Chapter 271 - The Best Plan in America

The next day, Laila introduced Kyoko Fukada to the members of the film crew. Upon meeting this young girl from their own country, Shinichi Chiba and Yuri Kaicho were quite fond of her and promised to take good care of her.

With this, all the required actors had gathered.

Due to the need to accommodate the schedules of several foreign actors, Laila decided to film the scenes featuring them first. This meant that the most exciting fight scenes would happen much earlier.

This also meant that Hong Jinbao's work would become hectic. Designing fight choreography was not something you could simply do in your head; sometimes, it required coordination with the set and the actors. Therefore, they often had to redesign some actions during filming.

Moreover, fight scenes demanded a lot from the actors. While some of the more challenging moves could be performed by stunt doubles, many scenes required the actors themselves to perform.

Roy and Theron had been training for a while under Laila's guidance, and Shu Qi had undergone a series of training sessions back in Hong Kong after securing her role. Now, only Kyoko Fukada remained inexperienced.

Fortunately, her role didn't involve many action scenes. The most crucial fight scene was the one where she had to block the female lead's path just before the final boss battle. The actions in this scene weren't too complex, and with some practice over time, she should be able to achieve the desired results that Laila needed.

Laila was prepared for the worst-case scenario: if Fukada couldn't handle it, they could always have a stunt double do most of the work. Laila had invited her mainly out of curiosity, and seeing Fukada's unexpected performance the previous day was already a pleasant surprise. She didn't expect to turn this delicate, young girl into an action star overnight.

Being selected by Laila Moran, the hottest and most talented young director in Hollywood, often referred to as the "Witch," immediately became the most explosive news in the Japanese entertainment industry after signing the contract.

While Shinichi Chiba's invitation to the film had already elevated him to the status of a national treasure in the eyes of Japanese media, he did have the corresponding skill and reputation to justify such a title.

However, Kyoko Fukada was different. How long had she been in the industry? Most people only remembered her from the TV series that had aired in July. Who could have imagined that such a young girl would catch the eye of a renowned Hollywood director?

As a result, she was immediately hailed as Japan's most valuable newcomer in the entertainment industry, with many believing that she would become a symbol of the Japanese entertainment world in the near future.

While the film was still in production, Fukada received offers, scripts, and invitations to be a brand ambassador pouring in. It seemed like her agency's doors were about to burst from the sheer volume of offers. One could only imagine how ecstatic their president must have been upon receiving all these messages.

Japanese news quickly spread to the American media, and Kyoko Fukada's photos and the TV shows she had appeared in were briefly mentioned. Her innocent appearance immediately attracted a portion of fans, primarily Asians, as there was still some cultural gap between East and West when it came to aesthetics.

But having such a seemingly delicate girl cast in an R-rated film rumored to have a lot of action scenes? It sounded like a joke. How could someone like her, known for her innocence, fit into a film full of violence and action? What was the director thinking? What was in the script? Countless questions tormented both the media and fans with curiosity.

As a result, Laila's film was once again hyped up with excitement.

In contrast, the crew of "The 13th Warrior" found themselves in a pitiable situation. They held press conferences, cast meetings, and bombarded the public with promotions, all while trying to use Laila's presence to elevate their film. But the result?

No matter how much they jumped around, the media and the public were more interested in Laila's film.

For someone experiencing the ruthlessness of Hollywood for the first time, like Faiza, this outcome was unacceptable.

"What are those people even doing? Why can't they come up with better promotional strategies? Where is the planning? Where is the best planning in America? We have money, can't we hire the best people for our promotion?" Faiza was in a fit of anger in the meeting room, and her subordinates hung their heads, hoping to avoid attention.

On the other hand, their American partners weren't as angry as Faiza because they had already experienced Laila's tactics. They knew that she could achieve results that others couldn't with minimal investment.

One investor even replied with a smile, "Unfortunately, it seems you can't hire the best person even with money."

"How is that possible?" Faiza couldn't believe that someone wouldn't be swayed by money. If such people did exist, it was simply because they didn't have enough money. If one million couldn't hire them, then ten million, or even a billion would do. She had never encountered a situation where money couldn't buy results.

"Hehe, the best planner in America is named Laila Moran. Do you think you can hire her to handle the promotion for our film?" The investor said, and many others joined in with light laughter.

"Laila Moran?" Faiza looked puzzled as she turned to Faaris. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Miss, she's the name of the director you want to defeat," Faaris replied, once again embarrassed by his clueless boss. Spending hundreds of millions and not even remembering the opponent's name was truly embarrassing. With a daughter like this, it was no wonder their boss's life was so dim.

Therefore, women should still stay at home and be good to their husbands and children. The boss just loves her so much that he allows her to go to the United States to study. Allowing her to study abroad in the United States had been a grave mistake. What had she even learned there? Had she only become more foolish?

Faiza was shocked by his words. "You mean Laila Moran? She's the best planner? Isn't she just a director?"

"Miss, Miss Moran is not just a director. She has previously helped plan global promotional campaigns for luxury brand Burberry, and within a few months, she transformed the brand's image worldwide and boosted sales exponentially. Currently, she's also working on planning for the famous lingerie brand 'Victoria's Secret.' In just a few months, Victoria's Secret's brand value has increased by over ten billion. After the one-year contract is over, no one will be surprised if Victoria's Secret becomes the world's top-selling lingerie brand."

Faaris calmly conveyed the information he knew with an indifferent tone. He didn't need to look around to know that the investors were mocking his ignorant boss.