Lyman's script idea for the movie was naturally inspired by the South Korean film "Train to Busan" from the future.
This film was released in 2016, and on its first day, it set a record for the highest number of viewers on the first day of a Korean film, with over 870,000 admissions.
In the end, it accumulated 11.56 million viewers and ₩93.1B, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year in South Korea in 2016.
In addition, it performed admirably in other countries and regions as well.
In Hong Kong, the total box office revenue exceeded HK$663M, ranking 16th in the history of the most profitable films and first among Asian films in terms of box office.
In Taiwan, the total box office revenue was NT$340M, making it the highest-grossing Korean film in history.
The most outstanding aspect of "Train to Busan" was the exploration of human nature in a collapsing society on the brink of an apocalypse.
It depicted humanity as being motivated by protecting the weak, lending a helping hand to fellow human beings, trusting strangers, and even experiencing disappointment in the dark side of humanity, as well as the ugliness displayed by some people in the face of danger. All of these elements contributed to the film's portrayal of human nature.
The film's biting black humor was another standout feature: the government's incompetence. Despite having prior warnings, they chose to conceal the truth to avoid causing panic in society. Paradoxically, it was this concealment that led to the sudden outbreak of the disaster, the instantaneous collapse of the transportation system, and ultimately a series of tragedies.
Social issues and the ugliness of human nature were laid bare, and the implications presented in this manner were what set "Train to Busan" apart from other zombie films.
The brilliant setting of the train's confined space limited the movement of the zombies and elevated the conflict between the survivors and the zombies. Such a plot undoubtedly made the story feel more realistic and believable, as well as enhancing the atmosphere of drama.
The setup of the means of confrontation was similar, as there were no firearms on the train. If it had happened elsewhere, many Americans might have grabbed firepower from their home arsenals and mowed down the zombies.
All of these well-established foundation settings would make the story's progression more enjoyable and contribute to the atmosphere in later scenes.
Of course, now all these advantages had been incorporated into "Train to New York".
Eric asked, "Wouldn't it be better if the male lead doesn't die? Isn't it too heart-wrenching?"
After noting down the plot, he couldn't help but ask, "Wouldn't it be better if the male lead doesn't die? Isn't it too heart-wrenching?"
"This way, it makes the theme even more impactful, you see. Besides, he doesn't die in vain; it's for the sake of his daughter. Do you think the audience will blame us for that?"
Eric wanted to say yes, but upon further thought, he realized that this guy had directed movies where few characters had a happy ending, and the protagonist being subjected to torment was common. In "Buried", Paul died underground. In "Fury", none of the main characters survived. In "Miscreant", several characters died, and the protagonist completely embraced his dark side, becoming the one thing he never wanted to become. It was a form of torture in itself.
Since there were precedents and Lyman was the film's financier, Eric didn't want to push the matter further. If it had to be agonizing, so be it. His task was to fill in the necessary plot and dialogue, and how to shoot it was the director's responsibility.
As for Zack, he was still immersed in thoughts about how to portray the story using specific camera angles.
This guy was indeed lucky.
In the previous life, Zack Snyder had taken his first step outside with "Dawn of the Dead," and to be honest, the film hadn't allowed him to fully showcase his talent; it was more or less conventional.
But this life might be different. After all, Lyman intended to tap into Zack's use of color. He might not be the best storyteller in Hollywood, but he would definitely be the director with the most distinctive visual style.
"Train to New York" was naturally suited for Zack's talents. The first film was so fitting that his visual style in this life would undoubtedly be sharper and richer than in the previous one.
Thinking about this, Lyman couldn't help but feel excited.
Two days later, the Dior commercial was officially completed. Besides transferring the remaining payment to Lyman's account, Eva hurried to the set of "The Day After Tomorrow".
Lyman stayed in the company, handling routine tasks and working with Zack Snyder to finalize the project.
While the script was still being written by Eric, the film's theme was very clear. Zack, in his directorial debut, was full of enthusiasm. Once he knew that the funding was secure, he immediately began preparations for the film's pre-production work.
To add a little extra buzz, Lyman also purchased the rights to "Dawn of the Dead" and brought Marc Abraham, the copyright holder, into the project. Marc's condition for selling the rights was obtaining a share of the investment in "Train to New York".
Furthermore, he, Zack, and Eric had already discussed it and decided to join Firefly Films under the studio's name.
As a result, the overall estimated budget for the entire project was $70M, with $10M contributed by the studios of the three of them, receiving only profit-sharing without involvement in the subsequent copyright operations.
Lyman also invested $5M in the studio established by the three of them under the company's name and took a 51% stake.
In this way, everyone was happy, and "Train to New York" was officially greenlit.
For such a debut film that could attract so much investment, Zack had never thought about it before. Amidst his happiness, he felt more pressure.
He personally took control of almost every aspect of the film's preparation, striving to ensure that there would be no room for errors.
Equipment, locations, labor, props, costumes, film stock, and actors.
Of course, despite the $70M budget seeming substantial, for a film with such large-scale scenes, special effects, and a need for numerous extras, there wasn't much room for waste.
Top-tier stars were out of the question, considering the large number of key creators and the fact that ensemble films couldn't possibly allocate the bulk of the budget to just one or two main actors.
Originally, Zack had wanted to invite Lyman to be a producer for "Train to New York" and even handed over the casting authority to him, but Lyman had refused, citing his busy company affairs as the reason.
He only agreed to be an associate producer, and the position of executive producer was handed over to Marc. Well, this guy had a background in producing and had even worked in production management.