The Best Director

Chapter 159: Kung Fu Panda

ABC wants to adapt ‘Sweetheart’ into a TV series?” In the dimly-lit editing room, Wang Yang sat by the glass table eating lunch. Hearing this news from his agent Paul Emery on the phone, he suddenly raised his eyebrows, and while chewing on his beef rice, he asked, “What did they say?”

Paul Emery said, “It’s The Producer Hunter Hammons who contacted me, he said if you agree, they will make it into a 21-episode teen drama series. It’s about the struggle for the dream of dance, laughter, tears; as well as friendship, love, competition and such.” He chuckled and said, “If you’re interested, you could join the production, as a producer, director or even a scriptwriter.”

Not this again! Wang Yang instantly recalled a similar invitation from last year. Putting down his chopsticks, he took a sip of water and said, “I’m not interested, and what’s there to adapt from ‘Sweetheart’?” Paul Emery on the other side chuckled and replied, “Yang, what they need is a gimmick, the ‘magic Yang’; you know the TV series version of ‘Juno’ performed really well, now someone is eyeing ‘Sweetheart’, it’s not surprising at all.”

Of course, that’s not surprising. At the beginning of 2001, ‘Juno’ started a ‘Juno storm’ across North America and even the whole world, and with it came a surge in teenage pregnancies, not only causing an increase in the pregnancy rate but also showing market power that got all the major television networks following the trend. NBC wanted to acquire the rights to adapt ‘Juno’ into a TV series and, after that did not happen, they directly ordered a brand new series ‘Growing Up with Baby’; other networks riding the teenage pregnancy theme included ABC-Family, which rebranded and launched ‘The Secret Life of the American Teenager’, and CBS with ‘Young Mother’…

These three series all achieved satisfactory viewership, with ‘The Secret Life of the American Teenager’ even setting a new record for ABC-Family’s premiere viewership since the channel launched. Now, as these TV series are all getting ready for their second seasons, a new ‘Sweetheart’ film has emerged, garnering over 70 million in North American box office in four weeks, and sparking a street dance craze among the youth.

Although it wasn’t as sensational as ‘Juno’, just a small wave, but it still caught the attention of TV producers who had tasted the sweetness of adapting ‘magic Yang’ works. When ‘High School Musical’ became a hit, they were eager to act, but no one dared to try it then and missed the opportunity. Now they don’t want to miss out on ‘Sweetheart’. ABC, the biggest winner in the pregnancy- themed TV series, was one of the most eager ones.

No, forget it, just decline for me,” decided Wang Yang after some thought, certain stories are only suitable for film, ‘Sweetheart’ being one of them; if it really had to be expanded into a TV series, it wasn’t impossible, but it would necessarily have to incorporate more elements to enhance the story.

Like complex romances, conflicts in friendships, the villain’s schemes… these are not what he wanted to see, better let ‘Sweetheart’ keep its pure beauty.

Okay, got it,” Paul Emery had no objections, by this point, the moniker ‘magic Yang’ didn’t need TV series adaptations to be reinforced. He moved on to the next item, “Entertainment Weekly wants to invite you for an exclusive interview.”

No, busy. Hm…?” Wang Yang swiveled his chair to look at the large flat-screen monitor on the wall in front of him, which displayed frame-by-frame film footage of ‘District 9’, with computers and splicers amongst other equipment below. His eyes rolled up in thought, realizing that ‘District 9’ needed publicity, he changed his mind, “Like this, no photoshoots, arrange a phone interview in the evening, I have no problem with that if it’s possible.”

Paul Emery said another OK and moved on to the next item, “There are two commercial events inviting you.” Wang Yang didn’t let him finish, cutting him off with a laugh, “You already know my answer to that, it’s a no for all of them! Thanks though. Why has my popularity suddenly surged these last few days?” On the other end, Paul laughed and answered, “‘Sweetheart’, as well as ‘Ice Age’, they’re both related to you. Lastly, Nike is interested in inviting you to shoot an NBA sneaker ad.”

I

Many well-known Hollywood directors started their careers directing commercials or music videos; compared to movies, these formats offer more opportunities to fledgling talents, with David Fincher and Michael Bay being prime examples. Aside from gaining experience and enhancing a resume, directing ads and music videos also brings in money, hence many established directors will accept invitations to shoot commercials.

But Wang Yang was not in need of any of these three things—what he lacked was time. He gripped the mouse and dragged the footage on the screen, rejecting again, “If there were 48 hours in a day, I’d be quite willing to shoot it; but as it stands, busy.” The interrupted Paul Emery added, “Yang, actually this invitation is not urgent. The NBA draft is coming up soon, and Yao Ming is likely to be the first pick this year, and he’s one of Nike’s signed players. They want you to shoot an ad for Yao Ming.”

Oh!” Wang Yang nodded with realization, thinking it would be exciting if Yao Ming became this year’s top pick, but then felt it was a pity. Because the Warriors Team, which had the lowest performance in the league and the highest 22.5% chance, unfortunately, didn’t get the first pick, instead, it went to the Houston Rockets with an 8.9% chance. It would have been truly exciting if Yao Ming had gone to the Bay Area.

Nevertheless, an ad? He thought for a moment and said, “Anyway, I’m currently too busy, let’s talk about it later, Paul.”

Paul Emery naturally had no objection, shooting commercials was just about making money after all. He continued, “There’s one more thing, do you want to respond?” As the release date for ‘District 9’ drew closer, and ‘Sweetheart’ had already made its debut, one of the three projects announced last year, the TV series ‘Prison Break’, had not materialized, which led some gossip media to speculate, “‘Magical Yang’s’ talk of ‘Prison Break’ was probably just a spur-of- the-moment thing, right?” And some movie fans were disappointed about the delay.

Prison Break?” Wang Yang frowned and made a thoughtful noise. It wasn’t that he wanted to delay, but a person’s time was far too limited, especially after the series of unexpected events that followed. The company had looked for a suitable producer for ‘Prison Break’ last year, but when he realized that ‘District 9’ required much more work than anticipated and he wouldn’t have much time to oversee ‘Prison Break’, he decided to put the project on hold temporarily.

However, under Flame Filin’s brand “Flame Family Entertainment,” a quite popular and steady-viewership family sitcom called “Laughing Family” was produced for NBC. Currently, NBC has already ordered a second season of 24 episodes, which Flame is now producing. When “Prison Break” was first announced, it aroused intense interest from various television networks. Flame Family Entertainment initially had an agreement with NBC, and to this day, it’s still the same. Prison Break can choose from the fall or spring schedules.

Wang Yang thought seriously about his plans after “District 9-” In addition to editing “The Hangover,” he also needed to produce “MIT-21-TEAM.” There should be enough time to supervise the production of another TV series. He smiled and spoke into his cell phone, “You can respond to them. If anyone else asks this question, just say it’s not an empty promise. “Prison Break” will probably air in the fall season next year, and everyone will be able to see it then.”

Okay!” Paul Emery replied, and the two talked about a few other business matters before ending the call.

Upon learning that “Prison Break” was set to premiere next fall season, many of Wang Yang’s movie fans and fans were thrilled and jumping for joy. They had originally thought “Prison Break” had been canceled, but who knew there was more! What made them happy wasn’t “Prison Break” itself; after all, who knew if the TV series would be any good. They were delighted that “Prison Break” wasn’t just an empty promise. If it were, that would undoubtedly be “childish” and not cool at all.

And the Magical Yang they liked was a super cool person, who made unimaginable achievements. Otherwise, why would they like him?

Right at this moment, an astonishing piece of news broke that had countless movie fans and fans whooping and pumping their fists, making journalists as excited as if they were on a stimulant—Natalie Portman was going to collaborate with Magical Yang again!

With the hot release of “Star Wars: Episode ?– Attack of the Clones, “national idol” queen Natalie naturally became the hottest female star of the moment, surrounded by media at all times, with countless street snaps, countless interviews… When asked by the Los Angeles Times “What are your plans for your upcoming schedule?” unexpectedly she answered, “The second half of this year, or maybe next year, I will play the leading lady in a new film directed by Wang Yang. It should be quite interesting.”

Then, journalist Emmet was stunned. A new film by Wang Yang?! Wang Yang?! He hadn’t heard anything about it! But Natalie’s words couldn’t be just random talk! This was real! He asked in succession, “What movie is it? What kind of role are you playing, and does it have similarities with Juno? Is this a campus movie?”

Natalie smiled and shrugged mysteriously, “I can’t tell you any of these things for the time being. I don’t know what should be kept secret. Haha, in fact, I don’t know much myself either.” She shook her head, laughing, “I haven’t seen the script yet, I just know the rough story, and it’s very cool. You should go ask Wang Yang. Who knows what he wants to shoot, I’m just joining in.”

Another one! Another mysterious work by Magical Yang! This little bit of information that came out in the interview became the most attention-grabbing part of the entire article. Movie fans were going a bit crazy. “Daily Entertainment” posed the question: “Magical Yang + Natalie equals what?” The first time it was “Juno,” a classic, the global box office of $375 million, a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director, an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, the Juno wave, pregnancy boom…

This is a tremendously powerful combination! When the Best Director of the 80s and the Best Actress of the 80s come together again, what kind of movie will they bring this time? Just based on this combination, with Natalie agreeing without even seeing the script, and that phrase “very cool,” movie fans were filled with anticipation for this movie, the name of which they didn’t even know.

There were also many fans who marveled at Magical Yang’s vigorous energy. “District 9” was still in post-production and about to be released; he had previously spent three months quickly wrapping up the “personal experience of “The Hangover” planning and shooting, which hadn’t been edited yet but was set to be released this Christmas. “Prison Break” was slated to air in the fall next year, and now another movie had emerged. This could only be described as crazy, he was like a raging bull that never stopped charging.

Yet with such high-speed productivity, good results weren’t guaranteed. After all, his first personally directed film since getting out of prison hadn’t been released yet. Could he maintain the magic and cool factor? This became a question in the minds of the media and many fans.

Dude, do you think I don’t have enough things to keep me busy?” Under the night sky on the balcony, Wang Yang leaned against the railing with a helpless look on his face, and said into the phone to Natalie, “You’ve made it seem like I’ve written a lot of bad checks.” Natalie laughed triumphantly, “That’s because you didn’t call me. Now you’re calling.”

Wang Yang touched his forehead, “Is that why?

Not entirely.” Natalie hummed a few bars of a song and whistled casually, “At that time, I just felt like I could give you a hand, so I said it. Now, my popularity is so high, and your ‘District 9’ is about to be released. When I said that, ‘Star Wars’ fans and many others will be aware of this.”

Wang Yang burst into laughter. He hadn’t been really angry before, because it was a trivial matter. He hadn’t instructed Natalie not to reveal it, and her reason for saying it made sense. He laughed, “Okay, then thank you.” Natalie enjoyed the acknowledgment with a hum and then asked, “Wanna go out for a drink? I’m in Beverly Hills.” Wang Yang looked at the faint moon, “No, I’m going to bed soon. I’ve been cutting films all day, totally exhausted.”

Really?” Natalie’s tone was quite nonchalant, then she pretended to be concerned, “Don’t spend too much energy on your sexy sweetheart, it’s very unhealthy you know?”

Wang Yang furrowed his brows oddly and forced a laugh, “Hahaha, the weather’s great today! Let’s leave it at this for now. I have to go to a meeting at the company tomorrow, need to prepare some materials.” Natalie casually asked, “What meeting? It’s not another movie plan, is it?” Wang Yang laughed, “You guessed right! Bye.”

Rustle, rustle— As summer sets in, the beach in Santa Monica becomes bustling with activity. People in various swimsuits swim and sunbathe amidst a cacophony of laughter and chatter that fills this seaside city. Not far from the beach, the diligent work continues at the headquarters of Flame Movies; in the spacious and bright meeting room, a meeting is underway concerning another CGI movie project by Blue Sky Studios.

At the long conference table, Wang Yang sits at the head as the chairman, with CEO Mark Slant, Flame Movies’ Investment Director Peter Wilkes, Blue Sky Studios’ CEO Chris Wedge, and Animation Director Carlos Saldanha, among others, seated on either side.

The meeting had already been going on for quite some time when Chris Wedge brought up a preliminary idea of a story about a group of robots’ adventure. He believed that robots could fully exploit the imagination in their design, and the story could do the same; Carlos Saldanha also put forward a concept of “travel animation,” like how romance movies always go to Paris, animations could take the audience to enjoy the landscapes and cultural customs of a place; being a native of Rio de Janeiro himself, he strongly recommended the vibrant Rio de Janeiro.

Everyone, look at this,” Wang Yang snapped his fingers crisply, and the conference tablet screen above displayed a slideshow of an animal—plump, with black limbs, ears, and eye patches, white neck and torso; in the pictures, it was eating bamboo, lying on a tree, stretched out on the grass… Wang Yang surveyed the room and asked with a smile, “You all know what this is, right?

The room burst into a few chuckles. How could they not know? Mark Slant spread his hands with a laugh and said, “Of course, pandas! My daughter loves pandas, they are so adorable. Too bad there aren’t any in Los Angeles, I have to take her to San Diego to see ‘Shi Shi’ and ‘Bai Yun’.” Wang Yang wasn’t surprised by the reaction, because even though there were only a few pandas in the whole of America, they were very popular, and he said with a smile, “Pandas are cute, honest, fun… naturally endearing creatures, truly a gift from the Creator to China.”

Glancing at the changing images, it wasn’t hard for Chris Wedge to guess the intent and he asked, “Are you suggesting making an animated movie about pandas?” Wang Yang grinned and said to everyone, “Why not?”

Even though he had the direct authority as the chairman to decide, if everything was just “because I say so,” how could a company possibly work together wholeheartedly? And how could others take their tasks seriously? Any decision needed to be justified, at least to the point of persuading others to agree, and in the meeting room, everyone was acting in the role of investors; he had to use a business perspective to convince everyone that it was feasible.

First, I think the idea of robots is excellent, but compared to sci-fi themes, we have more experience with animals, and our technology is more advanced in this area,” Wang Yang began deliberately. Chris Wedge and others nodded; throughout the development of “Ice Age” and with the I&B Department’s investment in both money and talent, Blue Sky now possesses animal fur, skin, and skeleton technologies that are second to none in the industry.

And with shared image engine technology, other CG technologies have also made significant breakthroughs, whether it’s engines, tenderers, modeling, or texturing, they’re all capable of producing refined, realistic, and textured visuals. The once rudimentary Blue Sky had changed forever.

Carlos’ idea of ‘travel animation’ is also great. The unique charm of a city can become the charm of the movie, and with humorous and interesting stories and characters, there’s no reason it wouldn’t succeed,” Wang Yang looked towards Carlos Saldanha, who was smiling in agreement, and said, “We’ll definitely make such a movie in the future, set in Rio de Janeiro. But for now, I love this panda!”

Turning to look at the tablet screen, which showed a panda so fat it resembled a round ball, he laughed, “This big fellow hasn’t hit the market yet, but clearly has huge potential because it’s fat, and fat signifies cuteness and comedy.”

Everyone chuckled; his reasoning made sense. Of course, pandas are indeed adorable and make for an excellent element in animation. Peter Wilkes, thoughtful, stared at the screen and asked, “Yang, what kind of movie are you envisioning? A family comedy like ‘Ice Age’?”

Yes, Blue Sky style!” Wang Yang laughed, “No matter the story, we need to find a balance between exploring themes and humor, discussing them in a fun way.” Listening to him, Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha both nodded in agreement, and he added, “Laughter always brings joy. As long as the animation is full of laughter, it will be suitable for family viewing, for young people on dates, for watching alone, and then it will be a success.”

This had become Blue Sky Studios’ emerging style, and they planned to continue down this path. Initially, Blue Sky didn’t have a particular style, but with the production and success of “Ice Age,” everyone had reached a consensus and gained experience; they aimed to deliver all the lessons they wanted to tell through light-hearted and fun storytelling.

But this time it’s not ‘Ice Age’; in fact, it shares some similarities with Carlos’ idea,” Wang Yang did some warming-up stretches, and looking at Carlos, who appeared somewhat confused, he laughed, “Cities are a part of culture, and with this panda movie, we’ll add that element in.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than he launched into a series of swift punches, causing the air to whoosh, and everyone suddenly fell silent. Not boxing, no. Mark Slant’s eyes lit up as he said, “Kung fu?” Wedge and Carlos echoed, “Kung fu?” Wang Yang threw another punch in the air, nodding with a smile, “Kung fu! ‘Kung Fu Panda’.”

Kung Fu Panda?” As soon as they heard this combination of elements, they instantly understood his idea—a panda practicing kung fu! This was an action animation. And what did kung fu and pandas represent? Carlos Saldanha understood perfectly and chuckled, “This must be a story set in a Chinese city, right?” Peter Wilkes asked, “Shanghai? Beijing?”

Wang Yang shook his head, changing the slide on the computer and explained, “It can be said to take place in China, using Chengdu as a template, but it should be considered an ancient fantasy world built upon Chinese culture.

At that moment, the tablet screen displayed some traditional architecture with flying eaves and green tiles, serene landscapes, red lanterns, bamboo cages containing steamed buns, and other items. Seeing these images, everyone formed a general impression and realized that this was not merely one or two Chinese elements; rather, the entire movie’s world was ancient China, which presented an integrated style.

What kind of story is this supposed to be? Have you figured it out yet?” Chris Wedge asked with interest while Mark Strong and Peter Wilkes were seriously pondering and analyzing the marketability of this style, which for them made no difference regardless of the story.

Wang Yang switched the screen’s image again, this time to some martial arts CG, and said, “Have you read martial arts novels? I think probably not, which is not surprising. Actually, the story is the same old trope — an ordinary panda who wants to become a martial arts master, finally gets the chance to learn, and then truly becomes a master, defeating a major villain and fulfilling its dreams and mission. This can be a story that’s both humorous and movingly inspirational.”

Mmm-hmm, I’m getting a sense of it,” Carlos Saldanha said with a wink and a smile, “This should be a gift for Chinese fans, right?” Wang Yang couldn’t help but smile, replying, “You could say that.”

The idea of “Kung Fu Panda” didn’t surprise anyone in the conference room; after all, he grew up in Chinatown as a Chinese American, practiced martial arts from a young age, and loved Chinese culture passionately. So what was so odd about him wanting Blue Sky Studios to make an animated film with a Chinese style?

That was precisely why Wang Yang wanted to launch “Kung Fu Panda.” The reason was simple: he loved Chinese culture, loved kung fu. If he could make more people, more children, like it, understand it, and study it, it would be a very delightful and joyful thing. He was unclear whether it was because of funding, technology, or something else, but in any case, China’s own film industry had not done well in this area. Apart from martial arts and kung fu movies, they had completely wasted many other aspects of culture and styles worth promoting. Like Carlos said, it was a gift.

I want a movie that is Chinese styled in every aspect: sets, costumes, music, animals, kung fu…” Wang Yang counted on his fingers, listing everything earnestly, “All things must capture and perfect that flavor. Only then will the audience appreciate it. If it’s ambiguous or half-hearted, you know it won’t be liked in any market.”

Glancing at the thoughtful faces of Mark Strong, Peter Wilkes, and a few others, Wang Yang smiled and said, “I know what you’re worried about.” Peter Wilkes shrugged slightly, “Yang, there’s no doubt that combining pandas with kung fu is a novel idea, and the motivational comedy genre is also very attractive… But it’s hard not to ask whether such a theme will work or not.”

Of course it will!” Wang Yang looked around the room, analyzing, “Firstly, China’s box office market is going to grow larger and larger, with its share increasing rapidly every year. I guess I don’t need to say more about that.” He spread his hands, adding, “Kung Fu Panda will take at least three years to make; if it’s released in 2005, who knows how big the market will be by then?’

While that’s what was said, in reality, this factor was not very significant because the profit-sharing ratio in China’s box office was very low, less than thirty percent, and with the exchange rate considered, the amount earned would be quite small. Moreover, due to issues with piracy and purchasing power, there’s no hope for significant sales in DVDs, original soundtrack CDs, and the like. Thus, the pure Chinese market cannot support a movie with a one hundred million US Dollar budget.

Everyone knew this, and Wang Yang continued, “But North America will like it too, since kung fu is already very popular there; and as for martial arts and Chinese style, think about ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,’ which earned $128 million, and that was a live-action film in Chinese.”

And we’re talking about an animated film, so what’s the problem? Guys, trust me!” Wang Yang pounded the table and asserted decisively, “As long as the story is good enough, as long as it is a good movie! You can introduce any sort of enchanting culture. Plus, we’ll find some common ground between East and West; everyone loves laughter, right?”

Speaking, he furrowed his brows and said loudly, “Also, any movie, any attempt, has risks. If we were always thinking about the damn risks, would anyone still be making films?” He said energetically, “Filmmaking is inherently high-risk. If you’re afraid, you might as well go help Nike sell shoes, right guys?”

Instantly, smiles appeared on everyone’s faces. They exchanged glances, and Mark Strong was the first to raise his right hand, laughing, “I have no objections, I fully agree!” Peter Wilkes also said, “I think the market isn’t that fragile.” Carlos Saldanha nodded with a smile, “Wow, a kung fu panda? Cool!” Chris Wedge had already agreed to the concept, “It’s exciting, but I wouldn’t be the one to make it; I don’t know much about Chinese culture.”

Great! Seeing that everyone had set aside their worries, Wang Yang’s face lit up with happiness. He said, “Start the preparations, guys! I think there’s too much that needs to be ready. We’ll take our time finding a director.”

Kung Fu Panda? Ha ha!” Mark Strong laughed, “I wonder if my daughter will want to learn kung fu after watching this? She really loves pandas.” Wang Yang smiled again and quickly threw a punch, “You never know, maybe she will.”(

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