Chapter 897: Disturbance (2)
Chapter 897: Disturbance (2)
Director Choi Sung-Moon had once again proven himself as Korea's top box office director by drawing 13 million viewers with Beyond the Boundary. He was currently preparing his next project, Hyeonjong: The King of the Original Text.However, before my regression, that project had never been completed. The Hyeonjong: The King of the Original Text trilogy that Choi Sung-Moon was planning required the Battle of Gwiju scene as its grand finale. Yet, fierce conflict had erupted with investors over the scale of funding required for that scene.
The Battle of Gwiju was a massive confrontation that went down in Northeast Asian history, where 200,000 Goryeo soldiers led by General Kang Gam-Chan faced off against 100,000 elite Khitan troops on the plains of Gwiju, with the fate of both nations at stake.
Because of that, Choi Sung-Moon wanted to film that climactic scene properly. He demanded that investors pre-fund a production budget of 100 billion won so he could mobilize an enormous number of extras and horses and build a full-scale Gwiju Plains set.
However, shocked by the scale of the budget, the investors proposed reducing the scope of the Battle of Gwiju and replacing as much as possible with CGI. Choi Sung-Moon refused to back down, arguing that doing so would ultimately cost more and diminish the scale of the battle. He even took a hard stance, saying that if he could not properly portray the Battle of Gwiju, which marked the golden age of Goryeo history, there was no point in making the film at all.
After deliberating, the investment firms sought advice from Hollywood producers experienced in large-scale war films. However, contrary to Choi Sung-Moon's claims, the consultants submitted a report stating that including the Battle of Gwiju, the total production budget would require at least 200 billion won.
In the end, the production companies delivered a final notice: unless he reduced the scale of the Battle of Gwiju, they could not invest. His pride wounded, Choi Sung-Moon scrapped everything and halted the project at the investment stage. As a result, the Hyeonjong: The King of the Original Text trilogy was abandoned entirely.
Fortunately, I had a solution to that fatal problem. So I set my condition. If he helped me, I would resolve the critical flaw in Hyeonjong: The King of the Original Text.
At that moment, Choi Sung-Moon's agitated voice burst through the phone.
-There's a problem with my film? What problem?
I could hear the urgency in his voice, but I answered calmly. "Send your staff to help us for just two weeks. Then I'll tell you the problem and the solution."
There was a brief silence. Beside me, President Shin Jong-Ki, Managing Director Lee Eun-Joo, and Director Yeo Ik-Hwan all looked stunned. They clearly had not expected me to make what sounded like a near threat to Choi Sung-Moon.