Chapter 459: 459: Eastern Flame

“I’m a police officer.”

In the silent office, Heath Ledger murmured to himself, occasionally jotting something down in his notebook. He was dissecting the character “Chan Wing Yan (Billy).” Because specific details like the character’s background and the duration of his undercover work hadn’t been confirmed yet—he hadn’t even known what the name would be—Wang Yang said, “Do you like any name? It doesn’t really matter. Alright, alright, Billy it is!” Billy has the connotation of a “police baton” in American English, thus subtly hinting that “Billy” is actually a cop.

Therefore, Heath could only intuitively grasp some of the character’s mental states from different periods, sufficient for him to infer certain personality traits, habits, and likes, thus creating his own “Billy.”

“Waa waa—” Just as he was immersed in a wave of sorrowful and uncomfortable emotions, the sudden sound of a baby’s cry came from the monitor. Mathilda was crying! Ledger couldn’t help but touch his nose, feeling a mix of love and annoyance as he stood up. Of course, his daughter was the apple of his eye, but she was not any part of “Billy.” What to do? This was not conducive to getting into character! How did other actors handle these relationships? He frowned, wondering if he should leave them for a while, lock himself away, and isolate from the world?

“Horsey, what’s wrong? Hehe! Daddy will hold you…”

Heath Ledger was famously picky and casual about choosing his roles, but with his superb acting skills and popularity, he never lacked film offers. Last year alone, four of his movies were released. Now, with a wife and daughter, he had become a family man and didn’t want to take on so much work. He currently had only two film contracts on hand, one was the American remake of “Infernal Affairs,” set to start filming in July, and the other was “The Dark Knight,” which was scheduled to begin early in the second quarter of next year. And before completing these two films, he wouldn’t take on any others. It was enough.

It was a close call full of dangerous twists. Ledger almost missed out on “Infernal Affairs” due to scheduling conflicts and regretfully would have missed playing “Billy”; however, fortunately, that did not happen. He gave up the role of “Robbie” in “I’m Not There,” which was also set to start filming in July, and chose to join “Infernal Affairs.”

“I’m Not There” is a biographical music drama film that tells the life story of the legendary singer Bob Dylan. Distributor: The Weinstein Company, Director & Screenwriter: Todd Haynes, Starring: Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale … It is also scheduled to be released later this year or next year. What does this mean? If this indie film turns out to be excellent, the Weinstein brothers won’t let it slip under the radar during the awards season, much like “Walk the Line” from last year and “Soul Men” from the year before.

Though “Robbie” is a supporting role, it probably had the potential to challenge for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, which seemed more tempting than the simultaneous filming of the American “Infernal Affairs.” Maybe most actors would have taken the gamble with Wang Yang; regardless, Heath Ledger, who had been looking forward to “Chan Wing Yan” for a long time, didn’t hesitate to throw himself into Wang Yang’s arms. “I’m Not There” simply had to be apologized to. The main production company, Killer Films (among eight companies), was not without complaints, and The Weinstein Company also tried to persuade him, but an arm was no match for a thigh, especially when Wang Yang’s thigh was very sturdy.

Heath Ledger may have been Wang Yang’s man for “Infernal Affairs,” but he also had other work. Recently, he and his friend, the renowned singer Ben Harper, were considering starting a record company to delve into the music world. Whether it was Ledger or Harper, they both hoped to bring Wang Yang on board, although his interest wasn’t all that high.

It wasn’t that Wang Yang wasn’t interested; rather, his film work was already wearing him thin, leaving almost no time for sleep! He absolutely refused to sacrifice family time, nor did he want to merely invest money. He knew once he joined a team, he couldn’t just stand by idly, like opening Pandora’s Box, so this needed careful consideration. Besides, if he were to partner up and start a music company, he felt this “trio” wasn’t quite up to snuff.

First, he was too busy, and second, he was a novice in the music industry; Ledger clearly took a casual approach to the venture and, given his personality, also lacked considerable “business acumen”; Harper had the experience and connections but his managerial skills and vision were somewhat lacking—he just felt that he still needed someone.

Time flew, and there wasn’t much time to consider the music company. Wang Yang was busy with the preparations for two films. Of course, he couldn’t do everything himself, so many tasks were delegated. He would not serve as the lead producer for the American version of “Infernal Affairs,” thus becoming less involved in many of the issues. However, the adaptation was urgent and he needed to fully manage it—starting with setting up the character profiles and scene outlines to kick off the tangible preparations.

How to adapt “Infernal Affairs”? This question gave Wang Yang some headaches. He didn’t want to disappoint the Asian fans, nor did he want to disappoint the European and American fans. Yet, when it comes to adaptations from East to West, there are inevitable cultural differences, and he definitely needed to choose a camp or a camp to lean closer to.

The WB version of “The Departed” (literally “The Deceased”) undeniably chose the Western camp. It seemed to tell a story similar to “Infernal Affairs,” but the style and underlying themes were starkly different, and so were the viewing experience and energy provided. This was due to the overall cultural differences, beliefs, and interpretations of good versus evil from the director, screenwriter, actors, and the rest of the creative team…

The differences in theme and tone consequently led to differences in the story and characters. For example, one crucial difference was time. In “Infernal Affairs,” both Chan Wing Yan and Lau Kin Ming had been undercover for nearly ten years, which added more rogue to Chan’s character, and his behavior had long since become calm and natural, even if he was tormented inside. In “The Departed,” the two had been undercover for a shorter period after graduating from the police academy, naturally manifesting a different mindset and behavior.

Both films had their own charms and attractive qualities. If one had to rank them by preference, Wang Yang preferred “Infernal Affairs” as it provided more unforgettable and tasteful emotions, whether it was the characters or their relationships; “The Departed” had a stronger commercial nature. It told its emotions and story in a brutish, exhilarating, intense, straightforward, and realistic manner, hence completing its theme. Therefore, its characters and their relationships seemed simplistic and clear-cut by comparison, and their complex and conflicted inner worlds seemed a bit superficial.

“The Departed” was acclaimed as a “masterpiece” in America: 93%/93%/92% on Rotten Tomatoes, a box office of $132 million/$289 million, and Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing. It is thus evident how interested people were in the “Americanized” version of the Infernal story and its emotions.

In Asia, the reception was quite average. It only made $1.03 million in the Hong Kong box office, $1.21 million in Taiwan, $506,000 in Singapore, and was not even released in Mainland China. The majority of media and public attitudes were dismissive and scornful, considering it a boring flop. This is understandable as most audiences watched it with the mindset of “Infernal Affairs” PK “The Departed”—to see a similar story with Americanized thoughts and feelings, such desecration of a masterpiece would hardly be met with approval.

Wang Yang understood that no matter how the film was made, it would inevitably be compared to the original, and it seemed that one side would be disappointed. How to have the best of both worlds?

Before he knew it, he had an epiphany—the way to have the best of both worlds was to make the film according to his own ideas! He would consider the aesthetic preferences of the North American audience and the Asian audience, but he would not be constrained by them. This was a “non-traditional commercial film,” and most importantly, he had to figure out what he really wanted from such a story about double undercover agents.

“Loneliness.” It was also loneliness—the kind endured through different agonizing pains, a loneliness that not even death could resolve. Wang Yang knew that was what he wanted.

Another main reason why Wang Yang preferred “Infernal Affairs” was the acting—it was phenomenal! That band of talented veterans carried the whole film, especially those four men—just wonderful! This was where “The Departed” fell short. As an Oscar winner for Best Picture, it only garnered a nomination for Best Supporting Actor (Mark Wahlberg), which indirectly suggested that the performances were not stellar.@@novelbin@@

It’s not that it was bad, nor could it be called “excellently done,” but there was a chance for it to be better; the problem all lay in the control of intensity. Leonardo DiCaprio, playing Chan Wing Yan, was too tense, as if he was perpetually on the brink of eruption; Matt Damon, portraying Lau Kin Ming, on the other hand, seemed to exert almost no effort at all, as if, where Leonardo’s flames burned too fiercely, his were too faint; and Jack Nicholson, as Hon Sam, was a bit over the top and his performance tended to steal the limelight, causing an imbalance in the ensemble from the other end; as for Martin Sheen, playing Inspector Wong, he left hardly any lasting impression.

Now, aside from Heath Ledger who was confirmed to play Chan Wing Yan, the cast list remained blank, though the presence of Lau Kin Ming, Hon Sam, and Inspector Wong was a certainty, and there was no shortage of actors on the shortlist.

Although Wang Yang had agreed to Matt Damon auditioning for the role of Lau Kin Ming, he felt it was unlikely to be him; Martin Scorsese’s directing ability was beyond question, yet Damon still seemed to have a limited interpretation of the character. Maybe Scorsese liked it, but Wang Yang did not care for that style, unless Damon delivered a different, more compelling performance during the audition; meanwhile, Jake Gyllenhaal’s audition inquiry was outright rejected; Michael Pitt was also on the “Lau Kin Ming” audition roster, but how he performed remained to be seen.

With only a few months to the start of shooting and no time for the actors to slowly immerse themselves, and considering the inevitably tense filming conditions, he had to choose someone who felt a deep, almost insane connection with the character.

“I need to see the script to know the answer,” Jack Nicholson had replied when invited to perform, expressing his eagerness to take on Heath Ledger, and showing a keen interest in “Infernal Affairs.” Wang Yang responded, “You’ll see it very soon.” The conversation between the two actually dwelled more on the NBA, as Nicholson initiated the topic by asking why he hadn’t been seen at the Staples Center lately. Wang Yang naturally said he had been too busy, and that watching TV at home with his baby was more enjoyable. They went on to discuss whether the Lakers could make the playoffs, the upcoming All-Star Game, and which team looked like championship material…

At the All-Star Game, the East staged a great comeback from a 21-point deficit to defeat the West with a score of 122-120. LeBron James, scoring 29 points, was awarded his first MVP trophy, while home-court favorite Tracy McGrady missed out on the MVP award, and Yao Ming continued to deliver a lackluster performance.

“Flame Entertainment and Huayi Brothers team up to establish Oriental Flame, planning to release joint Chinese-language films within the next five years” — Sina Entertainment; “Flame and Huayi found Oriental Flame, to witness Flame’s Chinese-language films in five years” — NetEase Entertainment; “The amazing Yang does not rule out directing Chinese-language films” — Tencent Entertainment…

Although it wasn’t as eye-catching as the NBA All-Star Game news, this announcement nonetheless attracted massive clicks from a legion of movie fans! Oriental Flame Entertainment Company! Wang Yang directing Chinese-language films! What’s going on!?

After hastily reading through the news, fans were both excited and disappointed. Damn those editors! It turned out that Flame Entertainment and Beijing Huayi Brothers Media Group had just finalized a partnership agreement to establish a new film production company called “Oriental Flame (East-Flames),” based in Shanghai, with the first film project expected to launch within the next five years. It was understood that Flame Entertainment would be responsible for the global distribution of EF’s future films, while Huayi Brothers would handle distribution in China.

“This is an exciting, huge opportunity,” said Mark Strong, CEO of Flame Entertainment. “China’s film market is growing rapidly, changing every year. We believe that in the next decade, it will become one of the most significant film markets in the world, possibly the largest.” He added that Oriental Flame would produce movies set against Chinese cultural backdrops, and that both Chinese-language and English-language films were potential candidates for production, heralding what could be unprecedented large-scale productions for mainland China.

“We are very certain that Chinese stories, meticulously crafted with a high budget and high technology, have a broad market appeal globally,” Strong hinted at EF’s global ambitions, indicating that their films wouldn’t only cater to Chinese audiences. Furthermore, he hinted that EF planned to introduce typical “Hollywood film” genres to China, such as superhero films, youth campus dramas, and family comedies. He stated, “We believe these films are vibrant no matter where they are, and Chinese audiences should have their own ‘High School Musical.'”

“Actually, what our two companies really want to make are big-budget productions, at least over 100 million US dollars…” Hu Ming, the secretary of the board for Huayi Brothers, also accepted an interview with a reporter, discussing some details of the partnership intentions. She even revealed astonishing news that Wang Yang might possibly direct EF’s first Chinese-language film!

On the other side, interviewed over the phone by a Sina reporter, Wang Yang expressed great excitement. When answering the question about “directing a Chinese-language film,” he laughed and said, “We can’t rule out that possibility, we can’t rule out any possibilities, but for now, I need to focus on shooting the two films I’m currently working on.”

This is precisely why Chinese cinema fans are so disappointed. First off, Flame didn’t say EF’s first film project would definitely be in Chinese. Considering the global market, it’s mostly going to be an English-language film, with the addition of a few popular Chinese actors in supporting roles. Next, it’s plain to see that what Wang Yang said was just politeness. However, Hu Ming did make a good point, “Twenty years ago, it would have been impossible.” Regardless, such a co-production is a first in the history of China & Hollywood collaborations; at the very least, it’s a Chinese story with a 100 million US dollar budget! Historical? Fantasy? Sci-fi? We already have plenty of reasons to look forward to it.

As for a Chinese version of ‘High School Musical’? Even the most hardcore fans furrow their brows at the thought, shuddering at the mere idea…

A 100 million dollar budget for a live-action Chinese story? Forget about 20 years ago, even 5 years ago that would have been unimaginable! Even if ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ was a complete success. But the reality is in front of us, the Chinese film market is growing stronger by the day, and Flame Films has completed an important step in its layout across Asia faster and earlier than any other company. Amidst their amazement, North American media couldn’t help but question, can the Chinese film market really grow that fast?! Become the largest market in the world within 10 years? Are you kidding?

Now nobody knows, but the partnership between Flame and Huayi Brothers has made Hollywood filmmakers somewhat uneasy, wondering if in a few years the Chinese market does become that exaggerated, they’ll have taken a big step too slow. By the time they’ve started looking for partners and setting up companies, joint venture films from the other side will already have been released, won’t they?

Of course, it’s essential to tie up with powerful Chinese companies as a controlling shareholder, otherwise, one could barely make a move, not to mention no change in distribution resources! It’s worth noting that these joint venture films have a huge power to break through the annual import quota. With the company based in China and Huayi Brothers distributing, it doesn’t count as an import, avoiding the cutthroat competition with other distributors.

Indeed, the competition for those annual 20 import slots is fierce, and it’s rumored that many companies have crossed the line of ordinary lobbying. This led to Flame Films eventually deciding to invest in ‘Red Cliff’, simply because it was a warm invitation from China Film Group Corporation, and FF couldn’t easily refuse. Wang Yang had already offended Han Sanping and his people several times, and since the power to decide what films to import lay entirely in their hands, renewed discord could jeopardize FF’s import slots, couldn’t it?

Even if the box office revenues of the magical Yang are incredibly high, if he were to be “blacklisted,” the situation could become serious, and his name might even vanish instantaneously. Caution is required. However, Flame Films’ stake in ‘Red Cliff’ is not high, only 10 percent, about ten million US dollars, which is not considered a high risk.

And then there’s Eastern Flame, which is still just a shell company. Currently, Flame holds 80.1 percent, and Huayi 19.9 percent. Both unanimously agreed to bring in a group from the Hong Kong region to share risks and to gain support representing the Hong Kong area.

These matters aren’t urgent because clearly the market is not yet mature, and the time has not come. The first project by Eastern Flame is still a blank slate. On the other side of the world, Flame Films is bustling, and Wang Yang is busy every day, thoroughly enjoying himself…(