Yanjing International Airport.
Luke and Mr. Eisen walked side by side.
Thirteen hours on a flight from New York felt far from exhausting when spent in the comfort of first class, sleeping soundly.
The studio had booked first-class tickets at $20,000 each—a far cry from the tight budget Luke had struggled with on his last trip to Hong Kong Island.
"Luke, do you really care that much about this movie? Are you determined to get it?" Mr. Eisen asked.
"From your perspective, Mr. Eisen, becoming a world-class action star might just mean conquering the U.S. and European markets," Luke replied.
"Exactly. Isn't that enough?"
"Maybe for now, but not for the future."
"The future? Explain."
Mr. Eisen seemed open to advice, but anyone who knew him well understood the stubbornness and obstinacy that ran deep in him.
If anyone else had spoken to him that way, he would politely tell them to leave and mentally blacklist them.
But when Luke expressed a differing opinion, Mr. Eisen genuinely considered it.
Over the past months, Luke had repeatedly proven through his actions that he was right.
"China has the world's largest population, and its economy will grow rapidly over the next few decades. The box office will inevitably surpass North America and become the largest market globally. If we focus on the future, we must capture the domestic market," Luke explained.
These were insights he had seen in the future—undeniable facts.
Saying this in 2001, however, seemed a bit unbelievable.
At the time, a single Hollywood blockbuster could easily earn multiples of the total box office of all domestic films.
(As mentioned earlier with Rush Hour 2.)
"Alright, I trust your judgment. So that's why you came back to secure this film?" Mr. Eisen asked.
"Yes. Besides this movie, I'll be back in the next few years to invest in several martial arts TV dramas."
"What? Luke, you want to get involved with TV dramas?"
Mr. Eisen didn't stop him. He trusted there was a reason and only offered cautionary advice.
"I don't have to star in them myself. But investing in martial arts dramas is very worthwhile."
Several TV adaptations of classics like Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (2003) and Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre flashed through his mind.
Faces like Gao Yuanyuan, Jia Jingwen, Liu Tao, Jiang Xin… These actors would become icons for the youth of the 1980s, 1990s, and even 2000s in China.
In the future, Yuffie would still be loved by many, largely thanks to her early TV dramas.
Luke didn't want to miss classic domestic TV dramas that had wide national recognition and shaped young audiences.
Even if he didn't act in them, investing as a producer would guarantee profitable returns.
"If you've thought it through, I'll fully support you," Mr. Eisen said.
"We'll be fine. Let's go—my ride is over there."
Luke waved to Zhang Ziyu in the distance and, with Mr. Eisen, headed forward.
It had been over half a year since he last saw Zhang Ziyu in Hong Kong.
They exchanged a brief hug, introduced Mr. Eisen to each other, and then drove to their destination.
The car soon arrived at a private club on the outskirts of Yanjing.
"Follow me. Director Zhang Mou is already waiting for you," Zhang Ziyu said, leading them into a quaint courtyard with elegant, classical decor.
As the three stepped inside, they immediately saw Director Zhang Mou rise to greet them.
At 51, Zhang Mou was at the peak of his creative and professional power.
Over the years, he had won numerous awards, including the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and the Silver Lion at Venice. But his previous films had primarily focused on artistic expression.
Inspired by Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon last year, he was now venturing into commercial cinema with ambitions for the international market.
The film Hero, which he was preparing, was the reason for Luke's trip.
In Luke's memory, Hero would earn 250 million RMB domestically, $55 million in North America, totaling $177 million globally.
At an exchange rate of 8.3, that would be roughly 1.5 billion RMB in total box office—an extraordinary success compared to the domestic total of 800 million RMB at the time.
This success also inspired follow-up films like The Banquet and The Promise and drove Zhang Mou to try to replicate it with works such as House of Flying Daggers and Curse of the Golden Flower.
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Yet none of these later films could even come close to Hero's success, proving that the Hero model was one-of-a-kind.
Luke wanted to star in Hero, but he didn't fully endorse the film.
He saw many flaws; simply retracing historical steps would be meaningless.
So he had two main goals today:
First, to secure a collaboration with Director Zhang Mou and land the lead role.
Second, to convince Zhang Mou to direct the film according to Luke's revisions.
Both goals faced significant obstacles, but Luke was unbothered. He held Zhang Mou's trump card—Director Zhang would not escape his influence.
"This is Mr. Eisen, a famous Hollywood investor and Luke's manager," Zhang Ziyu introduced.
Luke had already provided Mr. Eisen's profile to Zhang Ziyu beforehand.
Zhang Ziyu had also briefed Director Zhang, and when he saw Mr. Eisen's credentials, his eyes couldn't leave them.
To break into the international market, Zhang Mou needed a partner with sufficient resources to handle overseas distribution.
He had been working hard to connect with the renowned Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
Films Weinstein produced or distributed had earned over 300 Oscar nominations, winning more than 70 statuettes.
Familiar foreign films like Malèna, Cinema Paradiso, and Pulp Fiction bore his mark.
In Luke's future, domestic films like Shaolin Soccer, Infernal Affairs, and Hero would also be distributed in North America by him.
It's also worth noting that Anne Hathaway's reputation in North America suffered partly due to Weinstein's actions, only improving after the 2017 New York Times exposé and his downfall.
Such a top-tier Hollywood producer made Zhang Mou eager to connect, opening doors to the North American market.
Yet, when comparing Weinstein's credentials with Mr. Eisen's, the difference was staggering.
It would be like comparing action stars Donnie Yen and Chen Long.
Faced with a Hollywood powerhouse far above Weinstein, Zhang Mou shook Mr. Eisen's hand warmly, exclaiming, "Finally, it's an honor to meet you!"