The Best Director

“Will, the movie will be shot in San Francisco, that’s my turf! At least you don’t have to worry about me getting the crew lost.” Looking at the letter in his hand, Will Smith chuckled, then continued to read the buoyant and beautiful words, “But the reason I can shoot this film well isn’t just that. I know everyone says the kid is too young, that he should stick to campus flicks, that he can’t possibly do a good job on a biographical movie. But I have to say, some emotions have nothing to do with age, at least at 19 I’ve come to understand that I’m no longer a child, I know what it means to be hungry, what it means to persevere…”

There was a small stack of letter paper on the desk, a good dozen pages long, full of sincerity. Even though Will Smith had read this long letter many times recently, each time it touched his heart. Now, he was like a street rat in the eyes of the producers, but Wang Yang believed in him incredibly, with a sincerity he had never seen before.

Although Wang Yang hadn’t paid him a visit in person, Will Smith had no doubts about his sincerity, which was evident in these letters. Yes, it wasn’t just one letter; he would send a new one every few days, and there were quite a few by now. This was the first time Will Smith had encountered such a situation. After reading the last line in the letter, “Trust me, ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ will be a good movie!” Will put down the letter and looked at the thick screenplay beside him,

What moved Will Smith, besides the sincerity, was the screenplay, a very attractive one, with a heartwarming story and meaningful dialogues. It was the kind of script that made him itch to perform after just one read. He opened the screenplay, looking at those pages with the storyboards, Chris Gardner hugging his son as they spend the night in a subway station restroom with the floor covered in tissue paper, Chris covering his sleeping son’s ears, one foot braced against the door being knocked upon, silently shedding tears…

That scene was fantastic! Will Smith took a deep breath. The first time he saw it, he was moved, and the image had since clung to his mind, reappearing before his eyes and even in his dreams.

An excellent script and full sincerity made it impossible for him to refuse the invitation unwaveringly, but he had been considering it for nearly two weeks now. His concern remained the same: Could Wang Yang direct this film well? In ‘Paranormal Activity’ and ‘High School Musical,’ Wang Yang had shown his directing skills, but now it was a biographical film, the story of a middle-aged person. Could Wang Yang do it justice? He really couldn’t make up his mind.

His agent’s opinion? Will Smith mockingly shook his head. The wrong choices for ‘The Matrix’ and ‘Hurricane Policemen’ were due to his personal preferences and his agent’s misjudgment. But now, the situation was different from before. There was no precedent or template for that young director, leaving no basis for a comparative judgment.

In fact, he had tentatively asked his good friend Denzel Washington for his opinion, and Denzel said, “If it were me, I wouldn’t do it. He’s too young.”

A few “knock knock” sounds at the door interrupted Will Smith’s thoughts. He turned his head towards the door and saw his wife Jada with her arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe. “Will, looking at that screenplay again?” Will Smith smiled and nodded, flipping through the script, “It has an engaging story, it’s an outstanding script. Jada…” He furrowed his brow, asking, “Do you think I should agree to Wang Yang?”

Jada shrugged, saying, “I don’t know, Will, I told you to do ‘The Matrix,’ but you chose ‘Hurricane Policemen.”‘

“Come on!” Will Smith looked a bit displeased. She was petty and jealous, and he shook his head, “Jada, I admit that was a mistake, so I don’t want to make a second one.”

“You decide for yourself, Will. I can’t make a judgment either.” After saying that, Jada turned and left.

Watching his wife’s retreating back, Will Smith’s gaze returned to the desk. He looked at the latest letter from Wang Yang, which included Chris Gardner’s phone number at the end: “Will, you might want to talk to Mr. Gardner, maybe you’ll find the story more interesting.” After pondering for a while, Will picked up the letter and walked over to the phone, dialed the number, and said, “Hi, Mr. Chris Gardner? Hello, I’m Will Smith…”

Next, Will Smith listened to Chris Gardner recounting his story and his opinions about ‘The Pursuit of Happyness.’ Chris Gardner said, “I talked with Yang for a long time the other day, and it’s clear he’s been through a lot too. He really understands my feelings and experiences, he’s a great young man. I don’t know much about movies, but I feel he can do a good job with my story…”

After a long conversation, the call ended, and Will Smith looked at the screenplay in his hands. He was indeed more interested in the story, and the urge to perform was even stronger. It was a true and moving story that had touched him, and would touch others as well. Will Smith picked up a few letters from the desk and stood reading them silently for a while, his mind gradually coming to a decision.

“Alright, Wang Yang!” Will Smith muttered to himself, nodding. He took out his cell phone, dialed a number, and said cheerfully, “Hey, Yang? Buddy, you’ve convinced me. I’ll play Chris Gardner.”

“Oh my God! Yes!” In a hotel room in New York, Wang Yang couldn’t help but lift his fist and wave it, excitedly laughing, “Will, that’s great news, I’m so happy!” What could be happier than finding the lead actor for your movie? Maybe many things, but at that moment, Wang Yang felt like dancing. He laughed, “It’s going to be a pleasant collaboration, ha! But Will, you’ll need to grow a beard and let the makeup artist give you some gray hair to look a bit more weathered.”

From the moment Will Smith decided, his mood lifted, and he laughed like rapping, “Y0Y0, I’m going to stop shaving from today, and I’ll even grow some gray hair…”

When Wang Yang put down his phone and looked at the beautiful flowers and plants on the balcony, he excitedly waved his fists, trying to emulate Will Smith’s impromptu Rap from earlier, only to realize that indeed it was a talent of black people, which he certainly did not possess. In the end, he could only let out a few ghostly howls to finish.

In fact, Wang Yang was also trying something new. He didn’t meet with Will Smith in person because there was no need for an audition, and sometimes face-to-face meetings can lead to misunderstandings and quickly wear out the patience of the other party. A series of heartfelt longhand letters might be more moving. Now, it seemed his attempt was successful. He continued to stay in New York and didn’t return to Los Angeles because he was also involved in the acquisition of Blue Sky Studios, which was located in New York.

With the most important male role now confirmed, the filming of “The Pursuit of Happyness” could basically be scheduled. However, there was another important role that would take time to find, and that was the role of Chris Gardner’s son. Originally, in the previous version of the film, this role was played by Will’s son, Jaden Smith, but now Jaden was just a one-year-and-two-month-old baby. Although in reality, when Chris Gardner quit his job to come to New York, his son was about one year old; but in the movie, young Chris needed to be about five or six years old.

“This is indeed a problem,” Wang Yang pondered, frowning. The original pairing of Will Smith and his son was a highlight, which helped convey the warm father-son relationship. Suddenly an idea occurred to him, “Doesn’t Will happen to have another son who is the right age, around six or seven years old? I wonder if he has an interest and understands acting…”

Following that, Flame Film Company swiftly began contract negotiations with Will Smith’s agent. After days of discussion, Will Smith finally signed a contract for a $15 million salary plus 5% of the North American box office. For his current situation, this deal could be considered very generous. Box office percentage deals were customary for A-list stars; but on the salary front, Sandy Parks had wanted to push it lower. However, Wang Yang had stopped her. He was unwilling to sour relationships over a million or two dollars, and he didn’t want to kick someone when they were down.

The most important point was, he believed that an actor’s mood was extremely crucial. Only when an actor was truly satisfied and fully committed could they deliver their best performance. Everything was for the effect of the film; if the actors were in high spirits, he would not mind the increased production costs. Besides, “The Pursuit of Happyness” had a budget of $40 million, which was enough to include Will Smith’s $15 million fee.

After signing the contract with Will Smith, Flame Film Company couldn’t wait to announce the news to the media, while also releasing some information about “The Pursuit of Happyness,” an adaptation of the biography of the famous investor Chris Gardner.

Will Smith to play the lead role in “The Pursuit of Happyness”!? When the media and movie fans saw this announcement on the official website of Flame Film Company, they looked at the calendar in disbelief, Oh, it’s not April 1st? So, this isn’t an April Fools’ Day joke!

Then, everyone was astounded. Fans of Will Smith were both happy and worried; the joy came from die-hard fans who didn’t care how bad “Hurricane Policemen” was. With Will in it, they still enjoyed the film, and now with the magnetic combination of Will and the prodigious Yang, it was too appealing! But some fans were pouring cold water on the news, wondering if Will had lost his mind. Didn’t the fiasco of “Hurricane Policemen” teach him anything? To turn around and join a biopic directed by a 19-year-old? Bullshit!

Wang Yang’s die-hard fans and female fans struck back, claiming Will Smith was about to win the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor. Now, with him playing the lead role, they were far from happy! They didn’t want Yang to be dragged down by him!

And the media’s attitude almost reflected the entire movie industry’s view: “Miraculous Yang has lost his mind, so has Will Smith!” Of course, no one said it outright, but online comments laid it bare. The Cinema News official website commented on the news, “Miraculous Yang has lost his mind, inviting an action star to play the lead in a drama/biopic. Even funnier is that the biopic’s protagonist is a stockbroker, not the boxing champions Tyson or Ali. Are we going to see a quiet, non-comedic Will? Are you kidding me?”

“Will Smith must have gone mad too, it seems ‘Hurricane Policemen’ has done him great harm, to the point where he no longer wants to fight and joke around, attempting instead the path of a serious actor. But has he once again chosen the wrong film? ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ can’t be called a spur-of-the-moment work of Miraculous Yang, just perhaps, looking at his age, one can’t help but worry. Will, good luck to you!”

Faced with a wave of skepticism, neither Will Smith nor Wang Yang responded, nor did they need to. When the filming started, the production team would conduct exclusive interviews with the media for early promotion. By then, fans would have become accepting of the reality and started to look forward to it. The most important thing was to make a good movie! Because, skepticism aside, with proper promotion, a large crowd would still be the first to flock to the cinemas.

Wang Yang was still in New York, busy finalizing the storyboards for ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ every day; meanwhile, he was also involved in the acquisition of Blue Sky Studios. Over two weeks ago, Flame Film had contacted Blue Sky Studios with an initial acquisition proposal: an investment of $80 million in exchange for an 85% stake, with Flame Film’s $68 million to be used for the production of ‘Ice Age’; no cuts to be made to the existing staff; and no interference with Chris Wedge’s creative process on ‘Ice Age’.

This acquisition proposal was far more generous than what Fox offered. As long as Chris Wedge agreed, his shares would increase to 10%, and he would instantly gain $8 million; the remaining 5% of the shares would be held by the technical director Mike Arlinghaus, along with several key technicians and senior management.

But Chris Wedge didn’t agree. Compared to 20th Century Fox, Flame Film was just a small company, and being small meant instability. If Flame Film faced serious losses in a few years and had to make layoffs or sell off Blue Sky, it would be a chaotic situation he did not want to witness; more importantly, if Blue Sky was bought by Fox, they could have access to some of Fox’s animation department’s technical expertise, an advantage they wouldn’t have with Flame Film.

Upon learning of his concerns, Mark Strong followed Wang Yang’s advice and raised the acquisition price to $90 million, to be paid in one lump sum and deposited directly into Blue Sky Studios’ account, ensuring the completion of ‘Ice Age’. Additionally, they made a written promise not to cut any member of the production team before ‘Ice Age’ was completed. Beyond ‘Ice Age’, they were allowed to conduct multiple technical research and development projects, and if necessary, even expand their workforce.