The Best Director

Then, in another magical move, Wang Yang disclosed his plan to produce a new CG animation movie with Blue Sky Studios, “Kung Fu Panda”, saying nothing more than “The main character is a panda that knows Kung Fu!” No further details were revealed. But a panda? Kung Fu animation?! Is Wang Yang producing a Kung Fu movie?!

There has always been speculation that this young director is a Kung Fu master, and in magazine interviews, he has joked that he owes his good physique to martial arts training. When asked, “How good are your fighting skills?” he replied, “Not bad at all. If I were fighting bare-handed, I could probably take on 20 ordinary people with no martial arts or combat training at once; Maybe 5 who have some martial arts training, but 6 would be too much for me.”

Kung Fu isn’t magic. Like highly trained special forces or agents, you can take on 5 opponents at a time with your bare hands, and this applies to other martial arts as well. Kung Fu is a fighting technique that teaches you how to use strength and speed, how to block and attack. But where I think Kung Fu really shines is that it not only teaches you how to fight but also how to take care of your body. A lot of fighting styles can wear down your body, even requiring medication, which can cause significant damage. You might fight fiercely at first, but you’ll pay the price later in middle and old age. However, with Kung Fu, the more you train, the better your body becomes.”

These statements seem quite professional, but much of the media and fans remain skeptical, doubting that Wang Yang is just talking big. He supposedly can fight against 20 ordinary people or 5 martial artists? They don’t believe it because of that one time he got into a scuffle with paparazzo Cole and wound up with a forehead injury. Does Cole count as an ordinary person or a trained martial artist?

So they’re inclined to think that Wang Yang only knows a smattering of Kung Fu and couldn’t withstand a punch from Dwayne Johnson. Nevertheless, despite these reservations, there are still many martial arts fans who are eager for him to make a Kung Fu movie. After all, a director who has practiced martial arts since childhood is bound to be better than those directors who don’t understand Kung Fu and rely solely on martial arts choreographers, right?

What the fans ended up with, though, was a CG animated movie – Kung Fu Panda? What kind of style and story will a panda practicing Kung Fu have? Before professional entertainment media took action, some fans, through the internet, found content from Wang Yang’s appearance on the Chinese program “A Date with Luyu”, confirming that “Kung Fu Panda” will have an ancient Chinese martial arts cultural setting, “It will all be about Chinese culture.”

Still, the ones who heard these voices are in the minority. More people are simply intrigued by “Kung Fu” and “panda”. They’ll have to wait until Blue Sky Studios officially promotes “Kung Fu Panda” and launches the website to see the true identity of this panda.

Obviously, what the media and the public are most concerned about is his next directorial project, that secretive film with neither name nor clues, known only from Natalie Portman’s hint that it’s “very cool”.

MIT-21-TEAM…” Evelyn muttered in confusion, looking at the blog text on the screen as she sat at her computer desk. 21 stands for Blackjack. The MIT Blackjack Team? She hadn’t had time to fully grasp the meaning or check what Wang Yang had said about the content when she was shocked by the cast. Sure enough, Natalie Portman was the lead actress, but Rachel McAdams was in it too! She couldn’t help but exclaim, “Rachel, Rachel’s in it too!”

Rachel McAdams! How could she not know who Rachel is? The woman who nearly scared her to death! And the naughty yet adorable Sharpay from “High School Musical”!

How could the media and movie fans forget Rachel, the extremely popular young actress from their generation? She and Wang Yang were one of the earliest ‘best combinations’, with him at 18-year-old director and her a 19- year-old lead actress, they charmed the whole of America on talk shows like “Oprah”, laughing and joking with great rapport. Some gossip media even reliably stated that they were dating at the time.

Afterward, they teamed up again for a successful run with “High School Musical”, though the significance went unhighlighted due to the large cast. Following “Juno”, the combination of 20-year-old Best Director and 19-year- old Natalie, the ‘best actress’, swiftly became the new favorite, with fans eagerly anticipating their second collaboration.

Now, at last, it’s arrived! It’s Wang Yang + Natalie + Rachel, with their characters set to be rivals! Excited, Evelyn let out a cheer in front of her screen. In different cities, so did Clair and countless other fans; Wang Yang + Rachel was in 1998, Wang Yang + Natalie was in 2000, but today is 2002! They’ve all grown so much, and as they come together under Wang Yang’s direction, what kind of sparks will these two accomplished actresses create?

This is exactly the sort of buzz that excites fans, but when they saw the pick for the male lead, they were surprised once again. Daniel Wu! Who is Daniel Wu? An American actor of Chinese descent, 28-years-old, from San Francisco, a graduate of the Architecture program at the highly-ranked University of Oregon, and a martial artist from a young age, he’s a rising movie star in Hong Kong.

Does this mean that the movie is a real-life Kung Fu film?! Then, what the fans saw was NO, aside from Asian-Americans, most North American fans lost interest in Daniel Wu in an instant, deciding to wait until he proved his worth.

Why did Best Director suddenly seek a Chinese actor for the male lead? What movie is this? What role?

“Jeff Ma, Las Vegas…” Evelyn read the information on the screen, gradually understanding what was going on. It turned out that the movie was adapted from the best-selling book “Bringing Down the House,” and the book was in turn based on real events, with Kevin Lewis being Jeff Ma. She continued to read quietly to herself: “Jeff Ma, age 30, graduated from MIT, joined the Blackjack Team in 1994- won nearly ten million US dollars… Wow!” After learning about the origin of the movie’s story, she couldn’t help exclaiming repeatedly, “Cool! Cool!”

Those who have read “Bringing Down the House” know how cool the story is; those who have just heard of it are also seeing their interest skyrocket. So how will Best Director adapt it?

According to the information available, the film tells the story of Jeff Ma (Daniel Wu), Amanda Cardeny (Natalie Portman), and other MIT students forming the Blackjack Team, counting cards to win money in Las Vegas; Beverly Keel (Rachel McAdams) is a genius private detective, invited by the casino owners to investigate the matter, determined to catch that mysterious group.

Most movie fans have mixed feelings about “MIT-21-TEAM” at the moment. The legendary story is undoubtedly highly anticipated, and the combination of Best Director, Rachel, and Natalie is something people can’t wait to see; but there is a lack of interest in the choice of the male lead, with almost everyone trying to ignore him completely.

Nada commented, “I’m not biased against Chinese, otherwise I wouldn’t like Best Director. The question is, can Daniel Wu carry this role? Honestly, I only care about Natalie and Rachel in the current cast list.” Venire P said: “The story is very cool! But wouldn’t it be better if Best Director played Jeff Ma himself? Who knows Daniel Wu? I hope Best Director can find a way to get me into the cinema!” …

The happiest are Chinese movie fans all over the world, with many Chinese portals headlining the news as “Best Director + the Amazing Jeff Ma!” Fans of Daniel Wu are screaming with excitement, and one comment received widespread support from netizens: “It’s not Wong Jing, it’s Best Director!

Throne-Best Director Falls for Las Vegas.” — Los Angeles Times which reported, “Apparently, Best Director hurt not only the global audience with ‘District 9’ but also himself. He’s now fallen in love with the glitzy Sin City, not satisfied with just a crazy pre-wedding party, he’s also shooting a gambling movie.”

However, as for movies themed around Las Vegas, according to the classification rankings, the box-office champion is the 2001 version of “Ocean’s Eleven,” directed by Steven Soderbergh, with a star-studded cast including Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Julia Roberts, with a $183 million North American and $450 million global box office; second is Martin Scorsese’s 1995 crime drama “Casino,” with $42.51 million in North America, and $116 million globally; third is the 1997 “Vegas Vacation” with only $36.4 million.

So this desert city is not exactly a treasure trove of movies, at least it is much harder to dig out compared to places like Paris.

Looking at the “con artist type” movie rankings, the highest is the Western comedy “Gambler Ma Huali” from 1994 with $101 million in North America and $183 million globally, which is also the box-office champion for movies involving gambling themes; second is the 1992 street basketball film “White Men Can’t Jump” with $76.25 million in North America and $90.75 million globally; third is the 1999 “The Buffinger Plan” with $66.38 million in North America and $98.62 million globally.

And Best Director’s average box-office figures for each of his movies are $217 million in North America and $443 million globally. Las Vegas + con artists + gambling is a theme with inherent difficulties, and it’s now an Asian male lead —despite being based on a true story, the challenge increases exponentially.

It seems the big directors like to challenge themselves, especially with commercial movies that are notoriously hard to shoot. Otherwise, filming those soap commercial films would mean dropping their own status, wouldn’t it? Another aspect of testing the title of a great director is whether they can handle such commercial films. Steven Soderbergh’s remake of “Ocean’s Eleven” handled it well; Steven Spielberg, who long ago had nothing to prove, is also producing “Catch Me If You Can.” Can Best Director, the rising star among big directors, pull it off?

Scheduled for release on December 25th this year, “Catch Me If You Can” is also adapted from real events, directed by Spielberg, starring Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Hanks, and Christopher Walken. It, too, features con artists and cops in a game of cat and mouse. This has prompted some gossip media to propose a sensational question: “Is Best Director trying to compete with Spielberg from a distance?”

If that’s the case, compared to the director and cast of “Catch Me If You Can, “MIT-21-TEAM” seems like a talented little kid, who also has a hidden ailment called “unknown Chinese male lead,” facing off against a long-established giant. “Hollywood Entertainment” said, “Although Best Director knows Kung Fu, this battle is not winnable.”

But obviously, it’s “The Hangover” that will “clash” first and challenge the Las Vegas movie rankings, just in time for this year’s Christmas season. The performance of “The Hangover” naturally also directly affects the public’s expectations and confidence in “MIT-21-TEAM.”

The Los Angeles Times wrote in a brief report, “Best Director ambitiously wants to conquer Las Vegas on the big screen, but can he?” It fictionalized Wang Yang’s response with a parenthesis: “Life is like a box of Chocolate, you never know what you’re going to get next.”

I’m really, really looking forward to it, Rachel McAdams! Hmph, you’ve chosen well!” Natalie’s voice was filled with excitement. Under the pale moonlit sky, Wang Yang stood up from the wooden chair on the garden lawn and walked towards the house, laughing, “Actually, I was planning to get Keira Knightley and then set Amanda and Beverly as a pair of twin sisters. Wouldn’t that be cooler and more interesting?”

Huh?” Natalie made a sound, then instantly understood his meaning and laughed, “Of course! Add some ‘lifelong rivals’ and Eastern fatalism… Wow! Why didn’t you do that?”

How could I get that sister? She’s about to start filming ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, I couldn’t bring her over.” Wang Yang smiled as he entered the back door of the house and said, “Let’s forget about it this time. We can shoot that theme another time and let you two have a fateful duel.” Natalie fake- laughed, “Hahaha, that’s a good joke!” She asked, “Daniel Wu’s acting skills are okay? I don’t watch many Hong Kong movies.”

Wang Yang seriously smiled, “I only give the go-ahead if they’re truly suitable, every character does. Daniel is great, trust me.” Natalie didn’t care much and smiled, “OK! Trusting you is never wrong, I believe you.”

After a brief chat, they ended the call. Wang Yang sat down on the living room sofa, looking left and right for a glimpse of Jessica but didn’t see her. He leaned back on the sofa lost in thought. After a while, he picked up his phone and called Lin Yibin, laughing upon connecting, “Hey Justin, good evening. Are you free for dinner tomorrow? I want to talk to you about some movie matters. I’m thinking of investing in your new movie.”

Oh.” Lin Yibin was totally surprised, his movie ‘Better Luck Tomorrow’ hadn’t even been released yet, a new movie? But he knew what to do at times like this was to quickly agree, he happily laughed, “Sure! Wang, that’s a pleasant surprise.” Wang Yang laughed, “It’s nothing, we’ll talk specifics tomorrow.

Lin Yibin happily responded, then suddenly remembered something and said, “By the way, these past few days I met a Chinese-Australian director here in Hollywood who’s very talented. He and his friends are looking for investors here. He would like to meet you, can I give him your number?”

Sure! Has he been to FM company?” Wang Yang shrugged his shoulders and smiled into the phone, “You know it’s easy to get through at FM.” Lin Yibin replied, “Already tried. Mr. Peter Wilkes gave him a million, but the specific plan isn’t settled yet.” Wang Yang nodded and said, “Hmm, then I’ll take over this investment. Justin, invite him tomorrow as well.”

After talking for a bit, Wang Yang hung up the phone, then suddenly frowned in confusion, what was the name of that Chinese director? Damn it, Justin! He abruptly stood up, swung his arms left and right and let out several punches with a roar, then drove his right leg into the floor with a horse stance, and the floor made a crisp “thud”! Twisting his shoulders, he muttered with a chuckle, “When can I have another fight?”

HEY, Wang!” After casually practicing some punches, Jessica walked into the living room in slippers with a sweet smile on her face, holding a deck of cards and said, “Look at me.” Wang Yang stopped with his energy centered, watching her shuffle the cards quickly, asking with a puzzled smile, “What’s up?” Jessica, filled with hope, said, “Any suitable role for me in ‘MIT-21-TEAM’? How about I play a card counter?”

Hmm…” Wang Yang shook his head, he’d already considered this aspect.

Neither female lead suited her, and the card counters didn’t have much screen time or development, but the main reason was she didn’t fit the role.

Seeing he was about to say “no,” Jessica felt a blockage in her heart, and with a slight frown, she said with a forced smile, “Please! Director, I can do it really well, look!” She split the deck of cards in half, then tried to shuffle them into each other but lost control, scattering a big stack onto the floor. Her eyes widened as she exclaimed “Jesus” and quickly bent down to pick them up: “Not this, it’s just a momentary slip!”

Watching her panda-like clumsiness, Wang Yang couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He stepped forward to help her pick up the cards, saying, “Jessie, it’s not that your acting isn’t good. Card counting doesn’t require much acting skill, but you know you’re too beautiful to play such a supporting role.” He looked at her profile, earnestly explaining, “Just like flowers need leaves for an embellishment, the card counting girls certainly can’t be ugly, but they can’t steal the spotlight from the lead actress; also, card counters should look more ordinary, you’re too hot.”

The same line again!” Jessica sighed heavily, her face expressionless, her eyes motionless on the stack of Queens, 5s, and Aces. She said tersely, “I don’t understand. Isn’t Rachel beautiful and hot? Isn’t Natalie Portman beautiful and hot? Why can they? Why can’t I? I don’t think I’m that beautiful!”

Anyone but an idiot could tell she was angry. Wang Yang quickly wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek, soothingly saying, “None are as beautiful as you. I think if there was something like a most beautiful ranking, you know, those magazine ones? You’d be first in all of them.”

Jessica, however, wasn’t after these compliments. She forcefully wrenched her left hand free from his embrace and said harshly, “Thanks! This is all my fault, right?” She knew about this movie first, right here in this living room. She had thought there would be a role for her… But Wang Yang, incredibly, hadn’t cared at all, Natalie, Rachel, the perfect combination, and then Anne Hathaway, Scarlett? Anyway, she wasn’t included!

Wang Yang, having had his hand shaken off, casually wiped his forehead. Even though he knew she was very angry now, some words still wanted to come out, so he explained again, “It’s nobody’s fault, but sometimes being too beautiful can indeed affect the senses. This kind of beauty isn’t just pleasing to the eye; it’s the kind that makes one’s heart race and distracts them. So you see, Julia Roberts made herself ugly, and that’s how she got the Oscar.”

There was also the upcoming ‘Monster,’ where Charlize Theron virtually disfigured herself. He continued, “That’s why I suggested that you go for action tough roles, because when you’re in action, people can somewhat ignore your face.”

Then I might as well make myself ugly,” Jessica’s eyes sparkled. What a great idea! She laughed, “It’s just makeup, that’s what I’m best at. How ugly do I need to be to play a card counter?”

Wang Yang looked her over seriously, considering the possibility. But the more he thought about it, the less he felt she could look truly ugly, unless she did something like Charlize Theron and shaved off her eyebrows… But the movie itself required makeup for various looks, with casual student outfits and formal evening gowns… The biggest problem was everyone knew she was Jessica. If there were an ugly woman character, it’d actually be better without makeup. At least the audience wouldn’t spend the whole evening wondering, “What are she and Wang Yang both thinking?”

He shook his head and smiled, “No need. You look so good just like this! And you can play the main roles, from Flame Movie, other film companies…”

I want to make movies with you!” Jessica interrupted him, eyes reddening as she tossed the playing cards in her hand onto the floor and stood up to walk over to the couch. A film shoot takes months, promotions take months more; why can’t they spend that time together? All the roles in this film were for young people, so why was she not included…

Hey, hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Wang Yang quickly stepped forward to embrace her. It was the first time she had acted this way. Seeing her silent and biting her lip, how could he not feel her emotions? She always wanted to be in his movies, even more, to be the leading lady. But these last few days, all the news about ‘MIT-21-TEAM’ online was about Wang Yang, Rachel, Natalie…

Thinking of this, he made up his mind and solemnly said, “Jessica, I promise you, we’ll make the next movie together.”

Jessica, leaning against his chest, heard his eager words and her heart skipped a beat. She faintly heard her voice say, “What are you doing? Is this what you want? Why are you being so wilful? Why make him say such things?” She looked up into his eyes and said, “No! Yang, don’t make such promises. Forget what I said just now, I don’t like it.”

I like it! I want to make movies with you too.” Wang Yang smiled, holding her tight to keep her from pulling away, relentlessly peppered her cheeks with ‘MUMA, MUMA’ kisses. “And you don’t have to get ugly!”

Jessica was silent, but after being showered with kisses she couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh, and the gloomy mood from before gradually lifted. She wiped off the saliva on her face, smiling, blocking his mouth, and said, “Alright, alright! Enough with that trick, I wasn’t angry, just a little upset, but I’m fine now.”

MUMA, MUMA—,” Wang Yang continued to plant automatic kisses on her face. Jessica gave him a punch in the chest and laughed, “Ah, have you had enough kisses? My face is starting to hurt from all your kissing!” Wang Yang immediately laughed and said, “What do you mean, your face? It belongs to me.” Jessica pushed back hard against him and laughed, “Get lost, since when did it become yours?” Wang Yang moved in to kiss her lips and said, “Four years ago, on that Thanksgiving! MUMA— ”

Danny, who’d been sleeping next to the couch, opened his eyes, glanced at the kissing couple, let out a long breath from his nose, and fell back to sleep.