I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 324

The four synopses Joseph was reviewing also included script excerpts with brief initial content. Of course, the foundation of these synopses came from ‘Universal Movies,’ a Hollywood giant in film production and distribution. These were essentially concepts or ideas that Joseph, the executive producer hired by the film company, had passed on to several screenwriters in advance.

This was before the recent team meeting.

The concept, which even Megan Stone, the caddie [a term used in the Korean entertainment industry to refer to a manager or assistant], had seen and knew about, was shown to her by ‘Universal Movies’ when she was cast. It was a concept inspired by ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ and included dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personalities. However, such concepts were nothing without the touch of a writer.

They could only come to life through the hands of a writer or screenwriter.

-Swish.

The synopses in Joseph’s hands were the result of that. It took quite a while for the synopses and script excerpts to be completed, but they eventually were. What was interesting was:

‘That they would all be so different.’

The content and genres of the synopses and script excerpts that came from the same concept were all different. It was as if four movie scenarios were laid out in front of him. It was a natural result since four screenwriters were commissioned, but Joseph, the giant, smiled, feeling a strange sense of novelty.

‘The world of creation is mysterious.’

The Hollywood scenario production system is different from that of Korea. Of course, there are cases in Hollywood where directors write scenarios, but it’s rare. It’s usually the case for the few great masters in Hollywood. Usually, like Joseph is doing, they pass on concepts to Hollywood writers to develop.

Of course, there are multiple writers, not just one.

Also, the writers who receive the offer to write a scenario can never know or contact each other. In that way, several Hollywood writers create synopses from one concept. The completed synopses are passed on to an executive producer like Joseph, and based on those synopses, the film company and producers work together to choose just one.

Only after the selection is complete does the actual scenario work begin.

In other words, Joseph was at the moment of choosing a scenario that would be made into a Hollywood movie. Of course, the film company is involved, but most of the power is given to the producer. It was no exaggeration to say that this one choice would determine the success or failure of the movie.

If it fails, everyone suffers.

Not only Joseph but also Megan, the caddie, and all the famous Hollywood key staff that Joseph had gathered in advance, who had recently met for the first time, would all be affected. A huge amount of money would also evaporate.

-Thump.

That’s why Joseph, a giant over 190cm tall, began to read the synopses he had already seen again. No, he would probably have to read them countless times in the future. From the first synopsis to the second, third, and finally the fourth. Then, he started reading the first synopsis again.

-Thump, thump.

Since Joseph read synopses and scenarios so often, his reading was fast, but the time also melted away in an instant.

Soon.

-Thud.

Joseph, who had stacked the synopses he was looking at and roughly tossed them onto the desk in front of him, crossed his long legs and muttered.

“Thriller, noir, crime action, comedy. The genres are all different, so it’s even more difficult. Well, that’s the fun of this job.”

A smile spread across his face.

“How grateful would I be if someone knew the future of the work and chose it for me.”

It was an idea that Joseph often had when this kind of situation came up. Such a person might not exist, but it was still something that Joseph, as an executive producer, always dreamed of.

‘There’s no way there would be someone with such divine talent.’

At that moment.

“No. There is one similar person.”

A Korean actor flashed through Joseph’s mind. It was Kang Woo-jin. There was no ‘failure’ to be found in his filmography. Even now, it was still ongoing. In Korea and Japan, they even gave him the nickname ‘Midas’ touch’ [referring to the mythical king who could turn anything to gold].

‘Of course, it’s because he has a keen sense and an excellent eye for choosing works, but still, that’s about the level of divine talent.’

Joseph, who had been thinking about Woo-jin for a moment, spoke to himself.

“If the time is right, it might be okay to casually show him these synopses.”

He changed the direction of his crossed legs, pushed the synopses slightly, and pulled other files. A list of numerous Hollywood directors and a file containing the personnel and schedule for going to Bangkok. Of course, the Bangkok-related file was for the location scouting of Kang Woo-jin’s ‘Beneficial Evil’ filming.

“The director can be confirmed after the synopsis is decided. Let’s start with the easy stuff.”

He opened the Bangkok-related file that he had prepared in advance. The talks with Kang Woo-jin’s side and ‘Beneficial Evil’ were already finished. Joseph checked the personnel who would be accompanying him in the file. First, Joseph himself, Megan Stone, the caddie, the stunt team that had been hired, and some executives from the distribution and film company ‘Universal Movies’.

It felt like quite a lot of people were moving.

In fact, it’s not easy for this many people to move at once. Joseph and Megan were very interested in Kang Woo-jin, but it was difficult to persuade the others. However, Joseph got a definite answer from everyone under the pretext of doing it for multiple purposes.

‘A route that goes to Bangkok and then directly to France. It’s going to be quite a tiring schedule after a long time.’

Joseph’s team was planning to attend the Cannes Film Festival after Bangkok.

Later.

After a rather long meeting with Miley Cara, Producer Song Man-woo, Kim So-hyang, and writer Choi Na-na took a flight back to Korea on the same night.

They arrived in Korea on the 12th.

Although Producer Song Man-woo had been on a forced march, he had to move immediately upon arriving in Korea without rest.

“You’ve all worked hard, go and get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, PD-nim [a Korean term for producer or director]. But are you going straight to the company?”

“I have to. Tomorrow is the script reading.”

“Oh, you should get some rest. It would be a disaster if you collapsed.”

“I’m fine, this is nothing. It’s not like it’s the first time.”

The script reading for ‘Beneficial Evil’ was scheduled for around noon on the 13th. Although Kim So-hyang, the general director, and writer Choi Na-na were also participating in the script reading, it was only Producer Song Man-woo who had to rush today. Tomorrow was the script reading, the first step of the global challenge that would mark the end of the long pre-production of ‘Beneficial Evil’, so there was no time to rest.

Soon, Producer Song Man-woo returned to DM Production.

At this time, Kang Woo-jin was, of course, working a tight schedule. In the morning, he had a grand fan signing event as an advertising model, and now he was moving to the set to shoot additional commercials. In the evening, a simple internet broadcast related to Woo-jin’s SNS was scheduled. It was for communication with fans.

‘Ah- I feel like yawning. I need to go into the subspace and beat the crap out of something.’

It was when Woo-jin, who was deep into his concept, was holding back a yawn.

-Vroom.

His phone vibrated briefly. Well, his phone hadn’t rested all day, but what had arrived now was from DM. It was from Mana Kosaku, a top Japanese actress, and the content was a message saying ‘Are you doing well?’ along with several photos of captured Japanese articles.

『Did they aim for noise marketing? The declaration of ‘Stranger’ Kang Woo-jin is spreading like wildfire!』

『Is it arrogance or confidence? The declaration of war that ‘Kang Woo-jin’ has launched on the Japanese film industry, industry experts have mixed views』

The articles that Mana Kosaku sent were all about ‘Stranger’ and Kang Woo-jin.

‘What arrogance, I just said it.’

Woo-jin, who internally scoffed, replied appropriately and then turned on something else. Various Japanese portal sites, SNS, and communities. After surfing the web for about 10 minutes, Kang Woo-jin’s conclusion was:

‘They’re seriously going all out with the promotion.’

The promotion and marketing of ‘Stranger’ were at a crazy level. In fact, the ‘Stranger’ side, including director Kyotaro, had been throwing bait to the Japanese media every single day since the production presentation.

『The editing of ‘Stranger’, which has become even hotter since the production presentation, is expected to be finished around the end of this month, with a release expected at the end of October』

They were faithfully carrying out the decision to massively expand the scale.

『Following Kang Woo-jin’s confidence? ‘Stranger’ side to increase the scale of previews etc. several times』

Woo-jin, who was quietly observing the situation in Japan, imagined.

‘If ‘Stranger’ is released after building up the hype this much, won’t the Japanese people go crazy?’

Just imagining the aftermath that would come after the release sent shivers down his spine. But that was only for a moment.

‘Well, I don’t have anything to be scared of.’

Woo-jin quickly erased the thought he had. In short, no matter what happens, as long as the work is good, that’s all that matters, right? By the time Kang Woo-jin arrived at the commercial shooting location, he had about 30 minutes of free time thanks to the preparation time.

In fact, Kang Woo-jin’s recent interest was more focused on ‘Leech’.

The film company of ‘Leech’, which had been quiet throughout the filming, had begun to move in earnest after the finished product test a few days ago. Therefore, among the various issues breaking out in Korea, ‘Leech’ was the strongest.

『[Movie Talk] ‘Cannes Entry’ ‘Leech’ has completed screening tests, attention is focused on which section it will enter!』

Currently, ‘Leech’ was confirmed to be invited to the Cannes Film Festival and had completed its submission. However, which section it would be in was not yet confirmed. The huge Cannes Film Festival, the best of the world’s three major international film festivals, has several sections. It is also called the award section or the competition section, and the core and main section of the Cannes Film Festival was the ‘Competition Section’. Below that were ‘Un Certain Regard’, ‘Out of Competition’, and so on.

In the ‘Competition Section’, about 20 films from around the world are selected, and the Palme d’Or, the highest award at the Cannes Film Festival, is awarded among them.

It also included the Grand Prix, the Best Director Award, the Best Actor Award, the Best Actress Award, and the Best Screenplay Award. All awards are the main focus at Cannes, and actors and filmmakers from all over the world also aim for these awards.

That was announced on.

『’Cannes Film Festival’ ‘Competition Section’ official invitation announcement confirmed for the 17th, how many Korean films including ‘Leech’ will advance to the main section?』

The Cannes Film Festival side announces it all at once through a press conference in France. Of course, it could be viewed live on video platforms such as YouTube. That was only for the ‘Competition Section’, and the rest of the works were posted on the official page.

In short, it was an honor to go to Cannes, but to really turn the world upside down.

『’Leech’ by ‘Director Ahn Ga-bok’ who sharpened his knife, what are the chances of it being in the ‘Competition Section’ of this year’s Cannes Film Festival?』

It was first to be included in the ‘Competition Section’.

13th, DM Production.

The door of the DM Production conference room, which was in charge of the production of ‘Beneficial Evil’, was firmly closed. Several staff members stood guard in front of it, and a coated paper was attached to the glass door at the back.

-[Beneficial Evil Script Reading Room]

That’s right. The script reading for ‘Beneficial Evil’ was currently taking place here. Therefore, many actors gathered at the square table inside the spacious conference room. Surrounding the square table were several key staff members. The production manager of ‘Beneficial Evil’, the martial arts director, the cinematographer, and many others. Of course, the stunt team Ethan Smith, which included foreign members, was also present.

‘The script reading in Korea is similar to Hollywood. Is it just a little more static?’

Including Kim So-hyang, the general director, and Netflix officials, there were at least over a hundred people involved. Of course, Producer Song Man-woo and writer Choi Na-na were seated at the head of the square table.

“Next is the introduction of the actors.”

There were many new and unknown actors. Among them, the most noticeable were Hwa-rin and Ha Kang-soo, who were wearing hats pulled down low, and A-list actors. Of course, Im Hae-eun, who had joined this time and was cute but gloomy, and Jo Mu-chan, who was full of freshness, were also seen, but they were also unknown.

The key person in this script reading where so many people gathered was:

“Kang Woo-jin, who will be playing the role of ‘Jang Yeon-woo’.”

“Hello, I’m Kang Woo-jin. Please take care of me.”

He was Kang Woo-jin, who was in his second year since his debut but already had a global presence, and was the top in the country in terms of impact and influence.

He started his first engine as ‘Jang Yeon-woo’ in ‘Beneficial Evil’.

Several tens of hours later.

The domestic media began to pour out articles related to ‘Beneficial Evil’.

『[Photo] Netflix ‘Beneficial Evil’, actors including Kang Woo-jin gather for script reading/Photo』

『’Beneficial Evil’ aiming for ‘the whole world’ script reading successfully concluded, Kang Woo-jin’s lead shined』

Exactly 4 days later, on Friday the 17th.

With only 3 days left until the first overseas location shooting of the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team.

-Slide!

As soon as Kang Woo-jin, who had just finished a photoshoot schedule, got into the van, he picked up his phone. Choi Seong-geon, with his ponytail, did the same. It was around 4 pm. Woo-jin, who was deep into his concept and full of indifference, was secretly nervous inside.

‘The Cannes Film Festival announcement, it must have already started!’

Time-wise, it was afternoon in Korea, but it would be morning in France, and the Cannes Film Festival side would be announcing the official invitations in France right now.

-Swipe.

Therefore, Woo-jin accessed YouTube. The link had already been shared, so it didn’t take long to access the video. The live video that Woo-jin turned on showed the chairman of the Cannes Film Festival, who was the representative. He was a bald foreigner, and as he was being showered with flashes, he was calmly announcing the 20 works that had been accepted into the ‘Competition Section’ into the microphone.

The works that would shine at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the main ones.

‘Fortunately, the announcement of the works is just starting.’

Kang Woo-jin focused on the video. French was spoken from the mouth of the chairman of the Cannes Film Festival in France. The first movie was announced. It was a French movie. The second was Japanese. The third was German. Then British. It was being announced one after another. Before he knew it, it had passed the 15th work. Japan was called out once more. But Korea was still not called.

Soon.

‘The 19th!’

The announcement was almost at the end. But the 19th movie was also from France. Woo-jin almost cursed for a moment.

‘Ah, shit!’

But he somehow maintained his composure.

At that time.

[“The 20th invited work for the ‘Competition Section’. South Korea, ‘Leech’ by director Ahn Ga-bok.”]

‘Leech’ was called out at the end.

End