mrhan

http://www.slashfilm.com/birth-of-th...vie-hyperbole/

More than one version of Bruce Lee‘s life story has hit the screen, with the most notable dramatized biopic being Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, starring Jason Scott Lee. (There is no relation between the men, despite the common name.)

Now QED International and banner Groundswell Productions plan to re-tell the “origin story” (gag) of Lee through a new film, Birth of the Dragon. The movie will be written by Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen Rivele (Nixon, Ali). The term “origin story” is used in part, it seems, to indicate that this is more like an action film inspired by Lee’s life than an account of his history that is meant to be close to reality. This will be no straight biopic, but something more like Ip Man with a lot more action.


THR reports the following about Birth of the Dragon:

[The film is] inspired by the true-life duel between Lee and Wong Jack Man, who was China’s most famous Kung Fu Master. The no-rules fight took place in San Francisco in 1965, when the city’s Chinatown was controlled by Hong Kong Triads.

Those who know Lee’s history will recognize that duel as one which has conflicting reported origins. (And that it really took place in 1964.) Lee and his camp claim that Wong provoked the duel due to Lee’s interest in training Caucasian students in martial arts. According to that telling, the terms of the duel specified that if Lee lost, he would have to quit teaching white students.

Wong, meanwhile, says the duel was merely a response to Lee’s open call for challengers, and that the race of Lee’s students was never an issue.

Regardless, that’s not the end of the film. Rather, it is an early point. Producer Michael London of Groundswell explains,

Stephen Rivele and Chris Wilkinson have taken a little-known chapter in the life of Bruce Lee and used it as a jumping-off point for a bold, exciting story about the making of an international legend.

THR specifies that the further plot of the film will see Lee teamed up with Wong to fight the Chinese triads that controlled Chinatown at the time. Not quite a biopic, then, as you can see.

There’s no indication at this point about who will star as Lee, or who might direct.


I hope this shit doesn't get made. I wonder why they won't just make a biopic with the correct facts. His real life is interesting enough without putting a bunch of made up shit into it.

Solid Snake

Yeah, I saw this news yesterday. Lee's life is pretty damn interesting. For some reason it's not exciting enough for filmmakers. His films, while being very iconic and whatnot, are nothing compared to his life as a man trying to make it in his own way and by his own standards.

I fucking hate Dragon. Just cheapens Lee's story w/ sub par narrative and uninspiring direction.

devilshalo

Because it made Linda look like his "muse".

Solid Snake

I don't even remember that. I just remember the absurdity of the change of details w/ Lee's story like the whole "big fight" w/ that Wong guy and it's association w/ Lee hurting his back. Oh yeah...wtf is up w/ the inclusion of Lee's "nightmare(s)"? It just seemed to fuel all the bullshit that came after Lee died. It was a shit film. I remember as a kid liking it but as I grew older and started to read up on the man...it didn't take long for me to hate it. Even worse is that Caldwell seemed to be happy w/ it.

Seriously...Lee's life..is pretty fucking awesome. The eras he lived in. The associations of individuals he met and personally knew. His personal life, his martial arts, his filmmaking, his philosophy, etc. The guy had it all and he kept getting better. He even seemed like a pretty fucking nice guy too until you crossed his path in a bad way.

mrhan

I remember reading Kareem Abdul Jabbar's autobiography and he recalled an incident where he made fun of Bruce's accent; something about Bruce pronouncing a word incorrectly. Kareem said he was so scared because Bruce was so pissed off. He thought Bruce was going to literary kick his ass for making fun of him.

PopcornTreeCt

And yet most UFC fighters today would kick his ass.

mrhan

Yeah, for sure. He would be 73 today. Back in his day no one else had his moves or techniques. He was an innovator that most UFC fighters see as the father of MMA.

Mondo Kane

True. Most people seem to only think of Bruce as a kung fu master, but they need to check out what move he used to defeat Sammo at the beginning of Enter The Dragon. Even the eyewitness accounts of the real challenge-fights he had on the set of that film said that Bruce ended that fight with a headlock.

mrhan

Also, at the end of the day no one will remember who these MMA fucks are. Who cares if they can kick his ass. Bruce has transcended both martial arts and movies.

inri222

Philosopher, teacher, icon & legend.

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PopcornTreeCt

Agreed. I like Lee a lot and like you said he's more than just martial arts. I'd love to see a movie about him that plays up his other abilities but I think anything that we'll get will be a strict action drama.

Solid Snake

I'd like to...you know...see a movie about the man. Instead of trying to have a film around the legend. He is a legend...but he was a man who was literally legendary in the things he set out to do in whatever arenas they were.

mrhan

The only movie I think that sort of gets it right with minimal liberties with his story is "Bruce Lee, My Brother". They almost got it all right; just a couple of inconsistencies with the dates and making the boxing match and drug situation bigger than it really was.

Ky-Fi

I don't know, I'm getting a little tired of the Legend of Bruce Lee. Yes, he was a very physically talented guy, he had fantastic screen presence in his movies, he was a decent martial artist, and he was an iconic figure both for both Chinese pride and popularizing Asian martial arts---isn't the reality impressive enough? This mythology of turning him into "one of the greatest fighters ever" is just silly, IMO.

mrhan

I agree. Stop distorting his life and contributions and just look at the man for what he was. He was just as flawed as anyone of us; maybe more so but he was able to take his abilities and do something special with it. That's it. That's the bottom line.

Ky-Fi

I just really wish he would have gotten to make another 5 or 10 martial arts movies. He just had incredible screen presence--you can't take your eyes off him. And, he had interesting martial arts ideas and scenarios to put on screen, and the physical ability to execute them. As it is, he made some awesome movies despite working with less-than-stellar directors (Lo Wei and Clouse). After the success of ETD, you have to figure he would have been given bigger budgets and better talent to work with......

Why So Blu?

I guess we're going to get a film about the fight that was in the middle of the "Dragon" film? We'll see how it goes. Yeah, in watching Dragon not too long ago, it doesn't hold up as well as it should. I do like the warrior demon hallucinations (metaphors) and a couple of the fights, but Lauren Holly is the worst thing out of that film.

brayzie

I still like Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story but after seeing the real documentary and reading his life story, I find it a little insulting, as a fan, how much they exaggerated the events in his life. A fun film, but his real life was so much more interesting and complex.

I would like to see a much more serious and artistic biopic film come out.

Solid Snake

I'm sorry but Dragon should rot in hell for the travesty it is on Lee's life. It's sappy for the worst.

Solid Snake

via Geek Tyrant:

I'm guessing they're going to go w/ an actual fight moment instead of showing that apparently it led to Lee overpowering and making Wong literally run away while Lee ran after him? That part seems likely but Wong and some other guy say it was an unusual "20-25 minute" fight.

mrhan

I forgot all about this. They should of really tried to make it earlier and released it this year because it's Bruce Lee's 75th birthday. They could have used that as a selling point since there really isn't much to the real life story of this event. I think I would be more interested in seeing a movie from Wong Jack's POV. He said he won the fight. Who knows? Maybe, he did. He did state he asked Bruce for a rematch but Bruce never responded.

Solid Snake

Again. Lee was a legendary man for what he did in the modern world in so many fields but he wasn't perfect. Saying that... AGAIN... you'd think someone would actually... try to actually tell the story of the man who much more than a martial arts action figure.

devilshalo

The problem is that it probably has to go thru his estate.

Solid Snake

Nonsense... how else could they have made this great film?

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seriously though... HK got wacky w/ this stuff. I don't think they cared or needed the rights to Lee's life. I think it wasn't just HK. China and Taiwan too?

mrhan

The problem is the estate. Shannon is so hard up for cash she approves anything. There is so much garbage out there that is licensed by the estate. People like Taky Kimura, James Lee and Dan Inosanto want nothing to do with them and dismiss their version of JKD; which in itself is not an artform but marketed as such by the estate.