radicalducati Chapter 50: Fangs
Chapter 50: Fangs
At 3 p.m. on Saturday, a message released simultaneously by Light Chaser Animation's North American website and several authoritative Hollywood media outlets was like a deep-water bomb thrown into a pond, creating even more intense ripples.
The Hollywood Reporter's headline is concise and powerful: "Searchlight and Light Chaser Animations team up for 'Black Swan,' directed by Darren Aronofsky, with a global open audition for an Asian actress!"
The news article details the project's basic information: an art thriller focusing on competition and psychological breakdown within a top ballet company, with a moderate budget but a very high target audience, aiming for the awards season.
The most intriguing part is that the female lead, "Lin Xin," is portrayed as an Asian dancer struggling in the Western ballet world, and the production team will search globally for the most suitable Asian actress.
Variety's report added more details: "...It is understood that the project is being developed and primarily funded by Light Chaser Animation Studios, with Searchlight Pictures handling North American distribution. The casting process will be exceptionally rigorous, requiring candidates to possess outstanding dance skills, strong mental fortitude, and the ability to handle the complex emotional nuances required by the character in English. This is seen as a significant attempt by a major Hollywood studio to bring Asian actors to the core of complex art films..."
The news sent shockwaves through the Hollywood industry.
An Asian lead actor? Not an action film, not a comedic supporting role, but the core of a serious, award-winning psychological thriller?
Many producers and agents rubbed their eyes to make sure they weren't seeing things.
Darren Aronofsky's directing style is known for its rigor and pushing actors to their limits. Could he possibly agree to this setup?
How much creative freedom did Light Chaser Pictures actually grant? Or rather, how did they convince Searchlight Pictures and the director?
Soon, the clever people realized the secret behind it.
This is not just about "political correctness" or "market expansion." There is a complete business logic behind it: Light Chaser Animation's background, the potential of the Asian market, and a truly good story that can break the shackles of genre.
Many people are beginning to re-evaluate this film company, which not only has the money to invest in "Iron Man" and "Avatar," but also the ability to develop such groundbreaking projects!
The astute talent agencies acted immediately, searching for information on their own or their partners' Asian actresses, especially those with dance backgrounds or drama school graduates, in an attempt to gain an advantage in the global selection process.
......
Domestically, the news caused a sensation comparable to an earthquake.
The first to react were industry insiders and the media.
"Black Swan? Asian female lead? Global casting call?" A Chinese director nearly spat out his tea when he saw the notification on his phone in a tea room. "Light Chaser Pictures... what are they up to? Are they just going to the heart of Hollywood to snatch roles?"
"This project's positioning is incredibly precise! Art film, award-contending, Asian lead actor... If this succeeds, its impact will be greater than ten commercial films!" A veteran producer exclaimed, "Light Chaser Pictures has taken a risky and ambitious step."
Inside Huayi Brothers, Wang Zhonglei stared at the news on his computer screen, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
He contacted Liu Yifei about the project almost immediately.
The "secret meeting" on Monday night, Shu Chang's clarification, and now the sudden announcement of the global casting call for the Asian female lead in "Black Swan"...
All of this points to a possibility that makes him extremely uncomfortable: Jiang Yu was not only unaffected by the scandal, but also used it as an opportunity to throw out an even bigger bait, and this bait is very likely tailor-made for Liu Yifei!
In fact, announcing the casting news at this moment is itself a silent yet arrogant response to the previous "relationship exposure" news: We are talking about serious international projects, and your tabloid gossip is not worth mentioning.
"Investigate! Investigate immediately! To what extent has Liu Yifei been involved in this project? Is there any possibility of a pre-arranged deal?" Wang Zhonglei roared at his assistant, feeling frustrated that things were gradually slipping out of his control.
The media flocked to the scene, trying to contact Light Chaser Animation (BJ) and Liu Yifei's agency.
Yang Siwei, representing Light Chaser Animation, gave a unified response, stating: "Black Swan is an important project being worked on by our North American company. We welcome talented Chinese actors to participate in the competition, but the specific selection will be decided by the director and production team."
Liu Yifei's agency, Red Star House, followed instructions and remained politely silent, only stating that "Yifei is currently focused on recuperation and personal development, and will strive to seize suitable project opportunities if they arise," without ever mentioning "Black Swan."
This does not hinder the boundless imagination and enthusiasm of netizens and fans.
On Baidu Tieba, the topic of casting the Asian female lead for Black Swan instantly topped the trending list.
"My God! A Hollywood B-movie with an Asian female lead?! This is unprecedented!"
"Light Chaser Pictures is awesome!!! President Jiang is awesome!!! (voice cracks)"
"So... Monday's dinner was really about work? That's what we talked about?!"
"Will Liu Yifei audition? She speaks good English and studied dance as a child!"
"Not just Liu Yifei! I think Zhang Ziyi could do it too! Fan Binbin could do it too! (Starts daydreaming)"
"A global audition... the competition must be incredibly fierce. Korean, Japanese, and other Asian actors from other countries will be participating, right?"
"Regardless, this is a milestone! For a Hollywood film with Chinese capital involvement to proactively feature a core Asian character is incredibly significant!"
"What happened to those people who criticized Liu Yifei's love life? Aren't they ashamed? She's focused on her career, a truly remarkable one!"
Public opinion has completely shifted, leaping from ambiguous speculation about gossip and scandals to a level of national pride in cultural export and industry breakthroughs.
Jiang Yu remained calm as he browsed the overwhelming reports and discussions from both domestic and international sources in his apartment.
The results were even better than he had anticipated. It not only garnered significant pre-release attention for the "Black Swan" project and established its high profile, but also completely dispelled the pointless rumors, pulled Liu Yifei out of an awkward situation, and boosted his company's industry image.
Three birds with one stone.
At 5 PM, Light Chaser Animation Studios (BJ) released its official statement on time. The statement was more concise and forceful than the version prepared by Yang Siwei:
"Recently, some online media outlets and so-called 'studios' have published false reports and malicious speculations about our company's president, Mr. Jiang Yu, and actress Ms. Liu Yifei. These reports seriously deviate from the facts, infringe upon the reputation rights of the parties involved, and disrupt the normal business cooperation environment. After verification, the scene described in the reports was a multi-person work gathering; the so-called secret meeting is purely fabricated. Our company has preserved evidence of the false information and has entrusted a law firm to initiate legal proceedings to resolutely pursue the legal responsibility of the relevant parties. Chasing Light Pictures is committed to promoting the healthy development of the industry and opposes all malicious acts that disregard the facts for the sake of sensationalism. This is a formal statement."
The statement included a screenshot of a lawyer's letter, which was addressed to the studio in question. The letter clearly listed the inaccuracies in their report and demanded that they immediately delete all false information, issue a public apology, and compensate for the losses.
This statement, like a cold, hard legal hammer, smashed into the still-whispering gossip pond.
Wow! They sent a lawyer's letter directly! Light Chaser Pictures is really tough!
"Support protecting your rights! Paparazzi should be sued for writing nonsense!"
"So it really was a work gathering, and there were other people present. The paparazzi deliberately only photographed the two of them to spread rumors!"
"That studio has really messed up. They're not just any ordinary celebrity; they're a real investor."
"Well done! Clean up the online environment!"
"From the scandal to the project announcement to the lawyer's letter... this series of moves makes me wonder if President Jiang did it on purpose? (doge)"
The studio panicked. They originally thought it was just a routine celebrity gossip shoot, with the other party being a young actor and an unknown man, and that they would just issue a statement to clarify at most. They never expected it to directly attract heavy criticism from the company's legal department.
Light Chaser Pictures is currently riding high, backed by strong financial resources. If a lawsuit were to break out, a small studio like theirs would be no match for them.
The studio manager immediately tried to contact the middleman and even indirectly sought help from Huayi, but the response was either perfunctory or silent.
Soon after, the studio deleted the false reports from its various platform accounts and posted a fearful apology statement, saying, "The source of the information was incorrect and the review was not strict. We sincerely apologize for the trouble caused to Mr. Jiang Yu and Ms. Liu Yifei."