It's worth noting that the following two chapters are still part of the TV drama plot. If you're not interested, you can skip them. Considering the recent plot might feel a bit slow, two free "Chapter Comments" chapters will be released in the update on the 20th as a thank you to all the loyal subscribers who have supported Author Jun. Thank you all!
Huang He swore to the heavens that he genuinely never intended to rush the production of "Qing Yu Nian," at least not intentionally.
However, one day after a water fight with Leng Zhiwen in the swimming pool, Leng Zhiwen pestered Huang He to tell her a story, and Huang He casually recounted the story of "Qing Yu Nian."
He chose "Qing Yu Nian" because, among the many web novels in later generations, it wasn't too detached from common sense, yet it surpassed the current world's knowledge, possessed considerable depth, and culminated in a surprising reversal, making it perfect for showing off.
Unexpectedly, Leng Zhiwen was captivated by the story. The next day, she begged Huang He to write down the outline and submit it to her master.
Upon reading the script outline, Leng Zhiwen's master was astounded. Of course, he had no intention of infringing on Boss Huang's intellectual property. Instead, he wisely approached Zhang Guoqing, expressing his desire to adapt the script outline into a television series.
When Zhang Guoqing saw that the script outline was written by Boss Huang, he marveled at its ingenuity. At the same time, he mused that since Boss Huang had written the outline, he must have intended to film it, otherwise, why write over ten thousand characters!
Therefore, Zhang Guoqing proactively sought out the renowned editor Zou Jingzhi. Together, they spent a month transforming the script outline into a complete screenplay. They then presented it to Huang He as a treasure, stating that Tangren should definitely produce such an excellent script.
Huang He was dumbfounded. He had only written it to please his sister-in-law, never expecting it to actually become a legitimate script. Moreover, with Zou Jingzhi's adaptation, it seemed even better than the "Qing Yu Nian" TV script from his past life, with significantly more humorous lines.
Considering the script was already completed, and the intellectual property belonged to him, it would be a waste not to film it, and it might even benefit others later. Thus, Huang He reluctantly apologized to Mao Ni (the original author) and stated that he was forced to film the television series "Qing Yu Nian."
As for "Qing Yu Nian," which was originally scheduled to be released over a decade later but was now becoming a television series in 2003, Huang He was not worried about its suitability for the current era.
Firstly, "Qing Yu Nian" is essentially a martial arts drama, and 2003 was the peak of martial arts dramas, meaning audience enthusiasm would be at its highest.
Secondly, although "Qing Yu Nian" is a fictional work, unlike many later novels such as those in the "Hong Huang," "Great Emperor," "Xian Xia," or "Cthulhu" genres, its worldview is not difficult for ordinary people to understand. The world of "Qing Yu Nian" is essentially an ancient Chinese world with a changed dynasty, making it easy to grasp.
Furthermore, in 2003, audiences had not yet been bombarded with various time-travel and rebirth dramas. The only two time-travel dramas at the time were "Love Through Time" and "A Step into the Past." However, both of these involved traveling back to ancient times, whereas "Qing Yu Nian" features travel to another fictional historical period with unique settings that would pique viewers' curiosity.
Therefore, "Qing Yu Nian" had a better grassroots foundation in 2003 than it would have in later years.
Most importantly, the number of television viewers in 2003 was significantly larger than in 2019.
Thus, Huang He believed that if "Qing Yu Nian" were released in 2003, its success would surpass that of 2019.
Since Boss Huang had decided to film "Qing Yu Nian" with a script he wrote himself, there would be no cutting corners. All aspects would be handled with the highest specifications.
Thus, Chen Daoming, who played the role in the previous life, would still portray Emperor Qing in this life. Chen Daoming had previously decided not to play emperors after finishing "Kangxi Dynasty," but he couldn't refuse Boss Huang's invitation. Moreover, after reading the script, he found the emperor to be very interesting, with more depth and a more cunning nature than his portrayal of Emperor Kangxi, so he accepted the role.
As for Chen Pingping becoming Old Li, that was Boss Huang's original quirky idea.
Chen Pingping's popularity in the previous life was largely due to Wu Gang, who had just finished playing Secretary Dakang and then immediately took on the role of a eunuch. This massive character contrast generated significant buzz during the promotion of "Qing Yu Nian."
Boss Huang intended to replicate this buzz in this life. And what could be more impactful than Old Li, who had just played Commander Li, then playing a eunuch?
Of course, Old Li was initially unwilling to play the role. As a dignified handsome young man, he couldn't possibly play a eunuch; it would push his acting limits and deviate too much from his image.
However, when Boss Huang personally went to drink with him, Old Li agreed immediately upon meeting. After all, Old Li's current status, influence, and recognition were all thanks to Huang He, and he couldn't refuse Huang He's favor.
Of course, Old Li would never admit that a small thrill arose within him when he considered playing a eunuch.
As for the remaining two members of the "Iron Triangle," their roles were not as prominent as Old Li's. He Zhengjun would play Prime Minister Lin Ruofu, and Zhang Guangbei would play Fan Xian's adoptive father, Fan Jian.
As for Teacher Zhang, it was a chance encounter. He met Huang He at an event and proactively recommended his plan for a film adaptation of "Journey to the West," though this time it would not be a US-China co-production.
Huang He had no interest in this IP, which anyone could adapt and which had been repeatedly filmed. Instead, he invited Teacher Zhang to play Hong Siqian, the eunuch leader in "Qing Yu Nian."
At this time, Teacher Zhang was looking to break through his own limitations, otherwise, he wouldn't have taken on the role of Hua Tiegan in "The Deer and the Cauldron," a character who ate human flesh, and played it exceptionally well, making him seem like Hua Tiegan reborn.
It must be said that Hua Tiegan was one of the few roles played by Teacher Zhang that allowed him to escape the ingrained impression of Sun Wukong.
When you saw him on television, your first thought wasn't that Sun Wukong had arrived, but rather that this was Hua Tiegan.
Zhu Yin was specifically requested by Huang He. He instinctively felt that Zhu Yin would be more suitable for the role of the Grand Princess. Coincidentally, Zhu Yin had not yet retired from acting at this time, so she readily accepted the role of the Grand Princess.
There was also a hidden major boss in this drama who was not mentioned by Hu Ge: Ye Qingmei, guest-starred by Brigitte Lin. Brigitte Lin had stopped acting in films and television series at this point.
However, Huang He felt Brigitte Lin was suitable for Ye Qingmei. With a single phone call, Brigitte Lin agreed to appear... Don't misunderstand, Huang He didn't use any coercion; he simply made a personal call.
These are just the more famous lead actors in this drama. In fact, there are many more young actors. From a future perspective, these young actors are what truly make this drama astonishing, truly a gathering of stars.
Besides Hu Ge and Tong Liya, Xiao Song Jia would play Fan Ruoruo, and a very young Li Chun, only 15 years old, would play Si Lili. She is one of the few in the drama to retain her original role.
It can only be said that Li Chun's age in later generations seemed a bit too old.
Hai Tang Duoduo would be played by Yang Mi, and Yang Zi would play the younger Ye Qingmei.
Wang Qinian would be played by Liang Guan Hua, who played Lord Di. Teng Zijing would be played by Zhang Zijian, the actor famous for "Why are you watching, Yuan Fang?" and the man who created the Yan Shuangying universe.
The Crown Prince would be Tong Dawei, the Second Prince would be Huang Xiaoming, Yan Bingyun would be Yan Kuan, and Wu Zhu would be Shen Teng. Yang Xiao Yi would be Liu Nianli, a name unheard of in later generations, but a talent discovered by Tangren Film and Television, a student from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, with astonishing acting skills and appearance, and exceptionally skilled in fighting. Tangren intended to cultivate her as a future action star.
Oh, and there's one more role worth mentioning: Fan Xian's teacher, Fei Jie, would be played by Guo Degang, as specifically requested by Boss Huang. Initially, Teacher Huang wanted Guo Degang to play Fan Sizhe, with the father playing the son; it would have been very interesting. However, Guo Degang was already thirty years old at this time, making him unsuitable to play Hu Ge's younger brother, which would have been quite jarring.
The role of Fan Sizhe would ultimately be played by Wu Jing.
Cough, don't be surprised. At this time, Wu Jing still retained his baby face, and he was incredibly cute.
In short, if you look at this cast list in ten years, you'll still be amazed.
And if you look at it in twenty years, you'll likely be utterly awestruck.
In summary, under Boss Huang's personal care, this drama boasts an incredibly powerful cast, even to the point of overshadowing other elements. After all, the cast is far more impressive than that of "Chinese Paladin," which would appear later.
However, because Leng Zhiwen is in "Chinese Paladin," the grand finale position must belong to "Chinese Paladin."
Unfortunately, "Qing Yu Nian" could not provide the first three episodes for broadcast at this time, as the production crew was still in the midst of intense filming. Only a trailer of about 20 minutes was edited.
However, even this exceptionally high-quality trailer amazed the audience, elevating the status of "Qing Yu Nian" to the same level as "Soldiers Sortie."
Finally, "Chinese Paladin" took center stage.
Given the immense buzz "Chinese Paladin" had already generated in the entire film and television market, the audience paid little attention to Hu Ge's enthusiastic introduction. After all, the entire plot was already well-known through the game, and the cast had been thoroughly exposed by the incredibly resourceful media. Except for the male protagonist, Leng Zhiwen, whose identity remained a mystery, all other actors were well-known and reputable performers.