The Best Director

After the Christmas & New Year holidays, like many others, Wang Yang returned to the world of work and found he had laid out a multitude of tasks for himself. Despite being a strong and physically fit martial artist, Wang Yang was so busy he almost cramped up, wishing for a 48-hour day, or even better, 72 hours.

Putting aside his role as the chairman of Flame Film, sometimes requiring him to make corporate decisions and give orders; he now held the titles of producer, director, and screenwriter for “MIT-21-TEAM,” although several producers shared the workload, he still needed to be hands-on with most aspects of the film such as assembling a crew, selecting actors, and creating storyboards, among other tasks; he was also serving as the producer and screenwriter for “Prison Break,” “Kung Fu Panda,” and the producer for “Furious.”

As for “The Hangover 2,” set for release in the summer of 2004, he was so busy he couldn’t oversee its production, but as Flame Film wasn’t a one-man show, finding producers and screenwriters and selecting a director to take over, everything would naturally proceed smoothly. Fortunately, he didn’t need to, nor did he plan to, micromanage “Furious.” This racing film with a $60 million budget was still in the prep stage and was expected to start shooting in early February.

With Lin Yibin already signed on as director, Michael Fottrell among those producing, and Chris Morgan assigned to wield the script, the film would not focus on underground racing, but rather on crime and heists as its core theme. Morgan, who in the future would be the screenwriter of “Fast & Furious” 3, 4, and 5, and had a close partnership with Lin Yibin, was currently just an unknown newcomer without fame or experience.

But Wang Yang had long been prepared to be patient; his role as a producer was also to help them avoid serious mistakes; but he believed given time, “Furious” and people like Lin Yibin could grow into classics of racing films.

Lin Yibin’s “Better Luck Tomorrow” began its limited release in October last year, peaking at 450 theaters and ended its run with $5.6 million in box office revenue, earning back its budget and then some. Two other highly anticipated projects from Flame Film were starting up: “Saw” had been shot in a month and was now complete with editing, ready for the upcoming Sundance Film Festival on the 18th; “Step Up” was about to start shooting, aimed for an October release.

While these projects were related to Wang Yang, he wasn’t required to manage them personally. As for “Kung Fu Panda,” which he was producing, it didn’t demand much of his time as the animated film was still in the lengthy preparation phase; his main focus was on “MIT-21-TEAM” and “Prison Break,” enough to keep him extremely busy. This workaholic attitude even led gossip media like “Daily Entertainment” to say, “The older the Magic Yang gets, the more energetic he becomes.”

Wang Yang actually agreed with this sentiment, as it was inevitable. In the prime of life, his body was furiously secreting hormones, the beard was growing, and so was his stamina. Yet, he thought 2003 would be another incredibly busy year, at least the first half for sure, without even time for vacations, though he was passionate about his work and it wasn’t irritating. But as the days flew by, he sometimes wondered if he should slow down and pay more attention to the people and life around him?

Regardless, he was now on a train that kept moving forward, with quite a distance before the next station.

“Mr. Slayton, actually, ‘MIT-21-TEAM’ will not have any negative impact on you guys, you know not everyone can play card counting, it’s not like you watch a movie and then become Jeff Ma,” said Wang Yang as he paced the cozy living room still decked out with Christmas and Lunar New Year decorations, holding the telephone receiver and jokingly speaking to Gary Slayton on the other end: “Although I’m reluctant to admit it, this is actually more like advertising for Caesar’s Palace and the whole Las Vegas. After the movie, there will definitely be some people interested in trying their hand at card counting in the casinos.”

“Hmm…” Slayton’s voice carried over the receiver, contemplative, he said: “I know. To be honest, we just don’t like Jeff Ma and card counting, because in this story,” he laughed mockingly, “we are the fools.”

Since last year when word got out that Magic Yang intended to bring Jeff Ma’s story to the big screen, the Las Vegas casino alliance braced itself for impact. Then they saw “The Hangover” featured a card counting scene, which was not an issue since it didn’t reveal any specific methods, and having a fat guy master blackjack like that was as unrealistic as “Rain Man,” offering no practical feasibility. But Magic Yang was relentless, partnering with Jeff Ma to tell how that group won ten million back in the day?

The talk was to “create the most professional and coolest card counting movie,” Magic Yang also told the press with a laugh that “everyone will see how they played the casinos and learn about real card counting, the kind that can be executed at the tables.”

This naturally helped the promotion of “MIT-21-TEAM” tremendously, firing up the audience before they even saw the film; however, it also angered the Las Vegas casinos to the point of humiliation. All the major casinos were unwilling to provide filming locations and made it clear: “We welcome nothing related to card counting.” Even Caesar’s Palace, which provided the location for “The Hangover,” shook their head.

The casinos were concerned about their reputation and feared that if Wang Yang made “real card counting” public knowledge, it would lead to hordes of card-counting gamblers forming teams and truly taking over their establishments! Clearly, Wang Yang’s film had a greater impact than Ben Mezrich’s “Bringing Down the House.” Who’s to say “MIT-21-TEAM” wouldn’t spawn a card-counting craze?

Not only the casinos refused to provide a location for the movie, but the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was even more resolute than the casinos, not allowing the crew to set foot on campus! They certainly did not want to foster this “family misfortune.”

According to some information in his mind, Wang Yang knew that the future film “Winning 21” encountered the same situation. In the end, their crew couldn’t solve the problem and had to shoot in some small casinos and Boston University instead. But he didn’t want to do that—the sense of authenticity from shooting in big casinos and on MIT’s actual campus is completely different from “fake scenes.”

It wasn’t the gambling tables inside the big casinos that were needed, but their distinctive features. For example, the Caesar statue in front of the main entrance of Caesar’s Palace—when that appears on screen, audiences will know it’s Caesar’s Palace. That’s when it feels like Las Vegas; that’s when Jeff Ma and others win big, giving the sensation of “conquering Las Vegas.”

Without these distinctive scenes, if it’s just an unknown small casino, the gambling table might be the same, but where’s the atmosphere? It would not embody the essence of Las Vegas at all. You could use any city’s name, but who cares about any other cr*p city?

This is also a reason why “Winning 21” seemed awkward, and additionally, the 21 team always went to the same casino, which was a very foolish setup.

In fact, back then, Jeff Ma and others continuously changed casinos, big and small, in both Atlantic City and Las Vegas, which is why they were so mysterious. The novel and the film, in order to highlight the theme, chose to set them in Las Vegas, which meant the ambiance of the gambling city had to be there—the more distinctive features of big casinos like Caesar’s Palace, Flamingo, Four Queens, Horseshoe, the better, in the camera’s lens!

In the end, not a single one agreed, so Wang Yang decided to find a breakthrough at Caesar’s Palace. First, because “The Hangover” was filmed there and there was a prior cooperation; secondly, Daniel Wu’s girlfriend Lisa Slayton was the daughter of Gary Slayton, the CEO of Caesar’s Palace. Furthermore, Gary Slayton, being of mixed Chinese and French descent, was amongst the bunch of casino tycoons, he was probably the most fond of Jeff Ma.

“Marvelous Yang, I love your movies. I laughed so hard at ‘The Hangover’ that my stomach hurt, haha! In fact, it brought us a lot of customers at Caesar’s Palace—our performance has grown a lot this new year’s holiday,” laughed Gary Slayton on the other end, then he added: “Personally, I have no prejudice against Jeff and their team, but you know, Las Vegas is a collective. How would Caesar’s Palace explain to everyone else if we agreed to let you film?”

“This is definitely a great advertisement,” Wang Yang said, sitting down on the sofa with a confident smile. “Mr. Slayton, I was hoping Caesar’s Palace could help persuade the other casinos. What happened with Jeff and the 21 team is already in the past; it’s an unchangeable fact. I’m not saying ‘MIT-21-TEAM’ will definitely have a box office of three or four hundred million, but it’s also a fact that countless people will learn about these events.”

He picked up a glass of water from the coffee table, took a sip, and continued: “This can’t be kept secret. But what’s the problem? Everyone knows the principles of card counting, the techniques, the operation of card counting teams… even if all these are made known to the audience, it won’t have any impact. Now you’re all using eight-deck automatic shufflers, even Jeff and his team can’t figure it out.”

“Plus, knowing the principle doesn’t mean you can do it. How many Jeff Mas have there been over the years? One. How many Stanford Wongs? Edward Thorps? Perhaps after the movie comes out, people might temporarily quit playing slot machines and try blackjack, but with increased traffic, profits are bound to rise. We’re planning to set the main story in Caesar’s Palace, which will make the audience like you even more; you’ll benefit the most! Mr. Slayton, Las Vegas is a collective, but also made up of many individuals.”

Wang Yang said with a laugh, Las Vegas isn’t any kind of utopia, it’s Sin City!

He finally said, “I know the topic of card counting is sensitive and it makes you look like fools, but try to see it from a different angle. We’re open, graceful, willing to acknowledge facts, funny… what a great image! As long as Caesar’s Palace gives the nod and takes the lead with a gesture of ‘I respect history,’ others will be like, ‘Oh, we should offer it too, can’t be left behind.’ Okay, why should Caesar’s Palace do what others do?”

“Hmm… sounds good, Magic Yang, you’re kind of persuading me now,” Gary Slayton said thoughtfully and Wang Yang joked, “A producer’s job is all about talking.” Gary Slayton chuckled, “Yang, how about this? Let’s discuss it a bit more, and then we’ll give you an answer.”

“All right, bye!” After ending the call, Wang Yang put down the receiver and got up to walk to the study. He felt that Caesar’s Palace would ultimately agree because business is always business and those businessmen wouldn’t give up clear benefits over a bit of “face,” and who knows, maybe it would even bring a good reputation? And now, unlike “Winning 21,” he had even greater influence.

Interests could persuade those casinos, just keep them happy, and then he could mock them to his heart’s content. But what could he use to convince the Massachusetts Institute of Technology? Wang Yang frowned while thinking. Interests? What interests? MIT, being a top-notch university, hardly lacked allure or applicants, they were almost at the point of saying “you can’t have MIT in your movie’s name,” so how could he make them change their mind?

However, right now, his issue with “MIT-21-TEAM” wasn’t just filming locations; there was some remaining crew work to be done. The cast was mostly decided, but one role remained unsolved—he needed a Chinese-American actress!

“How about Zhang Ziyi?” Hearing the recommendation from Mark Slant, Wang Yang shrugged in his swivel chair and said into the phone, “She doesn’t speak English. I don’t want to use dubbing, nor do I want the actors on set unable to communicate with each other, so next, please.”

Mark Slant again said doubtfully, “How about Bai Ling?” Wang Yang burst out laughing, Googled Bai Ling, and laughed, “Why don’t you check her age? 37! I’m looking for young people, so don’t bring up Lucy Liu, Michelle Yeoh, and others… Oh please!”

“My boss, I haven’t been an agent for a long time! Don’t ask me these things!” Mark Slant’s voice was full of helplessness; as soon as he called, he got caught up answering these questions. He said, “I called to talk to you about the Golden Globe Awards.”

“What about it?” Wang Yang leaned back in his chair, hand on his forehead. Why was finding a female supporting role so difficult? Mark Slant on the other end happily said, “You might have a chance to win Best Director. A bit of buzz suggests that the judges intend to make a sensational decision, you know, 22 years old, science fiction…” Wang Yang laughed offhandedly, “You’re kidding, right?”

Before the nominations for last year’s Golden Globe Awards were announced, to drum up support for “District 9,” he, along with Robert Downey Jr. and other key creators, attended a press meet-and-greet organized by the PR department, fully targeting any award. At that time, he hadn’t sensed anyone wanting to hand him the trophy. After the nominations were announced, meet-and-greets were prohibited, and Ernst & Young had already received the final ballots from the judges a few days earlier.

You could say that the results for all the awards have already been decided, but they are under strict confidentiality.

“I’m not so sure,” said Mark Slant, who naturally didn’t know anything certain since the ballots were in, which allowed the PR department to hear some rumors; but even the judges themselves didn’t know the final outcomes, so there was nothing definite. Mark Slant laughed and continued, “Among the six nominees, if anyone didn’t choose Martin Scorsese, it’s very likely you.”

He added, “They all have a consensus now, they’ll give Peter Jackson and ‘The Lord of the Rings 3’ those awards later; Alexander Payne lacks buzz; of course, Stephen Daldry and Rob Marshall have good chances too, but giving them the award wouldn’t be as good as giving it to Martin Scorsese.” He snickered and said, “Yang, it’s now a matter of whether they pick the oldest or the youngest.”

“You should check out my betting odds,” said Wang Yang, not excited by these rumors. He kept his cool, thinking it would be a pleasant surprise if he won, but no disappointment if he didn’t. Besides, he was quite happy just to be nominated.

He reached out for the mouse, and Wang Yang laughed, “If you called just to talk about this stuff, then I’m signing off. Anyway, we’ll know the results in a few days. What’s there to guess? Bye!” Putting down the phone, he turned back to his computer screen and continued scrutinizing the script for “MIT-21-TEAM.”

Meanwhile, another major project, “Prison Break,” had already started filming. Currently, they were producing some outdoor scenes before moving on to the major sets like the prison and its interior scenes. He had to visit the set tomorrow to check on the filming progress. Thinking about all this, he muttered softly to himself, “Busy, busy, busy!”

Click-clack-click-clack—After an indefinite period, a soft and alluring voice suddenly sounded at the door of the study, “Yang, how do you like this outfit?” Wang Yang looked up to see Jessica in a pink, silky-looking satin slip dress, her long seductive legs crossed over one another. She blinked and asked, “What do you think?” Wang Yang gaped in awe and said, “Wow, Victoria’s Secret—cool!”

“Should I take that to mean, you know…?” He bit his fingertip and chuckled, “You want to play around?” Jessica stretched languidly, flaunting her curvaceous body, blew him a kiss, and coyly said, “I don’t know, I just know it’s late now, goodnight!” With that, she turned on her heels and sashayed away.

Wang Yang stared at the screen with a grave expression, took a deep breath, and punched his mouth, “What to do?! SHIT! No, FUCK!” He quickly clicked on standby and sprang to his feet, calling out with a laugh, “I’m coming!”

“How did it turn into Big Mouth Monkey! My Victoria…hey! You lured me up here and now you’re not following through, what gives?!” … “It’s late, go to sleep!” … “No, that’s too cruel! I like Big Mouth Monkey too!” … “Aha, get lost!”

Time passed day by day amidst the hustle, and as the date of the 60th Golden Globe Awards ceremony on January 19th drew near, movie tickets were also being sold every day.

In the last week of the Christmas season, from December 27th to January 2nd, the weekly box office rankings did not change from the weekend standings. “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” continued to reign with $84.83 million; “The Hangover” collected $62.18 million in a week; “Catch Me If You Can” garnered $57.7 million, while “Mr. Hughes,” ranked fourth, achieved an excellent $30.15 million, providing relief to both Flame Film and the Nolans.

In the first week of 2003, from January 3rd to January 9th, “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” retained the top spot for a third consecutive week, raking in another $32.65 million; “The Hangover” with $30.61 million held onto second place. After four weeks in cinemas, its North American cumulative box office reached $238 million.

The $238 million figure officially made “The Hangover” the top-grossing R-rated comedy in North American history, surpassing the $234 million of “Beverly Hills Cop,” and becoming the second highest-grossing R-rated film behind “District 9” with $325 million; it also triumphantly surpassed “Ocean’s Eleven” with $183 million, becoming the top-grossing Las Vegas-themed movie.

After the week of January 10th to 16th ended, “The Hangover” expanded its record to $265 million, and joining the North American $300 million club was just a matter of time. Adding this $265 million to his tally, Wang Yang’s North American total box office also surpassed Ron Howard’s $13.001 billion and George Lucas’s $13.203 billion, climbing to $13.69 billion and reaching fourth place in history. Speaking solely of box office success, only Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, and Chris Columbus were ahead of him at this time.

“‘The Hangover’ is the most successful comedy film of 2002, and the lovely chap, Magic Yang, has won the hearts of the entire world.” —TIME magazine; “Perhaps a year from now, we’ll find on the directors’ North American box office list, Stephen Spielberg, followed by Magic Yang, this mad young director as scary as ‘Paranormal Activity.\'” —The Hollywood Reporter…

As the hourglass on the desk kept turning over and over, January 19th was just around the corner.