However, Xiao He did not share Liu Rulan's optimism.
He felt that the market could sometimes reflect a lot of things.
If it's just a matter of having few, it simply means that not many people can produce good ones. But if there are none, it definitely indicates that the film is unsuitable.
This is the choice of the public, and even famous directors are no exception.
However, seeing Liu Rulan's expectant look, Xiao He first said tactfully, "Let's see how the plot goes first. What if there isn't a suitable role for me? It's not even certain yet."
"Too."
Liu Rulan picked up the script and snapped some photos, then handed it to Xiao He: "I'll look at my phone, you look at the script, let's do it together."
Xiao He didn't refuse and lowered his head to look at the script seriously.
The movie currently has no title. It's unclear whether Director Hou deliberately removed it when he was looking for a title, or whether he hadn't decided on one yet. So let's skip that question and just look at the plot.
The story begins with a classic zombie outbreak, and like many classic zombie movies, the main characters are a man and a little girl, and the story takes place in a hospital in a fictional world.
As we all know, when a zombie outbreak occurs, the most dangerous place is definitely the hospital, since many unsuspecting infected people are sent there at that time.
The male protagonist encountered the zombie outbreak while taking his daughter to the hospital for an IV drip.
Due to the extreme urgency and chaos of the situation, the male protagonist accidentally swapped his daughters at the start of his escape, taking away a completely different little girl who was wearing the same school uniform as his own daughter.
By the time the male protagonist realized what had happened, the place had been completely overrun and there was no way back. It was filled with man-eating zombies, and the male protagonist didn't even know if his daughter was still alive.
If he wanted to go back, he had to go around to the inpatient building first, and then go around to the emergency room from the other side.
But looking at the little girl, who was the same age as his daughter, with tears of helplessness and confusion on her face, the protagonist faced a moral dilemma for the first time—should he simply abandon this burden, or take this burden with him to find his daughter?
The story naturally unfolds with the male protagonist taking in this little girl, a complete stranger with no blood relation to him. This is also because he harbors a hope that his daughter will also encounter a kind-hearted person like him who will save her, instead of simply abandoning her.
And so the male protagonist, along with a seven-year-old girl, embarked on a journey to find his daughter amidst hordes of zombies.
When the zombie outbreak occurred, the hospital was still crowded. Under the fear of death, the darkness and twisted nature of many people's hearts were magnified infinitely. But at the same time, there were also people like the protagonist who insisted on saving lives and sticking to their posts. Along the way, they had companions, but also quickly lost them. They met different people and made many choices that tested their humanity. The protagonist wanted to get rid of the little girl, who was a burden, time and time again, but he insisted on protecting her. Between life and death, the light of humanity shone brightly...
It's clear that the person who wrote this script is very talented. Every character in the ensemble is vividly portrayed. In particular, the protagonist's final choice and the plot twist are very challenging for the screenwriter. If not handled well, the whole story would fall apart. But this screenwriter did not falter at all. The details were handled very well, and there were no major flaws.
Judging from the script, it is indeed a good work.
By the time he finished reading the script, it was already late at night. Xiao He glanced at the time on the living room clock, yawned lazily, and then looked at Liu Rulan: "Sister Liu, what do you think?"
Liu Rulan read the script even faster than Xiao He, and had already put down her phone to wait for him. Upon hearing Xiao He's words, she immediately said, "I think this script is good. The ensemble cast is very clearly portrayed, and each person has their own highlights and storyline. Even those who are not the main characters can still shine."
There's no need to even think about casting the main character in this movie. Someone like Xiao He, who doesn't even have a girlfriend, is even less likely to have a seven or eight-year-old daughter. The production team will definitely look for a middle-aged actor over thirty years old in the industry to play the role. Moreover, the competition is extremely fierce this time. For someone of Xiao He's status, just being able to participate is already a great achievement.
Based on the current script, Liu Rulan recommended a role to Xiao He as a swordsmanship teacher in his twenties.
This teacher is the one who provides the most physical strength in the whole movie. He originally accompanied the girl he had a crush on to the hospital for a medical check-up, but he didn't expect this to happen. Like the protagonist, he unfortunately got separated from the girl he had a crush on.
Unlike the protagonist, he is genuinely powerful with extremely high combat skills, and he is a very reliable presence throughout the early part of the movie.
In this situation, however, good people don't get good rewards.
Sure enough, during one of his escapes, the teacher was betrayed by his companions and almost lost his life. Even though he managed to escape back alive, he was suspected of being infected with the zombie virus.
Human nature is revealed at this moment.
Even if you saved everyone, even if you were originally a good person, so what?
You are no longer on the same path as everyone else! You only bring danger and death!
He was originally just a kind, ordinary person, but the light in his eyes slowly went out because of everyone's accusations and suspicions, until finally, he silently picked up the weapon in his hand...
This is a relatively deep character, somewhat like an honest person forced to become a villain. It requires a certain level of acting skills to support this series of changes. Ideally, the actor should be able to subtly show the character's change in mentality throughout the entire performance, so that it doesn't seem too abrupt.
Compared to other roles, his was more difficult to portray, but without a doubt, it also had more highlights and personal charm.
Although Xiao He thought it was alright, he wasn't particularly satisfied.
If I had to point out something that wasn't quite right... I couldn't really say.
The main issue is the subject matter. I don't know if killing zombies counts as stabbing someone.
This was also the problem that Xiao He had been struggling with ever since he received the script.
He wanted to act in Director Feng's films because he thought that many of Director Feng's action films were well-made, and that the villains were indeed ruthless and that the process of scheming against the protagonist was very exciting, with each move in a life-or-death battle being fatal.
But this time the style changed completely, turning into a zombie movie, and the main villains were all zombies, so he couldn't play a villain who could kill everyone.
If the knife belongs to a zombie, then it was a human in life, and the actor playing the role is also a human. So, when it attacks, will it earn points or not?
"What do you think?" Liu Rulan asked Xiao He. "He should be the most suitable role for you out of all the roles."
Xiao He didn't answer, but instead asked Liu Rulan, "Sister Liu, do you think it's necessary to play this role?"
Liu Rulan frowned, but wasn't angry. Instead, she crossed her legs to the other side and asked, "Are you not satisfied with this role?"
"I certainly wouldn't dare to speak carelessly about roles with big-name directors," Xiao He denied. "I'm just thinking that these ensemble roles are all pretty good, and there will definitely be a lot of big names competing for them. It might even be an all-star lineup. Can I handle it?"
Liu Rulan: "Whether it's feasible or not and whether you want to are two different things."
Xiao He choked.
Sister Liu, I don't know how to respond to what you just said!
