603: Chapter 603 You are my god!

...

["Family, Director Yang Xiaozhou's 'ne zha' has become a hit. Some say the film is average, others say it's the rise of Chinese animation. But none of that matters; what matters is that the box office is doing well, allowing us to boldly continue filming. Yes, 'ne zha' is just the beginning. Many people are curious about who Director Yang Xiaozhou is, and what 'Yanyu Animation' will film next. Why not just have a live interview and explain everything at once?"]

He had a lot to say, and posting on Weibo was a bit of a hassle. He decided to do a live stream instead, which would also serve as a way to promote the movie.

As for who to interview him? Lin Chuyan thought about it and decided to give the opportunity to Gao Jun. This guy was a fan of his, was professional enough, and streamed often, so he was the perfect fit. As for why he couldn't just host a live stream on Xiaohongshu himself? Of course, it was because his contract had long since expired...

He contacted Bilibili. After hearing his request, the people at Bilibili thought to themselves, 'Is there such a good thing?' They immediately helped him connect with the content creator and arranged for him to be featured on the homepage cover.

Gao Jun was stunned by this news: "Ah? My idol wants to come to my live stream! When? Can we do it tomorrow? Even if not, it has to be!"

Everyone was in Beijing, so they connected quickly.

Bilibili wanted to prepare a script for him and go over the interview questions with Gao Jun, but Lin Chuyan refused. He knew how to get the best results—just go in directly; the audience would definitely prefer that.

Consequently, at 3:00 PM the next day, riding the wave of 'ne zha's' popularity, this live interview event successfully attracted a large number of passersby and fans.

"Teacher Lin Chuyan, we finally meet! I'm your fan!"

The live stream location was set inside the Yanyu Animation company.

Despite doing his homework in advance and reminding himself to stay calm, Gao Jun couldn't hide his excitement when he actually saw Lin Chuyan in person.

"Hello, hello." Lin Chuyan shook hands with the three members of the other team in turn. "I watch your content too."

"Really?!"

"Really. Your predictions for 'in the name of the father' and 'la la land' were very accurate; you gave me quite a scare back then."

"You noticed me... that early?"

The live stream had already started, and the comments were scrolling frantically.

["Long time no see, Brother. Gao Jun, don't block the camera."]

["Lin Chuyan is so handsome. Lol, I never felt that Gao Jun was ugly before."]

["Gao Jun, calm down. Today isn't an idol fan meeting. Interview properly, don't embarrass yourself."]

Gao Jun quickly got to the main point: "Teacher Lin Chuyan, would you like to predict the box office for 'ne zha'?"

"Maoyan predicts 4 billion, but I think it should be more. 5 billion, that should be about right."

Being this unmodest, the Haters in the comments didn't hold back.

["Daydreaming! They predicted 4 billion, and you just open your mouth and add 1 billion? Who do you think you are?"]

["He's really gotten arrogant. Aren't you afraid of being slapped in the face for saying that?"]

["'ne zha' is so trashy, and with Lin the Dog's gloating expression, Chinese animation is hopeless."]

Gao Jun was different from those who had interviewed him before. Seeing the comments, he said directly: "Teacher Lin Chuyan, it feels like you still have quite a few Haters; many people in the comments are cursing you."

"You get used to it."

As a fan, Gao Jun naturally couldn't stand the Haters, and at this moment, he gloated: "Eh, so the Haters' attack power is actually zero?"

"It's only ineffective against me. Cyberbullying is still very scary for ordinary people. The Yanyu Foundation, run by Xingxing and me, is currently helping some young people who have been bullied or subjected to cyberbullying."

Haters: "Damn it, I just said a few things casually. Is it necessary to elevate it to this level? Have I become a sinner?"

Gao Jun didn't continue with this topic; today's topic was 'ne zha' and Yanyu Animation.

"Teacher Lin Chuyan, let's continue talking about 'ne zha'. I think the question viewers care about most is: 'ne zha' should have a sequel, right?"

Lin Chuyan didn't beat around the bush: "We will film the 'ne zha' series and hope to make it a trilogy. Currently, 'nezha 2' is already in the scriptwriting stage, and progress is very smooth. The only thing I can reveal is that the screenwriting and production team for 'nezha 2' will be even stronger than the first one, and its investment will be more than three times that of the first."

The netizens couldn't do the math: The investment for the first one wasn't low, right? Three times? How much is that?

Gao Jun acted as the mouthpiece for the netizens: "It seems like no one knows exactly how much the first one cost?"

"Production and promotion combined exceeded 150 million."

"In other words..."

Lin Chuyan nodded: "500 million should be about right for the second one. Animated films don't need to hire actors, so we'll set aside a small portion for promotion and spend the rest entirely on production. While ensuring a solid script, we must take the special effects to the next level!"

Gao Jun: "..."

Netizens in the live stream: "..."

They almost forgot the identity of the person in front of them. My apologies; this is the boss of several companies, not an ordinary actor. Thinking back, the first 'ne zha' was fully funded by him, and who knows how much he could earn...

Gao Jun continued to ask: "As far as I know, the company Yanyu Animation was founded only after you met Director Yang Xiaozhou. Is the future plan for Yanyu Animation just to create the 'ne zha' trilogy? Are there any other plans?"

This question hit the nail on the head.

Lin Chuyan didn't rush to answer the question; instead, he started showing Gao Jun around the company.

"So there are already this many employees?"

"Yes, actually, most of the production for 'ne zha' was done in Chengdu, not Beijing. The reason there are so many people here is because our team has another important thing to do."

Gao Jun: "Ah? There's a project more important than 'ne zha'?"

Gao Jun exhausted his imagination and only thought it was "another project"; he couldn't think of anything else.

Lin Chuyan shook his head: "I can't say more important, only more long-term."

And every sentence he said next turned the live stream comments into "question mark mode."

Lin Chuyan continued to explain: "We want to integrate a 'mythology universe.' The 'ne zha' series is the beginning of our 'mythology universe.'"

Gao Jun: "???"

Netizens in the live stream: "???"

Gao Jun was full of question marks, with a faint sense of anticipation in his heart, but he couldn't believe it: "mythology universe? What is that?"

Lin Chuyan's tone was extremely firm: "What we want to film has never been just one or two deities, nor just the world of the Investiture of the Gods, but to systematically organize our country's mythological stories and integrate them into a grand mythology universe. Then, through stories like 'ne zha,' in the foreseeable future, we will let the audience see one good work after another."

Gao Jun: "Ah?"

Countless "?" flew across the live stream.

Gao Jun was a bit incoherent: "This is really... I don't understand, mythology universe? Integrate?"

Lin Chuyan had already talked about this internally many times, so his tone seemed very calm at this moment: "I can tell you for sure that the current progress is also very smooth."

Facing this news, Gao Jun couldn't stay calm at all. As a film blogger, the appearance of 'ne zha' made him very happy, but he didn't expect that this was actually just an appetizer?!

Lin Chuyan didn't care what Gao Jun was thinking; he continued to paint a big picture, painting it bigger and bigger: "Besides 'ne zha,' we will also film the 'Yang Jian' series, 'The Legend of the Three Xiao,' 'The Judge,' 'Red Boy: Battle of the Flaming Mountains,' 'Taotie: Devouring the City of Night'... The first part of the 'Yang Jian' series is also in the scriptwriting stage. Considering that it will likely clash with the production time of 'nezha 2,' I will most likely direct the first one."

Gao Jun was dizzy from being hit by one movie after another that currently only had names, and his voice was trembling slightly: "Teacher Lin Chuyan, please don't lie to me... Isn't this similar to the Marvel Universe?"

Are we Chinese people about to have our own film universe too?

Lin Chuyan: "Why would I lie to you? I didn't say anything publicly before because I didn't know if the box office for 'ne zha' would be successful. Now, I can finally tell everyone. As long as the subsequent movies can make money, I will naturally film them one by one. What do you think I earn so much money for? Isn't it just to do what I want to do as I please? Of course, we will use 'ne zha' as a benchmark to maintain the current standard of creation; everyone can rest assured about that."

The live stream had already exploded.

["Holy crap, holy crap."]

["I want to see it, I really want to see it! Lin Chuyan, hurry up and film it!"]

["I support Lin Chuyan filming until he retires! With this production level of 'ne zha,' I can watch it for a lifetime!"]

["I'll watch every one you film; I'm going to watch 'ne zha' for a second time right now!"]

["You kept such a big thing from me for so long?"]

Haters: "Although, but... I really want to watch it too... Should we continue to hate?"

However, this was not the end.

Even though everyone was already full, Lin Chuyan was still painting a big picture, continuing to feed the netizens.

"Besides the 'mythology universe' film series, we have an even bigger plan, which is to benchmark against Disney. We hope that in the future, we can build several large-scale theme parks that belong to our own people."

Gao Jun: "???"

The "?" in the live stream couldn't stop.

Gao Jun's brain was a bit overloaded, and his knees were a bit weak: "Teacher Lin Chuyan, if that day really comes... you are my God!"

...

The end of the live stream was just the beginning of the matter fermenting. Regarding Lin Chuyan's words, the internet exploded.

Whether you believe it or not, the box office for 'ne zha' has hopped on a rocket.

Yang Xiaozhou was amazed: "Is this what film marketing is?"