Hong Kong 1990: From stuntman to King of Kung Fu

Chapter 31 Tangde Film Industry

After dividing the money, the three of them leisurely drank tea and chatted.

"Ah Long, you're no longer a nobody. Are you planning to go back to working alone?"

"Boss, do you think I should sign with a company?"

"Signing with a company provides more security; if you have a good script, you don't need to work as hard as before to attract investment."

The company can also protect you from external risks; once you become famous, you'll face no shortage of both overt and covert attacks.

"Which company do you think is the right one to sign with?"

"If you're going to sign, sign with a big company, like Golden Harvest, Win's Entertainment, or Entertainment Group. D&B would have been a very good choice."

But now, Pan Disheng, the owner of Debao, has achieved his goal of promoting the luxury brands he represents.

They've stopped paying attention to Debao; it's already past its prime.

"Golden Harvest is out of the question. They already have Jackie Chan under their wing, and they've recently signed the highly touted Jet Li."

If I sign with Golden Harvest, I'll only be able to pick up their scraps.

Win's Entertainment's style doesn't suit me; they mainly make comedies, gambling films, and gangster films.

"Entertainment companies started as talent agents, have many big names under their wing, and are deeply intertwined with Win's Entertainment and Mak Tai-Hung, so they're not a good fit for me."

Zhang Guozhong, the founder of Entertainment Films, and Chen Ziqiang, the agent of Jackie Chan, were both among the first generation of agents in Hong Kong.

Currently, Artistry Pictures has secured the services of superstars such as Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau, and Tam Yung-lun, and maintains close cooperation with Win's Entertainment.

Over the past few years of collaboration, a blockbuster model has been established, with Xiang Huasheng producing, Zhang Guozhong supervising, and Wang Jing directing.

If Tang Long were to sign with a company, his primary consideration would be whether the company would invest in his scripts, and ideally, whether the company's style would align with his own.

Actually, Golden Harvest would be the most suitable, even with Jackie Chan and Jet Li already established, Golden Harvest is a large enough company.

The resources it can provide are unmatched by other companies.

But considering Li Lianjie's later agency dispute with Golden Harvest, and their reputation for delaying and withholding profits from their partners' films,

Tang Long immediately ruled out Jiahe.

"It's a pity that Director Xu doesn't sign people, otherwise we could sign with Director Xu's film studio," Cheng Xiaodong sighed.

"Boss, there's nothing to regret. Since there's no suitable company, I'll just continue to work alone."

I can write screenplays myself, but I couldn't attract investment before because I wasn't famous.

I believe that after "New Dragon Gate Inn", there will always be some box office appeal.

In the past two years, hot money from Taiwan and Southeast Asia has begun to flow into Hong Kong's film industry. As long as you have fame and box office appeal, you will not lack investment.

I can continue to support myself, and I'll be even more comfortable with it.

That was indeed Tang Long's thinking.

Why did Andy Lau, Jet Li, and Stephen Chow all go on to start their own businesses?

The main reason is that in the future, celebrities, especially big stars, will be the most important asset.

Plenty of investors are willing to invest in you, and cinemas are happy to screen movies starring big stars; they can manage film projects themselves.

Of course, being able to launch a film project and being able to run a company well are two different things.

Even if the company goes bankrupt, their fame and box office appeal will remain, and they will be able to make a comeback soon.

Once you sign with a company, especially a large one, you often find yourself without control over your own life.

They make you make those cheap, money-grabbing films, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Therefore, Tang Long decided not to sign with any company, even if it meant slower fame and less money.

When Tang Jia heard that Tang Long was planning to go solo, a thought struck him, and he said:

"Have you made up your mind?"

"It's decided."

"Since that's the case, I'll transfer Tangde Film Industry to you. Even if it's just an empty shell, at least it'll have a name in the future."

"Uncle, you transferred Tangde Film Industry to me, what about yourself?"

"Me? I was already retired. If it weren't for the fact that you're still in Canada with your aunt."

However, your aunt's ear problem has been cured. She didn't like living there, so I'm planning to bring her back to Hong Kong.

From now on, we'll just be affiliated with Tangde Film & Television, and we can come out and work whenever we're bored.

Tang Long blushed a little at what was said. The fact that "The Blade" could be made was indeed thanks to Tang Jia's long journey back from Canada.

Seeing his embarrassed expression, Tang Jia smiled and said:

"Alright, stop acting like a daughter. That's all I can do to help you."

I will transfer Tangde Film & Television to you shortly. From now on, you'll have to walk your own path. I hope you can bring honor to the Tang family.

"I will, Uncle. I won't let you down," Tang Long solemnly promised.

It took three days for Tangde Film & Television to be transferred to Tang Long's name.

Tang De is a nice-sounding name with a good meaning, so he didn't change it.

Tangde Film Industry is really just an empty shell, with no employees, no assets, and not even an office.

The only value might be that the company has maintained an excellent tax record for more than ten years.

After taking over, Tang Long had no immediate plans to operate the company in a formal manner, nor was it necessary.

He simply set up an office at the Cheng family troupe's base as Tangde Film Studio's office location, and at least the sign was put up.

Another week passed in the blink of an eye. Just as Tang Long was helping Cheng Xiaodong prepare for the filming of "A Chinese Ghost Story 3",

Xu Ke suddenly called.

Seeing Tang Long's slightly excited expression, Cheng Xiaodong couldn't help but smile:

"Director Tsui wants you to come over to discuss 'New Dragon Gate Inn'?"

"That's right, it's a bit of a surprise. I didn't expect Director Tsui to be ready to start this project so quickly."

"He delegated the filming of 'A Chinese Ghost Story 3' to me. Didn't you guess he was preparing for 'New Dragon Gate Inn'?"

"I guessed it, but Director Xu's efficiency was a bit unexpected. I thought it would be at least after the new year."

"Isn't it better to be faster? It'll save you from constantly thinking about this and not being able to concentrate on your work."

Then Cheng Xiaodong tossed him a set of car keys:

"Go quickly."

Tang Long arrived at the film studio, knocked on Xu Ke's office door, and saw three people sitting inside.

Besides Xu Ke, there was also Shi Nansheng, whom he had met once, but he didn't recognize the other man.

"Our screenwriter and leading man has arrived."

Tang Long ignored Xu Ke's teasing and walked up to the group to greet them.

Xu Kejian, recognizing Tang Long as someone who didn't know Wu Siyuan, introduced him:

"Ah Long, this is Wu Siyuan, the boss of Siyuan Pictures and also an investor in our 'New Dragon Gate Inn'."

It turns out to be this Hong Kong film mogul.

Unexpectedly, he still got involved in the project two years ahead of schedule.

"Hello, Mr. Wu, I've long admired your name."

"I'll call you Ah Long, just like Tsui Hark does. I've long admired your name."

With a young talent like you emerging in Hong Kong's film industry, we have a worthy successor.

"Mr. Wu, you flatter me too much. My achievements are nothing compared to yours."

Wu Siyuan appeared very amiable, and talking to him was like a breath of fresh air.

But Tang Long dared not relax at all, as Tang's status was even higher than Xu Ke's, and he was considered one of the most powerful people in the Hong Kong film industry.

None of them are simple people who have achieved such success.

"Alright, you two stop flattering each other."

Ah Long, I called you here today to discuss something with you. What are your thoughts on the cast?

"Thoughts? No, didn't we agree that I would just focus on my acting career?"

"You're the screenwriter, so we'd like to hear your choices regarding actors."