Chapter 540: Opinions on Casting for Mortal Kombat
"This script is very good? Do you have any other opinions?"
The original idea was Akira Kurosawa, the first draft and signed screenwriter was Graham Yost, most of the content was rewritten, and the final decision was made by Joss Whedon. The film was originally titled "Speed Limit"
The script was also changed to "Speed" when it was finally submitted.
Afterwards, Ronald handed it over to Cameron and reviewed it with producer Joel Silver and others to listen to their opinions. What is now produced is well-balanced and polished in all aspects.
However, the production department of 20th Century Fox still put forward some opinions on the script. Of course, they did not make any gestures and went directly to the studio with the script for consultation. Their attitude was very low.
"We don't have any opinions on the script as a whole. We just have some thoughts on marketing because of the market response to action movies in recent years..." Tom Sherak spoke as lowly as possible.
"Okay, let me take a look..." Ronald took the revision suggestions that the other party had produced and read them ten lines at a time.
The biggest suggestion is not to let the entire story take place on a vehicle. This kind of script that extremely restricts the shooting space is very common in a lot of "Die Hard" follow-up films, but the box office is not necessarily very good.
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"Did you do any research to say that?" Ronald asked. This opinion was beyond his expectation. In his mind, isn't this an advantage? After seeing action movie scripts in the past two years,
Often the first thing a producer says is, "Where is this Die Hard taking place?"
It can be seen that this kind of drama in which the protagonist and the villain are put into a closed space, and then fight under restrictions, and finally save a group of innocent people, is loved by the audience. But Tom Sherak raised objections, which shows that it is not
It's not the kind of thinking that follows the trend, but some analysis of his own. As long as the analysis is based on real data, Ronald is not a stubborn person.
Sure enough, the other party showed some audience reviews of "Die Hard" TV series in recent years. Many people pointed out that plots in a closed scene from beginning to end will cause people's fatigue.
I saw special examples in it including "Die Hard". Box office data and audience reviews show that this method is not as good as the original "Die Hard". In both "Die Hard" movies, the protagonist Mike is actually introduced at the beginning.
How Lian was involved in the incident. In Qianlong Hongtian, the story takes place on a battleship from beginning to end.
Knowing the inside story of "Qianlong"'s final early release, Ronald smiled and did not take this analysis seriously. However, what he pointed out was correct to a certain extent. Movies are visual art, and scenes often change
, can also play a role in guiding the audience's emotions.
Ronald immediately said that he would continue to ask people to revise the script. When introducing the protagonist and the villain bomb maker at the beginning, he would introduce an outdoor scene. He could also consider adding an aftereffect of capturing the bad guy at the end after the climax scene of saving everyone.
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I didn’t expect Ronald to be very talkative about this kind of thing. Sure enough, the rumors say that he is a fair person and can listen to other people’s opinions, which is true at all. Tom Sherak stayed here again and took good photos of Ronald.
After ten minutes of flattery, he said goodbye and left.
…
The next day, Ronald was at home chatting with Paul W.S. Anderson, the director selected for "Mortal Kombat", about the details of the adapted script and the direction of the casting, when he heard the servant's announcement, "Speed of Life and Death"
""'s signed screenwriter, Graham Yost wanted to meet him.
"Can't you wait?" Ronald looked at Graham Yost who rushed in with an unhappy look on his face, and unhappily motioned to Paul W.S. Anderson to wait a moment.
"I protest, this is destroying my script. Many parts have been changed beyond recognition by the Joss Whedon you hired. If you change it now, I won't recognize that the next script was written by me.
Already."
Graham Yost had a strong opinion and rushed in to complain to Ronald.
"I'm fair. You have five minutes to tell me why you don't like my revisions?" Ronald felt that this guy was really ignorant. There are so many scripts in Hollywood that in the end there is only a signature and a line from the original author.
There is no sentence left in the script. What does it matter? The original idea of the entire movie, the most valuable core idea, was still yours. The Writers Guild also guaranteed your signature rights, and finally got it.
As for the salary, if the movie is a hit, you can make another fortune. In the future, whether you write his own script, start a screenwriting training, or use the money to enjoy the rest of your life, there will be no problem.
"Look at this, Annie, I originally set up an African American and a paramedic. This broke many stereotypes. African Americans are also very brave and took over the bus after the driver died, and the nurse and
Women can also drive well..."
"Yeah..." Ronald scratched his head. This Graham Yost had too many ideas. He began to seek the social significance of the movie before the story itself was well written.
"It's not that I don't want to have a black heroine, it's just that there's no suitable black male lead... well, an African-American actor can play it. If we want to be recognized by white audiences, there are only a few proven black actors on the market.
.Denzel Washington and Eddie Murphy have clearly rejected it. Wesley Snipes originally had very good conditions, but he expressed his unwillingness to play a black version of John McClane..."
"Why, I thought Wesley Snipes was the best candidate for Jack. He has both muscles and the gentle temperament of a college professor..." Graham Yost was extremely angry.
"You know, some black...African-Americans don't want to be idols of their ethnic group. They just want to be a praised actor who won the Best Supporting Actor Award in Hollywood..."
Graham Yost was really angry. He knew that Ronald would not lie to him about this kind of thing. People of some ethnic groups are just not advanced enough. You created opportunities for them, but in the end they could only...
Acting on their own interests rather than considering the bigger picture, a star in a commercial film is the idol that children of their ethnic group have worshiped since childhood. It seems that these ethnic groups have to continue to be immersed in advanced Hollywood.
Only with more time in the culture can we truly understand the mission we shoulder.
"Five minutes are up. I'm very busy. I just met Mr. Anderson, who is also a young genius like you. Graham, I interrupted the discussion with him because you said it was an emergency. If you have anything else
If you have any ideas, you can come to me at any time, okay?" Ronald wanted him to get out and come to him for an interview no matter what. Newcomers are so excited, but what he said is worth thinking about. He can ask Jack to be his boss or something.
If he were changed to black, the bad guy would be a traditional middle-aged white man.
"I'm sorry, you are the best, Ronald. You are the producer in Hollywood who respects screenwriters the most, the producer we new screenwriters dream of... Although 92% of my scripts are
Six's dialogue and 91.3% of the plot have been modified..."
"That's all necessary, Graham, it's all necessary. The most important thing is that our screenwriters are re-creating the spiritual core of your original work. I always tell them that it must be in line with Graham's original work.
Spirit……"
"Ah, yes, thank you, Joss Whedon is indeed better at writing dialogue than me..."
"Don't worry, it must be consistent with the original intention..." Ronald opened the door and waved to Paul W.S. Anderson.
"He said 92.6 percent of the dialogue has been revised?" Paul W.S. Anderson asked with a smile after closing the door.
"Actually, some changes have been made. I estimate that 99% of them have been changed. Wes is my strongest dialogue expert. This is Hollywood, and screenwriting is also an assembly line industrial process. I don't mean any disrespect to the original screenwriter.
, it’s just that everyone wants to make the film the best it can be…”
"I understand, I understand, I wish there was a dialogue master who could change the dialogue in my script..."
"Ah, just understand. He is a novice. For a veteran like you, I don't have to talk in circles. It saves a lot of worry..."
While chatting, Paul W.S. Anderson and Ronald walked to an entertainment room downstairs, where several game machines were placed. They took turns inserting coins and playing the "real person" that was sent to them during the game.
"Quick Fight" first generation.
The movie adaptation of this game, like "Street Fighter", is about casting. The selected actors must be accepted by the audience at first sight. They are the characters in the game. The appearance may be slightly different, but the temperament of the character must be
Very similar.
Street Fighter can be a hit because of several key characters, including the final boss Vega, the protagonist Long, the only female Chun-Li, and several outstanding supporting characters.
The most important characters in this "Mortal Kombat" are concentrated on the protagonist Liu Kang, action star Johnny Cage, female SWAT officer Sonia, alien princess Kitada, and two mythical characters, Zhengfang Guards
The Thunder God of the Earth, and Shang Tsung who invaded the Earth.
Liu Kang, as a character, can be seen at a glance as imitating the late Bruce Lee's movements. His long hair, strong naked upper body, strong leg skills, and the cries of uncle and uncle all hint at this.
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"I have a Chinese actor here who I have worked with several times, named Qiu Yunbo. You can let him try." Ronald was thinking of his old friend Qiu Yunbo, a San Francisco martial arts karate actor.
"I heard that Bruce's son Brandon has returned to Hollywood. What if his son can play the role of father?" For this movie, Paul W.S. Anderson looked at countless audition photos of actors and other action movies.
An actor who left a deep impression on the camera.
"You can consider..." Ronald heard that he had returned from Xiangjiang again. It can be seen that he suffered a disadvantage there and could not integrate into the circle. I wonder if he will make some progress now.
"Johnny Cage..."
"Hey, doesn't the name say it all?"
Ronald laughed. If Paul W. S. Anderson was right, then this character was most likely based on his good friend Nicolas Cage.
Johnny Cage's character is that of a movie star. His skills in the movie are very good, but the media thinks that he is a fake stager, or a stuntman to help him perform some action and fighting scenes, and Johnny Cage
In fact, he is one of the best martial artists. Because he couldn't bear the slander from the media, after receiving the invitation from the World Martial Arts Conference, he put aside the movie he was filming and went to have a good fight to clear his name.
In Paul W. S. Anderson's script, there is a scene where a famous director sits on a crane and begs him pitifully to stay and finish filming. Ronald found it very interesting and planned to invite a famous director to come.
Make a cameo.
Sonia is a special police officer who is very good at fighting. In addition, she is also a great beauty. She tracked a felon to the martial arts competition, and finally entered the competition by mistake. Johnny Cage fell in love with her at first sight, and Sonia fell in love with Cage.
There is no pretense, it was during the fight that I finally came to admire him.
This role needs to be played by a very beautiful blonde, so that it suits the taste. Ronald looked at several Italian actors of Paul W.S. Anderson, but found a familiar face. It was from the Coca-Cola commercial of that year.
The beautiful actress chosen is called Cameron Diaz.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Do you think she is good?" Paul W.S. Anderson noticed that Ronald's eyes were fixed on Cameron Diaz.
"I know. I have starred in Coca-Cola commercials before. I found many big directors to direct commercials for Coca-Cola, and she was one of them. You have to understand their skills and abilities before making a decision. My experience is that either they have
Martial arts skills, or dance skills, will make your shooting a lot less painful."
"Understand..." Paul W.S. Anderson followed suit and wrote down the basic requirements of dance.
"And for Princess Beitian, it's best to find a Japanese or Chinese actor. Now the cultures of these two ethnic minorities are gradually being represented in movies and TV series. If you look for a Korean or Filipino-Vietnamese actor, there will actually be
It’s a big deviation. Fans of these subcultures are far more sensitive to these things than ordinary viewers.”
Ronald saw the casting photos of alien princesses again. There were several people who clearly looked like Filipinos and Vietnamese. Obviously, Paul W. S. Anderson, like most white people, was not aware of the differences between Asians.
very sensitive.
But the audience for this movie actually has many people who like comics and cartoon culture, and they still understand this difference very clearly.
"Oh, okay, you know, this ability to distinguish human faces is developed when we were young. I lived in Britain when I was a child, and there were not many Asians there." Paul W.S. Anderson said that he would pay attention.
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The next most important ones are the two mythical characters.
The bad guy Shang Tsung was a good choice. A Japanese actor Hiroyuki Tagawa was Paul W.S. Anderson's first choice. Ronald remembered him because he had made the B-level action movie "Little Tokyo" for Daydream a few years ago.
Showdown in Little Tokyo), and even earlier he worked with Diane on "Big Trouble in Little China".
In both movies, he plays the kind of Japanese villain who looks very evil. He gives people a very bad imagination from the very beginning.
Lord Rayden, the mythical figure who protects the earth, needs a fairy-like face and a very decent temperament.
Among the actors Paul W.S. Anderson has chosen, the one he is most satisfied with is the Chinese actor Christopher Lambert. He has played several B-level monster movies before, and he is the immortal highlander in the Scottish legend.
.
Especially his huge forehead, it looks like it was blessed at first glance.
"Why, is he bad?" Paul W.S. Anderson asked cautiously. He looked at Ronald's eyes and expression and looked very uncomfortable, as if he had a feeling of disgust towards the actor.
"No... uh... what..." Ronald couldn't explain clearly why he felt uncomfortable when he saw this person. "I just think that such a typical Korean actor, as a man who saves the earth,
, many American and British viewers will be very uncomfortable, especially male viewers.
"Oh, that makes sense..." Paul W.S. Anderson also understood that the British and American cultural circles had a natural tendency to ridicule the country. "Then Jean-Claude Van Damme doesn't seem to be suitable either."
He originally listed Jean-Claude Van Damme as an option, but because his salary was too high, he preferred Christopher Lambert.
"Ah, it doesn't matter, actually Jean-Claude Van Damme is Belgian..."