If it is made into a movie according to the original book "Killing Reincarnation", it is likely to become a Japanese movie like "Battle Royale" or "Confession", with a heavy and profound theme, but the Hollywood adaptation is a commercial popcorn, so naturally it can't be like this.

Rather than positioning the theme idea of reincarnation and life, it is better to focus all the weight on Cage alone, focusing on his growth and transformation, from the first deserter to the unsung hero at the end. In this way, not only will it not drag down the original rhythm of the movie, but you can also understand more things through the growth of this character.

As Paul said: the meaning of war, the meaning of death, the meaning of life. In Lan Li's view, there is another hidden clue, the meaning of time.

Suddenly, the heated discussion quieted down, all eyes were on Lan Li, and Paul asked, "Is that so?"

Lan Li didn't hold back for a moment, and the corners of his mouth rose, "Why are you asking for my opinion, I'm just an actor, not a screenwriter." I gave some advice from the perspective of character growth, and the rest was left to Derek and Billy. ”

It's not modesty, it's truth. Lan Li has no concept of writing a script, and all ideas come from the development of characters and stories.

For actors, an excellent script should be intertwined with the advancement of the story and the growth of the character, either the occurrence of events has an impact on the character, or the personality of the character determines the direction of the event, there is no waste plot, and there are no waste fragments. This is true for both commercial and art films. Excellent commercial film scripts also have such requirements, even if it is the most "ordinary" to save the world, the story and characters are closely related.

However, the actor's perspective also has limitations, first, he can't see the overall situation, second, he can't see other characters, and third, he can't see the context of the story, the relationship between the sublimation of the character and the movie. Writing a script is never easy.

As a result, Billy said, "Then explain the commentary from the perspective of an actor." ”

Lan Li didn't continue to excuse himself, "Paul's meaning is basically accurate, I think the script can be divided into three parts, the first part is the first meeting, the second part is growth, and the third part is looking back. After speaking, Lan Li also raised his eyebrows, "How about it, is there a little charm of oriental reincarnation?"

Everyone nodded stunned, and after the same theme was interpreted in the way of ancient Chinese poetry, even in English, it still had a unique flavor. The original work of "Killing Reincarnation" came from Japan, and Hollywood's interpretation still lacks the charm of this oriental culture after all.

"The first part, the first meeting between Cage and Team J. Some changes can be made to the character setting and line writing when the team members are on tour, Cage is the outsider who inadvertently breaks into the game, and the team members are the insiders who stick to the war. "When I first communicated with Jeff, Lan Li only had a vague concept, incomplete and not in place, but now it has gradually become clear, and this brainstorming feeling is really good.

"The second part, Cage's cycle of death on the battlefield. In addition to Rita, Cage needs to see the different deaths of his comrades, some because of his stupidity, some because of his stupidity, some because of his drag, and some because of his teammates. ”

Lan Li was expressing his opinion when Tim suddenly raised his hand, which caused Lan Li to pause for a moment, and Tim said cautiously, "I think I need a little more here." Not just death, but their belief in trying to win this war. If it was just a one-sided massacre, it would have only created a connection between Cage and his teammates, but it would have been disconnected from the war. So, even with death, these soldiers are still fighting tirelessly, trying to achieve victory. I think that's important. ”

After saying that, after a pause, Tim noticed that there was no sound at all, then blinked and nodded, "Well, I'm done." His expression was annoyed, and he wasn't sure if he was right. Although you are a producer, you should be the most influential in the audience today, but Tim still has too little experience, this is the first time he has served as an independent producer since leaving the "Harry Potter" series, and he is still lacking in confidence after all.

"Smack", Lan Li snapped his fingers, Tim raised his head suddenly, and then saw Lan Li's approving expression, "This is not the job of the screenwriter, this is the job of the director." Lan Li turned to look at Paul.

This kind of detail, in fact, is just a line of words in the script, "The soldiers fought bravely to kill the enemy", but how to present and interpret it mainly depends on the director's scheduling.

Illustrate, for example, a scene where aliens slaughter soldiers. According to Lan Li, the focus should be on the image of the soldiers being killed, probably torn apart to create more visual impact, but according to Tim, the focus should be on the soldiers fighting against the aliens, not afraid of death, even before they die.

This difference in perspective, lens, and composition naturally presents different content, and the impact on the actor Cage is also different. Naturally, the final result is very different.

Paul held his chin and fell into deep thought. However, he still waved his hand, indicating that he had understood, and let everyone continue. This gave Tim a little bit of courage.

Lan Li went on again, "The third part, the end of the war. Everyone is resurrected, Cage passes by his comrades, he knows them, but they don't know him, and then, Cage and Rita meet again, Cage looks at the vicissitudes of reincarnation and is moved, and Rita sees a strange but familiar man. By the way, this picture can be consistent, and then the eyes when they meet for the first time, and the eyes when they meet for the last time, with this difference to interpret the meaning of time, leaving the audience to think. ”

Life is only if you see it for the first time. The power of time is always so powerful and so ruthless, it can destroy the most sincere, simplest and simplest emotions, but it can also precipitate the most wonderful, deepest and most tenacious emotions. For Cage, he has gone through the vicissitudes of life and the present, and for his teammates and Rita, what they see is Cage after the cycle of life and death, but when they first see it, it is like a world away.

In a sense, this gives reincarnation another meaning, and also gives the film another oriental Zen rhyme.

After speaking, Lan Li leaned back slightly, picked up the water cup in front of him, took a big sip, and moistened his throat - after coming in, he hadn't had time to order coffee, but he had already discussed it with full power.

"What about Cage's change of mindset between Part 2 and Part 3?" Derek asked, "Didn't we just talk about what the connection between Cage and his teammates really is, how did Cage's attitude change when his teammates fought for their homeland, and why did all these parts disappear?"

"It's your job. Lan Li said without hesitation as if he was shaking his hands in the shopkeeper, Derek was speechless, and his stunned expression made Lan Li laugh.

Billy took over, "The meaning of Lan Li is not complicated, in the course of the battle, which is the second part, the connection between Cage and his teammates is established, and then we can intersperse some small episodes to show the teammates' attachment to their homeland, and these teammates, as well as Rita, and the home behind them, become the reason for Cage to summon up courage and rise to the challenge." ”

As he spoke, Billy suddenly fell into his own thoughts, quickly recorded it in his notebook, left a section of the sentence unfinished, and was silent like this, and after a while, he raised his head again and continued without any abnormality, "In the second part, Cage has been fighting side by side with Rita, but his comrades are the same, but his comrades are the first half of the battle, and Rita is the second half of the battle. Later, Cage can't stand their death after death, and finally decides to carry the weight of war on his back and fight the aliens alone. ”

"But then he realized it wasn't going to work." He can't be a lone hero, it's not his own war. So he joined Armageddon with his teammates. ”

In this way, the whole story suddenly becomes clear. With Cage's growth as the core main line, the reincarnation of time is filled with emotions to support the entire war. Of course, the most important thing is the battle, which is a popcorn commercial movie after all, and the whole core is as concise as possible, stripping away those complicated thoughts, and bursting out the thrill of iron-blooded war. The balance between literary drama and drama depends on the director's control.

If their vision is implemented effectively and successfully, it will be very different from the previous version. It could be a good thing or a bad thing, everything is unknown, but, Lan Li is a little impatient now. The unknown was always exciting, and even in the face of a failed outcome, at least he tried with all his might.

"Why the hell did we start this topic?" Billy walked in, his mind on the notebook in his hand, and he couldn't remember it for a moment.

"The core of the theme. "And then for the movie titles." ”

"What do you think, 'We are all mortals,' what about the title?" Tim said, "In this movie, there are no real heroes, the so-called heroes are the achievements of mortals after a thousand tempers, and every mortal is a hero, a hero who protects his homeland." ”

"We are all mortal. Lucinda, who had not spoken, repeated and shook her head, "Not catchy enough, not enough to sell." 'Nirvana', or 'Samsara', how about the title? ”

Paul suddenly approached Lan Li and asked in a low voice, "What does reincarnation mean in Eastern culture?"

"Hmm. Lan Li was suddenly stumped, this is really a huge subject, "The soul is not scattered, but it is always imprisoned in time and space, repeating it over and over again. ”

Paul nodded in realization, and said, "What do you think, 'Edge of Tomorrow', what is the name? I have always been trapped on the edge of tomorrow, unable to go to the future, and unable to return to the present, so I keep breaking through, constantly reaching out, trying to touch tomorrow." 'Edge of Tomorrow', how?"