1994: I Became a Literary Master in America

Chapter 59 Hostility

Xu Shengjie met Pao Verhoeven.

However, the much-anticipated red sofa was nowhere to be seen.

In the audition room, there was a row of tables and a row of sofas by the window, but they weren't red; they were for entertaining guests.

"Pao, this is the kung fu kid I was talking about, a genius composer, a future great director."

Spike's tone was exaggerated, but he didn't mean any harm.

After pulling Xu Shengjie into the house, he introduced him to everyone.

Xu Shengjie recognized Fan Huowen at a glance.

He wasn't tall, only about 175 centimeters. Although he was nearly sixty, he didn't have the silver-white hair that Xu Shengjie was familiar with. At this time, Verhoeven's hair was still mainly brown-black, but there were already some gray hairs.

He had round, chubby cheeks and small, bright, piercing eyes.

A pair of linen-colored trousers and a denim blue short-sleeved shirt.

Wearing black-rimmed glasses, he smiled and said, "Welcome our kung fu kid... Hey, your line 'Dare to cross this line, I'll break your leg' was so cool! You must really like football, do you know anything about Henan football?"

"I know Ajax, I know the Three Musketeers, and my favorite is Cruyff."

"Hoho, I knew it, you must like the Henan team."

Verhoeven is Dutch, born and raised in Henan, China. Although he is now working in Hollywood, he is still a Henan native at heart.

"Of course, I not only like the Three Musketeers, I also like Amsterdam."

Verhoeven laughed heartily, feeling a sense of kinship.

Amsterdam, Europe's largest lantern district...

A director who can make erotic films like "Basic Instinct" and "Showgirls" and doesn't hesitate to show nudity and sex scenes even in the sci-fi film "Starship Troopers" is definitely a lewd old man.

Don't talk to me about art!

Lsp is just lsp...

However, I haven't heard any news about him being forced or anything like that, so I guess he's just a very pure pervert.

However, Xu Shengjie found it strange that Verhoeven knew about his phrase "I'll break your legs."

The auditions haven't started yet, mainly because producer Mario Caesar hasn't arrived.

That was a representative from MGM, the investor.

Besides Xu Shengjie and Spike, who were outsiders, screenwriter Joe Ezethaas was also in the room. Also present was co-producer Robert Davidson, an old friend of Verhoeven and Verhoeven's designated producer.

Assistant director, or co-director, Amy Lauritsen, Verhoeven's long-time collaborator.

Photographer Jost Vacano, the photographer of instinct.

In addition, there are casting directors Elaine and Joanna Ray.

Xu Shengjie sat down on the sofa and started chatting with Spike. Soon after, Verhoeven and Joe joined in.

The NBA season is over; the Houston Rockets have won the championship.

Spike was heartbroken, so he decided to throw himself into work on a suspense film called "The Suspect," also known as "The Black Street Chaser."

The English title of this movie is "Clockers".

This is a term used by the New York FD gang, meaning the lowest level of the DUPIN sales chain.

Yeah, you know, the kind of petty thugs who hang around selling small-time goods on the streets like in movies.

Spike's script is complete, but there are still some minor issues that haven't been resolved.

Just then, Verhoeven was auditioning in New York, so he went to him, wanting to have a chat with him.

His relationship with Pao was quite good.

Spike happened to get Xu Shengjie's contact information from Vanessa, and he was very interested in this guy who had helped the Knicks win the fourth game. He was even more interested when he heard that Xu Shengjie also wanted to become a director.

At first, he thought Xu Shengjie was bragging.

Later, Vanessa told me that he seemed to be making preparations.

This also piqued Spike's curiosity...

"I originally wanted to find an opportunity to talk to you, but my drama is about to start filming soon, and I'll probably be very busy."

How's your story coming along?

"It's almost done; we're working on the storyboard script."

"Could you share it?"

"Of course, but I haven't finished yet; it needs some final polishing."

As Xu Shengjie spoke, he took out the storyboard script from his backpack.

He told Spike about the story and his ideas, while Spike listened and flipped through the storyboard.

"So, the outcome of that first run was an inevitable tragedy?"

"Yes, a concrete manifestation of Zeno's paradox—the faster Julie runs, the more invincible time becomes, like a tortoise. And in this run, Julie's short red hair will intertwine with blood, forming a montage shot that represents the irreversibility of fate."

"Hoho, that's a very interesting idea."

Spike turned to Verhoeven: "Pao, what do you think?"

"And what about the second run?"

Pao didn't answer, but the screenwriter Qiao, who was standing next to him, came over and asked curiously.

"The domino effect—Julie's collision with the stroller directly led to Manny's death. In this run, the red hair signifies the eternal love in the red illusion, which can contrast with death in reality."

Spike suddenly asked, "So, this story was inspired by what happened after your game that day?"

"Yes, the inspiration came from Jolie's hair."

"Oh my, ten days! You've completed a nearly flawless story in just ten days."

Jeffrey, are you a genius?

"It's always been like this."

Fan Huowen and Qiao looked at Xu Shengjie with admiration.

"Jeffrey, sell me this notebook. I'm willing... I'm willing to pay half a million dollars. Think about it?"

Verhoeven suddenly spoke.

Spike immediately shouted, "No, no, no, you can't do this! This is my brother's hard work!"

"Jeffrey, what do you say, $550,000?"

Both directors became interested.

It's not about how good the story is, but rather that it's a very interesting experiment that's very appealing to them.

"Um, I've decided to film it myself. I'm very sorry."

Spike, you know, this inspiration came from Jolie, and Jolie is now my girlfriend. I've already promised her I'd make this film for her.

"Julie? Haha, you're not even trying to hide it, you're just using her name directly."

Verhoeven asked, "Who is Julie?"

"Jon's daughter. Jon came to New York yesterday and specifically asked me about Jeffrey."

Why is he asking me about me?

"You tricked his daughter away, and Old Joe is a little unhappy, so he came all the way here to ask about it."

No wonder Julie wouldn't let him show up.

I guess he was afraid Old Joe would shoot him dead.

"Jeffrey, your script..."

"Six hundred thousand, sell it to me for six hundred thousand, how about it?"

Although he knew in his heart that Xu Shengjie would most likely not agree.

But Verhoeven still wanted to try again.

The main thing is that this notebook is just so interesting.

"Director Verhoeven, I'm very sorry, I can't go back on my word, Julie."

Just then, the door opened.

A bald, white older man walked in and laughed, "Pao, what script? I heard you talking about a script outside..."

What kind of script is worth 600,000?

A script fee of 600,000 is not considered high.

But for a newcomer, it's definitely a high price.

Original scripts written by newcomers in WGA in 94 cost between 5 and 30.

Of course, there are also cases exceeding one million, but these are basically irrelevant to newcomers. Generally speaking, $10 is a very reasonable price for a newcomer.

"Uh, it's nothing, just a script written by a kid, it's quite interesting."

After saying that, Verhoeven stood up and walked over. "Mario, you're late."

"Sorry, sorry, there was a traffic jam on the way."

The visitor was none other than MGM producer Mario Caesar.

He glanced at Xu Shengjie, then smiled and greeted Spike, "Spike, long time no see. Welcome to the ShowGirls audition. You're a big star, so please don't hesitate to share your opinions later."

Oh dear, something's not right here.

It seems that Mario and Verhoeven don't get along very well.

That's normal, though.

Mario represents the investors, while Verhoeven represents his personal artistic pursuits. Their views are easily at odds. Not to mention, Mario Caesar is, to some extent, someone sent by MGM to restrain Verhoeven.

Verhoeven's "Basic Instinct" was a huge hit, giving him considerable influence.

After all, the $3.5 million global box office was a huge profit for the investors.

MGM was envious, but at the same time didn't want to give Verhoeven that much power, so Mario suddenly appeared.

Was the failure of "Showgirls" related to this?

Xu Shengjie was unaware that this matter was not mentioned even in the documentary "You Are Not Nomi".

However, he could tell that this Mario seemed to be somewhat hostile towards him.

……