The tragedies of the real-person adaptations of "Douluo Dalu" and " Fighting Breaking the Sky " are still vivid in our minds. The meme of "fighting energy turning into a horse" is still circulated to this day.
But this still cannot stop "The Story of Mortal Cultivation of Immortality" and "Shading the Sky" from coming.
In terms of difficulty, " covers the sky " deserves to be at the top of the list.
"Shading the Sky" was on Taochang's 2024 film list in April, but there were not many book fans looking forward to it.
The story of "Kowloon Pulling the Coffin" has been delayed for 8 years from the inception of the project, and even longer if you count the scandal period between the project and the national advisor Zhang Yimou.
has long made book fans wait until their day lilies are cold.
"Shading the Sky" is the pinnacle work of Chen Dong, one of the "Five Whites of the Central Plains", and is also a masterpiece of online literature about cultivating immortals.
This book has been in the top ten of the monthly ticket list 9 times during the Qidian serialization period, and won the overall championship of the Internet Literature Chart in 2013 when it was completed.
Due to the huge setting of the world of cultivating immortality in this book and the author’s endless imagination, it was once considered to be the most difficult online novel about cultivating immortality to be adapted by real people.
Some people say that shooting it is equivalent to shooting " three-body " in the science fiction world.
Ironically, after many years, a live-action series of "The Three-Body Problem" was actually filmed (in 2023).
has gained a good reputation due to its excellent production, with a score of 8.7, which is considered the ceiling of domestic science fiction dramas.
"Shading the Sky" is as coy as an ugly daughter-in-law who is afraid of meeting her parents-in-law. It is said that the drama has already been filmed and is waiting for a suitable schedule to be released.
Why not let the author take you to look back at the beginning, and at the same time analyze why this drama is not expected by book fans.
1, this IP was once infinitely close to Zhang Yimou’s
Around 2015, the IP of the popular online novel “Shading the Sky” broke the circle because of scandals with director Zhang Yimou.
The platinum writer’s masterpiece teamed up with China’s best director, which excited book fans in the online literary circle.
The total investment in the online transmission project exceeds 600 million. Zhang Yimou plans to make the series into 320 episodes, which is longer than the total number of episodes of the four classics combined. Isn’t it very bold?
Fans of the original work are still worried about this, worrying that it will not be able to restore this stunning masterpiece of more than 6 million words in terms of size.
However, they are more worried about casting and special effects than size.
The candidate for Ye Fan who was once the favorite among book fans was Hu Ge.
2015 was the year when Lao Hu became a god in acting. Mei Changsu in "Nirvana in Fire" and Ming Tai in "The Pretender" made him transform from an idol to a powerful actor.
Book fans initially took on the role of Hu Ge and looked forward to the series. Until many years later, the BGM of Yi Jian Mei sounded, and the casting of the male protagonist directly shocked the book fans. This will be discussed later.
Xianxia dramas were filmed in a nondescript manner. In addition to the fact that the actors often failed in portraying and restoring the characters, the special effects could not keep up with the development of the times.
Coincidentally, in 2016, the Sino-US co-production blockbuster " The Great Wall " directed by Zhang Yimou was released, with a production cost of about 1 billion.
Although the film failed miserably at the box office, its reputation also set a new low in the career of a national director.
But I have a friend who still found a positive meaning in it: This is Director Zhang practicing, accumulating experience for the filming of "Shading the Sky".
The American Industrial Light & Magic who did the visual effects for "The Great Wall" has participated in the production of classic films such as the "Star Wars" series and the "Jurassic Park" series.
Just imagine, if the special effects team behind "The Great Wall" were used on "Shading the Sky", wouldn't domestic fairy tale dramas just soar to the top?
However, no matter how fans imagine the bright future of "Shadow" in terms of direction, casting, special effects, etc., the project has been stagnant.
It was not until 2020 that the project finally made substantial progress. The director and starring actors both officially announced the candidates, and fans of the book fainted in the toilet crying.
2. The director became Zhang Yimou's photographer, and the male protagonist appeared with a plum blossom sound effect.
The director of "Shading the Sky" changed from Zhang Yimou to Zhao Xiaoding, a first-class domestic photographer and the royal photographer of the National Master.
As a photographer, Zhao Xiaoding participated in almost all of Director Zhang’s works after 2000.
From "Hero" and "The City of Golden Armor" to the recent " Azolla ", "Solid as a Rock" and "Article 20", they are a real golden partner.
has been making movies with Guoshi for more than 20 years. Logically speaking, Zhao Xiaoding should not lack the ability to orchestrate large scenes and tell stories with visual effects.
But when he became a director and made films independently, his results could only be described as disastrous.
In 2017, director Zhao's "三生三世十里桃花" was released. It had top stars like Liu Yifei and Yang Yang, but it turned out to be a completely bad film. Douban was happy to give it a 4-point rating.
I originally thought that the starting point was low so that I could surpass it later, but I never wanted to be slapped hard in the face by Director Zhao.
Even though he lost the opportunity to film in theaters, he did not give up his dream of becoming a director.
In recent years, he has made three more major online works of "Fights Beyond the Sphere", with ratings of 3.3 and 3.7 respectively. The latest one is probably of impressive quality, and it has not received a score even after being online for 3 months.
Is it realistic to expect Director Zhao’s reputation to turn around and rely on the upcoming film “Shading the Sky”?
If the change of director still makes people feel lucky, the choice of the male protagonist Ye Fan will directly make book fans collapse.
It’s not that Yin Zheng is bad, it’s that he is really not suitable.
Yin Zheng has acting skills, which is obvious to all.
Whether he is partnering with Shang Xirui, played by Huang Xiaoming ("The Sideburns Are Not Begonia Red"), or with Sun Yuqiang, played by Shen Teng (" Fast Life " series), the characters he has created are all remarkable.
Especially Yuan Hua in "Charlotte Troubles ", the BGM of a plum blossom cut coupled with the scene of him holding a harpoon is simply his masterpiece and famous scene.
But having acting skills does not mean that you are suitable for the role.
Ye Fan presents the feeling of a passionate young man in the novel. The novel directly describes him as "a handsome but somewhat resolute face and clear eyes."
said that he is "seventeen or eighteen years old, handsome and energetic, like a reviled immortal... always with a youthful attitude."
However, the character created by Yin Zheng reflects more of the warm and feminine side of the character, which is far from the handsome and resolute image of the murderous god of "Ye Tiandi".
No wonder some netizens complained that it was among the top three in the history of online IP casting, and it is estimated that Ye Fan, played by Yin Zheng, could be ranked among them.
However, Yin Zheng is not without his advantages.
That is the history of the adaptation of "Shading the Sky" that has not been successful so far. The live-action version is currently blank, and the animated version has a poor reputation. This provides Yin Zheng with great space to shape his character.
Just like before the broadcast of " Qing Yu Nian ", "Master Xiao Fan" and Zhang Ruoyun had not completed the soul adaptation.
He was also criticized for not being handsome enough and not in line with the original work. It was not until after the broadcast that the reputation reversed.
3. Why is "Shading the Sky" so difficult to film?
It is currently shown on Douban that the number of episodes of this drama has changed from the initially rumored 320 episodes to 80 episodes.
How much of the original work was included in this film? After all, the original work has a size of more than 6 million words. It is probably unrealistic to finish filming.
Based on the successful experience of adapting online articles, it seems more reliable to shoot in seasons, such as "Celebrating More Than Years" and " The Fighting Sword in the Snow ".
The reason why "Shading the Sky" is difficult to adapt in real life is that the shocking opening of "The Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin" alone poses a problem for the technical team in terms of implementation. How to restore it, or at what level to restore it?
is, after all, the highlight of the opening scene. If it is not shot well, many fans may be persuaded to quit, but if it is shot well, it will definitely be very expensive.
The key is that in the world of "covering the sky", "Kowloon pulling the coffin" is just the beginning.
There are various ancient forbidden lands after
, including the sea of reincarnation, immortal mountains, and unparalleled ancient plants, which are very expensive.
Not to mention the gathering of different races with their own characteristics, as well as the endless scenes of immortal cultivators and fighting skills. These all require strong technical support, or they are very expensive.
The 600 million production fee back then, converted into US dollars, can produce about 10 episodes of content for one season of Netflix's high-quality dramas.
Domestic Xianxia ip live-action, if it can be broadcast seasonally, with sufficient funds and the best team to carefully polish the content of about 10 episodes, maybe it will be a high-quality film.
However, this is purely the author’s whim.
Summary
"Shading the Sky" has not yet aired, but the choice of director and starring has disappointed book fans. There seems to be a chance of a comeback in the future, but it is really not high.
Yin Zheng would be really awesome if he could nail the role of Ye Fan with his acting skills and put his personal stamp on it.
He has a bit of baby fat on his face, and he was once ridiculed by book fans for playing the role of Duan De, a deceitful fat man.
As for whether he can slap those who underestimate him in the face, we still have to wait for the series to be aired.
If Yin Zheng really makes a comeback in the future, this is what a real Internet drama should be like. After all, there is no slap in the face and no Internet content. (Written by Mu Weizhou)
