Peter Jackson eventually accepted the task, for a simple reason: television directors are far less important than film directors.
Moreover, if it were a television series version of "Misty Journey," it might only have a market in China, offering little significant promotional value for Peter Jackson.
However, if adapted into a film, it could be released in markets including Europe and the United States, greatly enhancing Peter Jackson's reputation. This was the key reason he couldn't refuse.
Of course, Peter Jackson had another, most important concern regarding taking on the director's role: the fear of being criticized.
It wasn't that Peter Jackson worried the film wouldn't be good and he'd be criticized. He believed it would undoubtedly be one of the masterpieces in science fiction film history, comparable at least to Harry Potter films, and would not be poorly made.
The reason for potential criticism was that it was a film adapted from a television series, a case of getting two benefits from one effort. Adapting a free-to-air television series into a paid film would surely draw immense criticism from Europeans and Americans. Wasn't that clearly a money grab?
Why should Chinese people watch it for free, while Europeans and Americans have to pay? Did such logic exist in the world?
Therefore, Peter Jackson was extremely worried about being lambasted, and remained very hesitant.
However, when he shared this concern with Boss Huang, Boss Huang immediately slapped his thigh and declared that the problem was easily solved; all it needed was a slight reversal of the order.
"What order?" Peter Jackson asked, somewhat bewildered. Boss Huang chuckled and said, "My dear director, a television series adapted into a film will indeed be criticized. But what if a film is adapted into a television series?"
"Huh?" Peter Jackson paused, then heard Boss Huang continue, "I can handle it this way: first, we tell all audiences that we are filming a two-part film, or a trilogy, or even a six-part film.
"After the film is released, we will announce that this film will be adapted into a 24-episode television series. And this will absolutely not be a television series adapted solely for profit, because we will add hundreds of minutes of new plot, new special effects, and various stories and character subplots, etc."
"With this kind of promotion, will people still scold us?" Peter Jackson opened his mouth, intending to argue a point or two.
But putting himself in their shoes, when audiences learned that a film had been adapted to include so much more plot and become a television series, it was unlikely many would express anger. On the contrary, they would praise the production team for their conscientiousness.
"Even though it's a film adapted into a TV series, they're adding so much brand new filmed footage and scenes. Most importantly, these scenes and footage have special effects that are in no way inferior to film-level. This is truly the conscience of the industry!"
"No, even the conscience of the industry doesn't have this much conscience!"
And all of this was merely by reversing the order of adaptation and promotion. The content remained the same.
Instantly, Peter Jackson felt this approach had great potential.
However, Peter Jackson raised a new question: "Sir, if that's the case, won't our television series be delayed for another two or three years before it airs?"
"After all, a television series like this, to be adapted into a film, would at least be on the scale of a trilogy. If one film is released per year, that would take three years."
"When the television series airs, it will be 2007. Won't this significantly disrupt your plans?" Peter Jackson asked with a frown.
He knew that according to the original plan, the television series was scheduled to air in December.
"Well, the broadcast time of the television series can be pushed back a bit, but I cannot push it to 2007. That would seriously disrupt my plans. It must air by the first half of 2005 at the latest!" Boss Huang said.
"Then this film adaptation plan won't work. There isn't enough time. We can't just show the first film and then immediately broadcast the entire television series. No one will watch the second and third films!" Peter Jackson shook his head.
"Oh, my dear director, why are you still stuck in the world of Lord of the Rings and unable to leave?" Boss Huang spread his hands when he heard Peter Jackson's words.
"What does this have to do with Lord of the Rings?" Peter Jackson asked, his eyes wide.
"Your Lord of the Rings trilogy was already filmed, but it was deliberately split into three parts, released one film per year. Am I correct?" Huang He said.
"Is there a problem with that?" Peter Jackson retorted, a bit impatiently.
"Of course there's a problem. Why go through the trouble of one film per year? Why not release all three films at once?" Boss Huang asked with a smile.
"Release all three films at once?" Even Peter Jackson was shocked by Boss Huang's suggestion.
In fact, in the film industry, releasing films at a pace of one per year was considered quite fast. Most film series were released roughly every three years, and sometimes even five years later on. So, his pace of one film per year was definitely considered a conscientious speed.
But no one in this world had ever considered releasing three films all at once. It was something that had never happened since Hollywood's inception. It sounded utterly preposterous.
Peter Jackson instinctively wanted to refuse, but Boss Huang argued eloquently, "My dear director, don't be so quick to dismiss something you've never seen. How do you know that releasing three films at once will lead to box office failure?
"Let's analyze this from a viewer's perspective. After watching the first part of The Lord of the Rings with great excitement in the cinema, would you prefer to see the second part immediately, or wait another year?"
"Of course, I'd want to see the second part immediately!" Peter Jackson said without hesitation. It was an answer any fool could give. If one could see the second installment soon, who would want to wait a year?
It was like an online novel. Would you prefer a novel that updates one chapter a day, or one that updates one chapter a year? Chances are, the novel would be left on the shelf until the reader completely forgot about it.
"Bingo. You're a professional director, and you surely know better than I do. Even the most excellent film that lingers in the audience's mind usually only stays with them for about three days. After three days, they've essentially forgotten about the film and won't have the same excitement. This is the period when they are most eager to see the second part."
"So, if the second part is released a year later, a large portion of the audience whose hearts were still filled with passion will have completely forgotten about the film. Many might not even go to the cinema to watch the second part!"
"Conversely, if you, feeling exhilarated after just watching the first film, find that the second part is playing in the adjacent screening room, would you choose to go home now, or rush into the cinema impatiently to watch the second part as well?"
"This is the advantage of releasing three films together. It maximizes the audience's excited state of mind, allowing them to watch all three parts in a short period, and get their fill of enjoyment!" Boss Huang said.
"I see!" Peter Jackson suddenly felt that Boss Huang's logic was sound. It really should be done this way. However, he quickly shook his head, "You've only spoken of the good aspects, but you haven't mentioned that if the audience dislikes the first part, they won't have any interest in watching the second and third parts."
"That's true, but it's as if audiences would be willing to watch the second part after waiting a year if the first part was bad!" Boss Huang grinned. "This kind of strategy is only applicable to the most excellent films. I believe our film is the most excellent, so I think we can completely use this strategy!"
"Moreover, the promotion will have a new selling point: the first series of films in history to release three parts at once, and it's the latest work from the outstanding director who brought you the Lord of the Rings trilogy!"
"Good heavens, both the fast and the slow are yours. You've claimed all the achievements!" Upon hearing Boss Huang's words, Peter Jackson was immediately fired up and unhesitatingly accepted the adaptation invitation.
He planned to spend another four months using the existing material to create a complete trilogy. And Boss Huang, having successfully persuaded Peter Jackson, was finally content and ready to return home.
However, no one expected that before his departure, a small but earth-shattering event would occur within the entire Jiangnan Group.
"Boss, this is my resignation letter! If there are no other issues, I hope you will approve it. If necessary, I can also spend within six months to complete the handover and help you train a new qualified secretary!" In his office, Boss Huang's mouth hung open in surprise as he looked at Hu Jing, who handed him the resignation letter with a poker face.
On the day before his departure for home, Hu Jing had directly submitted her resignation to Huang He.