“The amazing Yang stated ‘Iron Man’ will not change its director.” — Yahoo Entertainment

This weekend, the news suddenly broke! For Yang’s fans, it was great—everything was in Wang Yang’s control! For Yang’s critics, it was great—the stubborn Wang Yang never admitted his wrongs! Despite the many doubts surrounding Jon Favreau, Wang Yang still held great hopes for him. He told the Los Angeles Times, “Favreau is still the director for ‘Iron Man’, and we’re close to finalizing the deal. Of course, I’ve heard about the situation with ‘Zathura’, but I don’t think it’s relevant. Favreau’s ability is not in doubt, and I’m very confident about ‘Iron Man’.”

Amid industry rumors that Warner Bros. was very dissatisfied with the choice of director for “The Dark Knight” and even considering canceling their collaboration with Firefly, there was also word that the Nolan brothers were considering backing out due to immense pressure. When asked if the plans for the new “Batman” series had changed, Wang Yang seemed bewildered, “Are you joking? What does this have to do with ‘The Dark Knight’? Christopher Nolan is definitely the director, and that won’t change.”

The fans didn’t know what was going on behind the scenes at Warner Bros., New Line, and Firefly, but the weekend was bound to be interesting. The miraculous Yang suddenly announced on his blog that he would be directing and producing “I Am Legend”! And he passionately endorsed Favreau, Nolan, and a whole host of others in an excited tone. (