Jurassic Park 3

"Star in a movie and have its global box office exceed The Mummy Returns?"

Lin Yuan was speechless upon seeing the mission given by the system...

As a person of Asian descent and a newcomer, even dreaming of starring in a Hollywood film was far-fetched.

And on top of that, the movie's box office had to surpass The Mummy Returns?

It was important to remember that The Mummy Returns ranked 6th on the North American box office charts in 2001, with a global gross of a staggering 430 million USD.

Even his own wildly successful films, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Fast and the Furious, couldn't compete with The Mummy Returns at the box office.

How was he supposed to complete this hellishly difficult mission?

"If they weren't in some kind of trouble, why would they need a Chinese actor?" Lin Yuan muttered.

But this unintentional remark sparked an idea in Director Cohen, who was standing nearby.

"That's right! We can try approaching film crews that are facing some difficulties."

"Do you have someone in mind?"

"Come on, you're coming with me. He's in New York today too."

With that, Director Cohen grabbed Lin Yuan and they hurried off in the car.

On the way, Director Cohen briefed Lin Yuan on the situation:

They were on their way to meet Joe Johnston, the director and producer of Jurassic Park 3.

This film was also a major sequel produced by Universal Pictures, and Director Johnston was an old friend of Director Cohen.

Director Cohen hadn't recommended this crew to Lin Yuan earlier because the film's current status wasn't good, which was why he had initially preferred Lin Yuan to go for The Mummy Returns crew.

After the stunning debut of the first Jurassic Park, the second installment had already shown signs of fatigue in both box office performance and critical reception.

However, Universal Pictures wasn't willing to give up on the IP. With a "let's just try" attitude, they had greenlit the production of Jurassic Park 3.

The first two Jurassic Park films were directed by the renowned director Spielberg, but for the third installment, they brought in Director Johnston, who held a significantly lower position.

This was clearly a signal that the film wasn't expected to do well.

And that signal was gradually proving to be true, as the entire film crew's situation was quite dire.

After nearly half the filming was completed, the resulting footage was evaluated by an internal review committee and deemed unsatisfactory, with bleak prospects.

This meant Universal Pictures had begun to view the film pessimistically and would strictly control costs for post-production, marketing, and other expenses.

Consequently, the entire crew was demoralized, and morale had plummeted.

Perhaps only at such a critical juncture would Director Johnston consider casting a Chinese actor like Lin Yuan?

"Lin, this might be your chance. I'll do my best to persuade Director Johnston," Director Cohen assured Lin Yuan after explaining the situation.

Through the car's interior lights, Lin Yuan looked at the man who was essentially the first benefactor in his acting career, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Director Cohen was over fifty years old. While not elderly, his entire head, except for his shiny scalp, was covered in wrinkles.

The weariness and the passage of time were undeniable.

To help him, he was truly going all out tonight.

How could he ever repay such kindness?

"Regardless of the outcome, I'm truly grateful for you going out of your way for me."

"Lin, don't be so formal. Excessive politeness can also create distance. Aren't we good friends?"

Americans truly didn't care about seniority. Lin Yuan, at 18, and Director Cohen, at 51, could be considered generations apart in China.

But he didn't mind at all; if he accepted you, you were a friend.

"Of course, it's my honor," Lin Yuan replied.

Lin Yuan smiled, but his heart was filled with worry.

When Lin Yuan learned that Director Cohen was introducing him to the Jurassic Park 3 crew, his heart sank.

This was because he knew that this movie had failed in the future timeline and would never be able to surpass The Mummy Returns.

Jurassic Park 3's box office had barely recouped its costs, and its critical reception was also very poor.

With the dual failure of critical reception and box office, the entire Jurassic Park IP fell into a slump, with no sequels being filmed for over a decade.

It wasn't until 2015, when Universal Pictures rebooted the franchise with Jurassic World, that it was revitalized and returned to the public eye.

Yes, that was the one starring the "King of Awkward Dancing," Star-Lord.

Lin Yuan could already see the failure of Jurassic Park 3. Even if he managed to secure the lead role, what good would it do?

It was truly too difficult to make it in Hollywood!

The reasons for Jurassic Park 3's failure were, on one hand, audience fatigue, and on the other, a script that was too superficial.

The immense success of the first Jurassic Park was not only due to its astonishing visual effects but also to its exploration of the theme of reverence for life, which made the film more memorable.

The second film, with its mediocre script, also explored themes of environmental protection and adapting to nature.

By the time Johnston directed the third installment, any thematic depth was gone, leaving only simple thrills and survival.

The audience, having seen the first two films, was no longer easily scared by dinosaur special effects.

Furthermore, the escape scenes offered nothing new and lacked any real appeal.

All of this made the movie all style and no substance. How could it not fail?

Lin Yuan knew that to save this film, he had to make major revisions to the script, perfect the story's core, and find ways to make the escape scenes more exciting.

Could Director Johnston really do as he said?

Difficult, difficult, difficult. Thinking about the two hurdles he had to overcome tonight, Lin Yuan felt a headache coming on.

Fortunately, strictly speaking, the true protagonists of Jurassic Park 3 were the dinosaurs; the human characters were merely supporting roles. This gave Lin Yuan a slightly better chance of playing the lead.

But he had no better options and could only try his best to achieve his goal.

"Hi, Joe. Long time no see, old friend."

Arriving at Director Joe Johnston's residence, Director Cohen greeted him with a smile.

Clearly, their friendship was much better than that with Director Sommers from The Mummy Returns.

"I've been incredibly unlucky lately. Seeing you makes me very happy." Director Johnston stood up proactively, walked over, and gave Director Cohen a hug.

"Your bad luck is about to end. Tonight, I've brought you a magical young man from the East. I believe he can solve your troubles," Director Cohen introduced.

"This young man is very handsome. Is he Chinese? What's his name?" Director Johnston asked, extending his hand to Lin Yuan with a smile.

Lin Yuan smiled back, shaking his hand while carefully observing the director.

Director Johnston was born in 1950, making him 50 years old this year.

He was also tall, standing 4 centimeters taller than Lin Yuan, who was 1.83 meters tall.

It made Lin Yuan sigh: he wasn't short, but why were so many Hollywood directors so tall?

"Director Johnston, my name is Lin Yuan, and I am Chinese."

"Amazing Chinese kung fu! I really like it!"

At least on the surface, Director Johnston was much more amiable than Director Sommers.

But Lin Yuan knew that the negotiations tonight had just begun and wouldn't be that simple.