These days, movies with budgets exceeding $100 million are becoming more and more common.
Back in the '90s, an $80 million budget was enough to make a big film, but now, it could take $100 million to complete the same project.
The same logic applied to Jackie Chan Adventures. Since the story itself featured various visual spectacles, a large budget was required for special effects.
On top of that, Jackie Chan's salary had now entered the $20 million club after Rush Hour 2, so Jackie Chan Adventures had a total budget of $105 million.
Regarding the selection of a director, Gilbert put a lot of thought into it.
James Gunn, who had gained experience, would have been a good choice, but with The Matrix sequels set to release soon, he had no available schedule.
Sophia wasn't suitable for such a large-scale project either. Although she had been learning from Gilbert for a long time, she was more suited for independent films.
One of the studio's newly signed directors was a Chinese filmmaker named James Wan. His expertise was in horror films, and Gilbert had already assigned him the Saw project.
With only a million-dollar budget, Saw wasn't something that required Gilbert's personal attention—James Wan could handle it on his own.
In fact, as a future master of horror films, James Wan performed exceptionally well.
However, as a newcomer, throwing him straight into a $100 million blockbuster would be too overwhelming.
Just then, Christopher Nolan knocked on the door and walked in. "You wanted to see me?"
"Come in, sit, sit," Gilbert gestured for the secretary to bring coffee and invited Christopher Nolan to sit on the couch for a chat.
"How's your work on Insomnia going?" Gilbert asked.
Christopher Nolan replied, "Pretty well. We'll start filming next month. Thanks again for helping to bring in Al Pacino and Robin Williams."
"No problem, Chris," Gilbert said, getting straight to the point. "I called you here to discuss something big—are you interested in directing a major adventure blockbuster?"
"You mean Jackie Chan Adventures?" Christopher Nolan was already aware of the studio's recent projects.
"That's right," Gilbert nodded. "I've already spoken with Kane—he'll be producing this film and overseeing the project.
I think you working with him would be a great partnership."
"What about Insomnia?"
"Don't worry, this project won't start shooting until next year at the earliest. There's still a lot of preparation work to be done, so you can focus on Insomnia first." Gilbert reassured him.
However, for a director like Christopher Nolan, he wouldn't stay out of the project's early development entirely.
After some thought, he laid out his conditions: "I want to be involved in the scriptwriting process."
"No problem," Gilbert agreed. "A director needs to be familiar with the script anyway. As long as you don't deviate from the main storyline and script outline, you have creative freedom."
He added, "Jonathan is already working with a few other screenwriters on the script."
Jonathan Nolan had become one of the studio's key writers. The collaboration between the Nolan brothers always led to better scripts and, ultimately, better films.
It prevented situations like Tenet, where audiences struggled to understand the plot.
Jonathan Nolan was a more traditional mainstream screenwriter, albeit with some creative twists. Christopher Nolan, on the other hand, leaned entirely into unconventional storytelling.
They each had their strengths and weaknesses, but together, they complemented each other well.
Christopher Nolan then made another request: "I want Emma to be a producer."
Worried that Gilbert might think he was trying to take over the project, he quickly explained, "I'm not trying to take control of the production. Since I'll still be busy with Insomnia, I need Emma to help manage the preparations so I can focus on my current project."
Gilbert thought for a moment. This wasn't a big issue—he would still be overseeing everything. So, he agreed. "That's fine. Anything else?"
Christopher Nolan continued, "Jonathan told me this story involves Chinese culture. I'm not very familiar with Chinese culture myself, and I don't know much about the legend of the twelve zodiac signs. So, I might need some time to study it."
"That won't be a problem," Gilbert said with a smile. "I've already arranged for a reliable assistant director—someone from Hong Kong."
"Who is it?"
"Stanley Tong. He's on his way to North America, and you two can meet and discuss things when he arrives," Gilbert answered.
In fact, Stanley Tong was Jackie Chan's recommendation. Since the movie was centered around Chinese culture, he hoped to have a director with a strong background in Chinese filmmaking.
However, the problem was that the Hong Kong-style film production Stanley Tong was familiar with wasn't entirely suited for Hollywood.
Moreover, this was a massive production with a budget exceeding $100 million. Stanley Tong had never handled such a large-scale project before, and Gilbert was worried he wouldn't be able to manage it effectively.
If things went wrong, Gilbert would have to step in and oversee the entire project himself, which would be no different from directing it on his own—an overwhelming workload.
So, while Gilbert agreed to Jackie Chan's request, he also brought in a director familiar with Hollywood's production model, planning for them to co-direct the film.
Of course, between Stanley Tong and Christopher Nolan, Gilbert undoubtedly had more trust in Nolan.
With this decision finalized, Stanley Tong soon arrived in Los Angeles and met with Christopher Nolan. The two had a productive conversation and developed a good working relationship.
Meanwhile, the script was gradually taking shape, and the team was also laying the groundwork for a potential franchise.
Regarding the casting, aside from Jackie Chan, all other roles would be determined through auditions. As for the film's true leading lady, Jade, Gilbert wanted to cast a young Chinese actress.
To be honest, many Chinese actresses working in Hollywood seemed somewhat out of place. Simply put, they had become too Westernized.
Traditional Eastern beauty isn't as rugged as Western beauty—it has a delicate and refined charm.
However, many Hollywood-based Chinese actresses had lost the essence of Eastern beauty while failing to fully embody Western aesthetics, making their appearance somewhat awkwardly in between.
Jade was a unique character with some action scenes, which wasn't a major issue. The real challenge was her personality—she had to be mischievous, lively, and full of energy.
Additionally, from a cultural standpoint, the actress needed to represent Eastern aesthetics while also being appealing to Western audiences.
Gilbert wasn't making this film just for Chinese audiences—it was aimed at the global market.
If Western audiences didn't like the character of Jade, how could the movie attract them to buy tickets?
Because of this, Gilbert, Christopher Nolan, Stanley Tong, and the rest of the team held multiple discussions.
In the end, they all agreed—the best approach was to hold auditions in China and find the right actress for the role.
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