Shuchang winning the role of Jade was only natural.
Gilbert had considered choosing the younger Wang Jiaqi, but Nolan, Jackie, and Tang unanimously agreed that Shuchang was the best fit.
With the consensus reached, Gilbert didn't insist on his own choice and went with Shuchang.
Compared to Bingbing Li getting the role of Little Snake, the sensation caused by Shuchang landing the role of Jade was even greater.
The reason was simple: unlike the supporting character Little Snake,Jade was the film's female lead. And according to some insiders, if the film performed well, Gilbert was considering turning it into a series.
Now, that was a big deal. What does a film series mean?
"Jackie Chan Adventures" had an investment of $105 million. To meet the standards of a film series, it needed to make at least $150 million in North American box office and over $400 million globally.
So far, the highest-grossing Hollywood film starring a Chinese actor was still one by Jackie Chan.
His film "Rush Hour 2," released this year, made $225 million in North America, but the overseas box office was lackluster, totaling $338 million worldwide.
However, thanks to its modest budget, "Rush Hour 2" still turned a profit.
Even more surprising was the film's performance in the DVD market. In the first two weeks after its U.S. theatrical run ended, DVD sales hit $35 million.
In other words, for "Jackie Chan Adventures" to be profitable, it had to surpass the box office of "Rush Hour 2."
With Shuchang holding this series in her hands, as long as she didn't mess things up, no Chinese film star could rival her for the next ten or even twenty years.
Before signing her acting contract, Shuchang also signed with Sheena Boone's Super Artist Management Company.
This was standard practice. International Zhang had also signed with CAA, which handled her Hollywood affairs.
After all, Chinese talent agencies lacked professionalism and had no real understanding of how Hollywood worked. Having a Hollywood-based agent was essential.
After the auditions wrapped up, Gilbert even held a special press conference for the actresses to build momentum.
Watching Bingbing Li holding her actor contract with confidence and Shuchang looking slightly nervous, reporters snapped photos while sighing with emotion.
"These two don't have to worry about their careers anymore. Their paths to stardom are clear."
"No kidding. This is a Hollywood movie project with over $100 million in investment!"
"Whose daughter is Shuchang? I want a daughter like her."
"With your looks? No way you'd have a daughter like that."
The reporter protested, but remembering he was still single, he had no comeback for his colleague.
At the press conference, facing questions from Chinese journalists, Gilbert shared why he came up with the idea for "Jackie Chan Adventures."
"Actually, it started with a chat I had with Jackie. We were talking about the zodiac, and I originally thought I was a fierce dragon or something.
"But Jackie told me I was born in the Year of the Dog, which was years off from the Dragon. I was really heartbroken at the time."
Though not particularly funny, the reporters laughed politely.
Gilbert continued, "Even though it was a disappointing conversation, it inspired me creatively. I started imagining what it would be like if the twelve zodiac signs had magical powers.
"That's how I came up with the story for 'The Mystery of the Talismans,' and I invited Jackie to star in it."
The reporters were impressed. Truly a talented Hollywood director not only fluent in Chinese but bursting with ideas.
In fact, Hollywood never lacked creativity. There were plenty of writers who could pen better scripts than Gilbert.
But what made Gilbert different was his rare ability to take wild, imaginative concepts and bring them to life, ultimately presenting them on the big screen.
When asked why he chose Shuchang and Bingbing Li, Gilbert was candid: "To be honest, during this round of auditions, Director Nolan, our team, and I received quite a few gifts."
While such behavior was common in the industry, hearing a foreign director openly say it made the reporters feel a bit embarrassed.
Gilbert went on, "We chose these actresses because their performances in the auditions were outstanding. The gifts didn't influence our decisions.
"I want actors to showcase their professionalism, not rely on connections or gift-giving to land roles."
Though Gilbert said this, the truth was that such things happened everywhere, not just in Hollywood. It's human nature not something a few principled directors could change.
After the press conference, Gilbert handed over follow-up tasks to Nolan and headed south to inspect factories in the Pearl River Delta region.
However, the impact he made didn't end there. Bingbing Li aside, Shuchang's name spread like wildfire across the nation overnight, becoming the hottest young actress.
Many newspapers and media outlets featured Shuchang, Bingbing Li, and Gilbert on their front pages, praising Shuchang as the future star of the entertainment industry.
While reporting on the two actresses, they inevitably also mentioned "Jackie Chan Adventures" and Gilbert.
You could say that even before filming began, "Jackie Chan Adventures" was already a nationwide sensation in China.
Although the Chinese film market can't be heavily relied upon for now, every little bit helps—better something than nothing. A contribution of twenty to thirty million dollars at the box office is still achievable.
As for the issue of pirated merchandise, the solution is simply to follow Microsoft's example: treat the piracy as promotional material that spreads awareness. There's no need to dwell on the problem.
While Chinese entertainment media and the public are abuzz, Gilbert has not been idle either.
Accompanied by local bosses, he has been inspecting many nearby factories, gaining detailed understanding of their production processes.
Since last year, factories have gradually started relocating to this area. The advantage of lower material and labor costs has significantly reduced the cost of merchandise production.
With such major moves by Disney and Warner Bros., it's only natural that other major Hollywood companies would take notice.
As a result, many of them are now planning to set up their own merchandise factories in China, replacing the increasingly expensive production in North America.
In theory, producing merchandise in China and then shipping it to North America or Europe would incur shipping fees, tariffs, and a range of other costs, which should drive up overall expenses.
But in reality, this isn't the case. Labor and material costs are already much lower—that's a given. More surprisingly, the shipping fees are quite cheap, and tariffs are also low.
For example, a Legolas figurine sells for $19.90 at North American merchandise stores. If it's made in a North American factory, material, storage, and labor costs add up to about $8.
But if it's made in China, even with ocean shipping and tariffs added, the cost is only about two to three dollars. The savings become profit.
Of course, there are potential problems—for example, to protect domestic factories and workers, there could be sudden tariff increases on Chinese-made goods.
But the fact is, the entire North American manufacturing industry is moving overseas. It's a trend.
Factory owners are all playing the stock market on Wall Street now. North American workers have never had much say, and even if they protest, they can't resist the iron fist of capital.
The Washington elites, swayed by Hollywood lobbyists, aren't about to impose tariffs on overseas goods just to appease a bunch of rednecks.
So this low-cost merchandise model is likely to remain viable for at least the next decade.
It's a win-win: the local economy gains jobs and investment, while North America and Europe get cheaper goods. Everyone gets what they want.
While inspecting Haizhu, Gilbert received a warm welcome from the local bosses.
Haizhu is very close to the neighboring Macao—just one border checkpoint away. But Gilbert wasn't interested in visiting. Instead, his assistant Anna went there, gambled a few rounds, and ended up losing several thousand dollars.
Meanwhile, several merchandise factories in Haizhu have begun construction and are expected to start production next year or the year after.
Gilbert focused his inspection on factories that were already up and running, paying particular attention to workers' skill levels on the production lines and overall operational status.
The factories were buzzing with activity. The workers were clearly busy, and the factory heads accompanied the inspection, giving detailed explanations.
"At present, our factory has 226 employees, four production lines, as well as OC quality control, testing labs, and more. Running at full capacity, we can produce over 20,000 units per day," the factory head said proudly.
Gilbert casually picked up a product, checked its quality, and told the factory head, "I hope you're not blindly ramping up production. You must maintain both quality and quantity.
Don't forget, even though your production costs here are very low, these products sell for dozens of dollars each in North America and Europe."
The factory head patted his chest and promised, "Don't worry. Mayor Tian is very concerned about our operations. He often comes to inspect personally, so there won't be any issues."
Mayor Tian, who was accompanying the inspection, nodded and added, "That's right, Director Gilbert. Rest assured, there will absolutely be no problems here."
"Good," said Gilbert. He added another reminder, "Also, make sure to pay attention to safety. I don't want to see any production accidents or incidents."
The factory head reassured him again, "You can count on that. I've repeatedly emphasized that safety is our top priority. I personally check the factory's water, electricity, and fire prevention systems. There will be no accidents."
"Excellent," Gilbert said with satisfaction.
As for worker welfare, meals, housing, and wages—those weren't things Gilbert needed to worry about, so he didn't ask further.
After finishing his factory inspections, Gilbert returned to Beijing and gave a public lecture at the Beijing Film Academy.
Giving a lecture there each year has become something of a tradition for Gilbert. As the school's honorary president, he has always been very dedicated.
And because of Gilbert's brand power, the Beijing Film Academy has quickly become the top arts institution in China, surpassing other schools to become the first choice of countless aspiring artists.
....
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