The Best Director

Chapter 400: Chapter 400 Oldboy

“Magical Yang will rebrand ‘Batman2’ as ‘The Dark Knight,'” Yahoo Entertainment reported.

It’s the first Batman film in history without “Batman” in the title!

Yesterday, Warner Brothers released this surprising news. For a major production like this, the title would naturally have to be discussed and finalized by the production team, distribution department, and so on; they would also test fan reactions first. However, in the case of superstar Wang Yang, it went straight to the final step! Fans, affectionately known as “Yang’s fans,” once again laughed and said, “Wang Yang must be out of his mind!” However, somewhat to Warner’s surprise, most fans actually expressed great interest and unanimously praised it!

“I love this name. ‘The Dark Knight’ is both cool and masculine!” TinyT said, “WOO! I finally believe MY is taking over ‘Batman,’ oh no, it’s ‘The Dark Knight!'” Hoch exclaimed; “A new chapter begins now! Just the title ‘The Dark Knight’ makes me realize how different it will be, goodbye ‘Batman!'” DanielL commented… Cool, Masculinity, Great! Warner Brothers got satisfactory responses as soon as they tested the waters.

Without “Batman,” it somewhat reduces the superhero comic book vibe, seemingly giving up a portion of Batman’s fan resources; the advantage is it severs ties with ‘Batman Begins,’ and “MY” can easily make ‘The Dark Knight’ a hit, = Batman, > Batman.

‘500 Days of Summer’ also started filming yesterday in San Francisco. Due to it being an outdoor street scene, a bunch of set photos were immediately leaked by journalists. Fans didn’t discover any spoilers but saw Natalie Portman with a fresh short haircut and Joseph Gordon-Levitt walking towards the streetcar… Not a single photo was missed of “Magical Yang” injured yet still on the set: his left hand holding a viewfinder, his serious expression as he directed a chubby photographer, his explanation of the scene and demonstration of movements to the actors, and him taking a water bottle from his visiting wife…

“Hey, this is Lin, good morning, Magical Yang! Ha ha, what do you need from me? Oh, I see…”

As the vice president of the production department at Warner Brothers, Dan Lin’s stress had recently ramped up to a nearly breaking point. The reason was that his main production ‘Batman Begins’ had suffered a significant setback. Now the company was starting to assign blame, and President Jeff Robinov was not only trying to pass the buck but also seemed inclined to make him bear more responsibility for the failure. Had it not been for Magical Yang’s sudden interest in taking over ‘Batman,’ things could have turned out much worse. Now, however, he hardly had any projects left on his hands.

Concerning ‘I Am Legend,’ he and Jeff Robinov shared the same view: they absolutely couldn’t sell it to Flame Films! But now, who would consider their opinions? At that moment, he suddenly heard Wang Yang say on the phone, “Dan, are you interested in coming over to Flame Films?”

“You mean…” Dan Lin’s heart raced. Magical Yang is inviting me to switch to Flame Films!? He couldn’t help but walk back into the house from the garden, as if the conversation was a state secret; Wang Yang’s enthusiastic voice continued, “Yes, that’s right! Dan, I know you’re capable and have an extraordinary grasp of the market. You understand, I need talents like you. I won’t ask you to come over and then sideline you. No, we’re here to build something, man. Think about it.”

Lin, who had been in the industry since 1999, didn’t have a deep relationship with Wang Yang due to Warner Brothers and Flame Films being competitors, but they had interacted before and seen each other at Asian award ceremonies. Initially, Warner Brothers was confident they could secure Wang Yang, thinking Dan Lin would play a key role, but the outcome was a failure! Now Alan F. Horn also blamed him for not handling things well. From having high hopes to repeated disappointments, Warner Brothers’ patience with Lin was wearing thin.

Lin knew that now was a perfect time to switch jobs; if he resigned now, the company wouldn’t make much effort to retain him or blame him, as someone else would bear the responsibility for the disaster of ‘Beginnings.’ Switching to Flame Films, which was in a honeymoon phase with Warner, might surprise but not upset them. The crucial question was, which option held a more promising future or could better support his goal to establish his own production company soon? But it seemed that moving to Flame wasn’t a conflict with his goals because according to Magical Yang, once he achieved enough, he could receive shares in Flame Films.

“Oh! Okay, I will give it some serious thought.” Holding the phone, Dan Lin paced back and forth in the living room, his face etched with deep contemplation. Magical Yang’s verbal promise to start as vice president of production, move up to president after showing performance in a couple of years, with the previous supervisor having other arrangements… Or if he preferred not to manage production and supervision, he could become a full-time executive producer, directly responsible for the film projects under Flame Films. Any position would be a significant responsibility.

After the call ended, Dan Lin’s ears still echoed with Wang Yang’s words, “The transformational approach of ‘Batman Begins’ was correct, but Darren Aronofsky took it too far.” This Harvard alumnus is truly exasperating! Lin sat down on the couch to think, clearly Magical Yang saw real potential in him, otherwise, he wouldn’t bother poaching a “loser.” Meanwhile, Flame Films lacked Asian personnel, and Magical Yang would not want his company or Hollywood to be without Asian faces. They all understood the simple principle that there’s strength in numbers.

“`

Of course, the prerequisites are capability and achievements to have the opportunity to enter the board of directors… Lin Wei felt that he really needed to consider carefully.

In the Bay Area of San Francisco, the town of Palo Alto is a beautiful scene on a summer morning. A black sedan came smoothly from the direction of San Francisco and San Mateo.

“LIN, LIN…” Wang Yang softly muttered as he searched through the contacts on his phone, then decided to call Lin Yibin. Joshua, who was at the wheel, as well as Jessica and Mrs. Wang in the back seat, remained silent.

Wang Yang really hoped that Lin Wei would join Flame Film, and he truly knew that Dan Lin was a capable person.

32-year-old Lin Wei was two years younger than Lin Yibin, born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1973, and immigrated to America with his parents at the age of five. After receiving his undergraduate education at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School at the age of 26 in 1999. During his summer internship while working on his M.B.A., Lin Wei joined Warner Brothers, and upon graduation, he officially joined the company as the Vice President of Creative Production, and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2003.

In the world of the future film information database, Lin Wei originally had it easy. He performed excellently in his management role at Warner’s production department, being directly involved in projects that were more successful than not, including Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator” (2004) and “Infernal Affairs” (2006), as well as Roland Emmerich’s “10,000 B.C.” (2008), and other films like “Matchstick Men” (2003), “Scooby-Doo 2” (2004), “Speed Racer” (2004), “Alexander the Great” (2004), “Reckless Christmas Eve” (2006), and “The Strangers” (2007).

By the end of 2007, Lin Wei left Warner to create his own production company “Lin Pictures,” which co-produced with Warner and was distributed by them. Projects initiated by Lin Pictures in 2009 included “The Weird Stone,” “The Birth of Lies,” “Sherlock Holmes,” “The Killing Box,” “Terminator 2018,” “Sherlock Holmes 2” (2011), and “Gangster Legend” (2012). Lin Wei was also named one of Hollywood’s top ten most promising producers by “Variety” magazine in 2008.

However, due to the butterfly effect causing many changes, with “Mr. Hughes” instead of “The Aviator,” Lin Wei, despite his promotion, didn’t have Oscar awards to back him up. Thus, the consecutive failures of “Alexander the Great” and “Batman Begins” had already eroded his former achievements.

But Wang Yang knew that Lin Wei’s taste and sensitivity to both movies and the market were of an exciting caliber. “Sherlock Holmes” sufficiently demonstrated his production and market operation capability; of course, no one is perfect, and he couldn’t stop disasters like “Alexander the Great.” The current head of Flame Film’s production department, Sandy Picks, has enough management and operational skills, yet lacks the drive and vision. If the down-and-out Lin Wei were to join Flame and fill the void, he could bring a significantly positive impact. He has the vision, experience, drive, and the boldness; at only 32, he’s not confined to the production department alone. Flame Group likes such talent.

Lin Wei had a good relationship with Susan Downey, and he had already called the currently pregnant Susan to convey an invitation to Lin Wei. Although Susan Downey hadn’t signed a long-term contract with Flame Film, she was one of the important executive producers with whom they enjoyed a pleasant cooperation and who would also be involved in the affairs of projects like “The Green Hornet” after giving birth.

“Hey! Good morning, Justin,” Wang Yang greeted cheerily when the call connected. He wasn’t afraid of Warner Brothers knowing that Flame was poaching talents; after all, Alan F. Horn and others had their own priorities. He hoped that Flame and Hollywood would have more Chinese power, which could gradually change something. Without a base of support, everything is just talk. What’s promising is that “Magical Yang” has already inspired thousands of Chinese children across America and the world to bravely step on the path of pursuing cinema. He believed that in ten or twenty years, there would be a new landscape.

The sedan moved forward, with Jessica and Mrs. Wang talking softly in the backseat, and Joshua rapidly inquiring about the road condition from Wang Yang. Lin Yibin’s voice also transmitted from the phone: “Hey, Yang, good morning.”

Looking at the scenery of the town ahead, Wang Yang gestured to Joshua to keep driving and spoke sincerely into the phone, “Justin, maybe you know that I’ve taken over ‘Batman’, and now many people say I’m preparing to invite you to direct ‘The Dark Knight’. But the truth is, I don’t have such a plan.”

He wasn’t afraid Warner knew he wasn’t using Justin Lin but Christopher Nolan. Warner wanted “Magical Yang,” and of course, keeping it a secret would save a lot of trouble. However, in just a few days, due to Warner’s publicity and testing the waters, the atmosphere created by the media and fans made it seem like Justin Lin directing “TDK” was a done deal. He didn’t want Lin Yibin to have some unnecessary excitement and anticipation only to end up disappointed, whether as a friend or a colleague.

“`

“Oh, nothing, nothing! I have no special thoughts.” Lin Yibin on the other side kept saying he didn’t mind, showing no disappointment, and since both disliked beating around the bush, he said, “Yang, I actually heard some rumors these past couple of days. Several friends asked me about ‘Batman’… ‘The Dark Knight,’ and to be honest, I was about to ask you what’s going on. But now it’s clear, it’s nothing! And I don’t have a particular interest in Batman movies, I’ll just focus on making ‘Furious Cars 2’ and this bucket of popcorn.”

‘Furious Cars 2’ was in the middle of filming and expected to wrap up by September. Hearing this, Wang Yang burst into laughter, glanced at his wife a few times through the rearview mirror, and said while laughing, “If you think ‘TDK’ is a bucket of popcorn, then you’re wrong! I’ll let you in on a little secret, I plan to invite Christopher Nolan to direct.” The confiding Lin Yibin was stunned, “Wow! Really? To continue Darren’s style?” Wang Yang shrugged and said with a grin, “Nolan’s style, with a higher commercial capability.”

“That’s really exciting, Nolan’s superhero movies.” Lin Yibin didn’t know what else to say. Who would expect a renamed ‘Batman’ movie to still follow a dark style? Indeed, Dark!

“Nolan won’t treat it like a standard superhero movie, that’s the power he can bring to ‘Batman,’ you know, that’s why the movie is called ‘TDK,'” Wang Yang said with a smile. Hearing Lin Yibin’s impressed COOL, he asked jokingly, “Buddy, have you got any interesting ideas or projects? But there’s no compensation for this, though.” Nowadays, Flame Film was financially strong and looking to fill its schedule for the next two to three years. If there were any suitable projects, Flame would not miss out.

Lin Yibin was suddenly filled with excitement, knowing all too well how decisive Wang Yang could be. He had been fascinated by a movie recently, one that he was very interested in. Lin Yibin candidly said, “In fact, I’ve been thinking about remaking a Korean movie, ‘Oldboy.'”

“Not bad at all!” Wang Yang nodded while leaning back in his chair, “I know ‘Oldboy,’ I’ve seen it.”

‘Oldboy,’ directed by Pu Zanyu, is a revenge drama and thriller that was adapted from the manga by Tsuchiya Garon called ‘Old Boy.’ It tells the story of Wu Daxiu, who, after a night of heavy drinking, is kidnapped on his way home and locked in a private jail without a glimpse of daylight. While imprisoned, he learns from the jail’s TV that his wife has been murdered and his daughter has gone missing. The police even suspect him to be the killer. Determined to prove his innocence, avenge his family, and find out the reason for his imprisonment, Wu Daxiu, who had been considering suicide, decides to stay alive and trains his body relentlessly.

After 15 years, Wu Daxiu is finally released by his nemesis, Li Youzhen, and promptly begins his plan for revenge. Li tells Daxiu that if he can guess the reason for his 15-year abduction and imprisonment within five days, he would forfeit his own life.

If ‘Batman Begins’ was dark, ‘Oldboy’ was a deeper darkness, with human nature twisted to a degree that’s beyond heavy with sinfulness. The film premiered in Korea in 2003 and won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. Casual inquiries amongst movie fans would lead many to think directors like Darren Aronofsky, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, and Christopher Nolan would be most suited to remake ‘Oldboy.’

“Justin, ‘Oldboy’ is not going to be popcorn fare,” Wang Yang teased Lin Yibin once more, since he was absolutely unwilling and would not consider filming such a movie. If he had to find a directorial touch compatible with it, he felt he might end up with depression. To be manipulated by the enemy to fall in love with his own daughter? This was not just repression, but distortion.

Based on present and future information, there had always been people interested in remaking ‘Oldboy,’ including failed attempts by Justin Lin and similarly unsuccessful attempts by Stephen Spielberg and Will Smith, with the final director confirmed as the “New York Knicks mascot” Spike Lee. ‘Oldboy’ would definitely be a very CULT R-rated movie, not aimed at box office success but rather at awards and post-sale potential.

Wang Yang actually wasn’t very optimistic about Spike Lee’s version of ‘Oldboy.’ How it will turn out is unknown, and perhaps it will always be unknown, since he only recalled news but no movie. However, regardless, this LEE isn’t the Asian LEE; Spike Lee has a black perspective and style. He could make a sharp and brisk ‘Oldboy,’ but would struggle to reach the Asian thought processes of the original manga, script, and film. Of course, different versions don’t need to replicate that; however, if Lin Yibin were to direct ‘Oldboy,’ there would be substantial room for explosion. Justin was not only knowledgeable about popcorn flicks, as ‘Better Luck Tomorrow’ demonstrated.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

If Lin Wei joined Flame, the “DAN LIN + JUSTIN LIN” combo would likely create a great chemical reaction. It’s worth noting that Lin Wei “operated” the remake of ‘Infernal Affairs’ into ‘The Moment of Warfare.’

“Haha!” Being the butt of the joke, Lin Yibin couldn’t help but laugh, then found it so amusing that he burst into uncontrollable laughter. ‘Oldboy’ should be directed by Christopher Nolan, and then he should direct ‘The Dark Knight,’—that’s what the whole world thinks. If not? “God, Yang must really have a screw loose in his head.” Wang Yang was also drawn into a fit of laughter by him, and as his laugher subsided, he heard Lin Yibin say, “Yang, if you let me remake it, I’ll add a lot of new elements and give it a fresh interpretation. I really can do it, Yang, Asian cinema has given me so much strength, I really can!”

“OK! That’s all I need to hear,” Wang Yang agreed neatly. The “Oldboy” project wasn’t without its merits, and with Lin Yibin so confident and full of zest, why not?

“Oh…! Thank you!” Lin Yibin thanked him with a mix of surprise and gratitude. He knew that with Yang’s word, the deal was practically sealed because the rights to “Oldboy” weren’t hard to acquire. Wang Yang continued, “Then you wait. As long as the company secures the filming rights, we’ll schedule this project, but right now you’d better nail ‘Furious Cars 2’! Otherwise, we’ll have to consider James—you know, ‘Oldboy’ would also make for a great horror film.”

Once again the butt of the joke, Lin Yibin laughed heartily. James Wan was indeed a great fit for “Oldboy”, and to outsiders, he would seem more suitable than Lin Yibin. The “Saw” franchise was all about the distortion of human nature, while the “Furious Cars” series was completely different, with no common ground for comparison. He chuckled with delight, “Okay, okay! I’ll definitely nail it… This is really exciting, a dark revenge movie by Justin Lin.”

The two chatted and laughed a bit more before hanging up. Wang Yang then made a call to Sandy Pax: “Sandy, check on the remake rights for the Korean film ‘Oldboy’, we want to secure them.” After the brief conversation, Wang Yang silently pondered the project when he suddenly heard someone calling from behind, “Yang, dear! Yang, Yang-Wang! Little Monkey—” He quickly finished his train of thought before coming out of his reverie and turned to ask, “What’s up?”

“Nothing.” Jessica and Mrs. Wang, who had been calling relentlessly, both shook their heads. Clearly, they weren’t pleased with his nonstop work over the weekend, not allowing himself even a moment of rest. Did he want to become Miranda? Jessica casually remarked, “We’re almost there, right?” Mrs. Wang took over, “Almost, about an hour’s drive. Do you really want to live this far away? Isn’t San Mateo good enough?” Seeing the disapproval on the faces of the two women, Wang Yang felt apologetic. He put away his phone and called out to Joshua with a smile, “Brother, let’s not talk about work! No work talk on weekends. Let’s go house hunting—”

Palo Alto, at the heart of Silicon Valley, is a small town with a population of less than 60,000. The statistics from the year 2000 show 58,598 people, with 75.76% White, 17.22% Asian, 2.02% Black, among others. Stanford University is located here as well as the headquarters of companies like Google and the current YouTube, just to name a few IT firms. Needless to say, its exquisite and tranquil environment, excellent public safety, and high cultural atmosphere make this town an ideal place to live.

It’s just a bit far from the center of San Francisco. If one were considering it purely from a residential perspective, San Mateo, which is a half-hour drive away, might be a better option. Wang Yang couldn’t recall how many times he had been to Palo Alto, having been brought along by Helen to wander around Stanford all too frequently, and wondered if she now lived in this town. He knew Jon M. Chu was born and raised in Palo Alto, and with Annie Fletcher feeling weary of the “Step Up” series, Flame Film Plans to invite Jon Chu to direct “Step Up 3D”.

“Palo Alto is really great…” Along the way, William Mears, the middle-aged real estate agent, endlessly introduced the city to Wang Yang and the others touring the neighborhood, of course fearing they might ultimately leave. Though billionaire Wang Yang wasn’t looking to buy a grand mansion, who would want to lose a commission? Still, Wang Yang kept saying, “I know, I know that one, sir. I grew up in the Bay Area, how could I not know?” The headache-ridden William Mears suddenly remembered something and quickly said, “Right, Palo Alto High School’s basketball team has a local Chinese-American captain.”

Indeed, the basketball fan Wang Yang was intrigued. Upon seeing his keen interest, William Mears went on to explain with a smile, “He’s really good at playing, Jeremy Lin, the star player and the heart of the team. He’s our local superstar here.”

“Really?” Wang Yang’s eyes widened with disbelief, exchanging looks with Jessica, both somewhat astounded. He asked excitedly, “What position does he play? Like Yao Ming?” William Mears replied, “Guard, point guard.” Wang Yang was thoroughly taken aback. A point guard as the team’s core and captain? Even though Palo Alto High School’s California Interscholastic Federation Division II league wasn’t top-tier, it was still quite remarkable and rare. Jessica, Joshua, and Mrs. Wang also exclaimed in awe.

“Jeremy Lin, wow—!” Wang Yang raised his left hand excitedly, mimicking a basketball shooting gesture while smiling at the others, “Back in high school, I always wished to join the school’s basketball team, but no one wanted me.”

But Jessica and Mrs. Wang, both smiling, knew this wasn’t true. He had been fascinated with movies and basketball since childhood, even proclaiming, “I’m going to play for the Warriors Team someday,” but as time went on and he reached high school, he became increasingly submerged in movies, eventually deciding not to join the basketball team, though he would have had a chance to become captain. His high school coach was very reluctant to let him go, having approached him several times, and remained mindful of Wang Yang: “He played basketball very well, a very smart point guard. He had good physicality and knew how to play smart. If he had been willing to join the school basketball team, he might even have had the chance to play at North Carolina, Duke—I’ve always thought so.”

“Good thing I didn’t play basketball; otherwise, I might be unemployed now.” Wang Yang waved his cast-wrapped right hand, his face beaming with a radiant smile, feeling great as he walked ahead, with the smiling crowd following behind. (