radicalducati Chapter 35 Script Doctor
Chapter 35 Script Doctor
It was late at night when I got back to my room.
The fat man lay on the bed flipping through a Berlin tourist brochure he had swiped from the lobby, muttering about tomorrow's photo-taking itinerary, and soon began to snore.
Lin Ruiyang did not sleep.
He sat at the table by the window, opened the brown paper document bag that Roger Sutherland had handed him, and laid out the documents inside one by one on the table.
The file folder was heavier than he had expected, indicating that CAA headquarters was indeed not being perfunctory.
Inside was a thick stack of neatly printed English summaries of internal project updates, categorized by project type and labeled with color.
The first document is the project proposals for two DreamWorks projects that failed last year.
One was a science fiction film, but the script was indefinitely shelved after the third draft due to budget overruns; the other was an action film adapted from a European comic, but the director and producer disagreed, and the project fell apart in the early stages of preparation.
Lin Ruiyang flipped through the materials from beginning to end, his expression unchanged. Roger was right; some scripts were indeed terrible, while others were simply born at the wrong time.
But these are not the things he wants to see tonight.
His gaze swept quickly across the stillborn thrillers and science fiction ideas, finally settling on a bolded headline:
The Devil Wears Prada – Progress: Stalled/Script being rewritten.
Lin Ruiyang held his breath and quickly flipped through the list of project members.
Back in 2003, 20th Century Fox decisively bought the film adaptation rights to the novel even before it was completed, based only on a portion of the manuscript.
In the section on screenwriters, he saw four names that had been crossed out, with a note saying that the script still needed revisions.
Just like the in-depth reports he had read in his previous life, the current script is still trapped in a harsh revenge story and has not yet been able to extract the core of professionalism and life choices.
Most importantly, the fifth screenwriter, Ellen Blosh McKenna, who ultimately saved the script and gave it its soul, is not yet on the list.
"David Frankel hasn't agreed yet..." Lin Ruiyang closed the folder, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table.
Memories of past lives flashed through the mind like frames of film. This film, adapted from Lauren Weisberg's novel of the same name, ultimately grossed $3.2 million worldwide.
It also put Meryl Streep on the Oscar nomination list for Best Actress, and helped Anne Hathaway successfully transform from a Disney princess into an actress who could carry the box office.
But that was in a past life; none of that has happened yet.
In this time and space, this project, worth hundreds of millions of dollars and capable of reshaping the aesthetics of the fashion world, lies like a piece of dead wood in Fox's safe.
And he possesses the magic to bring barren trees back to life.
The next day, at a quiet café near Potsdamer Platz in Berlin.
Tian Zhuangzhuang and Liu Yibing, wrapped in thick down jackets, were looking at a plate of German alkaline bread that was as hard as a brick, and they were worried.
Seeing Lin Ruiyang walk in, Liu Yibing laughed and scolded, "You little brat, you're now the number one enemy of our literature department."
"Teacher, are you praising me or making fun of me?" Lin Ruiyang sat down with a smile.
"I'm flattering you. Those old guys in the directing department are green with envy. Some media outlets are saying that other departments at Beijing Film Academy are producing a lot of directors, but the directing department can't produce any."
Tian Zhuangzhuang was leisurely taking a sip of coffee when she heard this and choked on it.
Tian Zhuangzhuang wiped his mouth with a tissue, still coughing: "Isn't it a family tradition among you scholars to have such sharp tongues?"
"What inheritance? To tell you the truth." Liu Yibing picked up his cup, took a sip of coffee, and immediately frowned; it was a bit too bitter.
Lin Ruiyang sat quietly to the side, finding it to be a typical playful moment between the two teachers.
He beckoned to refill the two teachers' cups of warm water, and moved the untouched plate of alkaline bread in front of Tian Zhuangzhuang to the side, freeing up half the table.
Liu Yibing glanced at him without saying anything, but his eyes clearly said: You've got some sense, kid.
Having spent a long time in office 301, he had long since learned to remain neutral when the old man was arguing with someone.
After the joke, Liu Yibing's expression became more serious: "I came here this time also to remind you. If you're praised too highly in the domestic media, you'll face countless flowers and cold arrows when you return home."
Also, regarding the contract you mentioned to us before, we asked Zhang Yimou for you, and he only said, "Don't let those Hollywood guys take advantage of you."
"I understand, teacher. I will stick to my principles. If anything goes wrong over there, I'll come back and be your assistant, freeloading off you."
Lin Ruiyang laughed and made a joke.
That afternoon, Wang Hai briefed Lin Ruiyang on the general progress of the overseas copyright negotiations.
"Several distributors in major European markets are in contact. MK2 in France is offering the highest price, wanting exclusive distribution rights in the French-speaking European region; Italian and Spanish distributors are also bidding, but they are all stuck at the same point."
They want to wait until the awards ceremony results are announced before setting a price.
"Then let's wait until after the awards ceremony; we don't need to make decisions for them."
On February 18, Gu Changwei's "Peacock" had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Palace.
After the event, Lin Ruiyang went up to greet him. Director Gu, who was somewhat reserved at this point, simply nodded in acknowledgment. Behind him, Zhang Jingchu, dressed in a gown full of oriental charm, looked at Gu Changwei with a bright smile.
Lin Ruiyang observed the entire event, and as the rumors from his previous life proved true, Jiang Wenli did not appear at the premiere.
On the morning of the 19th, Lin Ruiyang met with Roger Sutherland again.
"Have you finished reading the report?" Roger leaned back on the sofa, holding a copy of the latest issue of Screen.
"Which item caught your eye?"
Lin Ruiyang got straight to the point, pulling out a draft of "The Devil Wears Prada" from his folder. "I want this project."
Roger's smile froze for a moment: "Lin, you must be joking. This is a high-budget project from Fox Film Corporation. Although it's currently stalled, a Chinese director who's just started out in Berlin and hasn't even directed a commercial film before..."
"I didn't say I wanted to be a director, at least not now," Lin Ruiyang interrupted him.
"I know David Frankel has rejected the project twice, saying the script was too harsh and soulless."
I know their superiors are having a huge headache right now, because every day the project stalls, maintenance costs are mortgaging future revenue.
Lin Ruiyang pushed over a three-page English synopsis: "This is my diagnosis of the script."
You can send it to Elizabeth Gabler at Fox. If she finds it helpful, I'll ask CAA to help me get the screenplay for this project.
If the script is approved, I need your support to become the director, on the condition that it be included in a CAA package project, aside from the lead role, but I will prioritize projects under CAA.
Roger stared at the three pages, his brows furrowing.
"You're a madman, but also a genius." Roger put away the summary.
"I will contact Fox, but only if they are willing to hire you as a screenwriter, then we can discuss further matters."
It was evening, with less than 24 hours left until the closing ceremony.
A sense of unease and uncertainty hung in the air. Lin Ruiyang stood by the window of his Hyatt Hotel room, watching the sky gradually darken outside.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He answered it, and it was a staff member from the organizing committee on the other end, speaking fluent English.
"Mr. Lin, the organizing committee invites you to attend the closing ceremony tomorrow night."