There will be two more chapters later.
After attending the opening ceremony, Boss Huang no longer bothered with BLm’s affairs. He went to Marvel Studios headquarters and spent over two hours watching the entire Iron Man movie.
That’s right, after more than a year of intense filming and post-production, Marvel Studios’ inaugural film, Iron Man, was finally edited and completed.
Of course, this was just the rough cut. By the time it was officially released, there would likely be over a dozen more edits to arrive at the version with the best overall effect.
Well, at least the version that the director and investors considered the best. As for whether it was the best in the eyes of the audience, that was anyone’s guess.
Huang He watched the entire Iron Man film and was mostly satisfied. It essentially captured the feeling of the Iron Man he had seen in his previous life, and the visuals were very pleasing.
Moreover, due to the increased investment, the special effects saw significant improvements, the plot depth was enhanced, and, more importantly, many seeds were planted for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In fact, if you look at the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, you’ll notice that the first few films didn’t really leave many foreshadowing elements. This was because the screenwriters at the time had no idea if the Marvel Cinematic Universe would even exist in the future, so they approached Iron Man with the attitude of making a complete standalone film, without planting too many hints or details.
However, this time, at Boss Huang’s instruction, these foreshadowing elements and details were incorporated.
Of course, considering the film’s completeness and runtime, these hints and details were very subtle, mostly conveyed through a single sentence or a fleeting shot.
For example, when Tony Stark was attacked by terrorists, the music playing in the car was Star-Lord’s favorite, "Come and Get Your Love."
When Tony Stark was held captive in the cave, a fleeting red gem appeared, which was an Infinity Stone. Additionally, the Hydra logo could be seen in the cave.
When Tony Stark successfully rescued himself and held a press conference, Nick Fury, the future director of S.H.I.E.L.D., was among the reporters.
During Tony Stark’s final battle with his opponent, another Tony Stark briefly appeared. This figure, however, was seen in a mirror, appearing as if Tony Stark was normally reflected in it.
But in reality, if one calculated the angles, it would be impossible for Tony Stark to appear in the mirror at that particular angle.
In summary, the production team sprinkled over 30 easter eggs and details. Furthermore, due to Boss Huang’s peculiar taste, these easter eggs and details would be difficult to discover unless one had watched the entire Avengers series.
Of course, as more Marvel Universe films were released and the fanbase grew, they would be able to excitedly discover these details and easter eggs as if unearthing treasure.
The word-of-mouth generated by these details and easter eggs would, step by step, elevate the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe to legendary status.
Many films in history have followed this strategy, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe would also subtly build its reputation through these means. Boss Huang, naturally, wholeheartedly embraced this approach.
Notably, Stan Lee also made a cameo in this film, playing a terrorist who knocked Tony Stark unconscious with a rifle butt.
Stan Lee was very excited about this, did not refuse future film invitations, and also significantly reduced his public criticism of Marvel.
However, Boss Huang at this moment wished he would criticize more, as this would continuously generate buzz for Iron Man. Iron Man had already been scheduled for a global release on July 2, 2004, just over three months away, leaving Marvel Studios with limited time to build hype for the film.
Moreover, there was also some unwelcome news: Hollywood and its major cinema chains were not welcoming to Iron Man. At this time, Marvel Studios was largely controlled by Jiangnan Group, and Hollywood did not want foreign capital to enter and compete for market share.
However, due to the limited number of films in July, cinema chains, considering their profits, eventually agreed to give Iron Man a chance. Nevertheless, the screening slots were not many, with less than 5% of the total screen time allocated, a figure that could almost spell doom for the film.
Consequently, everyone at Marvel Studios was in very low spirits. If the first film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe bombed like this, they found it difficult to imagine Marvel Studios continuing, let alone Boss Huang continuing to invest!
Fortunately, Boss Huang appeared very calm. He directly told everyone at Marvel Studios that success would surely be theirs, to which everyone could only respond with a wry smile!
“By the way, are there any celebrities free to visit China recently?” Huang He asked casually.
“There should be. We’ll need to coordinate, but Boss, what is the celebrity’s activity for?” his subordinate asked curiously.
“It’s not a major event, just participating in a variety show and being a model!” Huang He said calmly.
In fact, not only this person was invited to be a model. Twenty minutes later, Li Jie, who was filming "The Incredible Hulk" in the Marvel Studios soundstage, unexpectedly met their Boss Huang.
“Brother Li!” Huang He greeted him enthusiastically and proactively, startling Li Jie. He then apologized to the surrounding staff and walked over to Huang He’s side, saying, “Mr. Huang, I’ve heard so much about you. I’m very excited to meet you!”
Indeed, this was the first time Li Jie and Huang He had met, but both knew each other. After all, one was now a major cash cow in Hollywood, and the other was a movie star he had grown up watching. There was no reason they wouldn’t know each other.
“Brother Li, I grew up watching your movies!” Boss Huang said with a smile. Li Jie quickly replied, “You’re too kind, too kind.” Then, the two exchanged pleasantries, and Boss Huang, very graciously, lavished praise upon Li Jie, making his face turn red.
“Brother Li, do you have any plans to return to China recently?” Boss Huang suddenly asked casually.
“No… but if the crew allows, I would like to go back!” Li Jie naturally had no plans to return to China. For one thing, the filming of "The Incredible Hulk" alone would take a month, and he couldn’t get away.
However, Li Jie wasn’t truly a Shaolin monk unaware of social graces. He immediately realized that Boss Huang’s words had a hidden meaning, and quickly corrected himself.
Huang He’s words implied that he definitely hoped Li Jie would return to China for something. And for Li Jie, this was a dream come true. Although helping others could be troublesome, helping Boss Huang was not troublesome at all.
You don’t know how many people in this world wanted to help Boss Huang but never had the opportunity!
“That’s perfect. Tangren is organizing a charity program to promote our Jiangnan brands. If Brother Li has time, please do us a favor and make an appearance, filming a couple of episodes. Of course, the fees will be paid in full. Please don’t be polite with me!” Boss Huang said with a smile.
“Ah, Mr. Huang, please don’t say that. I’m currently working for you, so your business is my business! Not to mention one or two episodes, even the entire program would be fine. As for the money, you’re just insulting me!” Li Jie quickly replied.
“No, it’s only natural to get paid for appearing on a show. I can’t break the rules. You need to earn money too!” Boss Huang said.
“That’s not how you should put it. You’ve already paid me. I’m currently an actor in the crew, and this job is during filming. So it naturally should be included in the crew’s salary. You’ve already paid me $5 million in salary, which is a lot!” Li Jie quickly stated.
Although Li Jie’s highest salary in Hollywood reached $10 million, that was as a leading actor. He was now playing a supporting role, so that salary was naturally out of the question.
Not to mention that after his last film’s box office failure, his value in Hollywood had significantly decreased. However, there was a rule in Hollywood that once an actor’s value increased, it couldn’t drop.
This might sound like a good thing, but for underfunded crews, it would make them directly abandon actors who had high valuations but lacked box office appeal. Therefore, Li Jie had a very difficult time in the past one or two years.
So, the $5 million salary that Tang Boss was offering him was indeed very generous.
“Can it be calculated like this?” Boss Huang asked in surprise.
“That’s how it’s calculated. This is also part of the film’s promotional work. As actors in the crew, we are obliged to cooperate with the film’s promotion!” Li Jie said proactively.
“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Brother Li!” Huang He sighed and stated that all expenses for the return trip would be covered by him. Li Jie naturally wouldn’t refuse, and thus, the two happily reached an agreement. Boss Huang also mentioned that Tangren would proactively invite Li Jie for future projects, which made Li Jie very happy. After all, wasn’t he willingly acting as a sycophant just to gain favor with capital?
However, Li Jie didn’t know that after Boss Huang left, he immediately took out his phone, dialed a number, and then said with a smile, “Brother Long, is that you? Who am I? I’m Huang He! I grew up watching your movies!”