Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1400: Opinions on the Casting of Mortal Kombat
"This script is pretty good? Do you have any comments?"

The original idea was Akira Kurosawa, the first draft and the credited screenwriter was Graham Yost, who rewrote most of the content and finalized it with Joss Whedon. The script, originally titled "Speed ​​60," was changed to "Speed" when it was finally submitted.

Afterwards, Ronald gave it to Cameron and producer Joel Silver to review and listen to their opinions. Now the film has been polished to be balanced and appropriate in all aspects.

However, the production department of 20th Century Fox still made some comments on the script. Of course, they did not make any more gestures, but came to the door with the script and asked for an interview, and their attitude was very humble.

"We have no opinions on the script as a whole. We just have some ideas about marketing because of the market response of action films in recent years..." Tom Sherak said as humble as possible.

"Okay, let me see it..." Ronald took the other party's revision suggestions and read them quickly.

The biggest suggestion was 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 number of "Die Hard" copycats, but the box office is not necessarily very good.

"Have you done any research to say that?" Ronald asked. This opinion was beyond his expectation. In his opinion, isn't this an advantage? In the past two years, when seeing action movie scripts, the first thing producers often say is, "Where is this Die Hard?"

It can be seen that this kind of drama that puts the protagonist and the villain into a closed space, then kills each other under restrictions, and finally saves a group of innocent people is loved by the audience. However, Tom Sherak raised objections, which shows that he is not a follower of the trend, but has his own analysis. As long as the analysis is based on real data, Ronald is not a stubborn person.

Sure enough, the other party brought out some audience reviews of "Die Hard"-type TV series in recent years, and many people mentioned one point, that is, the plot that takes place in a closed scene from beginning to end will cause people fatigue.

I saw that the special example included "The Matrix", and the box office data and audience reviews all showed that this method was not as good as the original "Die Hard". In fact, at the beginning of both Die Hard, the protagonist McClane was explained how he was involved in the incident. However, the story of "The Matrix" took place on the battleship from beginning to end.

Knowing the inside story of the early withdrawal of "The Dragon from Heaven", Ronald just smiled and did not take this analysis seriously. However, what he pointed out is correct to a certain extent. Movies are visual arts, and many times, scene changes can also play a role in guiding the audience's emotions.

Ronald immediately said that he would continue to have people revise the script and introduce outdoor scenes at the beginning when introducing the protagonist and the villain bomb maker. He could also consider adding an ending scene where the bad guy is captured after the climax scene of saving everyone.

I didn't expect Ronald to be so easy to talk to about this kind of thing. As the rumors say, he is a fair and listener, and it's true. Tom Sherack stayed here and flattered Ronald for more than ten minutes before leaving.

……

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 assistant announce that Graham Yost, the credited screenwriter of "Speed", wanted to meet him.

"Can't you wait a moment?" Ronald looked at Graham Yost who rushed in with an unhappy look on his face, and gestured to Paul W.S. Anderson to wait a moment unhappily.

"I protest. This is a destruction of my script. Many parts have already been changed beyond recognition by the Joss Whedon you hired. If you change it again now, I won't be able to recognize that the following scripts are written by me."

Graham Yost was very dissatisfied and rushed in to complain to Ronald at length.

"I'm fair. You have five minutes to tell me why you don't like my changes." Ronald thought this guy was really ignorant. There are many scripts in Hollywood that have no words left except the signature. What does it matter? The original idea of ​​the whole movie, the most valuable core idea, is still yours. The Writers Guild also guarantees your right to sign, and you get paid in the end. If the movie is a hit, you can make more money from it. In the future, whether you write scripts for him, open screenwriter training, or use the money to enjoy the rest of your life, there will be no problem.

"Look at this. I originally set Annie to be an African American, and she was a nurse. This broke a lot of stereotypes. African Americans were also very brave and took over the bus after the driver died. Moreover, nurses and women can drive well..."

"Yeah..." Ronald scratched his head. This Graham Yost had too many ideas. He started looking for the social significance of the film before the story itself was well portrayed.

"It's not that I don't want a black female lead, it's just that there are no suitable black male leads... er, African-American actors to play the role. There are only a few proven black male actors in the market who want to gain recognition from white audiences. Denzel Washington and Eddie Murphy have clearly refused. Wesley Snipes had good conditions, but he said he was unwilling to play a black version of John McClane..."

"Why, I thought Wesley Snipes was the best candidate for Jack. He's got muscles, but also the gentle temperament of a college professor..." Graham Yost was furious.

"You know, some black... African Americans don't want to be idols of their ethnic group. They just want to be a well-praised actor who wins the Best Supporting Actor Award in Hollywood..."

Graham Yost was really angry. He knew Ronald would not lie to him about this. Some ethnic groups were not advanced enough. You created opportunities for them, but they only considered their own interests instead of the big picture. The stars in a commercial film were the idols that the children of their ethnic group had admired since childhood. It seemed that these ethnic groups had to continue to immerse themselves in the advanced Hollywood culture for a while longer before they could truly understand the mission they shouldered.

"Five minutes are up. I'm 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 urgent. If you have other ideas, you can come to me anytime, OK?" Ronald wanted him to get lost. He came to talk to him even when there was nothing to do. Newcomers are so excited. However, what he said is worth thinking about. Jack's boss can be replaced by a black man, and the villain can be a traditional middle-aged white man.

"I'm sorry. You're the best, Ronald. You're the producer who respects screenwriters the most in Hollywood, the producer that we new screenwriters dream of... Although 92.6% of the dialogues and 91.3% of the plots in my script have been modified..."

"That's all necessary, Graham, all necessary. The most important thing is that our screenwriters are recreating the spirit of your original work. I always tell them to be consistent with the spirit of Graham's original work..."

"Ah, yes, thanks, Joss Whedon is a better writer of dialogue than I am..."

"Don't worry, it must be in line with the original intention..." Ronald opened the door and waved to Paul W.S. Anderson.

"He said 92.6 percent of the dialogue was revised?" Paul W. S. Anderson asked with a smile after closing the door.

"In fact, I changed some of it. I think 99% of it has been changed. Wes is my best dialogue expert. This is Hollywood. Screenwriting is also an industrialized process of assembly line. I don't mean to disrespect the original screenwriter. It's just that everyone wants to make the film the best..."

"I understand, I know. I wish there was a dialogue expert who could revise the dialogue in my script..."

"Ah, I'm glad you understand. He's a novice. I don't need to beat around the bush with an old hand like you. It really saves me a lot of trouble..."

Paul W. S. Anderson and Ronald chatted and walked to a recreation room downstairs, where there were several game machines. They took turns inserting coins and played the first generation of "Mortal Kombat" that was sent to them during the game.

This movie adapted from the game, like Street Fighter, is about casting. The actors selected must be acceptable to the audience at first glance, and they are the characters in the game. They can look a little different, but the temperament of the characters must be very similar.

The reason why Street Fighter is a big hit is that several key characters, including the final boss Vega, the protagonist Ryu, the only female character Chun-Li, and several supporting characters with outstanding appearance, are all very important.

The most important characters in this "Mortal Kombat" are the protagonist Liu Kang, action star Johnny Cage, female special police officer Sonya, alien princess Kitada, and two mythological characters, Thor who defends the earth, and Shang Tsung who invades the earth.

It is obvious at first glance that the character of Liu Kang is an imitation of the late action master Bruce Lee. His long hair, muscular bare torso, sharp leg skills, and the "Uncle, Uncle" cry all hint at this.

"I have a Chinese actor named Qiu Yunbo who I have worked with several times. You can ask him to give it a try." Ronald was thinking of his old friend Qiu Yunbo, the San Francisco martial arts karate actor.

"I heard that Bruce's son Brandon has returned to Hollywood. What if the son can play the role of his father?" For this movie, Paul W. S. Anderson looked at countless actor audition photos and actors who had appeared in other action movies and left a deep impression.

"It can be considered..." Ronald heard that he had returned from Hong Kong. It was obvious that he suffered a lot there and could not integrate into the circle. He wondered if he would make some progress now.

"Johnny Cage..."

"Hey, doesn't the name say it all?"

Ronald laughed. If Paul W. S. Anderson was right, then the character was most likely based on his good friend Nicolas Cage.

Johnny Cage's character is that of a movie star. He is very good at fighting in the movies, but the media thinks that it is fake or that a stuntman is acting out some of the action scenes for him. Johnny Cage is actually one of the best martial artists. Unable to bear the media's slander, he received an invitation to the World Martial Arts Conference and stopped filming the movie he was shooting to go and fight to clear his name.

In Paul W. S. Anderson's script, there is a scene where a famous director sits on a jib and begs him pitifully to stay and finish filming. Ronald found it very interesting and planned to invite a well-known director to make a cameo appearance.

Sonia is a very capable special police officer, and she is also a beautiful woman. She tracked a felon to a martial arts tournament and accidentally entered the competition. Johnny Cage fell in love with her at first sight, but Sonia was not polite to Cage, and finally she admired him during the fight.

This role needs to be played by a beautiful blonde who is good at fighting. Ronald looked at several actors that Paul W. S. Anderson had considered and found a familiar face. It was the beautiful actress chosen for the Coca-Cola advertisement, Cameron Diaz.

"Do you think she's good?" Paul W.S. Anderson noticed that Ronald's eyes were fixed on Cameron Diaz.

"I know her. She's starred in a Coca-Cola commercial before. I looked for many big directors to direct commercials for Coca-Cola at the time, and she was one of them. You have to understand their skills before making a decision. My experience is that if they have a background in martial arts or dance, it will make your filming less painful."

"Understand..." Paul W. S. Anderson readily followed suit and wrote down the requirements for the basics of dance.

"As for the role of Princess Kitada, it would be best to find an actress of Japanese or Chinese descent. The cultures of these two ethnic minorities are gradually being reflected in movies and TV series. If you find someone of Korean, Filipino or Vietnamese descent, there will actually be a big deviation. Fans of these subcultures are much more sensitive to these things than ordinary audiences."

Ronald saw the casting photos for the alien princess again, and there were several people who clearly looked Filipino and Vietnamese. Apparently Paul W. S. Anderson, like most white people, was not very sensitive to the differences between Asians.

But many of the audiences of this movie actually like comic and animation culture, and they can clearly distinguish the difference.

"Oh, okay, you know, this ability to distinguish faces is developed when we are young. I grew up in Britain, where there are not many Asians." Paul W. S. Anderson said he would pay attention.

The next most important thing is the two mythological characters.

The villain Shang Tsung was easy to choose. A Japanese actor, Hiroyuki Tagawa, was Paul W. S. Anderson's first choice. Ronald remembered him. He had filmed the B-grade action movie "Showdown in Little Tokyo" for Daydream a few years ago, and had worked with Diane in "Big Trouble in Little China" before.

In both movies, he played the kind of Japanese villain who looked evil, giving people an extremely bad impression from the very beginning.

The mythical figure Lord Rayden, who protects the earth, needs a face that looks like a fairy and a very upright temperament.

Among the several actors that Paul W. S. Anderson had his eyes on, the one he was most satisfied with was the British actor Christopher Lambert, who had previously starred in several B-level fantasy films, playing the immortal Highlander in Scottish legend.

Especially his huge forehead, which looks like it has been blessed.

"Why, is he not good?" Paul W.S. Anderson asked cautiously. The look in Ronald's eyes and expression seemed very uncomfortable, as if he had a feeling of disgust towards the actor.

"No... um... well..." Ronald couldn't explain why he felt uncomfortable when he saw this man. "I think that such a typical American actor, as a man who saves the earth, will make many American and British audiences uncomfortable, especially male audiences.

"Oh, that makes sense..." Paul W. S. Anderson also understood that the British and American cultural circles had a natural tendency to mock the country. "Then Jean-Claude Van Damme doesn't seem to be suitable either."

He had originally listed Jean-Claude Van Damme as an option, but his salary was too high, so he preferred Christopher Lambert.

"Ah, never mind, Jean-Claude Van Damme is actually Belgian..."

(End of this chapter)