Super Zoo

Wuge's full-blown ambition was completely extinguished by just a few words from Suming, so much so that he wasn't even interested in hearing what the actual story was. The story itself really didn't matter; as long as it was a horror film, both the content and the ending of the movie were destined to be the same: a bad end.

A bad end it would be, but since Suming was funding it, Wuge wasn't planning to make much from it anyway, and losses wouldn't fall on his head.

In the end, Wuge still helped Suming establish the initial team, and at first glance, the lineup was actually not bad.

The producer, Taoyuan Entertainment Company. The producer, Wuge himself. Both of these had significant recognition domestically.

The executive producer, Zhang Jiahui... This actor-turned-director, whose talents blossomed later in life, was definitely an actor of substance. Many in Xiangjiang's film industry have a sense of nostalgia and emotional connection to their work, and Zhang Jiahui was one of them. In recent years, when the horror film market was sluggish, he insisted on making two horror films.

One was "Ulambana Divine Skill," and the other, "Tuodi Exorcist," which, when released in Xiangjiang, actually did quite well at the box office, at least breaking even. Unfortunately, they didn't pass the censorship of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, so they couldn't be shown on the mainland. That's the main reason why horror films are scarcely made now; compared to the mainland's multi-billion box office, the best Xiangjiang can muster is just tens of millions. Without mainland release, it's really not profitable.

Wuge specifically stressed that the success of these two films had a lot to do with Zhang Jiahui starring in them. If someone else were in them, their salary would take up most of the investment. Acting as Suming's executive producer this time was just to make the film's team look more attractive and wouldn't involve his full participation. If he had the time and it was on his way, he might visit the set.

In plain terms, it was just lending his name, and not to be relied upon.

Lastly came the director and screenwriter.

Small production, niche genre, big-name directors were out of reach. Du Qifeng, Wang Jing, Liu Weiqiang, Ye Weixin—directors of this caliber were accessible to Wuge, but obviously, they wouldn't commit to a horror film with only ten million in investment.

The director and screenwriter were the same person.

Guo Zijian.

As a layperson, Suming had never heard of this name, nor could he remember this man ever appearing as an extra in any film.

But Wuge had great confidence in him and strongly recommended him.

Of course, this confidence was based on a ten million investment. At this funding level, getting Guo Zijian was quite good. Without Wuge's help, Suming would have had to hire an as-yet ungraduated student from a film academy. He would take on the role of director and screenwriter, responsible for assembling the crew and casting the actors.

"Have you really thought this through? Horror films need special effects the most. With ten million invested in a horror film, you won't have good actors, let alone special effects, and you're doomed to lose money. Why not increase the investment, or switch to another genre? Romance and nostalgia films are popular now. With just thirty or forty million, even the worst movies will turn a profit," Wuge said, still trying to persuade Suming in the end.

Romance and nostalgia films might be good, but they weren't Suming's strong suit and didn't fit his overall plan.

"Fine, I'll take care of Guo Zijian. He will fly to the mainland with his crew within a week at the latest. Wherever you decide to do the location shooting, I'll tell him to fly straight there to save you the trouble of a transfer and save you some money," Wuge asked.

"We'll be shooting at the zoo," Suming said.

"The whole movie, at the zoo?" Wuge asked, surprised.

Suming nodded.

Wuge was utterly speechless then. Alright, there goes the last bit of hope. If a horror film could incorporate ancient legends, mysterious territories like the Tianchi of Changbai Mountain or Shennongjia, there might be a glimmer of hope, at least it would be a selling point.

What's there in a zoo? Did he expect roaring tigers and lions in front of cameras to make audiences feel frightened and terrified?

"Then you prepare the outline of the story, and I'll go tell Guo Zijian..." Wuge said, massaging his forehead.

About the movie, Suming had only informed Nangong Yan so far, and Nangong Yan didn't say much. On one hand, she was even more of a layperson than Suming; on the other, after experiencing so many events, she had an intangible faith in Suming, as if there was no problem this man couldn't solve. Suming was a man who kept creating miracles.

Behind the miracles was hard work and dedication.

While waiting for Guo Zijian to arrive, Suming didn't do anything; he shut himself in Whisperwind Pavilion and didn't step out, concocting the entire story.

It was a story that seemed not scary, even a bit humorous, but was extremely chilling upon careful thought.

Beyond that, he went online to do some research on the director 'Guo Zijian.'

To his surprise, Wuge really hadn't fudged it; the director he recommended might not be well-known, but he was certainly no nobody, having a profound foundation in and deep immersion in film.

During his earliest days, like many famous actors and directors, Guo Zijian started as an extra at a theater, playing small roles of gangsters and minor characters. Because he had no distinctive features, he never became famous.

His experience as an extra allowed Guo Zijian to meet many big names in the industry. He worked as a screenwriter for five of Ye Weixin's films and sometimes acted as a script supervisor and assistant director, becoming very familiar with all aspects of filmmaking;

The assistant director of "The Next Generation of Master Thieves," the screenwriter and assistant director of "Little Things in the Big City," the assistant director of "Dragon Tiger Gate," collaborating with young actors like Xie Tingfeng and Yu Wenle in "The Firefighter Heroes," the director of "Stray Dogs," and eventually being promoted by Stephen Chow to co-direct "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons"...
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Known for "reviving the spirit of Hong Kong cinema," the director of "The Tournament" went on to win the Best Film Award at the 17th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards and four awards, including Best Film, at the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards.

Especially for "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons," Suming took special effort to watch it with subtitles. The so-called co-direction meant that Guo Zijian's status on set was actually higher than that of an assistant director. Many times, he was effectively the director, and at that time, Stephen Chow's role was more of an overall supervisor, while much of the specific directing work was completed by him. Due to publicity needs at the end, Stephen Chow was usually the one who appeared in the media.

The film industry in Xiangjiang considered him 'a new generation director who perfectly combines commerce and art like Akira Kurosawa and Ang Lee.'

Suming had watched almost all of these films, some of which were well-known.

Considering these experiences, Guo Zijian was at least a competent director.

The film production mechanism in Xiangjiang was still operating, capable of training directors like Guo Zijian, but Hong Kong cinema was inevitably declining. This could be seen from the state of his film production company, which rented space on the second floor of a wooden building. The floors creaked underfoot when a reporter interviewed him in his office.

If not for being poor, Guo Zijian probably wouldn't have had the chance to make films for Suming.