Chapter 1996 1998【Escape from Clone Island】


    In March, preparations for the filming of "Rescue" began.


    The investment in this film is only US$60 million, which is Xiang Nan’s smallest investment in recent years.


    ?On the one hand, this movie does not require much money, and on the other hand, the box office of pure action movies has dropped in recent years, forcing the producers to reduce investment.


    March is also the day when the Oscars are held.


    This year’s Oscars are won by “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”


    ?It has been shortlisted for a total of eleven awards and is very competitive in awards such as Best Film, Best Director, and Best Visual Effects.


    ??Xiannand specially invited January Jones to walk the red carpet with her. The White Queen played by January Jones in "X-Men: First Class" is truly stunning.


    In fact, after she debuted as a model in 1996, she immediately attracted the attention of the industry. Because she looks very much like Grace Kelly, the blond beauty who was a hit in Hollywood in the 1950s.


    Grace is a legend in Hollywood. She has fascinated so many fans, and the industry has always wanted to reshape this legend. Therefore, January Jones has been very popular in the industry since his debut. She has appeared in many film and television dramas. Although the box office and reputation are average, she still continues to receive film offers.


    ? Xiang Nan is also preparing to arrange for her to replace Naomi Watts in "King Kong".


    On the one hand, Naomi Watts has become famous through "Mulholland Drive" and "The Bourne Supremacy". After that, she took over Lionsgate''s "The American Version of The Ring", and now her salary is close to 500 yuan. million dollars. And January Jones is not yet famous, and his salary is only half a million US dollars, which is ten times cheaper.


    As for the movie "King Kong", the most important character is the gorilla, and everyone else is just its foil, so changing the heroine will not be a big problem.


    What''s more, January Jones and Naomi Watts are both blond beauties. Their appearance should be said to be comparable, so they were replaced.


    On the one hand, Xiang Nan and Naomi Watts have already collaborated on "The Bourne Supremacy". Although Naomi Watts is beautiful and smooth, she is already thirty-six years old after all. Although it is properly maintained, it still looks pink and young, but the details cannot be hidden from others.


    ? There are wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, her skin is no longer elastic, and her muscles are no longer firm. In comparison, of course young girls are more attractive.


    …


    January Jones is also very interested in participating in Xiang Nan''s new film. After all, she debuted in 1996 and it has been eight years now and she has not yet become popular.


    It is almost time to turn thirty, and once you pass thirty, the stardom of an actress gradually declines. This rule is difficult to avoid even for Michelle Pfeiffer, Sophie Marceau, and Monica Bellucci.


    ?So after accepting the invitation, she immediately agreed.


    …


    After walking through the red carpet and accepting the interview, Xiang Nan and the two entered the awards hall.


    After sitting down, the two waited for the award ceremony to be held.


    “Charles, I have a good project, can you listen to me?” Spielberg came over and said.


    "Okay, tell me." Xiang Nan nodded.


    ?January looked on, shocked. Spielberg is one of the most outstanding directors in Hollywood and one of the three giants of DreamWorks. Such a big shot, in front of a little actor like her, is as divine as a **** and cannot be looked at directly.


    ?But I didn’t expect that such a heavyweight director would have such a low profile in front of Xiang Nan, even a little humble, which shocked January.


    Spielberg then recounted the outline of the story.


    ?His new project is about a group of people living underground in a post-apocalyptic utopia-like community. They study and work conscientiously in order to be selected to live on the mysterious island in the future. It is said that it is the only surviving paradise on earth.


    But I didn’t expect that all this was actually a conspiracy. This is not the end of the world, there is no Mystery Island at all. They are all clones, providing organ transplants to wealthy people.


    So, the hero and heroine find ways to escape from the community and go to the surface to find the truth...


    The more Xiang Nanyue listened, the more he felt that this movie was the "Escape from Clone Island" that tricked people into killing people without paying for their lives.


    This "Escape from Clone Island", with an investment of US$125 million, invited Ewan McGregor, who became famous with the "Star Wars" series, and "Lost in Translation", "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and Scarlett Johansson, who became famous in "The Horse Whispers", stars.


    The director is Michael Bay, who is famous for his films such as "Bad Boys", "The Island", "Pearl Harbor", and "The End of the World".


    No matter how you look at this lineup, it looks like a hit. In fact, DreamWorks also believes that this movie can take at least one billion US dollars at the box office.


    ??The shocking result is that the film only took in 30 million U.S. dollars at the box office in the United States, but the global box office barely exceeded 100 million U.S. dollars, causing DreamWorks to lose 100 million U.S. dollars.


    As a result, DreamWorks'' stock price plummeted, greatly disappointing shareholders, and it was eventually forced to sell to Paramount. "Escape from Clone Island" was also listed among the most profitable movies in Hollywood.


    ??Starring Scarlett Johansson, Ewan McGregor and director Michael Bay were also greatly affected, and it took them several years to recover.


    …


    The reason why "Escape from Clone Island" failed miserably at the box office is mainly because the concept of human cloning has long been confused.


    ?In 1932, British writer Aldous Huxley imagined a future city staffed by clones in his novel Brave New World.


    With the discovery of genetic genes, cloning became more and more popular in science fiction works. A large number of works have introduced the concept of human cloning, and film and television dramas are no exception.


    Such as "Blade Runner" starring Harrison Ford in the 1980s, "The Sixth Day" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2000s, "The Stranger" starring Ethan Hawke, George Lou "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones" directed by Cass... It can be said that there are countless similar movies, TV series, and novels.


    Since "Escape from Clone Island" is a commercial blockbuster and a high-concept film, it cannot use such a clichéd story. After all, high-concept movies require originality. If they are all cliche stories, why should the audience spend money to go to the theater.


    ?Furthermore, the foreshadowing at the beginning of the movie is too cumbersome, and the chase and explosion scenes at the end are too routine. Michael Bay has made many commercial blockbusters before, and the endings of the films without exception are all about explosions and car chases, so he is called "Explosion Bay".


    ??Although the explosion scenes he shot are indeed exciting and sensational, he always resorts to this trick and the audience is not willing to buy it.


    Hence this movie, most of it was lost in the subject matter, and the other half was lost in the director’s choice.


    Xiang Nan naturally refused to invest in this loss-making film.


    (End of this chapter)