"Oh, he kicked that terrorist away with one kick, my God, he's as strong as a leopard!" — A female celebrity recounts.
"His punches are so fast you can't even see them!" — Old Bruce recounts.
"This young man is handsome, has a charming smile, and is a little shy. But his kung fu is really amazing. I saw him take down two terrorists with my own eyes, and God, he was absolutely cool at that moment." — Jessica
Starting with this report, newspapers such as USA Today also began to report on the hero's assistant, "Robin."
Twenty years old (To avoid giving him the impression of being too young, we've added a year to his age, making him twenty. After all, there's a significant difference in perception between a teenager and someone in their twenties.)
He practiced Chinese Kung Fu from a young age; his father was a renowned Chinese martial arts master. Young, handsome, and exceptionally skilled, he possessed an alluring physique (something Lei Xiaohu had long resented; to generate buzz for him, I specifically ordered him to take off his shirt and box in the gym during a media interview, then had the media film the whole thing! Sure enough, this young man with his impressive muscles, coupled with his unique background and handsome face, immediately elicited screams and cheers from countless women.)
Afterwards, we hired a professional stylist at a high price. They designed several fantastic looks for Lei Xiaohu. For example, a set of wild and sexy photos of him shirtless... and another set featuring his kung fu skills...
And the last one actually ended up on the cover of People magazine!
In the photo, Lei Xiaohu sports a slightly stubble beard, his hair is wet, and he exudes a wild and untamed aura with sharp eyes. He still displays his muscular physique, and at the stylist's request, he strikes a classic action movie tough guy pose, pointing at himself with a thumbs-up.
The image includes a line of text on the cover:
"I'm a tiger!"
And this title perfectly matches his name: Lei Xiaohu!
Such a publicity campaign immediately left a deep impression of this little tiger in the minds of countless people—in fact, after Lei Xiaohu became famous, he has always been called "TIGER" by movie fans.
Many reports detailed Lei Xiaohu's achievement of personally eliminating several terrorists during that period (and these achievements were deliberately exaggerated).
Once the atmosphere of hype was already quite strong, and Lei Xiaohu had been basically accepted by the public, he also gained a lot of fans who liked him very much (most of whom were women).
When Lei Xiaohu's popularity reached a certain level, we finally dropped a bombshell!
Billy Hill Films announces: Tiger will star as the male lead in The Big Heist!
"Batman isn't coming, but we still have Robin!"
"The most handsome, wildest, and most legendary boy from the East! TIGER!"
"The Eastern Tiger will create a legend!"
Through a series of reports, Lei Xiaohu was successfully packaged and brought into the public eye by Yang Wei and me, becoming dazzling!
All of this came to light during an interview I organized. In front of multiple reporters and cameras, Lei Xiaohu personally delivered an exaggerated and incredibly stylish roundhouse kick, shattering a leather sandbag with a single blow… shocking all the reporters present! Even the female reporters who came to interview him later clearly showed different, unusual expressions in their eyes!
The news got out, and footage of him kicking the sandbag was broadcast...
As for what happens next, let nature take its course!
Especially that spinning kick that shattered the sandbag—it was incredibly cool! And the terrifying strength it contained was truly astonishing! This scene was even posted online, and Lei Xiaohu instantly became a new idol, especially revered by many fans who are passionate about Chinese kung fu!
Later, many people actually became enthusiastic about imitating everything about Lei Xiaohu! His clothes, his hairstyle, his demeanor—and of course, most importantly, his move of kicking the sandbag to pieces!
The media is indeed a terrifying tool. With an almost divine power, it creates superstars at breakneck speed!
However, Yang Wei also brought me some not-so-good news:
"That's about it. The media's leniency towards us is probably coming to an end. They've already helped us too much. Lately, when I've sought help from the media, I've clearly felt that they're not as willing to cooperate as they used to be." Yang smiled slightly: "I've said it before, favors always have to be repaid eventually."
I sighed: "Fortunately, our work is almost finished, isn't it?"
"I'm very happy with him," James Cameron announced to the media at the press conference for the start of filming of the movie "The Big Heist." "Ray is a miracle boy I've ever met. He's a real tiger! At the same time, he's charming and sexy. He's the best action star in my heart."
Countless cameras with flashes were pointed at James and Lei Xiaohu, who were sitting on the platform, as well as the various actors and celebrities.
The only remaining concern is that even if we praise Lei Xiaohu to the skies, he still can't act! He's a complete newbie! A complete novice. In front of the camera, he probably doesn't even know the most basic blocking... absolutely no acting skills!
However, James Cameron is indeed a genius director who is very good at training actors who "have no acting skills"!
Check out his classic works!
He collaborated with Schwarzenegger on the first two Terminator films.
First Blood Part 2 (the famous Rambo Part 2), a collaboration with Sylvester Stallone!
In terms of acting skills, do Schwarzenegger or Stallone... even have acting talent? They're just pure action stars who flaunt their muscles and physiques. But LeBron James has the ability to mold these muscle men into superstars!
Therefore, it seems that hiring him as a director is a good fit for Lei Xiaohu.
The last problem is the eldest brother.
The eldest brother's original expectation for his only son was that he be a good person, practice martial arts diligently, and eventually inherit the martial arts school. He never imagined his son would become a movie star!
Faced with the conservative senior brother, the task of persuading him naturally fell to me; Lei Xiaohu himself would absolutely never dare to tell his father. (It was easy to trick Lei Xiaohu into joining the scheme, since that kid was originally a movie buff and loved films.)
However, persuading my senior brother was surprisingly easy, because Yang Wei gave me an idea!
"Senior brother, Xiao Hu isn't just an actor going to act in movies. Audiences can learn more about Chinese Kung Fu through his performances on screen! We can use this opportunity to promote our Chinese martial arts! Think about it, if you run a martial arts school, even if you work yourself to death, you'll only teach a few dozen students in your lifetime, and the impact will be limited to your neighborhood at most. But it's different when you're in a movie! Movies have a much wider reach! If even one percent of the movie's audience falls in love with Chinese martial arts because of Lei Xiao Hu's movie... that's an achievement you probably couldn't match even if you stayed in a small martial arts school teaching students your whole life!"
A perfectly respectable reason, isn't it? So the senior brother was quickly convinced.
Before filming even started, there was some good news!
Our director, Cameron, actually made some changes to the script. I had promised him he had the right to revise it at his discretion. And this guy actually changed a third of the plot!
To our surprise, his revised script resulted in a more compact and exciting plot. Ironically, the revised script also reduced the required scenes and budget significantly!
The film, which was originally planned to cost 140 million to make, can now have its budget reduced to around 100 million based on the new script!
"Has Cameron changed his ways?" I couldn't help but wonder.
Part Two: The Road to Success, Chapter 163: A Wonderful Person
When the final cast and crew list for the movie "The Great Heist" was released, it was enough to make every movie fan gasp for breath!
Director: James Cameron.
Lead actor: Lei Xiaohu, the latest super popular TIGER.
Lead actress: Jessica, whose popularity skyrocketed after the hostage incident and has now regained her top-tier status.
In addition, veteran action star Bruce Willis will play a supporting role in the film, portraying himself.
The role of the second male lead (originally Lei Xiaohu) was finally confirmed, with Will Smith invited to play the part.
The second female lead, Yang Wei, will be played by Kate Belkinsey! This beauty, known for her cold and glamorous personality, should be able to perfectly portray Yang Wei's rationality and composure.
The supporting cast is also incredibly luxurious!
Russell Crowe (who won an Oscar for Best Actor for Gladiator) will play the police commander, the rational, dutiful, and strong-willed Inspector Louis.
It was finally decided that Jim Carrey would play the psychopathic terrorist leader Ramouch. The director had originally intended to cast Kevin Spencer (who won an Oscar for Best Actor for *American Beauty*). However, for box office considerations, they ultimately decided on Jim Carrey, known for his exaggerated, psychopathic, and neurotic performances.
Other confirmed cameos include Tom Cruise and Jennifer Aniston, with Kevin Spencer also making a guest appearance. The most prominent addition is Johnny Depp, currently Hollywood's highest-paid actor and the beloved Pirates of the Caribbean king. He will have a six-minute cameo, the role of which is currently being kept secret. (He doesn't owe me a favor, but due to previous contracts, after some negotiation, he agreed to a cameo for a symbolic one-dollar fee. This is because of my current status in Hollywood, which is why Depp was willing to do me a favor.)
The cast and director alone make it incredibly luxurious!
You could say that any one of them would be a top Hollywood star!
It boasts an Oscar-winning director and two Oscar-winning actors! As for Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise, or Johnny Depp, they are practically gods in the hearts of countless movie fans!
The entire cast list is undeniably dazzling!
The final concern is whether bringing together so many superstars might backfire.
However, based on my belief in James Cameron's directing abilities, I'll tentatively give him my vote of confidence. As for what the media thinks, I'm not concerned with that.
Billy Hill Film Company was, after all, a full-fledged film company. It assembled a team according to the director's requirements, with many members personally selected and chosen by James, and others recruited from outside. This also cost a considerable amount of money.
Finally, after receiving the first installment of $30 million, filming officially began at Studio 5 in Hollywood. We started by shooting some interior scenes. We also discussed with the Torch Building and decided to rent the building as a set for filming!
The price offered by Torch Building is also a symbolic low price.
Because in the subsequent disputes between the police and the FBI, some of my words helped the police, and coupled with my good personal relationship with Officer Louis, we obtained strong support from the Los Angeles Police Department through cooperation...
Money! All of this saved me a lot of dollars!
Of course, I also hope that our money-burning director, Mr. James Cameron, can save me some money, and I'll be thankful.
****************************
A film that brings together so many top elites in the film industry naturally attracted the attention of countless media outlets. It can be said that during the filming period, almost every day there were more than a dozen media interview vehicles waiting outside the set.
Everything seemed to be going in a positive direction. According to predictions made by Hollywood experts hired by Yang Wei, the film's box office should reach around 400 million (at least), a figure calculated based on Hollywood's star system.
While 400 million in box office revenue may not seem like much, don't forget that Hollywood movies make money in ways that go far beyond box office numbers! There's the sale of movie merchandise, posters, souvenirs, props, and toys. Then there's the release of videotapes and DVDs, and partnerships with television stations—the rights to broadcast the film on television. Even considering the diminishing returns principle, this movie can still rake in a significant amount of money through television broadcasts after its theatrical release!
And overseas box office revenue is also my target!
Overall, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this film could earn the company approximately three to four hundred million US dollars! And that doesn't even include the value of the film after it becomes stock copies... Everyone knows that a film company's most valuable asset is its film library; if the library is sold or mortgaged to a bank, it can become a huge sum of money!
"Indeed, movies are very profitable, much more so than smuggling and drug trafficking." Seeing the figures in the report, I couldn't help but feel tempted. For the first time, Yang Wei's original plan—that we were just here to make money rather than build a business—wavered in my heart.
“That’s a movie that makes money.” Yang Wei saw my expression and knew what I was thinking. She smiled and said, “Movies don’t just make money. They can also lose money. Sometimes, movies with tens of millions of dollars invested only make a few million at the box office and lose all their money. This industry is quite risky.”
"But the benefits that are shown are enough to drive people crazy and make them envious," I muttered.
Subsequently, as arranged by Yang Wei, I hired another person to serve as the company's general manager.
“I’m not a film expert, and I can’t possibly dedicate all my energy to this company.” Yang Wei explained to me like this: “We need a true Hollywood expert, someone shrewd, knowledgeable about all the rules and inside stories, and experienced… at the same time, a smart, obedient… dog!”
Yang Wei's words made me feel a little guilty.
Indeed, everything here was orchestrated by Yang Wei, and my role, after experiencing that incident, was simply to follow Yang Wei's arrangements completely, constantly receiving reporters, attending various events, and cooperating with Yang Wei's publicity plan.
Even the pre-production of the film was entirely handled by Yang Wei.
It's fair to say that Yang Wei deserves far more credit for everything here than I do. And yet, I've been taking it all for granted, enjoying all the arrangements and plans Yang Wei made for me.
“You’ll be staying here, but I need to go back to Las Vegas for a few days. My family is getting a bit annoyed that I’ve been away for too long,” Yang Wei told me helplessly. “There are some business deals at the casino that I need to handle… My dear brother has probably said a lot of bad things about me to my uncle. Besides, I need to go through Vancouver first.” Yang Wei looked at me and said in a low voice, “I need to transfer some money from your company. I know the profit-sharing for the second half of the year isn’t due yet, but to win my uncle’s support and quell the discontent within our family, I need to advance some of the smuggling profits… about twenty million… Actually, our family doesn’t care about the money itself, but the sincerity it shows is what matters most.”
Yang Wei said these things to me with a slight embarrassment, and I agreed without hesitation. I even called the company and told Xiluo, "Whatever Yang Wei says or asks for, just do it. Don't ask me for instructions or why."
My only question is: "So, what happens after you leave? What am I supposed to do here?"
“Darling, I’ll be back in about fifteen days.” Yang smiled, walked to my side, kissed me, and said softly, “During these days, you can consult our new company general manager about everything. He’s a talent I personally selected, and I’ve tested his loyalty; there shouldn’t be any problems…”
That afternoon, I met the company's newly hired general manager in my office.
Charlie, forty years old, has been in Hollywood for eighteen years! This guy isn't formally trained, but he possesses unparalleled experience in the Hollywood film industry! According to his resume, he started working on various Hollywood film sets in his twenties, starting by organizing an acting agency with a slew of unknown actors, arranging bit parts in big-budget films, which earned him his first fortune. Later, he ran a business selling and manufacturing film props, and also participated in a special effects company. Although he eventually went bankrupt, he was left with a valuable asset… connections!
He has worked for three film companies, with his highest position being producer. He also served as one of the producers on a medium-sized film for Columbia Pictures and was involved in the later distribution process.
He knows most of the agents in Hollywood, and has good personal relationships with some of them. He also knows many directors, stars, and producers.
You could say he's a seasoned veteran, a real shrewd operator.