Bruce Lee's Warrior

[GeneChing]

Oooooh Justin Lin....

This is not to be confused with the upcoming Warrior-on-NBC (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68372-Warrior-on-NBC) :o


Cinemax Developing Bruce Lee-Inspired Crime Drama ‘Warrior’ From Justin Lin (http://deadline.com/2015/05/bruce-lee-crime-drama-warrior-justin-lin-cinemax-1201430580/)
by Nellie Andreeva
May 21, 2015 9:15am

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/justin-lin-bruce-lee.jpg?w=446&h=299&crop=1
Justin Lin Bruce Lee

А passion project for martial arts icon Bruce Lee and Fast & Furious director Justin Lin is headed to the small screen with a deal at Cinemax. The premium cable network has put in development drama series Warrior, inspired by writings of the Enter The Dragon actor. Lin is set to direct the potential pilot, written by Jonathan Tropper, co-creator of Banshee, Cinemax’s first homegrown hit from its current foray into primetime drama programming.

Warrior is described as a visceral crime drama that traces the path of a gifted but morally corrupt fighter thrown into crisis after a Cinemaxlifelong quest for vengeance is undermined. It was the first project for the TV division of Perfect Storm Entertainment, Lin’s joint venture with Bruno Wu’s Seven Stars Studios. A couple of months after the launch of PSE’s TV operation in 2013, the company partnered with Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, and Bruce Lee Enterprises to develop Lee’s material into TV series.

Warrior had been a passion project that Bruce Lee spent many years working on, but was never published or produced. Years after Lee’s sudden 1973 death at age 32, his daughter found a large collection of handwritten notes that Bruce wrote himself on the concept for the series that became the inspiration for the show. Perfect Storm Entertainment and Shannon Lee then brought the idea to Cinemax, with Tropper coming on board as writer/executive producer.

Also executive producing are Perfect Storm’s Lin, president Troy Craig Poon and head of TV Danielle Woodrow as well as Shannon Lee of Bruce Lee Enterprises.

In addition to his legacy as a martial arts and action star, Lee had strong writing interests and penned philosophy pieces as well as poetry.

Lin is already in business with Cinemax sibling HBO, directing the first two episodes of True Detective‘s second season. In TV, he also directed the pilot and serves as executive producer on the breakout CBS drama Scorpion. On the feature side, in addition to helming the blockbuster Fast & Furious franchise, Lin also is attached to direct the third Star Trek movie. He is repped by CAA, manager Dana O’Keefe of Cinetic Media and attorney John Sloss.

[GeneChing]

Bruce Lee-Inspired Crime Drama ‘Warrior’ From Justin Lin & ‘Banshee’ Co-Creator Gets Cinemax Pilot Order (http://deadline.com/2016/08/warrior-bruce-lee-inspired-crime-drama-pilot-cinemax-justin-lin-1201810722/)
by Nellie Andreeva
August 30, 2016 9:30am

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/justin-lin-jonathan-tropper.jpg?w=446&h=299&crop=1
Justin Lin Jonathan Tropper

EXCLUSIVE: Cinemax has given a pilot order to Warrior, a crime drama based on original material written by Bruce Lee. Warrior has been a passion project for both the late martial arts icon and Fast & Furious helmer Justin Lin who is executive producing the pilot with an eye to direct. The pilot was written by Jonathan Tropper, co-creator of Banshee, Cinemax’s first homegrown primetime drama hit.

Set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the aftermath of the Civil War, Warrior tells the story of a young martial arts prodigy, newly arrived from China, who finds himself caught up in the bloody Chinatown Tong wars.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/cinemax__131007164113.png?w=265&h=96

Warrior was the first project put in development by the TV division of Perfect Storm Entertainment, Lin’s joint venture with Bruno Wu’s Seven Stars Studios. A couple of months after the launch of PSE’s TV operation in 2013, the company partnered with Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, and Bruce Lee Enterprises to turn Lee’s material into a TV series.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/brucelee.jpg?w=258&h=349
Shutterstock

Bruce Lee had spent many years working on Warrior, but it was never published or produced. Years after the Enter The Dragon actor’s sudden 1973 death at age 32, his daughter found a large collection of handwritten notes that Bruce wrote himself on the concept for the series that became the inspiration for the show. Perfect Storm Entertainment and Shannon Lee brought the idea to Cinemax in spring 2015, with Tropper coming on board as writer/executive producer.

Also executive producing are Perfect Storm’s Lin, president Troy Craig Poon and head of TV Danielle Woodrow as well as Shannon Lee of Bruce Lee Enterprises. The pilot is being produced for Cinemax by Perfect Storm Entertainment, Tropper Ink and Bruce Lee Entertainment.

In addition to his legacy as a martial arts and action star, Lee had strong writing interests and penned philosophy pieces as well as poetry.

Lin is already in business with Cinemax sibling HBO, directing the first two episodes of True Detective‘s second season. In TV, he also directed the pilot and serves as executive producer on the breakout CBS drama Scorpion. On the feature side, in addition to helming the blockbuster Fast & Furious franchise, Lin also recently directed Star Trek Beyond. He is repped by CAA, manager Dana O’Keefe of Cinetic Media and attorney John Sloss.

Man, Bruce is coming around again in a big way right now, what with Birth of the Dragon (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67701-Birth-of-the-Dragon), Striking Thoughts (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1309) and A Challenge (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69216-A-Challenge-by-Jeremy-Arambulo).

[GeneChing]

Bruce Lee-Inspired Tong Wars Drama ‘Warrior’ From Justin Lin & ‘Banshee’ Co-Creator Gets Cinemax Series Order (http://deadline.com/2017/06/bruce-lee-warrior-tong-wars-drama-series-cinemax-justin-lin-jonathan-tropper-1202108759/)
by Nellie Andreeva • tip
June 7, 2017 9:30am

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/justin-lin-jonathan-tropper.jpg?w=446&h=299&crop=1
Courtesy of HBO

EXCLUSIVE: Cinemax has given a 10-episode straight-to-series order to 19th century crime drama Warrior, inspired by an idea from Bruce Lee, created and executive produced by Banshee co-creator Jonathan Tropper and executive producer by Justin Lin and Danielle Woodrow via Perfect Storm Entertainment, and Shannon Lee for Bruce Lee Entertainment.

Warrior, which had been a passion project for both late martial arts icon Bruce Lee and Fast & Furious helmer Justin Lin, was originally set up at Cinemax for development in 2015 and was ordered to pilot last summer.

Last December, Deadline unveiled Cinemax’s programming strategy shift toward the type of fare that launched the network’s push into original primetime series: fun, high-octane, action, pulpy, straight-to-series dramas done in a cost-effective way primarily as international co-productions. At the time, Kary Antholis, president, HBO Miniseries and Cinemax Programming, revealed that the idea was to do as many as four shows a year initially, three of them co-productions or very cost-effective and the fourth a marquee, homegrown show with a Banshee-level of budget. Back then, Warrior was already being eyed for a potential straight-to-series order to fill that marquee spot in the inaugural slate of the revamped Cinemax. Straight-to-series co-productions greenlighted under the model include a Strike Back reboot and Rellik.

“Warrior follows in the spirit of the tradition of adrenalized Cinemax dramas that we established with Strike Back and Banshee,” said Antholis, listing the network’s two most successful original series to date. “We are brimming with excitement for this unique martial arts series combining Bruce Lee’s inspired conception with the immense storytelling talents of Jonathan Tropper and Justin Lin.”

Warrior is described as a gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series follows Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who immigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances, and becomes a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful tongs (Chinese organized crime family).

“As a show that proudly bears the imprimatur of Bruce Lee, it’s our intention to deliver not only explosive martial arts action – which we will – but also a powerful and complex immigration drama that is as relevant today as it was in the 1870s,” says Tropper.

The Cinemax series order caps a four-year road to the screen for Warrior. It started in 2013 when Lin’s company partnered with Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, and Bruce Lee Enterprises to turn Lee’s material into a TV series.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/brucelee.jpg
Shutterstock

Bruce Lee had spent many years working on Warrior, but it was never published or produced. Years after the Enter The Dragon actor’s sudden 1973 death at age 32, his daughter found a large collection of handwritten notes that Bruce wrote himself on the concept for the series that became the inspiration for the show.

“I’ve always admired Bruce Lee for his trailblazing efforts opening doors for Asians in entertainment and beyond,” Lin said. “So I was intrigued when Danielle told me about the urban legend of his never-produced idea for a TV show and suggested we bring it to life. Then when Shannon shared with us her father’s writings: rich with Lee’s unique philosophies on life, and through a point of view rarely depicted on screen – Danielle and I knew that Perfect Storm had to make it.

Partnering with Cinemax has led to a wonderful collaboration with Jonathan Tropper, who has created a fantastic series inspired by Lee’s writings. We are all honored to continue what he started.”

Warrior is produced for Cinemax by Perfect Storm Entertainment, Tropper Ink Productions and Bruce Lee Entertainment. Production is set to begin this fall in Cape Town, South Africa.

Warrior marks the third on-air series for Perfect Storm, which also has new CBS drama series S.W.A.T. and returning Scorpion.



Well then, we'll see how this goes.

[GeneChing]

‘Warrior’: Cinemax Sets Cast & Director For Bruce Lee-Inspired Martial Arts Series (https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/e2-80-98warrior-e2-80-99-cinemax-sets-cast-26-director-for-bruce-lee-inspired-martial-arts-series/ar-AAtj1Pc)
Deadline Deadline
Nellie Andreeva
22 hrs ago

https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAtiZbw.img?h=182&w=270&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=313&y=161
© Provided by Deadline

Warrior,Cinemax’s upcoming Tong Wars drama series from Fast & Furious‘ Justin Lin and Banshee co-creator Jonathan Tropper, has assembled an international cast, led by British actor Andrew Koji, and has tapped Assaf Bernstein (Netflix’s Fauda) to direct the pilot. The 10-episode series, inspired by the writings and work of martial arts icon Bruce Lee, is slated to begin production on Oct. 22 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Warrior — the first homegrown tentpole series under Cinemax’s new programming direction emphasizing fun, often adrenalized shows — is a period crime drama set against the backdrop of the brutal Tong Wars in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the late 1800s.

The cast includes Andrew Koji as Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who travels from China to San Francisco and ends up becoming a hatchet man for the most powerful tong in Chinatown; Olivia Cheng as Ah Toy, Chinatown’s most accomplished courtesan and madame; Jason Tobin as Young Jun, the hard-partying son of a powerful tong boss; Dianne Doan as Mai Ling, a beautiful and ruthless Chinese woman who, through sheer force of will, has achieved a position of power in one of the tongs; Kieran Bew as Officer “Big Bill” O’Hara, a hard-drinking Irish cop charged with forming a Chinatown squad; and Dean Jagger as Dan Leary, the unofficial godfather of the Irish community of San Francisco and leader of the Workingmen’s party.

Also cast are Joanna Vanderham as Penelope Blake, the aristocratic heir to a railroad fortune trapped in a loveless marriage to the mayor; Tom Weston-Jones as Richard Lee, a transplanted Southerner and rookie cop; Banshee and Outcast‘s Hoon Lee as Wang Chao, a wiley fixer and profiteer in Chinatown; Joe Taslim as Li Yong, a tong Lieutenant and kung fu master; Langley Kirkwood as Walter Buckley, a Civil War veteran and Deputy Mayor with his own political aspirations; Christian McKay as Mayor Samuel Blake, the Mayor of San Francisco; and Perry Yung as Father Jun, the leader of the most powerful tong in Chinatown.

“As Warrior comes together, I can’t help but feel the pride of correcting a wrong and helping bring Bruce Lee’s dream project to life,” Lin said. “We have assembled a cast of incredible actors from all over the world including our talented lead, Andrew Koji, an exciting discovery out of the UK. I’m also thrilled to be re-teaming with Joe Taslim and Jason Tobin.”

Taslim and Tobin previously co-starred in two of the Lin-directed Fast & Furious movies: Fast & Furious 6 (Taslim) and The Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift (Tobin).

Tropper wrote the pilot script based on original material written by Bruce Lee. He is executive producing via his Tropper Ink Prods. alongside Lin and Danielle Woodrow of Perfect Storm Entertainment and Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee via Bruce Lee Entertainment.

Kary Antholis, president, HBO Miniseries and Cinemax Programming, called Warrior “one of the most exciting pilots I’d read in a very long time. It is perfectly on brand with what Cinemax wants to do going forward — high-end action-packed drama with great characters. It is unlike anything you’ve seen on episodic television ever.” Asked to elaborate, Antholis said that “the combination of a fun martial-arts show, which leans into Asian characters that are developed with great depth is a very unique combination in my experience with the TV landscape.”

Added Lin, “The martial arts genre a lot of times has been relegated to B-level action. And that’s not something we wanted to do. Going off of Bruce Lee’s original material, we wanted to build something that is character-driven, that has important themes and that also takes place in a part of American history that rarely gets talked about. That to me makes it something you haven’t seen before.”

While there haven’t been TV series about the infamous Chinese mob wars over the opium, prostitution, and gambling trades, there are now two in the works. Amazon recently gave a straight-to-series order to Tong Wars, from filmmaker Wong Kar-wai and writer Paul Attanasio, also set against the Tong Wars of 19th century San Francisco.

Warrior pre-dates Tong Wars — it was first set up at Cinemax for development in May 2015. I hear Tong Wars was taken to HBO/Cinemax, which declined to read the script as the Warrior pilot already had been written. The rival project was then quickly shopped and sold to Amazon. Warrior is far ahead, with filming starting next week. I also hear the two shows are quite different in tone, with Tong Wars more of a traditional premium TV drama, and Warrior more in the vein of Banshee, an entertaining genre show, which, like Bruce Lee’s movies, mixes martial arts and humor.

Warrior has an interesting backstory that sheds light on the “correcting wrong” comment Lin made earlier.

Lin recalled “growing up as an Asian American, and hearing the story behind Bruce Lee and the relationship to David Carradine’s Kung Fu.” For years, there had been rumblings that Lee had had a concept for a TV series — coincidentally (or not) called The Warrior, according to Lee’s widow Linda Lee Cadwell — that would’ve featured Lee as an Asian hero in the American West. The version of events that has been widely circulated (but never fully confirmed) is that the studios did not think viewers would embrace an Asian leading man, and Kung Fu was ultimately created with Carradine as the star.

It was Lin’s producing partner Woodrow who asked him whether the Lee TV series pitch was real or an urban legend. To get an answer, the two reached out to Lee’s daughter Shannon, who confirmed that an 8-page treatment by Lee existed and showed it to them. “That’s how this project came to life,” Lin said. He added that Shannon Lee has boxes and boxes containing writings by her late father.

When Lin, Woodrow and Lee pitched the idea for Warrior to HBO/Cinemax, “we talked about the aspirations of combining really well developed characters with an action-oriented show,” Antholis said. “We had the idea of bringing in Jonathan Tropper based on the work he did on Banshee not knowing that he is a black belt in karate and idolized Bruce Lee as a kid. He fit right in.”

How much of Lee’s original treatment made it into Warrior? “It’s our job to find the essence of what he was trying to say,” Lin said. “The character of Sahm, a lot of the stuff is based off what Bruce Lee wanted way back when he came up with the idea.”

Lin says that one of his “heartaches” was that his schedule did not allow him to direct the Warrior pilot episode. “It was very important to Kary, to Jonathan and me that we find a filmmaker, someone that comes and develops everything with character-first,” he said. “We are so fortunate to have Assaf Bernstein, a director who will capture the most intimate and textured performances amidst the action-packed backdrop of our series.” Bernstein also executive produces.

Lin, who will be on set for most of the pilot, called the sets for the show “phenomenal, some of the biggest sets I’ve been involved with.”

No premiere date for Warrior has been set, but it’s expected to launch in late 2018/early 2019.

Bernstein recently wrapped film Look Away, starring Jason Isaacs, Mira Sorvino and India Eisley. He is repped by WME, Primary Wave and Reder & Feig.

Don't know Koji. But Olivia Cheng we know (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62877-Marco-Polo-Netflix-Original-Series&p=1279419#post1279419).

[GeneChing]

‘Warrior’: Cinemax Sets Cast & Director For Bruce Lee-Inspired Martial Arts Series (http://deadline.com/2017/10/warrior-cinemax-cast-director-bruce-lee-inspired-martial-arts-series-1202185298/)
by Nellie Andreeva
October 11, 2017 11:30am

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/andrew-koji-olivia-cheng-22.jpg?w=446&h=299&crop=1
Courtesy of Cinemax

Warrior, Cinemax’s upcoming Tong Wars drama series from Fast & Furious‘ Justin Lin and Banshee co-creator Jonathan Tropper, has assembled an international cast, led by British actor Andrew Koji, and has tapped Assaf Bernstein (Netflix’s Fauda) to direct the pilot. The 10-episode series, inspired by the writings and work of martial arts icon Bruce Lee, is slated to begin production on Oct. 22 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Warrior — the first homegrown tentpole series under Cinemax’s new programming direction emphasizing fun, often adrenalized shows — is a period crime drama set against the backdrop of the brutal Tong Wars in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the late 1800s.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/dianne-doan-photo.jpg?w=151&h=224&crop=1

The cast includes Andrew Koji as Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who travels from China to San Francisco and ends up becoming a hatchet man for the most powerful tong in Chinatown; Olivia Cheng as Ah Toy, Chinatown’s most accomplished courtesan and madame; Jason Tobin as Young Jun, the hard-partying son of a powerful tong boss; Dianne Doan as Mai Ling, a beautiful and ruthless Chinese woman who, through sheer force of will, has achieved a position of power in one of the tongs; Kieran Bew as Officer “Big Bill” O’Hara, a hard-drinking Irish cop charged with forming a Chinatown squad; and Dean Jagger as Dan Leary, the unofficial godfather of the Irish community of San Francisco and leader of the Workingmen’s party.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/joanna-vanderham-headshot.jpeg?w=151&h=224&crop=1

Also cast are Joanna Vanderham as Penelope Blake, the aristocratic heir to a railroad fortune trapped in a loveless marriage to the mayor; Tom Weston-Jones as Richard Lee, a transplanted Southerner and rookie cop; Banshee and Outcast‘s Hoon Lee as Wang Chao, a wiley fixer and profiteer in Chinatown; Joe Taslim as Li Yong, a tong Lieutenant and kung fu master; Langley Kirkwood as Walter Buckley, a Civil War veteran and Deputy Mayor with his own political aspirations; Christian McKay as Mayor Samuel Blake, the Mayor of San Francisco; and Perry Yung as Father Jun, the leader of the most powerful tong in Chinatown.

“As Warrior comes together, I can’t help but feel the pride of correcting a wrong and helping bring Bruce Lee’s dream project to life,” Lin said. “We have assembled a cast of incredible actors from all over the world including our talented lead, Andrew Koji, an exciting discovery out of the UK. I’m also thrilled to be re-teaming with Joe Taslim and Jason Tobin.”

Taslim and Tobin previously co-starred in two of the Lin-directed Fast & Furious movies: Fast & Furious 6 (Taslim) and The Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift (Tobin).

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/jonathan-tropper.png?w=151&h=224&crop=1

Tropper wrote the pilot script based on original material written by Bruce Lee. He is executive producing via his Tropper Ink Prods. alongside Lin and Danielle Woodrow of Perfect Storm Entertainment and Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee via Bruce Lee Entertainment.

Kary Antholis, president, HBO Miniseries and Cinemax Programming, called Warrior “one of the most exciting pilots I’d read in a very long time. It is perfectly on brand with what Cinemax wants to do going forward — high-end action-packed drama with great characters. It is unlike anything you’ve seen on episodic television ever.” Asked to elaborate, Antholis said that “the combination of a fun martial-arts show, which leans into Asian characters that are developed with great depth is a very unique combination in my experience with the TV landscape.”

Added Lin, “The martial arts genre a lot of times has been relegated to B-level action. And that’s not something we wanted to do. Going off of Bruce Lee’s original material, we wanted to build something that is character-driven, that has important themes and that also takes place in a part of American history that rarely gets talked about. That to me makes it something you haven’t seen before.”

While there haven’t been TV series about the infamous Chinese mob wars over the opium, prostitution, and gambling trades, there are now two in the works. Amazon recently gave a straight-to-series order to Tong Wars, from filmmaker Wong Kar-wai and writer Paul Attanasio, also set against the Tong Wars of 19th century San Francisco.

Warrior pre-dates Tong Wars — it was first set up at Cinemax for development in May 2015. I hear Tong Wars was taken to HBO/Cinemax, which declined to read the script as the Warrior pilot already had been written. The rival project was then quickly shopped and sold to Amazon. Warrior is far ahead, with filming starting next week. I also hear the two shows are quite different in tone, with Tong Wars more of a traditional premium TV drama, and Warrior more in the vein of Banshee, an entertaining genre show, which, like Bruce Lee’s movies, mixes martial arts and humor.

Warrior has an interesting backstory that sheds light on the “correcting wrong” comment Lin made earlier.

Lin recalled “growing up as an Asian American, and hearing the story behind Bruce Lee and the relationship to David Carradine’s Kung Fu.” For years, there had been rumblings that Lee had had a concept for a TV series — coincidentally (or not) called The Warrior, according to Lee’s widow Linda Lee Cadwell — that would’ve featured Lee as an Asian hero in the American West. The version of events that has been widely circulated (but never fully confirmed) is that the studios did not think viewers would embrace an Asian leading man, and Kung Fu was ultimately created with Carradine as the star.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/daniellewoodrow.jpg?w=151&h=224&crop=1

It was Lin’s producing partner Woodrow who asked him whether the Lee TV series pitch was real or an urban legend. To get an answer, the two reached out to Lee’s daughter Shannon, who confirmed that an 8-page treatment by Lee existed and showed it to them. “That’s how this project came to life,” Lin said. He added that Shannon Lee has boxes and boxes containing writings by her late father.

When Lin, Woodrow and Lee pitched the idea for Warrior to HBO/Cinemax, “we talked about the aspirations of combining really well developed characters with an action-oriented show,” Antholis said. “We had the idea of bringing in Jonathan Tropper based on the work he did on Banshee not knowing that he is a black belt in karate and idolized Bruce Lee as a kid. He fit right in.”

How much of Lee’s original treatment made it into Warrior? “It’s our job to find the essence of what he was trying to say,” Lin said. “The character of Sahm, a lot of the stuff is based off what Bruce Lee wanted way back when he came up with the idea.”

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/assaf-bernstein-2.jpg?w=143&h=157

Lin says that one of his “heartaches” was that his schedule did not allow him to direct the Warrior pilot episode. “It was very important to Kary, to Jonathan and me that we find a filmmaker, someone that comes and develops everything with character-first,” he said. “We are so fortunate to have Assaf Bernstein, a director who will capture the most intimate and textured performances amidst the action-packed backdrop of our series.” Bernstein also executive produces.

Lin, who will be on set for most of the pilot, called the sets for the show “phenomenal, some of the biggest sets I’ve been involved with.”

No premiere date for Warrior has been set, but it’s expected to launch in late 2018/early 2019.

Bernstein recently wrapped film Look Away, starring Jason Isaacs, Mira Sorvino and India Eisley. He is repped by WME, Primary Wave and Reder & Feig.

Jun as in Jun Fan. Ohara is kinda funny - I hope that was an intentional shout out to ETD (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?26150-Enter-the-Dragon).

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=23&v=kVuHiga0_2c

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnUVQ_S_7Zk

[GeneChing]

Justin Lin talks bringing Bruce Lee's passion project to life in Warrior first look photos (https://ew.com/tv/2019/02/08/justin-lin-bruce-lee-warrior-first-look/)

https://ewedit.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/warrior_04.jpg
Cinemax/HBO
SHIRLEY LI
February 08, 2019 at 01:00 PM EST

In 1971, Bruce Lee pitched a series called The Warrior, in which he would star as a martial artist navigating the Old West, but studios passed, unable to envision a show around an Asian lead. The next year, Warner Bros. aired a series called Kung Fu, starring white actor David Carradine as an Asian martial artist in the Old West — a premise that raised eyebrows, though the studio denied it had anything to do with Lee’s concept.

Director Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow, the Fast and Furious franchise) remembers being 8 years old when he first saw Kung Fu and couldn’t understand why Carradine was in the role. “I was confused,” he tells EW. “I didn’t know why he was speaking in broken English.”

When he learned that Lee originally had an idea just like Kung Fu, he knew he had to bring it to screen — and to do it with an un-whitewashed cast that would honor Lee’s story. Lin teamed up with Lee’s daughter, Shannon, who “brought eight pages of the original notes from Bruce,” he says, and together they brought those pages to small-screen life.

The result is Cinemax’s new series Warrior, a drama EW can exclusively reveal will debut on April 5. The show stars Andrew Koji (The Innocents) as a martial arts prodigy who departs China for San Francisco in the late 1800s on a mission, only to get entangled in Chinatown’s brutal Tong Wars. (Lin and Shannon Lee serve as executive producers.)

Making Warrior happen wasn’t easy; in fact, Lin admits, finding an Asian lead and rounding out the cast with Asian actors like Jason Tobin (Better Luck Tomorrow) and Olivia Cheng (Arrow) was “still very difficult.” “Casting directors, when they read ‘Asian-American,’ kind of go to the same pool,” he explains. “It was important to us to find a casting director that would really be open to us going around the world [for the search]. It took a while…I think there wasn’t any rocks left unturned, and I think that’s the right way [to do it].”

Plus, the team needed to make Lee’s story, now nearly 50 years old, resonate with modern audiences. That meant tweaking Lee’s ideas while retaining his core characters and themes. “There were a lot of changes in pacing, in how we were going to explore certain issues,” Lin says. “[We were] trying to honor the essence of what he was doing, but at the same time, cinema and TV and storytelling have really evolved.”

Lin, obviously, has had a front seat to that evolution. He’s been busy recently — he’s set to return for the next installments in The Fast and Furious franchise, is reportedly moving forward with Space Jam 2, and has an overall deal with Apple to develop TV — but to him, Warrior means more than just getting another project off the ground. “I’ve been fortunate to be able to try everything,” he says. “But I have to say Warrior has been my pride and joy.”

EW can share four first look images from Warrior above and below:

https://ewedit.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/warrior_01.jpg
Cinemax/HBO

https://ewedit.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/warrior_02.jpg
Cinemax/HBO

https://ewedit.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/warrior_03.jpg
Cinemax/HBO
Warrior hits Cinemax on April 5.

I'm really curious about those original 8 pages. I've heard rumors from those who claim to have seen them.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDlQGCFJDvE

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBoDIZDFGdM

Anyone going to tune in?

I don't have Cinemax and they didn't send me a screener. :(

[j.ouellet23]

Just saw the first episode. I am curious about Andrew Koj's training routine and more about the styles of martial arts used in the show . :)

[GeneChing]

Just saw the first episode. I am curious about Andrew Koj's training routine and more about the styles of martial arts used in the show . :) You mean Koji. Here's an interview:


April 2, 10:00 am
Andrew Koji Talks Cinemax's New Martial Arts Series WARRIOR (https://screenanarchy.com/2019/04/andrew-koji-talks-cinemaxs-new-martial-arts-series-warrior.html)
Timothy Tau
CONTRIBUTOR

https://screenanarchy.com/assets_c/2019/04/sa_Warrior-Cinemax_860-thumb-860xauto-74698.jpg

Recently I discussed Cinemax's Warrior with Andrew Koji, who stars as the main character Ah Sahm in the show. The series premieres April 5th on Cinemax; it is based on the writings of Bruce Lee and is officially sanctioned by Shannon Lee (one of the Executive Producers) and Bruce Lee Enterprises.

I understand that you are from the UK and are also a writer in addition to being an actor. How long have you been an actor/writer, how did you get started, and were you working on projects in the US or the UK or a combination of both before WARRIOR? How has your mixed Japanese and English heritage influenced your career as well?

It was always my ambition and intention to act and make my own films. I started making films when I was a teen and started doing extra work and small stage jobs. At 18 I moved to Thailand as they were making a lot of films there and I was still training in martial arts so I did some small jobs there.

Then I moved to Japan and ended up working in front and behind the camera for a while before I decided to come back to London to train as an actor. I trained at a small studio school, the Actors' Temple in London, and have over time started getting more jobs in theatre and TV. So far I haven't worked in the US. In the UK I would say my dual heritage has not particularly been advantageous. Opportunities for East Asian actors at the time was and still is quite limited - although things are changing.

How did you first get involved with WARRIOR, and how did you eventually get cast as the lead character Ah Sahm?

It was the usual route. Although at the time, I had just finished a very tough theatre job and hadn't done any TV in a while. I was about to turn 30 and was seriously considering a change in career. My agent and my mother convinced me to submit a self-tape for the role.

Shortly after doing that I was invited to LA and cast with Alexa Fogel, a great casting director and now friend. They were looking for an actor who could also do some martial arts and there were a few of us under consideration. I didn't think it would go my way but something just clicked when the audition happened

After getting cast as Ah Sahm, how did you prepare for the role? Did you do your own analysis/examination of Bruce Lee's writings and work? How also did you approach a role, acting-wise, that you knew Bruce Lee essentially wrote for himself?

I actually didn't grow up with Bruce Lee as an influence, unlike quite a few of my friends. Both in the run up to the LA audition and after being cast I read up, watched and researched as much as I could about him and wish I'd known more about him earlier as he is such an icon.

While in LA I had the privilege of meeting his daughter, Shannon Lee, who provided some valuable insights. My preparation for the role was pretty comprehensive - apart from research into Bruce Lee, it involved nutrition, fitness, martial arts training etc. Acting-wise I can only bring my own performance - which is the same for any actor taking on a role already written for or performed by someone else.

His saying 'have faith in yourself, do not go out and find a successful personality and duplicate it' resonated with me, that I needed to make Ah Sahm my own. The directors and Jonathan Tropper helped me find the way too.

The fighting scenes (at least from the trailer) seem extremely polished and dynamic, and the amount of training you underwent for the role clearly shows. Can you specifically describe the martial arts training you did? Do you have a prior martial arts background? Did you also incorporate any of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do concepts or martial arts philosophies? Did you do any research into Wing Chun or any other forms?

Thank you. As a kid I did quite a lot of martial arts. I was also interested in gymnastics and learned to tumble, do backflips etc. I stopped all that by the time I was about 20 because I preferred to concentrate on acting and making my own films.

When this role came along I was reasonably fit but totally out of practice regarding martial arts. Obviously I wanted to get as fit and as skilled as possible in the few months before filming. I made my own exercise/training regime while taking classes from expert martial artists in London and guidance from Brett Chan, the stunt co-ordinator. Training involved Wing Chun with a great teacher, Jack Kontou, as well as Shaolin Kung Fu and kickboxing.

Without spoiling anything, how would you describe the character of Ah Sahm and his storyline, especially with respect to the other characters from the show, such as Young Jun, played by Jason Tobin; Ah Toy, played by Olivia Cheng; Father Jun played by Perry Yun; Li Yong played by Joe Taslim; Bill O'Hara played by Kieran Bew and others? Are there any particular character relationships we should pay attention to as the show progresses?

All I can say here is that Ah Sahm, a recent arrival from mainland China, has to find his way in the new world of America and the Chinatown of San Francisco in the 1880's. He has to find his niche but it often seems like it finds him. It is also a steep learning curve for him.

His interactions with the other characters depend on his perceived 'status' - new kid on the block, exceptional fighter, family member, lover etc. As in any good story, the relationships develop and change with events over time. You'll see how things twist and turn as the series continues.

But there are other angles too, such as Bill O'Hara and Dylan Leary's stories (brilliantly played by Kieran Bew and Dean Jagger respectively), which have their own dynamic and add a further dimension of interest.

What are your thoughts on the writing of the show, and also the involvement of Jonathan Tropper as the creator? Was there a vision for Warrior that the whole cast and crew intended to convey before and during shooting?

I've got to know Jonathan over the course of the year and in my opinion he's brilliant and an amazing human being. He is the ideal person to be working on this series as, quite apart from his creative talent, he has long been a serious admirer of Bruce Lee and his achievements. He is also a great collaborator and before filming he shared his vision and passion for the series with all of us.

Can you describe the process of working with Justin Lin? What episodes did he direct? Did he also have an overall vision for WARRIOR as Executive Producer and did he share showrunning duties with Jonathan? Also, other listed directors include Kevin Tancharoen and Lin Oeding; what was working with them like?

Justin Lin keeps his finger on the pulse of most aspects of Warrior. I have found him really supportive and encouraging and I'm very happy to be working with him on the show. Changing directors for different episodes can sometimes be challenging for the cast as you have to quickly adjust to a different energy and different ways of working. Having said that, most of us really enjoy that challenge and appreciate how it spices things up for the benefit of the show as a whole.

What do you think makes WARRIOR unique, story-telling wise, acting-wise, action-wise, compared to what has been done before? Also, what are you feelings involving being able to bring to life something that Bruce Lee wrote, and having Shannon Lee and BLE (Bruce Lee Enterprises) officially involved and on board?

I do think Warrior has a unique blend of elements. The action scenes are stylized, brutal and visceral in places but all varied, high energy and fun to shoot. We wanted to keep the fight scenes raw and grounded, with no wire work.

The set of San Francisco's Chinatown at the end of the 19th century is amazingly realistic and historical facts and attitudes are there in broad brush strokes as well as some finer detail - but obviously there is a lot of poetic licence and creativity around that. The series is based on Bruce Lee's ideas - he didn't leave a full script.

We all feel privileged to be working on it and everyone wants to do justice to his legacy. We know we won't please everyone but we feel we have done him proud and Shannon Lee is with us all the way.

What are you working on next? Are you currently shooting the next season of WARRIOR as well? Did Cinemax pre-order multiple seasons or were they impressed with the first season to the point of green-lighting more episodes? Do you have any non-WARRIOR related projects in the pipeline?

After the season ended, I did some TV work in Canada and the UK. I want to keep stretching myself as an actor and do things outside the action genre. I'm working on something right now, which I'm not allowed to disclose yet!

[j.ouellet23]

Awesome! Thanks for the link!

[GeneChing]

‘Warrior’ Renewed For Season 2 By Cinemax (https://deadline.com/2019/04/warrior-renewed-season-2-cinemax-tong-wars-drama-series-bruce-lee-justin-lin-1202600027/)
By Nellie Andreeva
April 24, 2019 9:00am

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/warrior3.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1

EXCLUSIVE: Three episodes into Warrior‘s freshman run, Cinemax has given an official second-season renewal to the Tong Wars drama series from Justin Lin and Banshee co-creator Jonathan Tropper.

Created by Tropper, based on the writings of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, Warrior is the first internally developed Cinemax series under its new programming direction for fun, adrenalized fare. The cable network currently airs about four original series a year, three of them co-productions (or very cost-effective) and one marquee homegrown show with a Banshee-size budget tailored to the Cinemax audiences, the category Warrior falls in.

Warrior’s renewal had been in the works for months, and pre-production on Season 2 started in South Africa in late 2018-early 2019.

Warrior is a gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series follows Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), a martial arts prodigy who emigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances. After proving his worth as a fighter, Ah Sahm becomes a hatchet man for the Hope Wei, one of Chinatown’s most powerful organized crime families, or tongs.

“Bruce Lee’s vision is alive and well,” said Len Amato, president of HBO Films, Miniseries and Cinemax Programming. “Warrior combines high-energy martial arts with wit and brains. We’re thrilled to renew such a great show for a second season on Cinemax.”

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/cinemax-logo-2011b110901002808.png?w=300&h=105

Warrior is produced for Cinemax by Perfect Storm Entertainment, Tropper Ink Productions and Bruce Lee Entertainment. Season one is executive produced by Justin Lin and Danielle Woodrow executive produce on behalf of Perfect Storm Entertainment. Shannon Lee executive produces for Bruce Lee Entertainment. Brad Kane also executive produces and Richard Sharkey is co-executive producer. The pilot was directed and executive produced by Assaf Bernstein.


Awesome! Thanks for the link!
My pleasure. So how is it? Still watching?

[GeneChing]

The premiere episode is available on Cinemax's facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/cinemax/videos/2322071421369897/?v=2322071421369897) for now. Not sure how long that'll be there.

I gotta give this a 'meh'. Corrupt Irish cops face off against Chinese Tong men. It's full of racial stereotypes, especially for Chinatown. The Irish are drunken brawlers and I guess my heritage is all peasants, tong men and wh0res. The martial arts is mediocre and that Tai Chi at the end is just winceable. It's Cinemax, a.k.a. Skinemax so there's plenty of nekkid chicks, mostly Asian prostitutes except for one Caucasian kinda prostitute. I was amused to see nekkid Olivia Cheng again (she was much better nekkid in Marco Polo (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62877-Marco-Polo-Netflix-Original-Series)). The dialogue is riddled with cussing, so much so that it's distracting, and what the heck is up with calling people 'onions'? Is that really a thing? Maybe I'll tune back in for the inevitable street-chase-scene-thru-a-lion-dance because that's such a hackneyed action sequence now for anything set in Chinatown. It's disappointing for Justin Lin. Maybe in Bruce's day this might have been groundbreaking, but now it just perpetuates stereotypes, which I imagine would be the last thing Bruce would want to do if he were still alive. :(

I do like Koji though. He has a good smoldering look and can move well enough. I just wish he wasn't so bound by Bruce-derived choreography.

[GeneChing]

‘Warrior’ Casts Four For Season 2 Of Cinemax Drama Series; Promotes Dustin Nguyen To Regular (https://deadline.com/2019/05/warrior-cast-season-2-cinemax-series-dustin-nguyen-promoted-1202610818/)
By Denise Petski
Co-Managing Editor
May 9, 2019 10:00am

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/warrior-season-2-cast.jpg?w=1000&h=563&crop=1
Courtesy of Cinemax/HBO

EXCLUSIVE: Warrior is setting its cast for Season 2 of the Cinemax drama series, from Justin Lin and Banshee co-creator Jonathan Tropper. Dustin Nguyen, who recurs as Zing in Season 1, has been promoted to series regular for the second season, and also will direct the sixth episode of Season 2. In addition, Chen Tang (Bosch), Celine Buckens (Free Rein) and Miranda Raison (Dark Heart) have joined the series regular cast, and Maria Elena Laas (Vida) will recur.

Created by Tropper, based on the writings of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, Warrior is a gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series follows Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), a martial arts prodigy who emigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances. After proving his worth as a fighter, Ah Sahm becomes a hatchet man for the Hope Wei, one of Chinatown’s most powerful Tongs (Chinese organized crime family).

Nguyen’s Zing is a ruthless, unpredictable leader of the Fung Hai tong. Zing’s partnership with Mai Ling and his unrelenting grip on Big Bill position him to become a powerful new force in Chinatown.

Tang will play Hong, a somewhat eccentric but no less deadly hatchet man sent over from China to join the Hop Wei tong’s ranks.

Buckens will portray Sophie Mercer, a young, rebellious woman, chafing against the constraints of her blue-blooded upbringing, who crosses family lines to take up the cause of the Irish Workingmen.

Raison is Nellie Davenport, a wealthy widow who uses her husband’s fortunes to ease the plight of young girls forced into prostitution.

Laas recurs as Rosalita Vega, a tough, savvy, opportunistic Mexican woman who runs a notorious fight club on San Francisco’s famed Barbary Coast.

Warrior received an early season 2 renewal last month, just three episodes in to its freshman run.

Tropper executive produces, along with Lin and Danielle Woodrow via Perfect Storm Entertainment, Shannon Lee for Bruce Lee Entertainment and Brad Kane. Richard Sharkey is co-executive producer. The series is produced for Cinemax by Perfect Storm Entertainment, Tropper Ink Productions and Bruce Lee Entertainment.

Tang has appeared in numerous recurring and guest starring roles in shows such as Bosch, Agents of Shield, Grey’s Anatomy, Being Mary Jane, among others. He will next be seen as Yao in the anticipated Disney live-action film Mulan.

Buckens portrayed Émilie in Steven Spielberg’s 2011 film War Horse. She most recently starred as Mia in the Netflix original series Free Rein. She also features in Bill Condon’s upcoming film The Good Liar. Other television credits include ITV’s drama Endeavour.

Raison’s credits include Dark Heart (ITV Studios), Nightflyers (Netflix/Syfy), Spotless (Netflix/Studio Canal), MI-5 (Kudos), 24: Live Another Day, Murder on the Orient Express (Twentieth Century Fox), Breathe (Imaginarium) and My Week with Marilyn (Trademark). Her extensive stage work includes the role Hermione in The Winter’s Tale.

Laas currently stars in Starz’s Vida, which premieres its second season later this year. Most recently, Laas wrapped production on Apple’s first original scripted series, Vital Signs, written by and starring Dr. Dre.

Nguyen is most known for his portrayal of Officer Harry Ioki on Fox series 21 Jump Street and also made cameos in the two features from Sony Pictures. Nguyen also had starring roles in Miramax film The Rebel, the comedy 798Ten which he also directed and was the highest grossing film in Vietnam last year, and recently guest starred in an episode of This is Us.

Tang is represented by Luber Roklin Entertainment, David Arrigotti at Daniel Hoff Agency and Stone, Genow, Smelkinson, Binder and Christopher. Buckens is represented by Jane Epstein Independent Talent Group, Bonnie Liedtke Authentic Talent & Literary Management. Raison is represented by United Agents. Laas is represented by GVA Talent Agency, Viewpoint and Zero Gravity Management. Nguyen is represented by Buchwald.

Anyone else watching this yet?

[GeneChing]

Shannon Lee Talks ‘Warrior’ And How Hollywood Honors And Exploits Her Father’s Legacy (https://deadline.com/2019/06/shannon-lee-bruce-lee-warrior-interview-cinemax-1202622774/)
By Dino-Ray Ramos
Associate Editor/Reporter
@DinoRay

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/shannon-lee.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1
Shannon Lee, executive producer of Cinemax's "Warrior" and daughter of martial arts legend Bruce Lee.
Vincent Yu/Shutterstock

Bruce Lee is a martial arts legend and an icon in Hollywood who broke ground as an Asian American actor. After his untimely death in 1973, he continued to be praised as a cultural touchstone in more ways than one and his likeness has been all over films and TV for decades. But if there is one gatekeeper to everything that is Bruce Lee it would be his daughter Shannon Lee, who is in charge of his estate. She is also the executive producer of the Cinemax action drama Warrior (the season one finale airs tonight) which comes from an eight-page treatment for a TV series her father wrote and pitched to Warner Bros. It was basically a Hollywood urban legend.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/warrior3.jpg?w=296&h=166&crop=1
Andrew Koji as Ah Sahm in Cinemax’s “Warrior”.
David Bloomer/Cinemax

“Technically, if we’re really starting from the beginning, the journey began 50 years ago with him,” Lee tells Deadline of the origin of Warrior. “I’d always heard the story that he had created this and pitched it, but I guess I didn’t know for sure that the actual pages existed.”

Lee said that there were boxes and boxes of her father’s notes and writings (which included plenty of other treatments) and in the back of her mind, she knew that they were in there but she really didn’t know. It was a long process, but Lee found the treatment during 2001. There were several drafts of it with several pages of notes that included his vision. “Had we just had the treatment, we wouldn’t really have been able to see as much of his process, what he was really thinking, what was important to him and what scenes he was trying to work through.”

Even so, Lee wasn’t quick to get this series made. “I was still in a process of going through everything,” she said. “There was a lot I was trying to get my arms around. I was ending an acting career, stepping into a new one and not in a position to also step into trying to be a producer.” That said, it went back into the box for about 10 more years — and then Justin Lin called.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/justin-lin-bruce-lee.jpg?w=296&h=166&crop=1
Justin Lin on the set of 2007’s “Finishing The Game: The Search For A New Bruce Lee”.
Shutterstock

Lin, who directed the documentary Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee as well as the wildly successful Fast and the Furious franchise, was also familiar with this elusive treatment that never went past the pitch phase because, as Lee put it, at the time he presented it to WB they weren’t ready for a TV show from a Chinese man even if it was Bruce Lee.

Lin asked Lee if the treatment really existed and if she would be willing to show it to him — and she was more than happy to. He was very impressed with how well-written it was and more importantly, he saw her father’s vision. “He asked me if I had any desire to make series and I told him I would love nothing more than to make this.”

He responded: “If you would want to, we should make this — and not just make it. But really make it the way your father intended it to be made and with the intent behind it.” Lee said Lin said it needed to be made right away otherwise it’s not really worth doing. She answered, “Oh my God, this is music to my ears.” Thus the seed for Warrior was officially planted.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/e09a0553c73617435ee909978e75e1b7b61762942b7e23a7bf 8745d1c1c97b578df4cdb2eac1b0baad6f02cf70bc9d06-1.jpg?w=296&h=166&crop=1
Andrew Koji, Rich Ting, and Jason Tobin in “Warrior”.
David Bloomer/Cinemax

Set in San Francisco, Warrior is a crime drama injected with adrenaline-filled martial arts that echoes the legacy of Bruce Lee. The series takes place during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The story puts the focus on Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), a martial arts prodigy who emigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances and becomes a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful organized crime family. The series was picked up for a second season.

Lee said a lot of care was given to make the series authentic, which meant getting as many Asian voices and collaborators involved as possible. At the same time, there was an understanding that they also had to collaborate with people who really understood what they were trying to do.

“Jonathan Tropper, who is the head writer and the showrunner and executive producer, is not Asian,” Lee points out. “But we did meet with other Asian writers, and there were Asian writers in the writers’ room when we filled it out.”

continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/877cb0540a9e033e5514753bbc43bc6f539ec5927857d69a91 c9347c08084f4986d170afe9d91faa79b0f39e64283bbf.jpg ?w=296&h=166&crop=1
Olivia Cheng in “Warrior”.
David Bloomer/Cinemax

She continues, “One of the reasons that Jonathan was such a great collaborator on this was because, first of all, he has a deep martial arts background. He has a black belt himself. He’s a huge fan of Bruce Lee, knows all the movies and all that fun stuff.”

“We wanted to try and find an Asian showrunner and for the timing of it and where we were and what was available at the time, that was not the fit that came about,” she explained. “But we needed to have that support throughout the show in every possible aspect of it — and it’s a show that also has to take in the entirety of the world.”

Lee and Lin stayed on top of every aspect of the show. They guided the show and made sure that the approach came correct. She points out that the show still has an Asian center with the martial arts, Chinatown and the nuanced characters — specifically wit the women. “I wanted to make sure that the women were being portrayed in a particular way and not just victims of the men,” she said. “But certainly the characters are in the constraints of their time and place, but they all have their own power in their own way and their own way in which they’re exhibiting their power in this world and not just swooning on a fainting couch.”

Through the updated tone, portrayal of Asian and women, Warrior maintains the Bruce Lee vision and brand, if you will. “That’s how my father approached his stuff,” she explains. “He was like, ‘Look, if I don’t make an entertaining movie, nobody’s going to come — and then I get to sneak in my philosophy and all these great things.'”

Lee admits that she is in a position where she has to partner with people to make projects like Warrior happen (she has a couple of more scripted series under wraps as well). The collaboration between Lee and Lin was a match made in heaven and Lee did not have any reservations about making the show with the Fast and Furious Godfather. But it hasn’t always been like this for her. Bruce Lee is an icon and with that, comes tons of TV shows and films using his likeness. Whether it is in a comedic or dramatic context, Bruce Lee has been portrayed on the big and small screen in multiple iterations and there is no end in sight.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/enter-the-dragon-bruce-lee.jpg?w=604&h=410
Bruce Lee in “Enter The Dragon”.
David Bloomer/Cinemax

When it comes to her father’s estate, Lee walks a fine line of being a gatekeeper to her father’s “brand” and also being his daughter. She realizes her responsibility and is very careful who she aligns herself with. She said she has been pitched numerous projects about her father and, most of the time she has said no. The times she did say yes, the projects fell apart and she regretted saying yes.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/enter-the-dragon-bruce-lee-2.jpg?w=296&h=166&crop=1
Warner Bros/Shutterstock

“People know the name Bruce Lee and it’s exciting and they want to capitalize on that,” she said. “They want to get involved with that, but they don’t want to get involved with me.”

Lee adds that when many people want to option the rights to her father and then have her go away. That is one of the main reasons why it takes so long for her to make many of these Bruce Lee-centric projects. She is aware that she doesn’t have a track record when it comes to making TV shows or film. All she has is her words. “I really, really need to be involved in this process — and not because I’m trying to be overly controlling or I have this specific vision,” she said about projects about her father. “I just need to make sure it gets made the right way.”

“It has to be in alignment with my father’s legacy and with my family and with my family’s legacy,” she adds. “We can be as creative and as free and as awesome as we want to be, but if, at the end, if come to me and say ‘I want to make a buddy cop movie where Bruce Lee goes around giving people the death touch and scaling walls like Spider-Man,’ I’m going to say no.”

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/screen-shot-2019-06-05-at-5.34.21-pm.png?w=283&h=186
Mike Moh as Bruce Lee in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”.
Sony Pictures

In the first trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, which premiered at Cannes, there is a significant part of it that includes Mike Moh Bruce Lee. She said that no one reached out to her about including her father’s likeness in the movie. “In these instances, there are a lot of different ways you can go,” she admits.

She continues, “If they contacted me, I could be completely unreasonable and a pain in the ass and make all kinds of ridiculous demands — but they don’t know that I’m not going to do that. A lot of times, the best practice is ‘we’ll just stay away from that so we don’t have to even open that can of worms.'”

Lee said that it is completely up to her to what she spends her time and money fighting over. “With Tarantino’s film, to not have been included in any kind of way, when I know that he reached out to other people but did not reach out to me, there’s a level of annoyance — and there’s part of me that says this is not worth my time and my energy. Let’s just see how the universe deals with this one.”

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/bruce-lee-3.jpg?w=296&h=166&crop=1
Warner Bros/Shutterstock

She adds that she thought it was interesting that they put the Bruce Lee character front and center in the trailer. She doesn’t know what his role in in the movie and has no ill will against Moh. She just hopes that the finished product is good.

When she first took charge of her father’s estate, she not only had to balance the business and personal, she had to be comfortable in running a business.”Whether I want to run it or somebody else wants to run it, people want to make things using Bruce Lee,” she said. “In my mind, who better to at least have some say in what that is and how that goes other than his family? But it does get challenging because I have my own sort of desire and dream about how this goes and the projects that get made.”

I've still only seen the premiere episode. I'm told this series gets better. Anyone here watching?

[GeneChing]

Meet Bolo 2019. READ Rich Ting: Onwards and Upwards with WARRIOR (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1507) by Kurtis Fujita

http://www.kungfumagazine.com/admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/upload/3946_20193706Ting.jpg

[GeneChing]

Character Media Announces Nominees For 18th Annual Unforgettable Gala (https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Character-Media-Announces-Nominees-For-18th-Annual-Unforgettable-Gala-20191015)

https://cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/columnpiccloud/21571145171.jpg?ezimgfmt=rs:250x128/rscb1/ng:webp/ngcb1

Character Media announced today the nominees for the 18th Annual Unforgettable Gala. The Gala is the preeminent awards show to recognize Asian American icons and changemakers in the entertainment industry, who are representing the community through their creativity and excellence. Nominees were voted on by Character Media's selection committee of experts, who represent various fields and creative disciplines, including film, television, music, sports, digital technology and philanthropy.

The following are this year's nominees. Additional awards will be announced at a later date.

Actor/Actress in Television:

Daniel Wu - "Into the Badlands"

Jameela Jamil - "The Good Place"

Karen Fukuhara - "The Boys"

Leonardo Nam - "Westworld"

Nico Santos - "Superstore"

Actor/Actress on Film:

Ali Wong - "Always Be My Maybe"

Awkwafina - "The Farewell"

Kumail Nanjiani - "Stuber"

Randall Park - "Always Be My Maybe"

Steven Yeun - "Burning"

Breakout Actor/Actress on Television:

Andrew Koji - "Warrior"

Derek Mio - "The Terror: Infamy"

Greta Lee - "Russian Doll"

Maya Erskine - "Pen15"

Sydney Park - "Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists"

Breakout Actor/Actress on Film:

Charles Melton - "The Sun is Also a Star"

Himesh Patel - "Yesterday"

Maya Erskine - "Plus One"

Tiffany Chu - "Ms. Purple"

Viveik Kalra - "Blinded by the Light"

Comic Performance:

Ali Wong - "Always Be My Maybe"

Hasan Minhaj - "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj"

Jo Koy - "Comin' in Hot"

Ken Jeong - "Ken Jeong: You Complete Me, Ho"

Ronny Chieng - "The Daily Show"

Director:

James Wan - "Aquaman"

Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi - "Free Solo"

Justin Chon - "Ms. Purple"

Lulu Wang - "The Farewell"

Nisha Ganatra - "Late Night"

Digital Influencer:

Bobby Hundreds

Bretman Rock

Jenn Im

Jubilee Media

Steven Lim

The award recipients will be announced at the 18th Annual Unforgettable Gala, held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA, on December 14, 2019.

THREADS
Asian Film Festivals and Awards (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48392-Asian-Film-Festivals-and-Awards)
Into The Badlands (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67844-Into-The-Badlands)
The Farewell (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71409-The-Farewell)
Warrior (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68676-Bruce-Lee-s-Warrior)
Aquaman (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70874-Aquaman)

[GeneChing]

Cinemax Moving Out Of Originals; HBO Sister Network Will “See Out” Current Slate Of Commissions – TCA (https://deadline.com/2020/01/cinemax-moving-out-of-originals-1202832062/)
By Peter White
January 15, 2020 3:54pm

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/shutterstock_editorial_10332853ba.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1
Shutterstock

Cinemax will no longer commission original shows as HBO Max gears up for its forthcoming launch.

The HBO sister network will continue to remain as a linear cable channel, which largely airs movies, but the Cinemax brand will not be transferred to the HBO Max service.

The revelation came up during the HBO Max exec session at the Winter TCA press tour with HBO Max Chief Content Officer Kevin Reilly, HBO Max Chief Content Officer Sarah Aubrey and Michael Quigley, executive vice president of content acquisitions and strategy.

Reilly said, “You can expect that there won’t be any more [Cinemax] originals.”

Cinemax has changed its originals strategy a number of times in recent years. It has largely been involved as the U.S. home for international co-productions such as Left Bank-produced action drama Strike Back, which is a co-pro with UK’s Sky, and detective drama C.B Strike, which is a co-pro with the BBC. It was also set to air Sky original Gangs of London.

With shows such as Banshee, The Knick, Outcast and Quarry ending, the only major question mark concerns shows such as action drama Warrior, which was renewed for a second season in April 2019.

Still haven't watched any more of this. I suppose I should...:o

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDqwcuDY4Dg

[GeneChing]

REPRESENTATION
Warrior Takes the “Model Minority” Cliche and “Flips It on Its Ass” (https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/09/warrior-takes-the-model-minority-cliche-and-flips-it-on-its-ass)
Peak TV should mean Peak Inclusion, but the vivid Cinemax series has had to fight for its life
BY MAUREEN RYAN
SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/5f5a4b22023715cc7630cb99/master/w_2560%2Cc_limit/Warrior-Letter-from-LA-Lede.jpg
Andrew Koji as Ah Sahm and Olivia Cheng as Ah Toy in HBO's Warrior.BY DAVID BLOOMER/CINEMAX.

No one rides around in a covered wagon, but the striving characters of Warrior give off major pioneer energy. Warrior, which kicks off its second season on Cinemax on October 2, is not just an action-filled period piece about friendships and fortunes made and lost: In many ways, it is America’s origin story in miniature. Its struggle to get on the air, and stay there, is also an object lesson in how difficult it can be to get Hollywood to make good on its promises of inclusion.

The show, which follows immigrants like Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) and Ah Toy (Olivia Cheng) as they carve out new lives in 19th century San Francisco, is a solid example of the vivid genre fare Cinemax churned out for the past decade. History buffs are likely to savor Warrior’s depiction of the boisterous city, and fans of classic Westerns will certainly enjoy the saloon brawls. The ever-shifting romances, alliances, and conflicts are straight out of prime-time soaps, and the show’s corsets and bushy Victorian beards should be catnip to fans of costume drama.

“It’s an extremely accessible show,” executive producer Shannon Lee told Vanity Fair. “It references all these familiar genres that people love.”

Warrior also contains highly relevant social and political themes: Its narrative center of gravity lies within San Francisco’s Chinatown, and as the city grows, greedy politicians, canny labor agitators, corrupt cops, and members of the Chinese community grapple over resources, contracts, elections, and who gets to survive, let alone thrive. A number of politicians and moguls find it convenient to scapegoat residents of Chinese descent (sound familiar?), even as those white men depend on the immigrants’ cheap labor to build their fortunes.

As if all that weren’t enough, Warrior is based on an eight-page TV treatment that Bruce Lee penned decades ago but could not get made in his lifetime. The martial arts legend’s daughter, Shannon Lee, is an executive producer on the show, along with Jonathan Tropper and Justin Lin. The team made sure the drama not only leaned heavily on Bruce Lee’s original vision, but also saw to it that the interlocking storylines were punctuated by intense fight scenes.

“We were trying to make a show that had universal themes—not simply a historical drama, not just an action show, and not simply a Bruce Lee celebration,” said Tropper, the showrunner of Warrior, as well as the Cinemax cult favorite Banshee. “Warrior underscores a problem America has with its own identity, which is that it’s a country built on immigrants that has a troubled relationship with immigrants. All of that boils down to the racism that is systemic in every institution we have, and this story is about that—without really preaching.”

Indeed, Warrior is far from eat-your-vegetables TV: It’s a handsome, adrenalized ride with a multiracial ensemble cast that engages in fisticuffs on the regular. But the Asian characters are the most important ones, and they are not exoticized or stereotyped as “inscrutable.” Olivia Cheng told Vanity Fair that the keys to playing the businesswoman Ah Toy are her “absolute pride and defiance,” adding, “The heroes of our show completely take the ‘model minority’ narrative and flip it on its ass.”

https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/5f5a4b28023715cc7630cb9b/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/Warrior-Letter-from-LA-Embed01.jpg
Andrew Koji as Ah Sahm.BY DAVID BLOOMER/CINEMAX.

SUITS AND SWAGGER
The debut season of Warrior, which arrived in 2019, laid out the conflicts among the criminally-minded tongs that run the show’s version of Chinatown. Those storylines make it clear that classic gangster sagas are also among Warrior’s biggest influences: Some members of a powerful tong, the Hop Wei, flaunt the kind of sharp black suits and swagger that would not be out of place in a Martin Scorsese or John Woo film.

Core character Ah Sahm had a bumpy learning curve, but eventually became a crucial member of the Hop Wei, which is in a tenuous position at the start of season two. “He was testing the waters and figuring things out and playing it safe [before]—and now he knows what he wants to do,” Koji said.

Two cops investigating crime in and around Chinatown often cross paths with Ah Sahm, Ah Toy, and the Hop Wei, as do the mayor, his wife, and an Irish labor boss. Other key characters are Mai Ling (Dianne Doan), an ambitious woman at the heart of a powerful tong; Young Jun (Jason Tobin), Ah Sahm’s restless but loyal best friend; and Wang Chao (Banshee’s Hoon Lee), a fixer useful to powerful forces inside and outside Chinatown.

“I never thought I would get a chance to do period piece dramas,” said Cheng, who added that the response to Warrior is unlike anything she’s ever experienced. When fans meet her, she told Vanity Fair, they really want to talk. “You suddenly become a sounding board and an audience for their dissertation on Warrior,” Cheng said. “And I’m riveted, because it’s really thoughtful commentary. There’s a real connection.”

Part of the reason for that connection, especially among viewers of Asian descent, is the paucity of American one-hour productions or coproductions that feature a large number of Asian actors in core roles. Very few TV programs in U.S. television history fit that criteria: Netflix’s Wu Assassins and Marco Polo, as well as the second season of AMC’s The Terror, are among the few that do.

https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/5f5a4b19023715cc7630cb97/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/Warrior-Letter-from-LA-Embed02-inset.jpg
Olivia Cheng as Ah Toy.BY DAVID BLOOMER/CINEMAX.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

“THE ONLY ASIAN GUY ON THE SHOW”
Around five decades ago, Bruce Lee came up with the eight-page TV treatment, but his story of an itinerant martial artist in the Old West never made it to the small screen. In 1972, a Warner Bros. TV show debuted on ABC: It was called Kung Fu and it was about a man with prodigious martial arts skills who wandered around the 19th century American West. Over the years, people have pointed out similarities between the TV premise Lee dreamed up in his proposal and Kung Fu.

“If you ask my mother, she will say it’s based on my father’s idea,” Shannon Lee said. “Yet if you ask anyone at Warner Bros., they will say that they had come up with that idea first.”

Though there is some dispute about whether Lee’s ideas influenced what evolved into Kung Fu, there’s no doubt about one fact: When the drama arrived on TV, a white man, David Carradine, played the show’s lead character, who had a Chinese mother and a white American father. Though Bruce Lee was considered for the role, the actor didn’t get it. According to a 2018 Bruce Lee biography, Warner Bros. executive Tom Kuhn worried about Lee’s accent, and is quoted as saying that none of the Asian actors who auditioned “really measured up.”

If her father had sold and starred in the TV drama he had wanted to make, “he probably would have been the only Asian guy on the show,” Shannon Lee noted.

Even now, actors of Asian descent aren’t often cast as the leads in American TV and films (although a gender-flipped version of Kung Fu is in the works at the CW). As was the case with Marvel’s misbegotten Iron Fist, they tend to play the sidekicks of a white lead, and the storytelling rarely revolves around them: “There might be a special episode where they go to Chinatown or Koreatown, and that’s it,” said Jeff Yang, who writes opinion pieces for CNN and cohosts the podcast They Call Us Bruce.

“The unfortunate thing for Asian American actors is so often, because people haven’t seen it, they don’t envision it,” director Lulu Wang told Vanity Fair’s Rebecca Sun for a feature on veteran actor and Mulan star Tzi Ma. “They’re like, ‘I’ve written this for Bill Murray, so we’re going to go look for somebody who looks like Bill Murray.’ Well, why not imagine Tzi?… His face is so expressive. He’s able to do so much with so little, and there’s humor in his eyes as well as pathos. I refer to him as the Asian Bill Murray, because he can make you laugh just by sitting there. Just because you haven’t seen him in a certain type of role in the past, doesn’t mean that you can’t be the one to create that for him.”

https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/5f5a4b1b1e10df7a77868b62/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/Warrior-Letter-from-LA-Embed03.jpg
Jason Tobin as Young Jun and Andrew Koji as Ah Sahm.BY DAVID BLOOMER/CINEMAX.

Despite the “peak TV” explosion of the past decade, getting projects with majority-Asian casts off the ground can still be an uphill battle in this country, at least going by the challenging journey that Warrior went on before it landed at Cinemax. Lin recalled that when he and Lee were pitching Warrior around Hollywood a few years ago, he got the distinct impression it would have been an easier sell—and the show might have gotten a bigger budget—if the story had had a white protagonist or storytelling “lens.”

“When it comes to a commitment to [spending] tens of millions of dollars, people can talk about inclusion and diversity, but they also tend to be very conservative,” Lin said. “When we presented the fact that we wanted to have all these three-dimensional Asian American characters, there was a price point, you know?”

But, as Tropper said, the Asian characters were always “the purpose of the show.” To that end, Warrior employs an unusual strategy regarding language: While the drama cleverly acknowledges that their first language is Cantonese, Chinese characters on Warrior usually speak to each other in unaccented English, complete with epithets and casual slang.

“I remember in season one, Henry Yuk, who played [tong leader] Long Zii, said to me, ‘Jonathan, I really want to thank you for a role where I get to use pronouns,’” Tropper recalled. “Because he was often cast as the wise old Chinese man who would speak in broken English.”

ONE PARAGRAPH IN THE HISTORY BOOK
Warrior thankfully avoids the laborious tone that some historical dramas are saddled with; instead, it breathes vivid life into aspects of America’s past that many remain unaware of. “I remember growing up with U.S. history and taking a class, and if you were lucky, [the book] had a paragraph about the Chinese American experience and the railroads,” Lin said.

https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/5f5a4b1d1e10df7a77868b64/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/Warrior-Letter-from-LA-Embed04.jpg
Jason Tobin as Young Jun.BY DAVID BLOOMER/CINEMAX.

Filling in those gaps is especially important right now, because the 19th century of Warrior looks a lot like the year 2020. “A lot of the racial politics, a lot of the identity-building of America, was framed in part in opposition to Chinese Americans and Asian Americans and Asian immigration,” said Michelle K. Sugihara, executive director of Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE). “That kernel has never really gone away.”

Warrior doesn’t shy away from depicting violence against Chinese immigrants—or the kinds of political machinations that resulted in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. And though Warrior is clear-eyed about how racist policies and attitudes were deployed by some white people of all classes, Tropper noted that the goal was not to make “a comic book” in which the Chinese characters are virtuous and white folks are the villains.

“We really tried to contextualize the issues,” Tropper said. And indeed, both seasons of the drama demonstrate how different races were often intentionally pitted against each other by the powerful.

According to Yang, “this is actually the very moment that a show like Warrior deserves to be a part of. It could act as a vaccination against the other problem we’re facing—the pandemic of xenophobia and hostility towards Asians that has come along with COVID.”

DONE IN BY THE STREAMING WARS—OR NOT?
Unfortunately, in the wake of AT&T’s acquisition of what is now known as WarnerMedia, Cinemax appears to be an afterthought; the network, which requires a subscription of its own, is no longer making original series, and the Wall Street Journal reported recently that its subscriber base is shrinking.

https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/5f5a955af70286c8fd1370b1/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/warriors-embed06.jpg
Kieran Bew as Officer "Big Bill" O'Hara.BY DAVID BLOOMER/CINEMAX.

Why wasn’t season one of Warrior—and other well-regarded Cinemax originals like Banshee and The Knick—made available on HBO Max when the streaming platform debuted in May? Lin said that when he inquired about Warrior’s possible migration from Cinemax to HBO Max, he said he was told the drama “didn’t fit the brand.”

Business considerations may have been involved, but according to an insider familiar with the inner workings of WarnerMedia, the primary explanation for the lack of Cinemax fare on HBO Max comes down to indifference from the executive team that, until recently, ran the streamer. But in August, a corporate reshuffling saw the exit of several top executives and the promotion of HBO’s president of programming, Casey Bloys, who now oversees content for the streamer as well.

After Bloys’s promotion, a WarnerMedia source said that the existing seasons of Warrior will be made available on HBO, thus accessible on HBO Max. That will happen after the second season of Warrior airs on Cinemax, and it’s not clear whether other Cinemax originals will also get added to the company’s marquee streaming platform.

Unfortunately, a third season of Warrior looks quite unlikely. The show’s cast and creative team have dispersed, and though Tropper said there were conversations with Netflix about moving the show to that platform, that didn’t pan out. Still, Lee said the news of the drama’s eventual move to a bigger platform was “encouraging.”

“That would be incredible,” added Tropper. “Warrior is a unique and timely show that I think, now more than ever, would find a significant viewership on major platforms like HBO and HBO Max.”

The promise of the streaming era is that there is a place for everyone. Warrior’s devoted fans are about to find out if that’s actually true.

I'm doing some work for Den of Geek (https://www.denofgeek.com/) on this so Cinemax has shared Season 2 screeners with me.

[GeneChing]

Read my latest newspiece for Den of Geek: Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins Will Feature a “Realistic” Snake Eyes (https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/snake-eyes-g-i-joe-origins-will-feature-a-realistic-snake-eyes/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/storm-shadow.png?resize=768%2C432

threads
Snake-Eyes (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70780-Snake-Eyes)
Warrior (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68676-Bruce-Lee-s-Warrior)

[GeneChing]

Read my latest feature for Den of Geek: Warrior Season 2: What to Expect From the Return of the Martial Arts Drama (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/warrior-season-2-what-to-expect-from-return-of-the-martial-arts-drama/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/warrior-season-2-andrew-koji-cinemax.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

Read my latest review for Den of Geek: Warrior Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Learn to Endure, or Hire a Bodyguard (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/warrior-season-2-episode-1-review-learn-to-endure-or-hire-a-bodyguard/). I’ve been tasked by Den of Geek to provide episode reviews for Season 2 of Warrior. These will go live immediately after they are telecast. WARNING – SPOILERS

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Warrior-Season-2-Episode-1-Review-Learn-to-Endure-or-Hire-a-Bodyguard.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

My latest interview for Den of Geek: Bruce Lee Forever! Shannon Lee Reflects on Her Father’s Legacy (https://www.denofgeek.com/culture/bruce-lee-forever-shannon-lee-reflects-on-her-fathers-legacy/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bruce-Lee-in-Fists-of-Fury.jpg?resize=768%2C432

Threads
Warrior (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68676-Bruce-Lee-s-Warrior)
Bruce-Lee-Memorials (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?42950-Bruce-Lee-Memorials)
Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71891-Be-Water-My-Friend-The-Teachings-of-Bruce-Lee)

[GeneChing]

My latest episode review for Den of Geek: Warrior Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Not How We Do Business

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/warrior-season-2-episode-3-review-cinemax.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

My latest interview for Den of Geek:
Warrior, Snake Eyes, and What’s Next for Andrew Koji (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/warrior-snake-eyes-and-whats-next-for-andrew-koji/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/warrior-season-2-cinemax.jpg?resize=768%2C432

Threads
Bruce-Lee-s-Warrior (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68676-Bruce-Lee-s-Warrior)
Snake Eyes (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70780-Snake-Eyes)
Bullet Train (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71900-Bullet-Train)

[GeneChing]

My latest episode review for Den of Geek: Warrior Season 2 Episode 4 Review: If You Don’t See Blood, You Didn’t Come to Play (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/warrior-season-2-episode-4-review-if-you-dont-see-blood-you-didnt-come-to-play/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/warrior-season-2-episode-4.jpeg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

My reviews for Den of Geek

Warrior Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Not for a Drink, a F*ck, or a G***** Prayer

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/warrior-season-2-episode-5-review-andrew-koji.jpg?resize=768%2C432 (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/warrior-season-2-episode-5-review-not-for-a-drink-a-fck-or-a-g****-prayer/)



Warrior Season 2 Episode 6 Review: To a Man with a Hammer, Everything Looks Like a Nail

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/warrior-season-2-episode-6.jpg?resize=768%2C432 (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/warrior-season-2-episode-6-review-to-a-man-with-a-hammer-everything-looks-like-a-nail/)


Warrior Season 2 Episode 7 Review: If you Wait by the River Long Enough…

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/warrior-season-2-episode-7.jpg?resize=768%2C432 (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/warrior-season-2-episode-7-review-if-you-wait-by-the-river-long-enough/)

[GeneChing]

Almost done with these reviews - just two more to go (but those will come with extras ;) )

Warrior Season 2 Episode 8 Review: All Enemies, Foreign and Domestic (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/warrior-season-2-episode-8-review-all-enemies-foreign-and-domestic/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/warrior-season-2-episode-8-review-all-enemies-foreign-domestic.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

Warrior Season 2 Episode 9 Review: Enter the Dragon

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/warrior-season-2-episode-9-review-enter-the-dragon.jpeg?resize=768%2C432 (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/warrior-season-2-episode-9-review-enter-the-dragon/)

I'm particularly pleased with this supplementary feature piece below:

Warrior: The Real History of the Race Riot that Shook San Francisco

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/chen-tang-jason-tobin-andrew-koji.jpg?resize=768%2C432 (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/warrior-the-real-history-of-the-race-riot-that-shook-san-francisco/)

[GeneChing]

Warrior Season 2 Episode 10 Review: Man on the Wall

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/warrior-season-2-episode-10-review-man-on-the-wall.jpg?resize=768%2C432 (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/warrior-season-2-episode-10-review-man-on-the-wall/)

Will Warrior Season 3 Happen?

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/warrior-season-2-andrew-koji-cinemax.jpg?resize=768%2C432 (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/will-warrior-season-3-happen/)

Warrior: The Historical Inspiration for Dylan Leary

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/warrior-dean-jagger-dylan-leary.jpg?resize=768%2C432 (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/warrior-the-historical-inspiration-for-dylan-leary/)

Warrior was a good run for me. I wrote 17 articles on it for Den of Geek. I'm not sure if that's more coverage than I did on my own show Man at Arms: Art of War (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70140-Man-at-Arms-Art-of-War-Original-Series-from-EL-REY-Network-with-Gene-Ching) or Into the Badlands (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67844-Into-The-Badlands).

Note that there's now a campaign to save Warrior. Sign the petition - #SaveWarrior (https://www.change.org/p/netflix-save-warrior-and-get-season-3-confirmed)

[GeneChing]

https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/us/video/warrior-season-3-comes-hbo-max

[GeneChing]

I find it fascinating that Warrior (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68676-Bruce-Lee-s-Warrior) & Kung Fu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71750-Kung-Fu-TV-show-CW-REMAKE) are both choreographed by Brett Chan. This two shows are like yin and yang when it comes to choreo quality.



Jun 3, 2021 9:05am PT
‘Snowpiercer,’ ‘Kung Fu’ and ‘Warrior’ Stunt Coordinator on Keeping Fights Grounded in Character (https://variety.com/2021/tv/features/snowpiercer-warrior-kung-fu-stunts-brett-chan-1234933180/)

By Danielle Turchiano

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Brett-Chan.jpg
Brett Chan
Courtesy of David Bukach
With more than two decades in the business, Brett Chan has racked up quite the résumé as both a stunt performer and a coordinator. On the small screen alone he has dozens of credits from superhero dramas “Arrow” and “Supergirl,” to Netflix’s “Altered Carbon.” Now, he is responsible for the stunts on a quartet of high-adrenaline series: TNT’s “Snowpiercer,” WarnerMedia’s “Warrior,” the CW’s “Kung Fu,” and the upcoming “Halo” for Paramount Plus.

How does a character’s backstory affect the kind of fight style you create for them, especially on a show like “Snowpiercer” where people from all walks of life are crammed on that train?
It’s basically characters first, and then you have to elaborate from there. Daveed Diggs’ [character Andre Layton] was an ex-police officer, and so was [Mickey Sumner’s Bess] Till, but they both have very different backgrounds in terms of what their positions were in the police force. [Layton] had been on the force for a little bit longer, so he had a little bit more of a street toughness to him. I tried to give them a little bit more adeptness because police do some basic self defense, gun disarms and how to deal with situations with multiple people or when you’re trying to keep a person [subdued]. It’s always harder to be police officer because you can’t just hit people, you always have to try and and incapacitate them by not striking at them, but at the same time keeping yourself safe. Neither Till nor [Layton] had any martial arts training. The Jackboots were trained military guys — soldier types — so we gave them a standard basic etiquette about how they move with their weapons and we gave them a little more regimented look. They had a definite order about they move in formation, and you have to because if you don’t and one side falters, then the line gets overrun and they can pull you over.

Between Season 1 and Season 2 of shows like “Warrior” and “Snowpiercer,” did you have time to get in and train with any actors, or did they have to rely on muscle memory?
If anything the actors came in more gung ho for Season 2: They loved the stunt team training room and spent more time in there than anywhere else. As more actors joined the “[Warrior”] cast in Season 2, it was more about trying to get them out of the stunt training room. Many of our stunt team remain very close with many of the actors. When Season 3 got renewed there was not any doubt that everyone would do whatever they needed to do in order to be a part of that season. It is an anomaly of a show and if you ever get to work on one like this in terms of the people and content of the project, you are lucky. It is one in a million. [Between seasons of “Snowpiercer”] there isn’t really time to do anything. It’s really up to the actors themselves. Mickey, in her spare time when she wasn’t filming, was training [such as in] jujitsu. It was on her own time. She just wants to train and kick butt — and she wants to be able to show women empowerment, that women don’t need to be saved by men all the time; they can have their own collective of how they survive, especially in that type of climate, where you have to be a little sneakier. She wanted to look like she was better at it, and she was really good and she picked it up really fast. We can definitely give her moves to make it look like she’s a fighter. And we always paired her with a really good dance partner, per se, so she can showcase what she’s doing.


How does the train setting on “Snowpiercer” inform the scope of what you can accomplish in any given stunt sequence?
It can’t be all martial arts. And we have cots in it and we’re dealing with extras. You’ve got to fill the train; you can’t have a car with 50 people and they’re all stunt guys. We have to be really cognizant of that, but we still have to make it look chaotic. We have to keep the action mitigated a certain way so that we can keep our actors safe and keep everyone else around them safe at the same time. I’ll either be able to choreograph on the actual train booth, depending on if they’re shooting or not. If not, then I’ll go tape out the dimensions of it and use boxes and choreograph everything in there. And it definitely limits what you can do and where you can go because the train walls aren’t all solid. Because we have to be able to take the walls off and on and move really fast between shots, that means we can’t always bang against the train walls or they’ll fall and hurt people.

Do you have leeway to have walls moved if you need a bit more room for something special?
They built some trains to be like that, like the Night Car: it’s supposed to be like a giant, two-level thing and it’s wider. But it’s definitely confining and it limits the weapons you can use because if you start putting long weapons in there and you’re swinging them around, you’re hitting people behind you and in front of you. But we’ve had no injuries!

The second season finale had an unexpected dog attack stunt. How complicated was that to pull off, given everything you’ve already talked about as limitations?
We used the actual trainer to be the person the dog attacks because he knows that person already. A dog comes on set, no one’s going to touch him, no one’s allowed to pet him, [there’s] no, “Oh you’re so cute!” You can’t do that because the dog’s got to keep the focus. We keep all things off the set that don’t need to be there because that changes the parameter of things, too.

What sequence did you feel was the most complicated to choreograph and then successfully achieve on the day of production on Season 2 of “Warrior”?
Episode 205’s Zing vs. Li Yong fight and the Episode 209 riot sequence with the individual fights were the most difficult because of logistics involved due to the time we had. We were shooting four episodes at once and I was action directing all of them while still choreographing and doing other work for them. Additionally I was in development for Episode 6 simultaneously. Episode 205’s saving grace was director Loni Peristere. He gave me full control to go to town, allowing me to time manage. He was extremely collaborative. For Episode 209, director Denny Gordon was also extremely collaborative and was a large reason I was able to execute such a difficult sequence. If I had to pick one fight that was the most complicated it would definitely be the riot with the individual fights in Episode 209.

When you have characters like Ah Sahm, who are martial arts experts when they are introduced, what is your philosophy about “topping” the fights and sequences, to continuously show off more of those characters’ skills?
I don’t know if it is just because they are cool fights or needing to “top a fight,” but more of that I think it all comes down to the story and the characters. Really, a fight is just a fight — but if you give it the story and individual characteristics associated with each character at that moment in time, the motivation for the fight becomes more meaningful and has more impact. As storylines changed in Season 2, so did our fight sequences.

How different was experience on “Kung Fu,” in which Olivia Liang, who plays the lead, had no martial arts training before the show but whose character needed to look like an expert?
Even after 10 years, you won’t even really be really that good in a stylistic martial art, and this is specifically stylistic. I said, “They need a little bit of martial arts training, give me eight weeks to train them.” But they gave me this girl who had no martial arts training and five days to to train her. None of the leads had martial arts training. But when they showed up, all they did was train. Olivia said, “I don’t care, I want to train Saturdays, Sundays.” We trained four to six hours a day. She has a dance background so she did fantastic, and she’s just getting better and better.

How does the mysticism element of “Kung Fu” affect what you are creating?
The show was never meant to be “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” has its audience has its genre, and it’s fantastic, but Christina [M. Kim], the showrunner, basically said, “Let’s ground it.” So, it was about keeping the kung fu grounded into daily fighting, but keeping the flair of the styles. We pick her movements depends on the style. Tiger is a very aggressive style, while crane is not. So you see a lot of crane, but when she’s angry, you’ll see the tiger come out. And then we start blending the two together, which starts leveling off her emotional levels. We tried giving that purpose to everybody.

[GeneChing]

Watching Martial Arts Movies Amid Anti-Asian Violence Is Much-Needed Catharsis (https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7bepd/watching-martial-arts-movies-amid-anti-asian-violence-is-much-needed-catharsis)
Movies and TV shows like 'The Paper Tigers' and 'Warrior' show the beauty of Asian American survival.
By Frances Nguyen
June 8, 2021, 4:00am

https://video-images.vice.com/articles/60bd735312903c0093cf911a/lede/1623029363448-mortal-kombat.jpeg
IMAGE VIA YOUTUBE
When I saw the opening seven minutes of Mortal Kombat on Instagram, it was the first time I’d felt anything in the realm of joy in over a month. Given the contents of the clip, I was also a little horrified at myself.

Faithful to its video game source material, the violence in the film begins almost immediately. Within the opening minutes, a woman dies. A child dies. Hanzo Hasashi—the man who will become Scorpion, the character in the game I played most often growing up—liberates what looks like quarts of blood from the bodies of his masked opponents before confronting his nemesis, the man who will become the ice-wielding assassin Sub-Zero. The teaser leaves you at the edge of a fight that promises to be an enthralling one; here, once again, someone will surely die violently.


The theatrically gory film was an odd source of comfort during the weeks-long despondency I felt following a series of shootings in Atlanta that left eight people dead, six of whom were women of Asian descent. With a never-ending reel of brutal violence against Asians circulating online, there was something refreshing about escaping into a world populated by people who look like me and who are portrayed as strong.

Coming at the end of a year that gave rise to more than 6,600 reported instances of anti-Asian hate between March 2020 and March 2021, and where assaults continue almost daily across the country, watching a group of Asian characters wield their bodies with physics-defying agility and precision to deliver bouts that look and feel more like physical dialogue than combat made for a stark contrast to the images I was seeing on news broadcasts and social media, which tend to foreground Asian bodies as quiet, passive vessels for someone else’s rage.

Examining some of the most brutal recorded attacks that have taken place this year—on elders Vicha Ratanapakdee, Vilma Kari, and Yao Pan Ma—the abridged stories captured on camera repeat the same refrain: The Asian body appears and is brutalized; that’s all that we see. For Asian Americans, these scenes invite us to participate in a ritual of vicarious trauma: Without sound, our minds train instead on the movements of the bodies that appear on screen. We imagine ourselves and our loved ones in the only body that bears our likeness—the victim’s—and our own bodies are activated by the input of threat.

Up until recently, however, Hollywood has arguably done little to provide counter-narratives to these stories, narratives that acknowledge the real-life experiences and agency of the individuals who are navigating what it means to be Asian in America in real time. A report released last month—co-authored by sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen, author of Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism, and Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative—revealed that in the top 100 films of 2019, just over a quarter of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) characters die by the end of the film—and all but one dies violently. The study also notes that 42 percent of the API characters experienced disparagement, including racist/sexist slurs, with 30 percent being tokenized (meaning they were the only Asian character in the film or scene) and 67 percent channeling tired Asian stereotypes. Notably, only 13 percent were portrayed as “fully human,” (ie, complex characters with agency) which the report measured in terms of them having a wide spectrum of relationships.

I wasn’t alone in gravitating toward media where strong Asian characters took center stage. After the shootings in Atlanta—and after the video of Vilma Kari’s attack went viral—Yuen, the report’s co-author, told me that she and her friends started watching Kung Fu on The CW, a reboot of the 70s show starring David Carradine that premiered in early April.

Though the original was not without its shortcomings (the lead role, of a half-Chinese Shaolin monk who wanders the Wild West, went to the white actor instead of Bruce Lee, despite Carradine having no prior martial arts training), the CW series gives the story a 21st century update. This time around, the lead is an Asian woman—and, importantly, an Asian woman who kicks ass. Olivia Liang’s Nicky Shen stands alone as the only Asian American woman lead on network television right now, and her characterization as a strong and capable defender of her hometown of San Francisco offers some counterweight to the blunt fact that Asian women are twice as likely to report being targets of anti-Asian hate than Asian men are.

“Certainly, our show is not the solution, but I hope that we are a part of the solution,” showrunner Christina M. Kim said in a press conference a day after the Atlanta shootings.

As Yuen sees it, the show’s main draw is its constellation of rich characters with developed backstories. “As an Asian American watching it, I feel empowered, not just because there’s martial arts but also in seeing people who aren’t just the sidekick, or the friend, or the villain,” she said. “They are the leads, and you feel like you can see yourself in different parts of them.” Ultimately, she said, that’s the goal of the report: for Hollywood to represent API characters as complex, multidimensional human beings—just like in real life.

The Kung Fu reboot isn’t the only recent work that draws on martial arts as a vehicle for telling more three-dimensional human stories. The Paper Tigers—a charming comedy about three washed-up, middle-aged former kung fu disciples looking to avenge their sifu’s murder—uses the martial art as a way of telling a story about redemption, brotherhood, and becoming men.

Released to streaming platforms and select theaters on May 7, The Paper Tigers complicates the strong-versus-weak narrative by presenting its heroes as both in different moments. They’re strong when they’re aligned to the teachings of kung fu—which espouse traditional Eastern values like honor, discipline, humility, and bravery—and weak, both physically and morally, when they stray from them. Throughout the film, the men contend with choosing when to fight and when to walk away: When his son gets beat up by the school bully, Danny, the lead character, tells the boy that he should have walked away from the kid who has been terrorizing him and his friend. Later, after one of the Tigers is sorely wounded, Danny heads off to a fight, but not before calling his son to tell him that he’s proud of him for sticking up for his friend. Fearing that he might not make it to see another day, he tells his son how to make a fist, but offers this information with a warning: “If you go looking for a fight, that makes you the bully.”

Beyond the moments of pitch-perfect comedy (see: the many fortune cookie-worthy proverbs doled out by a white sifu, the men’s former schoolmate rival, in Cantonese, which none of them understand), there’s also something deeply gratifying about seeing bodies, out of practice for 25 years, reckon with their limitations and slowly relearn their discipline, building back their strength over time. Tran Quoc Bao, the film’s writer and director, said he wanted to highlight martial arts as a practice of discovering one’s inner strength, and learning the right moment to express it. “With martial arts,” he said, “it’s that constant sharpening of the sword knowing that you can hang it up and not use it.”
continued next post

[GeneChing]

As it turns out, the film’s resonance with the present moment is something of a coincidence: Tran conceived the story a decade ago, drawing on his experiences growing up in a multicultural martial arts community in Seattle. He never imagined it would be released during a pandemic, much less at a time of surging racist violence.

“Obviously, there’s a different subtext now that kind of lingers in the air,” he told me. Still, with its subtle allusions to race and cultural appropriation, the film hits upon facets of the Asian American experience that feel just as relevant now as they did several decades ago. Importantly, it’s also an Asian American film that exists on its own terms. Though it centers non-white experience, it doesn’t announce itself as such—not to the point of color-blindness, but in a way where cultural difference feels normal, and honored.

It’s nice to see martial arts, and kung fu especially, treated with reverence and respect. Although kung fu and martial arts movies have been a part of Hollywood’s diet since the 70s, the form has too often been relegated to an unintentional sub-genre of comedy—one replete with its fair share of racist stereotypes. As the report notes, a large component of the anti-Asian racism perpetuated in pop culture is the representation of Asian men as weak and effeminate compared to their Western counterparts—an emasculation that continues to be expressed by Hollywood through the physical domination of Asian characters by predominantly white leading characters.

One of the most notorious examples is Quentin Tarantino’s characterization of Lee, the most beloved and celebrated martial artist of all time. In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the Lee character—caricatured as a toxically masculine showboat—challenges Brad Pitt’s stuntman character Cliff Booth to a three-round fight. It technically results in a draw, but Lee walks away humiliated after Booth handily throws him into a car.

Yuen described the scene as exemplifying American pop culture’s impulse “to take a strong Asian man down a notch.”

“They get these really amazing Asian actors who are at the top of their martial arts game, and then they have the white lead beat them up in order to show his prowess and maintain a kind of racial hierarchy,” she said.

Not surprisingly, over the past year, there have been disturbing reflections of that dynamic in real life. After a man of Chinese descent was assaulted in an unprovoked attack outside New York City’s Penn Station in March, his attacker reportedly assumed a mocking kung fu stance before fleeing the scene.

“It makes them feel better about themselves to beat up an Asian whom they feel is the enemy, because Hollywood has historically represented Asians as enemies,” said Yuen. Trump’s “kung flu” rhetoric from last year, part of his campaign to scapegoat Asians as foreign vectors of disease, certainly hasn’t helped.

Warrior, a Cinemax original series with an Asian-dominant cast that premiered in 2019, is yet another martial arts-related project that attempts to examine and subvert this sort of racist scapegoating. With a premise conceived by the late Bruce Lee himself, the show is set during the Tong Wars of San Francisco in the 1870s—a period in American history that arguably gave birth to some of the most enduring and damaging Asian American stereotypes, from that of the disease-carrying foreigner to the Chinatown gangster and the brothel worker. The series follows Ah Sahm (played by Andrew Koji), a kung fu prodigy who becomes a hatchet man for a powerful tong, or criminal brotherhood, as it vies with rivals in Chinatown for control over resources. Notably, it’s set on the eve of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which effectively banned all immigration from China until 1943, in addition to prohibiting Chinese immigrants from becoming American citizens.

“[In the show], we are dealing with the introduction of the Chinese mythology and propaganda machine,” said Olivia Cheng, who plays Ah Toy, a fictionalized version of the eponymous Chinatown madame known as the first recorded Chinese prostitute in America. In an interview with VICE, Cheng said that she was challenged with not only honoring the real Ah Toy’s life but also playing against the traps of one of Hollywood’s favorite and most harmful tropes about Asian women: the “dragon lady,” an Asian femme fatale who wields power through sex.

I began the show a month after the Atlanta shootings, shortly after it was announced that the series would be renewed for a third season, on HBO Max. Given the heartbreak and impotence I felt, I wasn’t surprised to find myself drawn to Ah Toy, an Asian female character who seems fully possessed of her power as she navigates gender dynamics and a racist criminal justice system—power structures that are not only designed to oppress her but that render women like her entirely disposable. In the first season, when the police raid Ah Toy’s brothel as a means of signalling to its white citizens that it’s “cracking down” on Chinatown crime, she bribes the sergeant with a few calm words and a small red envelope. “A gift for Chinese New Year,” she says, meeting his gaze with an unflinching stare.

Cheng told me that other Asian women have expressed being triggered by her character’s profession, which she understands. She said she had to overcome her own reticence about Ah Toy, but ultimately decided to lead with her character’s humanity. “I definitely feel a responsibility,” she said. “I think you’d have to be incredibly vacuous to be in my position and not.”

Every character in Warrior contends with different articulations of power, said Shannon Lee, executive producer of the show and Bruce Lee’s daughter. “We’re presenting power when it gets out of control and the people who have to participate in that culture, who are the victims of that culture but who don’t think of themselves as victims,” she said. “They think of themselves as humans. They want what every human wants, and are fighting for it.”

As violent as Warrior can be (and disquietingly close to our current reality), I have been enjoying getting to know these kaleidoscopic characters—people who reveal new sides of themselves with every power play. Even as I tense at the scenes of racist confrontation (in the opening two minutes of the series, a white immigration officer singles out a man disembarking from the boat, calls him “Ching Chong,” and knocks him to the ground), I can take cover in characters with the agency to defend themselves. I can see them fight, and I can see them win.

“Catharsis is something that people need right now,” said Hoon Lee, who plays Wang Chao, a quick-witted black market arms dealer. “In the context of a show, you can experience—and, hopefully, exorcise—some of that rage that you might not know what to do with otherwise. That’s a primary function of storytelling.”

Martial arts might be a safe bet for a Hollywood looking for low-hanging fruit when it comes Asian representation, but in this new slate of film and television shows, it’s also the Trojan Horse: a vehicle for Asian characters whose identities are as layered and complex as people are in real life. And while, yes, these bodies encounter brutal violence, they survive to experience what lies beyond it—joy, grief, rage, and humor together. In devastating times like these, we need storytelling that shows us that access to the full spectrum of human experience is possible—not just suffering.


threads
Stop-Asian-Hate (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72003-Stop-Asian-Hate)
Warrior (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68676-Bruce-Lee-s-Warrior)
Kung Fu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71750-Kung-Fu-TV-show-CW-REMAKE)
Once-Upon-a-Time-in-Hollywood (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70864-Once-Upon-a-Time-in-Hollywood)
Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71437-Mortal-Kombat-2021-reboot)

[GeneChing]

HBO Max Series ‘Warrior’ Season 3 Sets Production Start Date [Exclusive] (https://moviesr.net/p-hbo-max-series-warrior-season-3-sets-production-start-date)
‘Warrior’ was renewed for the third season after HBO Max acquired it from Cinemax and decided to produce after a hit second season

Bradley - Wed, 23 Feb 2022 21:37:24 +0000
https://dl.moviesr.net/images/gdseR.jpg
Cinemax hit series which has now moved to HBO Max is getting ready to go into production this Spring as Bruce Lee-inspired WARRIOR has set a production start date for Season 3.

The third season of WARRIOR is currently scheduled to begin production on March 31, 2022, in Cape Town, South Africa. The ten-episode third season is expected to complete production by November 2022.

Last year in an interview, Andrew Koji confirmed that Season 3 will begin filming at the earliest by Spring or Summer 2022. Now, it seems to be the case that it is beginning at the expected time. Creators Justin Lin, Jonathan Tropper, and Shannon Lee have already confirmed that WARRIOR season 3 will premiere in 2023 on HBO Max.

This week, Series star Dean Jagger posted a picture on his Instagram account with the caption, "And we’re off. #dream," which teases something that may or may not be related to the show. However, Jagger's next project is the third season of Warrior.

Earlier, the production was delayed due to cast commitments to other projects, as they didn't expect the third season when Cinemax refused to produce. WARRIOR was also not very popular before its arrival on HBO Max in January 2021. As soon as it became very popular on the streamer, HBO Max acquired and renewed it for another season. HBO Max will be producing season 3 along with Perfect Storm Entertainment, Bruce Lee Entertainment, and Tropper Ink Productions.

Andrew Koji, Kieran Bew, Celine Buckens, Dean Jagger, Maria-Elena Laas, Langley Kirkwood, Olivia Cheng, Miranda Raison, Dianne Doan, Hoon Lee, Jason Tobin, Christian McKay, Dustin Nguyen, Chen Tang, Joe Taslim, Joanna Vanderham, Tom Weston-Jones, and Perry Yung are set to return in the third season.

In Warrior Season 2 finale, Mai Ling seeks an audience with Young Jun, revealing in desperation that Ah Sahm is her brother. Young Jun, stunned, confronts Ah Sahm, causing a rift between them. Young Jun sees that Ah Sahm was in an impossible circumstance and even forgives him after hearing his story, but he wonders if Ah Sahm still has feelings for his sister. Ah Sahm pays a visit to Leary's bar and challenges him to a fight. After exchanging blows, Ah Sahm defeats Leary and warns the Irish not to set foot in Chinatown.

Outraged by Jacob's death and Buckley's manipulations, Penelope swears to expose his corruption at whatever cost, prompting the acting mayor to take her to a mental hospital after he accuses her of stabbing him. Mai Ling blackmails Buckley with a photo of him in the Confederate Army; he gives in to her demands and has Hop Wei's operations halted by the city council. While doing so, Leary enters and asserts his position as the Irish Workingmen's leader.

Looking forward...

[GeneChing]

‘Warrior’ Gets Season 3 Premiere Date On Max; Andrew Koji Teases Action-Packed Return (https://deadline.com/2023/04/warrior-season-3-premiere-date-hbo-max-andrew-koji-spoilers-1235339830/)
By Rosy Cordero
Associate Editor, TV
@SocialRosy

April 27, 2023 12:00pm


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXgq6xQSyko
EXCLUSIVE: The Max original series Warrior will premiere its third season with two new episodes on Thursday, June 29. Deadline has your exclusive first look at the teaser trailer above.

Warrior is a gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the late 19th century, and based on the writings of martial arts legend Bruce Lee.

Season 3 picks up in the wake of the race riots that upended Chinatown in Season 2, Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) uses her government connections to consolidate power. At the same time, Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) and the Hop Wei must find new ways to survive.

https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/warriors.jpg?resize=450,253
David Bloomer / HBO Max
Co-showrunner and executive producer Josh Stoddard teases where the show picks up following the events of the Season 2 finale.

“The riot at the end of last season drastically changed the playing field in Chinatown, and when the new season begins, the tongs are fighting each other for scraps,” Stoddard told Deadline via e-mail. “With the cops enforcing a slew of cruel new ordinances meant to punish the Chinese, our characters are desperate, looking for new ways forward. That means new risks, uneasy alliances, and huge betrayals that will force every single one of our characters to confront some ugly truths and lead Ah Sahm to explore the tension between the gangster he is, and the hero his people need him to be.”

Being a hero is a tough gig but Ah Sahm is preparing for greatness, even if he is struggling with recognizing that while finding his way.

“Since coming off the boat and entering the world of San Francisco, Chinatown, Ah Sahm has been a great fighter, but not a true martial artist or Warrior. He’s like an early draft version of the icon of Bruce Lee— always too rough around the edges and immature to become the man he should be for the people that need him. This part of the story sees him step further into his true self,” Koji said.

His search for finding a balance between his familial responsibilities and his following his passions also continues. Koji teases, “A huge choice and a decision that is thrust upon him— that has been coming to him for a long time and an important reason that shows him the way.”

One thing fans can certainly expect is more action and adventure in Season 3, Ah Sahm looks stronger than ever and ready to slay all day. Koji revealed he’s been doing a lot of training, “A few months almost every day with some great coaches” including trainers JJ Park, Ashley Robinson, Xin and Jiseok in Korea and South Africa with a focus on kicking, technical, physique and weapons.

“I wanted to remind myself again of real fight training outside all the choreography and film fighting, so lots of sparring and getting my ass kicked!” he exclaimed.

Co-showrunner and EP Evan Endicott shared more on what’s ahead this season.

“After beating back the Irish during the climactic riot in Season 2, Ah Sahm has become something of a local legend, with a massive portrait hanging above the streets of Chinatown. Neighborhood kids and local merchants know him by name, but Ah Sahm finds himself uncomfortable with all the attention— and the notion that he’s some kind of hero,” Endicott said.

“But as the police crackdown on Chinatown, brutalizing and deporting its residents, Ah Sahm must decide: is he a warrior, fighting to protect his fellow Chinese? Or is he a gangster, wielding violence to ensure the Hop Wei stays in power? As the season’s conflicts escalate, Ah Sahm will face battles on every front, and will finally choose the path he’s going to walk— with devastating consequences.”

Endicott also revealed a little nod to devoted fans in the teaser who have patiently waited for more Warrior following the drama’s move from Cinemax to HBO Max and the pandemic.

“Ah Toy saying ‘Miss me?’ in the teaser is a nod to our fans. They’ve been incredibly patient as the show changed networks and faced delays due to COVID, and we wanted to acknowledge their enthusiasm and support. We can’t wait to share Season 3 with them,” he said.

One more treat will arrive by way of a special guest star mid-season as a tribute to Bruce Lee—whose daughter Shannon Lee serves as an EP on Warrior—in honor of the 50th anniversary of his passing on July 20. Creator Jonathan Tropper teased the guest star, who has yet to be revealed, “pays tribute to Bruce Lee in a unique and moving way.”

True to its roots, the series will continue to tackle racism against the AAPI community a reality the community continues to face today.

“Warrior has always been a heightened post-modern take on our American history and it is extremely important to us that our show channels what the AAPI community is dealing with presently into the narrative,” said executive producer Justin Lin.

The series is produced for Max by Perfect Storm Entertainment, Tropper Ink Productions and Bruce Lee Entertainment. Warrior is showrun and executive produced by Evan Endicott, Josh Stoddard; Jonathan Tropper (creator); Justin Lin, Danielle Woodrow and Andrew Schneider on behalf of Perfect Storm Entertainment; Shannon Lee for Bruce Lee Entertainment; Brad Kane; Richard Sharkey. Co-executive produced by Lillian Yu and Francisca X Hu.

Watch the teaser trailer in full above.
I have missed her.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89dEEKEzglw

[GeneChing]

A Conversation with the Cast of WARRIOR Season 3 (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-conversation-with-the-cast-of-warrior-season-3-tickets-665666214567?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=IwAR2tgW6qvUXjsLuFMvxwuw2GTtAb_OHUTRIytMT3o xHl8tgOe1VIt_aXXt4)

Join us for a virtual convo with the WARRIOR cast live on YouTube and Facebook. Warrior Season 3 premieres on Max on June 29, 2023!

By CAPE - Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment
Date and time
Tuesday, June 27 · 4 - 5pm PDT

Location
Online

Join CAPE and the cast of WARRIOR in a virtual celebration and conversation of the Season 3 premiere!
Continuing from the last season - In the wake of the race riots that upended Chinatown in season two, Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) uses her government connections to consolidate power, while Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) and the Hop Wei must find new ways to survive.
Date & Time | Tuesday, June 27, 2023 from 4pm PT to 5pm PT (7pm ET to 8pm ET)
Location | Virtual on Facebook and YouTube! Join us in the live chat on YouTube! The convo will be live, so come with your questions!
Panelists |
PERRY YUNG (@perryyungofficial)
DIANNE DOAN (@dianneldoan)
CHEN TANG (@chenlovesyall)
JASON TOBIN (@jsntbn)
OLIVIA CHENG (@thatoliviacheng)
Moderated by MICHAEL TOW(@michael.tow)
Follow and tag us on social media!: @CAPEUSA

I interviewed the cast & showrunners two weeks ago (although I didn't talk to Chen). I have also seen all of Season 3 on press screeners. S3 is the strongest so far (although I liked S2 for its historical Easter eggs)

Coverage coming soon.

[GeneChing]

Read Why Warrior Season 3 Almost Didn’t Happen (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/why-warrior-season-3-almost-didnt-happen/) ~ My Latest Feature for Den of Geek

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Warrior-Season-3-Andrew-Koji.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

Bruce Lee’s “Warrior,” and the Politics of Kung Fu (https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/bruce-lees-warrior-and-the-politics-of-kung-fu)
The Max series makes a radical argument for what constitutes American history.
By Jasper Lo
September 12, 2023
https://media.newyorker.com/photos/64fa4cfa329a6c3c46f69f6f/master/w_1600,c_limit/lo-warrior.jpg
Andrew Koji and Joe Taslim, in a scene from “Warrior.”Photograph by David Bloomer / Courtesy Max

“Gets pretty exhausting after a while,” Ah Sahm tells his lover Ah Toy in the latest season of “Warrior.” “Surviving?” she asks.

“Being hated,” he replies.

It is the late eighteen-hundreds, a period wedged in between the end of the American Civil War and the signing of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Immigration is high, and racism is rampant. Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) and Ah Toy (Olivia Cheng) are strolling through San Francisco’s Chinatown, the only place where they can exist without trouble. This haven, along with most of San Francisco, would eventually be destroyed by the great earthquake of 1906. White architects would be hired to turn the ravaged area into a tourist destination, which is to say, an exotic fantasy—American-style buildings embellished with colorful pagodas, dragon motifs, and other elements of chinoiserie. It is in the original Chinatown, where hope and devastation are twofold, that the television series, based on the writings of Bruce Lee, takes place.

For decades, Lee’s TV show, originally called “The Warrior,” was essentially an urban legend. Lee wrote the initial scripts in the late sixties, and the series was teased on “The Pierre Berton Show” in 1971, but it didn’t materialize before Lee’s death in 1973. In 2007, the director Justin Lin, best known at the time for his Asian American coming-of-age film “Better Luck Tomorrow,” made a mockumentary called “Finishing the Game,” about another unfinished Lee project: “Game of Death,” the movie that Lee was working on when he died. A few years later, Lin, who had become steeped in Bruce Lee lore, contacted Lee’s daughter, Shannon, and asked if she still had her father’s pitch materials for “The Warrior.” She gave Lin a binder, which included Lee’s original eight-page show proposal, along with a half-dozen drafts of sample episodes and scenes. Together, Lin and Shannon Lee, along with Jonathan Tropper, the creator of “Banshee,” expanded these materials into “Warrior,” which premièred on Max in 2019, and recently concluded its third season.

At the start of the series, Ah Sahm, the show’s protagonist, is standing in an immigration line, having just arrived from China. A fellow-migrant is getting pushed around by a trio of white immigration officers, and Ah Sahm jumps to protect him. An officer slaps Ah Sahm, who turns his head slowly and says, “I wouldn’t do that again if I were you.” The fighting that follows is brutal and fast, belied by a funky bass that makes the protagonist’s steps feel rhythmic. Even those who watch “Warrior” without knowing the series’ relation to Bruce Lee will notice that Ah Sahm moves like him. Kung-fu characters are heroic, suspended in the disbelief of a (sometimes cheesy) epic; they’re the Greek mythology of East Asia. But if the hero has a believable swagger, as Ah Sahm does, one’s mind instantly darts to Lee. During the fight, I half expected Ah Sahm to let out a shriek—an imitation of Lee’s infamous battle cry, which defined the actor’s singular presence in pop culture. Its use became commensurately racist for the generations of Asian Americans that followed: growing up, I only knew Lee as the minstrel performed at me. But Ah Sahm, who is played by a mixed-race British Japanese actor, is unmistakably modern, with his bravado manifesting in the smooth insults of a proficient English speaker. (“I didn’t travel halfway across the world in that **** boat just to amuse a few fat white ****s,” he tells the officers.) The brawl, which Ah Sahm wins handily, is the kind of thing that a nonwhite person fantasizes about after being treated as subhuman—a kick-ass solution to a miasmic attack. Other television series have played on a similar impulse: in “Watchmen,” also on Max, a Black cop narrowly escapes a lynching but leaves the noose around his neck, as a form of battle garb, before stomping on a gathering of unhooded Klansmen.

Shortly after his run-in with the immigration officers, Ah Sahm is picked up by a fixer named Wang Chao (Hoon Lee), who brings him to a crime family known as the Hop Wei. Wang, the only character who maintains his Qing dynasty queue, speaks Cantonese. But, during Wang’s introduction of Ah Sahm to the Hop Wei, the show uses a camera trick that Tropper refers to as “ ‘The Hunt for Red October’ transition.” The camera pans around Wang, and his speech suddenly changes from subtitled Cantonese to fluent American English, turning the audience into native speakers of his language. The camera trick serves as a kind of racist-vibes jammer—preventing viewers from otherizing Wang.

But there’s a cost to translation. The series nods to the Chinglish patois spoken in Chinatown, where words that have hard stops are pronounced instead with tones held as connective filler, the tenors of which can be expressions on their own. The “Ah” (阿) in Ah Sahm is a word in Cantonese that, depending on the speaker’s lilt, can sound like “Yo Sahm” or “Heyyy Sahm,” a familiar but non-gendered Sahm. And yet the complexity of Cantonese as a developed system of communicating familiarity (and of communicating insults) is lost by making the show so English-forward. “Warrior” compensates for this by infusing the dialogue with wit and attitude, which is perhaps the essence of Cantonese, and the essence of Bruce Lee himself.

“Warrior” tells the story of two crime families—the Hop Wei, which Ah Sahm ultimately joins, and the Long Zii—who are embroiled in a conflict that’s known as the Tong Wars. Lin has said that he was eager to develop a relegated history while also making mainstream entertainment. “I’ve always felt like it’s such an American story, but never told,” he explained, in a 2019 interview. “Warrior” expands our ideas of what constitutes “American history” by partly focussing on another competition—between the Irish and Chinese communities in San Francisco. The Irish community is led by Dylan Leary (Dean Jagger), a de-facto labor organizer who goes to extreme lengths to maim Chinese workers in sought-after jobs, negotiating with American robber barons and elected officials. Meanwhile, the Long Zii make a deal with a nativist deputy mayor, in exchange for opium and increased policing of the Hop Wei. The deputy, who aspires to become the next mayor of San Francisco, encourages disorder in Chinatown so that he can run on a platform that involves ejecting all Chinese residents from the city. But he’s also interested in something more systematic: the creation of legislation to restrict immigration by targeting one specific ethnic group. Leary and the Long Zii both represent marginalized groups that have sold out for marginal power. It’s a clear charter to respective destruction, for the Long Zii especially, since their turf war will inevitably end with an immigration ban that will last more than sixty years, followed by another twenty-plus years of restrictions.

At times, “Warrior” can feel radical. It not only conjures figures who have rarely been centered on television before but also supplies these characters with rich inner lives. Still, there’s an occasional narrowness, which might be attributed to the fact that the show was conceived in the nineteen-sixties, by an actor who was predominantly interested in documenting the Chinese experience in America. There are barely any Black characters present, aside from a drug dealer and a vixen bartender, and their story lines are bland, despite occurring in the period immediately following Reconstruction. Even if the show’s focus is on Irish immigrants and Chinese people making a deal with whitey to tear one another down, it seems like there’s still an opportunity to shift the camera to nearby Stone Street, which was once the only Black enclave in San Francisco. continued next post

[GeneChing]

It might feel nitpicky to criticize an Asian American show for overlooking the strife of other racial groups, but the absence is noticeable in an ambitious period piece that aims to depict America’s forgotten histories, as well as the scourge of white supremacy. And it’s especially noticeable in 2023, when the narrow focus of “Warrior” feels not unlike the politics of Asian parents whose calls for racial equality have helped bring about the end of affirmative action. Siloing history has an unintended effect of tiering suffering. It also allows groups, driven by their own ethnocentric proclivities, to roll back the progress that others have made.

When the three creators of “Warrior” sought to revive Lee’s project, they focussed on shifting the proposal away from the adventure-of-the-week format that was popular in Lee’s time and creating something more cinematic and prestige TV-like—the kind of thing that would feel at home on HBO. But, by leaving the rest intact, they inherited the blindspots of the classic kung-fu films to which “Warrior” is a loving tribute. Take, for example, the nineties film franchise “Once Upon a Time in China,” which starred Jet Li as a fictionalized Wong Fei-hung, a physician and fighter who defends the Chinese way of life in an ailing Qing dynasty from warlords. Or the “Ip Man” franchise, which follows the story of Bruce Lee’s martial-arts instructor as he fights Japanese occupiers in Foshan during the Second World War, before his forced migration to Hong Kong. Both follow the standard format of kung-fu flicks, by supplying the hero with increasingly challenging opponents whom he must defeat. Each opponent has an advantage over the hero by being bigger and stronger or armed with a unique weapon. But the underdog hero prevails by being smart and remaining composed. These movies, kung-fu westerns, are loosely based around the imperialist scramble to carve up China, and yet it doesn’t really matter what external or systemic factors are leading to societal disarray, as those mostly serve as a backdrop. The only thing that matters is the protagonist’s journey of overcoming his personal challenges. It’s an innocuous if not classic story, but what does prolonged exposure to fictionalized history—or a speculative reality—amount to?

I’ll call it kung-fu politics—a one-sided, regressive vision of the world, developed from action movies. Perhaps the best example is the actor Jackie Chan, who moved the dial in the genre from Qing dynasty kung-fu masters to hero cops. Chan, who won audience’s hearts by playing a goofy and delightful protagonist, would eventually come to represent a singular force for good, both onscreen and in real life. But play the hero police officer too often, and it’s easy to drift into authoritarian thinking. Over the years, Chan has made comments about how “we Chinese need to be controlled,” or else “we’ll just do what we want.” Chan, along with Donnie Yen—the star of a revamped “Ip Man” film franchise—have opposed the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, with Chan signing a petition in support of the draconian Chinese security law that was passed to quash the dissent, and Yen calling the dissenters rioters.

“Warrior” wishes to evolve the kung-fu genre, rather than challenge it outright. This is partly done through the show’s fight scenes. In an interview several years ago, Ip Chun, the son of Ip Man, who is in his late nineties and has taken over as grand master for his father, spoke about the inevitability of martial arts moving away from Wing Chun, the style of fighting that his father helped Bruce Lee master. “My thought is that the future society that necessitates the need for violence to resolve an issue will be less and less,” he said. “Someone who emphasizes Wing Chun and relies on it for fighting—like one person fighting nine,” he added, “Well, I say it’s of no help solving society’s problems.” For him, Wing Chun is mostly a “health regimen”—a historically and symbolically rich version of Zumba.

In “Warrior,” martial arts is more than just a health regimen. (Bruce Lee himself, understanding the fantastical nature of action stories, said in 1971 that his show would have to be set in the West: “How else can you justify all this punching and kicking and violence?”) Ah Sahm, in his battles with the Long Zii, often fights alongside the Hop Wei prince, played by Jason Tobin, another mixed-race Chinese British actor, who was born in Hong Kong. Tobin’s character—which is not unlike his character in “Better Luck Tomorrow”—might be best described as “stabby.” He is a stereotype of a kind of pent-up Chinese American aggression. Ah Sahm’s fighting is more thoughtful, elegant, and deliberate. He is a master of Wing Chun, but, as the series goes on, he transitions to Jeet Kune Do, a more efficient and flexible form of mixed martial arts, invented by Lee. (It has been said that the style is the forerunner to the mixed martial arts that is used by today’s U.F.C. fighters.) His movements, a cadence of pulses through his upper torso, with bounces in his shoulders matched by misdirection from his arms and feet, can be reminiscent of a b-boy toprock, a callback to an origin of hip-hop dance.

In both fighting and dance, the body is the main vehicle of expression—ideas, emotions, and history are sublimated into movements that can be explosively deliberate or tranquil. Tropper has talked about how “Warrior” relies on its battle scenes for character development. “I get very into the weeds on the fights, as expressions of the characters and as expressions of what the story is,” he said, in an interview. “Every fight has to tell a story. It can’t just be two guys duking it out.”

“Warrior” likes to switch between elevating action—using it as a way to express key themes—and explicitly nodding to the pulpy seduction of kung fu. It’s a continuation of Bruce Lee’s work: the actor was known for balancing heady ideas while still entertaining audiences with his sheer physicality. But it’s a delicate balance, and, as the show progresses, it becomes harder for the characters to slip their warrior personas on and off. In the third season, a woman encounters Ah Sahm and sees him not as he sees himself—a benevolent outcast finding his path—but as the Hop Wei gangster he publicly presents as. He is practicing shirtless with nunchucks (another Bruce Lee tableau), and the woman sarcastically plays down his prowess. At the end of the scene, she leaves, blushing. Ah Sahm, a little confused, continues training. ♦
Nice piece.

[GeneChing]

‘Warrior’ Canceled At Max As Netflix Picks Up Non-Exclusive Rights To 3 Existing Seasons
By Rosy Cordero
Associate Editor, TV
@SocialRosy

December 18, 2023 9:00am
https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/andrew-koji-olivia-cheng_2.jpg?crop=0px%2C73px%2C1920px%2C1076px&resize=681%2C383
Andrew Koji & Olivia Cheng in 'Warrior'
Max

Warrior won’t be returning for a fourth season on Max.

However, the existing three seasons of the martial arts crime drama are set to find additional audiences as Netflix has picked up the series’ library in a co-exclusive deal with Max in Warner Bros. Discovery streamer’s markets.

Warrior is expected to debut on Netflix in February 2024. If it does well, Netflix could presumably order a new season of the drama based on an original concept and treatment by Bruce Lee, sources tell Deadline exclusively.

This latest move sets Warrior in its third home in as many years. The series premiered in 2019 on Cinemax where it ran for two seasons before it was announced in early 2020 that the network was moving out of the Originals business. WBD sibling Max picked up the show for a third season in Spring of 2021 which premiered this summer with the season concluding on August 17.

“Warrior is a show that simply refuses to die. Through platform and regime changes, the writers, producers, cast, crew, and our stunt team continued to make something powerful, relevant, and wildly unique. And now, thanks to Netflix, we’ve been given yet another lease on life, and I’m thrilled for everyone involved that millions more viewers around the world will discover it,” series creator Jonathan Tropper shared in an exclusive statement to Deadline.

Added executive producer and daughter of Bruce Lee, Shannon Lee, “If anything can be said about Warrior, with Bruce Lee in our corner, our indomitable spirit is REAL! And so, my wish is that the huge global Netflix audience LOVES Warrior and from that Love more goodness flows – in the form of greater recognition for our talented cast and crew who deserve all the things, in the form of passionate fandom for this relevant kick ass show and, if I dare to dream, in the form of an opportunity to continue our story for our amazing fans who, thanks to Netflix, will have grown in number and enthusiasm!”

The Warrior cast have been released from their contracts, so bringing them together for new episodes could be complicated. Series star Andrew Koji, who played Ah Sahm in all three seasons, has already moved on, booking major roles in the Sky and AMC+ series Gangs of London and the upcoming comedic action-thriller Sixteen.

Created and executive produced by Tropper, Warrior is set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the late 19th century. The show follows Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who emigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances. After proving his worth as a fighter, Ah Sahm becomes a hatchet man for the Hope Wei, one of Chinatown’s most powerful organized crime families, or tongs.

In addition to Koji, Olivia Cheng, Dianne Doan, Jason Tobin, Kieran Bew, Dean Jagger, Tom Weston-Jones, Hoon Lee, Perry Yung, Langley Kirkwood, Miranda Raison, Chen Tang, Chelsea Muirhead, Mark Dacascos and Joe Taslim also star.

Perfect Storm Entertainment, Tropper Ink Productions and Bruce Lee Entertainment produce the series. Warrior is showrun and executive produced by Evan Endicott, Josh Stoddard; Tropper (creator); Justin Lin, Danielle Woodrow and Andrew Schneider on behalf of Perfect Storm Entertainment; Shannon Lee for Bruce Lee Entertainment; Brad Kane; Richard Sharkey. Co-executive producers are Lillian Yu and Francisca X Hu.
Maybe it'll get renewed on Netflix. Wouldn't be the first time. Fingers crossed.

[GeneChing]

Netflix viewers can’t get enough of Max’s cancelled Warrior martial arts series (https://www.techradar.com/streaming/netflix/netflix-viewers-cant-get-enough-of-maxs-cancelled-warrior-martial-arts-series)
By Carrie Marshall published about 1 hour ago

Is Warrior a cat in disguise? Because the action show appears to have an awful lot of lives

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FSSnrsd8QKXsDQohA85756-1200-80.jpg.webp
(Image credit: Cinemax)

Like its titular hero, Warrior appears to be extremely hard to kill: it was cancelled after two seasons by Cinemax back in 2020, saved by Warner Bros. Discovery and then cancelled again in 2023 after its third season. But it looks like three times is the charm for this action/crime/drama: the show has rocketed into the top ten shows in its first week streaming on Netflix.

Season one of Warrior is currently sitting at number eight in Netflix's English-speaking TV chart, with 1.7 million views and 14.1 million viewing hours already. And if you haven't heard of it, you're in for a treat: it's received tons of glowing reviews, and the second season has the full 100% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Is Warrior worth streaming?

Yes. Set in San Francisco in the late 19th Century during the brutal gang wars in the city's Chinatown, it follows Ah Sahm as he becomes a hit man for one of the city's most powerful crime families. It's largely based on stories by martial arts legend Bruce Lee and features a primarily Asian cast.

There's more to Warrior than warring, as Vox explains: "Warrior is about the many Americans who have not (and probably will never) really belong, but who have no choice but to keep grinding for the chance at a small piece of the American dream." And it's epic stuff. The Ringer says that "after introducing Sahm and the grimy streets of 19th-century San Francisco, Warrior quickly becomes a true ensemble piece – its deep roster of characters includes rival Tongs, brothel owners, policemen, businessmen, corrupt politicians, and aggrieved spouses of said corrupt politicians." Imagine Fargo with fight scenes and you've got the gist: "you're guaranteed at least one epic action scene per episode, and one of the joys of the show is that each fight has its own unique flavor."

The Ringer's Miles Surrey wrote his piece after the show's 2020 cancellation, and his review proved to be prophetic: "Perhaps, like Cobra Kai, which has gained newfound prominence on Netflix [as one of the best Netflix shows], this martial arts show just needs a bigger platform to find an audience." The move to Netflix appears to have done just that for a show which, as Surrey rightly says, "packs one hell of a punch".

All three seasons of Warrior are streaming on Netflix now.
I rewatched ep 1 last night. It was fascinating to see it again and realize how much of this show was foreshadowed in the pilot.

I hope they get that season 4. I'll do my part by rewatching more.