The Best Director-Chapter 467 - - Clash of Titans!

Chapter 467 -467: Clash of Titans!

On IMDb’s website, the battle for the TOP-250 list is a slow and steady fight. After more than half a year, the newly crowned Oscar-winner “Firefly” still reigns supreme with a score of 9.3, while “The Godfather” and “The Shawshank Redemption” are both at 9.1. Due to the buzz surrounding “Firefly,” 216 North American Cinemas are preparing to re-release it on the big screen on March 10th, aiming to capture both those who missed it and repeat viewers. Based on past performance, it’s expected to take in over one million US Dollars in box office revenue.

With ten directed films, nine Oscar nominations, five Oscar statuettes, and two Best Director wins under his belt, at just 26 years and one month old, Wang Yang had reached a height that was unprecedented and unlikely to be surpassed by any successors.

Paramount and the crew of “The Magic Director” had every reason to be overjoyed, as this year, the popularity and reputation of the magical series had soared to new heights! Go out on the street and ask any young person regardless of their skin color or ethnicity, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t recognize Magic Yang. The timing for the release of this film was just perfect. For the biggest problem of casting “Magic Yang,” the crew had already auditioned several promising young Chinese actors, and Scott Rudin couldn’t hide his excitement, stating “everything is going unexpectedly smoothly,” and that the film was expected to premiere by the end of this year.

However, it seems that some unforeseen issues had arisen—the American version of “Infernal Affairs” was set to release by the end of this year…

“The Magic Director” naturally attracted the attention and anticipation of movie fans, but Wang Yang’s third sci-fi film “I Am Legend,” and the concurrently filmed American version of “Infernal Affairs,” garnered even more interest and expectation, especially after he made a bold statement! The latter was aiming for next year’s 79th Oscars—Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Leading Role…

“Success had inevitably gone to his head,” “The legend began in 2006, will it end in 2007?” Magic Yang’s lofty aspirations couldn’t escape being ridiculed and even mocked by those media outlets always inclined to criticise him. Critics found a breakthrough, exclaiming “Fool!” It took three years to go from “District 9” to “Firefly,” and now that he had won two big awards, the guy was clearly dizzy with joy! Advance to the Oscars for a second year in a row with the American version of “Infernal Affairs”? Well, not many people have seen the Hong Kong version of “Infernal Affairs,” but basically, it’s a cop-and-crook story with mutual undercover elements.

But they knew one crucial thing: forget about winning back-to-back Director awards; even getting nominated again was highly unlikely!

There have been only two occurrences of back-to-back wins in history: John Ford in 1941, winning for the 13th “Grapes of Wrath” & 1942’s 14th “How Green Was My Valley,” and Joseph L. Mankiewicz in 1950 at the 22nd Oscars for “A Letter to Three Wives” & 1951’s 23rd for “Comet Beauty,” but those were tales of a bygone century when there were just a few major production companies. Now? The times have long changed. At 26 years old, holding two awards had cut off that last bit of hope because people vote for the awards, not automatic scoring machines. No matter how well the film is made, if people don’t vote, it’s all in vain; there hasn’t been a new back-to-back winner in 55 years for a reason.

Of course, there was theoretically still a chance, and fans of Yang believed just that. After all, since people are the ones voting, sci-fi films had never won Best Picture or Best Director before, right? Magic Yang specialized in creating legends and miracles! He had already accomplished so many incredible feats; what was one more?

Let’s talk about the possibility of back-to-back nominations; only four times have they occurred since the 1980s: Stephen Spielberg (1982 “Raiders of the Lost Ark” & 1983 “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”), Robert Altman (1993 “The Player” & 1994 “Short Cuts”), Ridley Scott (2001 “Gladiator” & 2002 “Black Hawk Down”), Clint Eastwood (2004 “Mystic River” & 2005 “Million Dollar Baby”).

On average, it happened once every 6.5 years, which Yang’s fans thought was no problem at all and were almost disdainful of; the difficulty was too low! Was this an insult to Magic Yang? If they were going to make a splash, they should aim for three consecutive nominations starting next year! With the American version of “Infernal Affairs” and “I Am Legend” lined up, they trusted that Magic Yang would say after next year’s Oscars: “I’ll be back again next year!”

Yang’s critics felt they could mock him, thinking consecutive nominations are rare, Spielberg for his phenomenal run of movies, Altman for his art films, Scott is an old timer, Eastwood for his art films, and Wang Yang had never made a gangster crime movie. His art films were always sunny and positive but never Oscar-nominated. No one knows how well his serious and dark American version of “Infernal Affairs” will turn out, and it was unlikely for Wang Yang to get back-to-back nominations, especially since he was “filming simultaneously,” which meant the difficulty had doubled…

There are peaks, downhill roads, and valleys; they didn’t believe this guy could keep up forever! They would witness his awkwardness by the end of the year when “The Great Director” also premieres – what a wonderful irony. Thinking about these happy things, Yang’s detractors were beside themselves with joy.

“Damn!” Scott Rudin was already getting a headache, David Fincher felt quite down. Isn’t this a tactical move by Wang Yang to target “The Illusionist”? They knew he wouldn’t sit idly! The American version of “Infernal Affairs” had yet to finalize a title, but it was already set for global release on December 22.

It’s worth mentioning that the drama “Blood Diamond” (Warner Brothers), produced by Graham King, directed by Martin Scorsese, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is being filmed in South Africa. This film marks yet another collaboration between the three since “Gangs of New York,” and it is considered one of the highlights for the 06-07 awards season.

This wasn’t just an announcement; Fireflame Films recently released a schedule for an array of upcoming films, causing a media frenzy, fan anticipation, and anxiety among film distributors!

“The Illusionist,” acquired for a high price at Sundance, is set for September 15, sharing the schedule with Dwayne Johnson’s “Reinflating the Ball” (Columbia), Scarlett Johansson’s “Black Dahlia” (Universal), etc.; “Saw IV” naturally continues the Halloween slot on October 27, with currently no competition, as other major releases are either advancing or delaying; “Little Miss Sunshine” begins its limited run on November 10; “The Prestige” is set for December 1, alongside New Line’s much-anticipated “The Nativity Story.”

However, more eye-catching than these, are Fireflame Films’ many blockbuster plans for next year.

“The Green Hornet” is scheduled for release on March 16, and that slot includes the second week of “300” (Warner), followed the next week by “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Shooter,” etc. If “The Green Hornet” is passable, taking the top spot in its opening week wouldn’t be a problem; the more anticipated “Iron Man” is set for June 1, right in the bustling summer slot. Its biggest competitors will be “Pirates of the Caribbean 3” the following week and “Ocean’s Thirteen” the week after; “The Assassin’s Creed 2” is set for the summer’s end on July 27, with a $75 million budgeted animated comedy “The Simpsons” in the same week, followed by the $110 million “The Bourne Ultimatum” and the $140 million “Peak Time 3” – all strong contenders.

But it seems that these are still secondary; Firefly’s sci-fi new work is what grabs the most attention. “I Am Legend” has been scheduled for July 6, 2007, with a global release!

Although everyone knew that “I Am Legend” would be vying for a summer month like May, June, or July, when the news confirmed July, the formerly clear skies suddenly clouded over, and the storm was about to hit. Some were rejoicing, others were worried. After “Firefly’s” four-week super bombardment, it was clear that if you wanted your new release to take the top spot in its opening week, you absolutely had to steer clear of Wang Yang’s big production, especially with the “box office bomb” Will Smith!

Magic Yang + Smith + sci-fi blockbuster + a good film = nuclear bomb! Those not in the radiation zone couldn’t help but celebrate, while those within the zone had their stomachs tied in knots.

The action-packed “Live Free or Die Hard” (Fox), budgeted at $110 million, premiered on June 27, and the $150 million animated film “Ratatouille” (Disney/Buena Vista) hit the screens on June 29. However, the situation wasn’t the worst. After all, it was the previous week (June 29 to July 5), and no matter how impressive “I Am Legend” was, it couldn’t clinch the championship for that week. The $150 million “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” scheduled for July 11 seemed to be out of harm’s way, especially since the WB executives, knowing the style of “I Am Legend,” were not at all panicked.

Setting aside Harry’s immense popularity, there was no chance of it trying its luck during July 6-12 now that Wang Yang had joined the fray. By pushing back to a Friday release, it ensured enough firepower to take the weekend as well as the weekly crown for July 13-19. After all, could “I Am Legend” really stir up trouble on its second weekend?

Thus, the most troubled film was the sci-fi mega-project “Transformers” (Paramount & DreamWorks), which was slated for filming in May and set to release on July 3rd the following year. Initially, the 27th week of 2007 only had this one blockbuster, and even though director Michael Bay had profoundly botched “Escape from Clone Island,” relying on the formidable popularity of “Transformers” toys and animated series, all it needed was to feed the audience a satiating meal of special effects, explosions, grand scenes, and sexy vases to easily snatch the weekly crown. “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” would not find it easy to pick up any scraps, rather it might benefit from the 26th week.

Now, with “I Am Legend” boldly staking a claim on the 27th week, the tactical landscape shifted dramatically! If “Ratatouille” and “Live Free or Die Hard” hadn’t been so weak and “I Am Legend” hadn’t faced a Waterloo, then “Transformers” would end up pleasing nobody over two weeks and likely end up without a championship to its name.

So either it retreats to a July 6th premiere, clashing fiercely with “I Am Legend” for the 27th week’s championship, or it continues to hit screens on July 3rd, chancing its luck—two choices! Paramount had to make a decision.

The media and fans always focus on the champion while no one cares about the runner-up. Missing out on the championship title could significantly impact subsequent box office performance, which is the last thing Paramount wants to see. Furthermore, “Transformers” had a production budget of a whopping $150 million. The popularity of these robots was incredible, and ever since the project officially launched, it had garnered an extraordinary level of anticipation and attention from fans worldwide. Paramount & DreamWorks’ executives knew it was going to be a hit—a huge hit! They had even discussed future plans for “Transformers 2” and “Transformers 3” multiple times.

Wang Yang was not to be trifled with; neither were Transformers like Optimus Prime, Megatron, or Bumblebee! Whose fists were harder, his or those of the massive steel giants?

“So what about Wang Yang? We won’t necessarily lose,” stated producer Don Murphy and director Michael Bay with confidence, while boss and executive producer Spielberg was inclined to fight again, feeling quite choked by last year’s defeat with “War of the Worlds.” There was still a lot of time to consider, but Paramount was almost set on a showdown! Without retreating, they were sure to lose the 27th week; but a fight back wasn’t a guaranteed win either, unless “Transformers” managed to KO Wang Yang!!! That would simply…

Starting with “The Pursuit of Happyness,” the seven films he directed all managed to take home the box office championship in their opening week! To be abruptly knocked down in the lively summer? Naturally, any film that ended his streak would become even more legendary!

To put it another way, a box office battle was attractive enough, and losing would still generate a lot of news coverage, certainly better than dying a quiet death. Moreover, a “boring” project like “I Am Legend” with just one or two actors and hardly any blockbuster fluff—if not for the magic of Wang Yang and Smith, it was destined to die with each release. Paramount really had no reason to back down.

Since “Transformers” had secured the release date first, claiming the territory, by the rules of the game, “I Am Legend”‘s move seemed somewhat provocative. However, when the media asked about it, Fiona Hasen, spokeswoman for Flame Movies, emphasized very calmly, “The summer schedule is always so tight. From May to August next year, almost every week there’s a new film with a budget over a hundred million. Flame is simply keeping its own pace and is not picking opponents.”

In fact, everyone inside Flame Films didn’t know that Wang Yang had indeed made a choice, and he had decided to go head-to-head with “Transformers”!

If post-production goes smoothly, “I Am Legend” could be released in June, and after a two-week gap from “Iron Man,” even the 24th week’s “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” (with a first-week gross of $77.45 million and a budget of $130 million), the 25th week’s “Evan Almighty” (first-week $45.53 million, $175 million budget), and even “Transformers” in its 26th week (with $84.90 million), “Ratatouille” ($80.51 million), and “Live Free or Die Hard” ($51.66 million) would all be no match for “I Am Legend,” which in its 50th week (December 14-20) grossed $103 million in its opening week during the Christmas season. Yet he had inexplicably chosen the 27th week, when “Transformers” had just retained the championship with $102 million.

In 10 days, $186 million, and $156.5 million in the first 7 days! The combat power of “Transformers” is very strong. If its premiere was on a Friday, focusing its firepower on the opening week, the first 7 days’ box office might even break $160 million, of course, that’s provided there is no “I Am Legend” as its challenger.

Who would win the opening week championship? Wang Yang didn’t know, and that was exactly what he wanted—to not know. Robert Zemeckis was absolutely right when he said that when passion begins to wane, one has to find more fun and excitement for oneself, because that’s when you can work with the greatest passion! A formidable opponent is precisely the kind of fun he’s looking for, a non-typical commercial film VS the most typical summer blockbuster, solitude VS bustle, a dog VS Bumblebee, no woman VS Megan Fox, he’s directing a truly great show.

“Hahahaha!” A burst of laughter echoed in the conference room. Under the slightly puzzled gaze of Mark Strong, Chris Ball, Simon Willis, and others, Wang Yang sitting at the head of the table shrugged with a laugh. With a “snap,” he closed the release schedule in his hands and said with a smile, “Do we still need to be afraid of anyone now? Please! I think Flame just has to maintain its own pace. There will always be competitors. Let it be July 6, 2007!”

And so, the North American release date of “I Am Legend” was set in stone, unbeknownst to everyone at Paramount, who had been troubled by this playful move to this very day.

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Even though neither film had started shooting, and whether they could be produced and released on schedule was unknown, cinema fans and aficionados were already discussing this potential box office showdown on forums and communities like IMDb.

Nobody cared about Michael Bay, Paramount bringing him on as a director meant “Transformers” was bound to be a pure popcorn commercial blockbuster. Forget about depth of content, the story and details could at any time be foolish. It made no difference whether you got Stephen Sommers, Bryan Singer, Joe Carnahan, or anyone else to direct; it could be better or worse. In any case, sometimes fans enjoy the mindless fun of an adrenaline-pumped “stupid pleasure,” especially when it’s Transformers!

That’s the key, Magical Yang VS Transformers! Debbie C commented, “MY will win! I’ll watch ‘IAL’ at the first opportunity, instead of a bunch of explosions.” Joey L said, “Sorry Magical Yang, but I’ll watch ‘Transformers’ before ‘I Am Legend’, I’ve been looking forward to the live-action film for too long.” Aaron F also said, “The Autobots have been with me as I grew up, I’m a big fan, so I’ll see it first, ‘I Am Legend’ can wait till the next week.”

Jason G said, “I think ‘Transformers’ will have a stupid story, good CGI effects, and action scenes, entertaining the first time and boring the second. But you still have to see it for the first time.” Haf T said, “Of course Magical Yang, watching his films is an enjoyment!” Alicia said, “Wang Yang = great movies, Michael Bay = so loud you can’t get a good sleep in the theater.” Brandon S also supported Wang Yang, “Who’s coming? Oh, Optimus Prime, shall we go watch ‘I Am Legend’ together?”…

Whether “Transformers” is released on the 3rd or the 6th, there will be a fierce head-to-head battle in the 27th week of 2007. (