Beijing, China—Guo Fan and Liu Ji had just walked out of the cinema after watching The Adventure of Jackie Chan 3. The two were still chatting about the movie.
However, their discussion wasn't really about the film itself, but about the people involved in the project.
Guo Fan said, "I actually studied on that set back then. There were lots of people from Hong Kong Island, most of them brought over by Director Tsui Hark."
"It seems Director Tsui has big ambitions. I heard he just took on a film from Universal Pictures. It's precisely because of the foundation laid by this series that he got the chance to direct a Hollywood production," Liu Ji remarked.
After Windtalkers, John Woo had returned to Hong Kong in defeat. But Tsui Hark, having directed The Adventure of Jackie Chan Parts Two and Three—both successful—had earned himself a ticket into Hollywood.
For Tsui, this was a rare opportunity. And for the Hong Kong filmmakers—especially the behind-the-scenes crews—it was also a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
Hong Kong's film industry had been venturing into Hollywood for over a decade, indeed bringing a unique Hong Kong-style flair to the West.
But now, that once-popular style was losing its appeal in Hollywood. The so-called "kung fu films" were no longer fashionable, and audiences had grown tired of flashy fight scenes.
The path Tsui Hark opened was different—his Hong Kong crew members had fully absorbed Hollywood's industrialized production methods, becoming part of its vast system of professional technicians.
Yet, such learning came with a price: once they left Hollywood, the system they had learned simply couldn't be applied elsewhere.
So Tsui Hark, wanting to stay in Hollywood, naturally wouldn't let go of this opportunity. He brought along many of his trusted crew, most of whom chose to remain with him overseas.
But like John Woo, Tsui could not afford the cost of failure.
As a Chinese director, the consequences of failing were far heavier for him than for any other Hollywood filmmaker.
Guo Fan and Liu Ji were discussing Tsui Hark's future in Hollywood, and Liu Ji sounded rather pessimistic.
"I don't think Director Tsui can really gain a foothold in Hollywood," Liu Ji said. "The success of The Adventure of Jackie Chan series was due in large part to luck. Most importantly, the producer was Director Gilbert himself. Without Gilbert, I doubt Tsui could survive in Hollywood's fiercely competitive environment."
Guo Fan asked, "You mean he'll eventually have to return to Hong Kong?"
"Return to Hong Kong?" Liu Ji scoffed. "And get buried along with Hong Kong cinema? No, I think he'll head north instead."
Liu Ji had long believed that the current Chinese film industry being dominated by Hong Kong filmmakers was not a good thing—mainly because those from Hong Kong carried a certain arrogance, looking down on mainland filmmakers.
"They couldn't even sustain their own industry back home, yet when they come north to develop, they still act superior? It's ridiculous."
"Let's drop that topic," Liu Ji said, changing the subject. "So, about our company's next project—what do you plan to make? Everyone's shooting those big-budget costume epics these days. How about you try one too?"
Guo Fan stroked his newly grown beard and thought for a moment. "Forget it. The costume epic track isn't for me. My next film—I want to make a war movie."
"A war movie? Wouldn't that require a massive investment?" Liu Ji asked.
"That's exactly the point—it needs to be big. It'll be good practice," Guo Fan said firmly.
Since he couldn't make a sci-fi movie for now, he decided to focus on something he genuinely cared about. Guo Fan still remembered what Director Gilbert had once told him—you must make films you're passionate about; only then will you have the drive to see them through.
Guo Fan found that advice absolutely right. Apart from science fiction, his greatest interest was in war stories. That's why he planned to make a war film next.
"Alright, I support you," Liu Ji said. "Let's go have a drink with Old Wang later and secure the investment."
"Sure. We men from Shandong aren't afraid of drinking—let's go convince Old Wang right now."
"Let's go!"
"Go!"
The two slung their arms over each other's shoulders and went off to find "Coal Boss" Old Wang—their investor.
Meanwhile, The Adventure of Jackie Chan 3 production team had arrived in China for promotion, receiving an enthusiastic welcome from fans. Everywhere they went, the local audiences erupted in excitement.
Because the project involved a Hong Kong production crew, the media even labeled it a "Sino-American co-production," calling it a model example.
And thanks to the stellar performance of The Adventure of Jackie Chan trilogy—which had grossed a total of $1.6 billion worldwide—many Chinese film companies began eyeing that lucrative market.
Sure enough, Huayi Brothers, known as the mainland's number-one entertainment company, approached Jackie Chan during the promotion tour to discuss a potential collaboration. They wanted to see if he could help them connect with Director Gilbert to produce a genuine Sino-American co-production.
Chairman Wang Zhongjun of Huayi was very straightforward: "We could invite Jet Li to join, and Bingbing and Shu Chang could star as well. Then we just need to cast a few foreign celebrities."
Having worked in Hollywood, Jackie Chan knew such matters were far from simple.
He tactfully declined, saying, "Mr. Wang, if you want to do this right, you'll need a strong creative foundation. Our flim project worked because Director Gilbert personally oversaw the entire story.
He has a clear understanding of how to blend Chinese culture with the core elements of a Hollywood blockbuster, maintaining overall quality control throughout the film.
Movies are about storytelling—but achieving that balance isn't easy."
Although Jackie's words were a splash of cold water, Wang Zhongjun wasn't ready to give up.
In fact, the previous year, Huayi Brothers had invested in Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle, which was co-produced by Columbia Pictures Asia and distributed internationally by them.
The film performed very well, grossing 173 million RMB in mainland China and 61 million HKD in Hong Kong, with a worldwide box office total of $105 million.
Not only that—it was even nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and won several international prizes, though none particularly significant.
If not for the Adventure of Jackie Chan series setting such a high bar before it, Kung Fu Hustle could have easily been considered the model of a successful co-production.
However, even though the Adventures of Jackie Chan series was labeled by the media as a "Sino-American co-production," in truth, not a single Chinese production company had participated—making the title somewhat hollow.
So, after seeing how immensely profitable that trilogy was, and also earning handsomely from Kung Fu Hustle, the ambitions of Huayi Brothers grew even greater.
After a discussion between the Wang brothers—Wang Zhongjun and Wang Zhonglei—they decided to send someone to Los Angeles to reach out to Melon Studio, to see whether Director Gilbert had any interest in a genuine Sino-American co-production.
But by the time that person arrived in Los Angeles, Gilbert was already in Australia.
Anna, who remained at Melon Studio, knew her boss was always drawn to fresh and innovative ideas. After carefully understanding the situation, she called Gilbert in Australia and followed up with a detailed email explaining everything.
"Huayi Brothers? They want a Sino-American co-production with me?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that usually something handled by China Film Group?"
On the phone, Anna explained, "If the cooperation goes through, China Film Group will likely be involved as well. Right now, it's just a proposal, but I think it has strong potential."
If Gilbert was willing to endorse the project, it indeed had promising commercial prospects.
Gilbert vaguely recalled a film called The Forbidden Kingdom, starring Jackie Cheng and Jet Li, along with "Fairy Sister" and a whole group of Chinese actors.
Unfortunately, the story was terrible—Chinese audiences disliked it, and foreign audiences couldn't understand it—so it failed miserably.
Gilbert also remembered how fans of "Fairy Sister" loved to hype up that movie, calling it her signature international performance.
But later, when Mulan was released, The Forbidden Kingdom's status was completely overshadowed.
.....
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