Little Dragon - Bruce Lee Biopic from Shannon Lee

[GeneChing]

We'll give this thread a proper title when a proper title emerges.

Bruce Lee Family Plans New Film Biopic
by Mike Fleming Jr
February 27, 2015 11:37am



EXCLUSIVE: Bruce Lee, who became pound for pound the best action hero Hollywood has ever produced even though he died at age 32 when he was just getting started, is such an iconic figure that when his daughter Shannon held meetings with prospective Chinese production partners on a biopic, she was told that when it came to revered Chinese cultural heroes, her father was right up there with Confucius.



Given Hollywood’s hot pursuit of projects that can draw a vast audience in China, here’s one that might find traction. Shannon Lee, who was four when her father died but with mom Linda Lee has helped keep his legacy alive, has partnered with Last Vegas producer Lawrence Grey, Ben Everard and veteran producer Janet Yang to mount what they call the definitive biographical film on Lee. Now, you might say that everybody with a yellow belt has seen Lee’s movies, worn the T-shirts, hung the posters in their bedrooms and brained themselves trying to navigate his signature weapon, the nunchuks. And there was a feature film about his life, the 1993 Universal pic Dragon. But Shannon said there is plenty of ground uncovered, and voluminous writings by the man to fuel a new movie to enlighten a new generation to Lee’s trailblazing accomplishments and his evolution from a brawling student to a teacher of sophisticated philosophies and his own martial art form.

“There have been projects out there involving my father, but they’ve lacked a complete understanding of his philosophies and artistry,” Lee said. “They haven’t captured the essence of his beliefs in martial arts or storytelling. The only way to get audiences to understand the depth and uniqueness of my father is to generate our own material and find amazing like-minded partners to work with…many don’t know that Bruce Lee was also a prolific writer and a creator of his own unique art and philosophy. That’s what we want to show, not just his kick-ass physicality, but the depth of his character and beliefs.”



This is the latest venture from Bruce Lee Entertainment, which launched last year with several projects that include a TV series based on an original idea and materials by Bruce Lee with Fast & Furious helmer Justin Lin, and a reality based show that will be launched in China by John Wick producers Keanu Reeves and Stephen Hamel of Company Films. There is also a series of novels based on the writings that Lee left behind, a comic book series and a successful mobile game launch, Bruce Lee: Enter The Game.

Grey said they are self-financing development. “We will bring on a world class filmmaker and writer, who’ll work with Shannon and myself and then we will talk to American and foreign partners,” he said. Yang will help with the latter. “It is a tremendous privilege to be working with Shannon on these exciting ventures about her father,” Yang said. “In this age of an increasingly globalized culture, I can’t think of a more talented and innovative individual who embodies the best of East and West, and who can inspire future generations,” she said.



According to Lee, much of the focus will be the intellectual approach that Lee brought to overcoming obstacles, and forming his own martial arts style, Jeet Kune Do. Those obstacles ranged from being told not to teach the art to non-Asians, to the difficulties he had getting work onscreen despite his movie star looks and unparalleled skills. He broke ground playing the sidekick on The Green Hornet, but was denied the role he really wanted, after creating the template for the series Kung-Fu. He not only watched the lead role go to white actor David Carradine, but he also was denied credit of any kind. There were just simply no Asians carrying series or movies. Lee was finally convinced by his close friend and student James Coburn to return to Hong Kong and make movies there. It was perhaps the best advice he ever got because he became a global star overnight.

“It’s hard to imagine it now, but when he made those films with Golden Harvest, they filmed without sound, and added that later, based on whatever language they were catering to,” Lee said. “The city was very noisy and it was just easier.” After early Lee films The Big Boss and Fist of Fury became hits, Warner Bros partnered with Golden Harvest to make the epic Enter The Dragon, the first one of his Lee’s filmed with sound. It was an outsized success, but Lee died not long after, while filming Game Of Death.



“In hundreds of years, how many people created their own martial art, something he used to break tradition because he believed in humanity and that the world was one brotherhood,” Lee said. “His approach to business an nutrition was revolutionary, mixing Eastern and Western philosophies. My father wrote thousands of pages of thoughts on his life. They based Dragon on a book my mom wrote in the 70s, but they didn’t work in partnership with us to create that film and it didn’t have the depth or essence of my father that it might have. There is a lot that hasn’t been told yet, and many lessons that deserve to live on.”

As for China, the pump was primed by The Legend Of Bruce Lee, a Mandarin language TV series that spanned 50 one hour episodes. Bruce Lee Entertainment is being repped by UTA.

[Wuxia007]

"There have been projects out there involving my father, but they’ve lacked a complete understanding of his philosophies and artistry,” Lee said. “They haven’t captured the essence of his beliefs in martial arts or storytelling. The only way to get audiences to understand the depth and uniqueness of my father is to generate our own material and find amazing like-minded partners to work with…many don’t know that Bruce Lee was also a prolific writer and a creator of his own unique art and philosophy. That’s what we want to show, not just his kick-ass physicality, but the depth of his character and beliefs."

An updated version of a Bruce Lee bio pic is interesting, but not necessary. "Dragon" worked as a proper well-rounded biopic for the general audience.

Movies are roughly 90 minutes to 2 hours. 3 hours at most.
You won't get a "complete understanding" of ANYONE in that type of time frame. No movie ever does.

[Fa Xing]

An updated version of a Bruce Lee bio pic is interesting, but not necessary. "Dragon" worked as a proper well-rounded biopic for the general audience.

Movies are roughly 90 minutes to 2 hours. 3 hours at most.
You won't get a "complete understanding" of ANYONE in that type of time frame. No movie ever does.

Except Dragon was way off base in regards to the events of his life. The director of that film took considerable "artistic license" when creating that film which was terrible in it's final product. The only good thing about the film was that it was choreographed by some one I've trained under, Jerry Poteet. However, the film was edited terribly with the fight scenes as well.

[GeneChing]

Martial arts legend Bruce Lee's biopic confirmed; Producer reveals details!
Maolen E. | Mar 28, 2016 01:40 AM EDT


A general view of atmosphere at Madame Tussauds Hollywood Unveils New Bruce Lee Figure Alongside The Legend's Daughter Shannon Lee, And The Bruce Lee Foundation on September 24, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo : Getty Images/Vivien Killilea)

One of the most influential martial artists of all time, Bruce Lee, will be brought to the silver screens. Film producer Lawrence Grey just revealed details about the official film information of the life and times of the legendary performer.
In March 2015, Lee's daughter Shannon Lee first announced that her family's company, Bruce Lee Entertainment, would produce a new definitive film about the life of the martial artist and actor. The film will apparently be produced in association with Janet Yang, Ben Everard and Grey.
While it is no news that Lee's life has been sensationalized and adapted for the big screen numerous times over the previous years, the family apparently wants to concentrate on the concealed side of the legendary artists, which, according to Deadline, implies the spiritual and intellectual principles that went into Lee's martial arts style - Jeet Kune Do, which he created in the 1960s.
Fans worldwide have been waiting to hear more details about the future of the biopic. At least, that was the case until March 27, yesterday's announcement where Grey revealed details about the upcoming big-screen film, noting that the project is being dealt as an award-season contender as it will apparently be the first film that will live up to the man and the legend.
"No one's done it to be an awards film. No one's done the story that's examined (Lee's philosophy and the inner character, not the internal conflicts. But what was this guy really struggling with?" Grey told The Associated Press.
Grey further teased that he already have a lead actor in mind that will set to play the role of Lee and that a major director had already signed on, dropping the name of an English-American film director Christopher Nolan as being on the producers' short list. Oscar-winning director Ang Lee, on the other hand, is also being discussed as a possibility.
Although there is no official announcement yet on when will Lee's biopic arrives at the big-screen, reports have it that it is expected to hit theaters at some point in 2017. Watch Lee demonstrates his skills by playing a Ping Pong game using nunchucks below:

srsly? The ping pong vid as the example?

Here's the source, and embedded vid on USA Today (got to follow the link and watch the ad if you really want to see it because I can't cut&paste it here):

Producer Reveals Details on Bruce Lee Biopic

Martial-arts legend Bruce Lee, who died at age 32 in 1973, will be the subject of another film biography next year. But producer Lawrence Grey says this will be first that will live up to the man and the legend. (March 26) AP

[GeneChing]

Derived from the same Comic Con vid it seems. There's another vid embedded if you follow the link.

Living up to the legend Bruce Lee
Source: CNTV.cn 2016-03-29 14:19:40

So superhuman were the accomplishments of martial-arts legend Bruce Lee that people are still trying to understand the source of his power. Now, there's a movie producer willing to dig deep into the enigma. Let's hear from Lawrence Grey about his upcoming biopic.

A new Bruce Lee movie is in the works.

"Someone had brought the idea to me, because we had a relationship with the estate -- Bruce Lee, with Shannon Lee, Bruce's daughter, started talking about it."

"And, initially, I didn't want to do it, because the movies that had been made about Bruce Lee, in my mind, hadn't really lived up to the man, lived up to the legend," said Grey.

Grey said the one exception is director Rob Cohen's 1993 box-office hit "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story", a movie he admires -- but it's not the one he wants to make.

"I thought Rob Cohen did a brilliant job of that, so I didn't know where you went after. But then I sat and thought about it, and said, 'Well, no one's done it to be an awards film."

"No one's done the story that's examined his philosophy and the inner character, not the internal conflicts. But what was this guy really struggling with? So, I talked to Shannon about it, and she shared an enthusiasm for doing an approach like that," said Grey.

Grey said he's already got a director in place for the film, which should be released in 2017, but he would not name him.

Grey did, however, serve up the Lee biopic's mission.

"This is one of the great geniuses in human history. So, I don't think there is a film that has really captured the mind of Bruce Lee. And so that's our goal," said Grey.

Bruce Lee died at only 32 years of age, a month before release of his first Hollywood-produced Chinese martial-arts movie, "Enter the Dragon," in 1973. Today, the film is regarded as one of the all-time classics.

(Source: CNTV.cn)

[GeneChing]

[boxerbilly]

Best interview Ive seen all year. Thanks Gene.

[GeneChing]

Maybe I'll split these if the biopic ever comes to pass.

March 28, 2017, 11:24 AM
Martial arts icon Bruce Lee's writing packs philosophical punch

This month marks 50 years since martial arts superstar Bruce Lee opened his Los Angeles kung fu studio. It’s where he trained Hollywood’s elite, from Steve McQueen and James Coburn to Chuck Norris and James Garner. But these days, Lee’s pen is proving to be even mightier than his punches.

It was only a few years ago that Lee’s family regained control of his licensing rights and likeness, reports CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy. Although his wife, Linda, has stepped out of the spotlight, his only surviving child, Shannon, has taken over her father’s legacy – and she’s making sure the world knows her dad was as much a deep-thinking poet as a hard-hitting warrior.


Martial arts icon Bruce Lee’s writings BRUCE LEE FOUNDATION

Lee, recognized all over the world, made fight scenes look like some sort of brutal ballet. He popularized martial arts in the western world and changed the way Asians were portrayed on the big screen.


Bruce Lee in “Fists Of Fury” GOLDEN HARVEST

Shannon Lee was 4 years old in 1973 when her father died from a traumatic brain injury. He was just 32.

“What I remember most about him ... is the feeling of him, his energy, how it felt to be in his presence,” Shannon said.

Now we’re learning Lee the fighter was also a philosophical writer.

“I think a lot of people don’t understand the depth of his character, his knowledge and what was really foundational about the man, which was his philosophy,” Shannon said.

In her mid-20s, Shannon discovered dozens of letters and essays her father left behind, including one he continuously re-wrote during the last year of his life.


Only on “CBS This Morning,” Bruce Lee’s daughter, Shannon (left), takes CBS News’ Ben Tracy into the Lee family archives and introduces us to Bruce Lee, the philosopher. CBS NEWS

“I have always been a martial artist by choice, an actor by profession, but above all, am actualizing myself to be an artist of life,” Lee wrote.

“What do you make of the fact that he has nine drafts?” Tracy asked.

“He’s in process, he’s working it out on the page, you can see it. He has crossed out things and written in other words in different pen colors,” Shannon said. “It was a moment in time for him to very intentionally try to communicate, who is Bruce Lee? What is he really about?”

It was a difficult moment in his life. He was finally achieving his goal of making a mainstream Hollywood film, the 1973 classic “Enter the Dragon.” But Shannon said the studio wanted to take out all of the philosophical elements he insisted on adding to the script.

“And he fought. He fought with the writer, he fought with the producers … and he said ‘No, I am not coming onto set until you guarantee me that this is going to be in the film,’” Shannon said.

He got his way.

“What a gift this must be for you as a daughter who lost your father when you were young, to have all of this?” Tracy said.

“Yeah, it’s such a gift,” Shannon responded.

But finding this gift came with a great loss.

“Right before my 24th birthday, my brother was killed, and that plummeted me into quite a depression for many years,” Shannon said.

The 28-year old Brandon Lee died in 1993 after accidentally being shot on the set of the movie “The Crow.” Shannon found comfort in her father’s words.

“I came across this quote that started with ‘the medicine for my suffering I have within me’ ... and I remember it hitting me so clearly right in the chest. You have the ability to shift out of this, you just have to look for the path, and find the way. And so I did,” Shannon said.

She’s now sharing her father’s philosophy with the world through her podcasts.

“He had his quote, you know, ‘under the sky, under the heavens, we’re all one family,’” Shannon said during one of the podcast recordings.

They’ve been downloaded more than 1.3 million times.

“It’s mostly millennials, it’s mostly young people,” Shannon said. “It thrills me that people are grabbing onto the philosophy, they’re getting the message. They’re getting to know who he is beyond the movies.”

Shannon said she’s aware some people think she is just trying to make money off of her father’s celebrity. But she said Bruce Lee was all about reaching people through entertainment, and now she is doing the same.

[GeneChing]

Now the big question - who plays Bruce?

Young Bruce Lee Film 'Little Dragon' to Begin Shooting This Summer
10:23 PM PDT 5/7/2017 by Patrick Brzeski


Photofest
An adult Bruce Lee in 'The Big Boss'

Directed by Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and backed by Chinese investors, the movie will explore the martial arts legend's tumultuous early days in '50s Hong Kong.

The formative years and young adventures of martial arts legend Bruce Lee are set to get the big-screen treatment.

Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, director of the Oscar-nominated biopics Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), has signed on to co-write and direct Little Dragon, a feature film about Bruce Lee's early days in the colorful world of 1950s Hong Kong.

Veteran Hollywood casting director Mary Vernieu is currently leading a worldwide search for the actor to play the charismatic teenage Lee.

The film will be co-scripted and produced by Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee, who runs Bruce Lee Entertainment, a division of the Bruce Lee Family Company, which is dedicated to promoting and protecting Lee's legacy and ideas.

"The film will be a contemporary take on Bruce Lee who, aside from being considered the most gifted and famous martial artist of all time, is now accepted as a major philosopher in his own right," said Kapur in a statement. "It is important that audiences today can relate their own lives to the journey of Bruce Lee, who manages to tap into his inner wisdom and harness his true destiny before it’s too late."


Courtesy of the Bruce Lee Family Co.
Ip Man and his most famous student Bruce Lee.

The film will follow a young Lee as he contends with "his family’s disappointment, young love, true friendship, betrayal, racism, deep hardship and the inner fire that threatens to unravel his destiny," the producers say.

Little Dragon is being planned as an official U.S.-China co-production, with several Chinese companies attached to co-finance and co-produce, including Dadi Media Group, Beijing Golden World Pictures, Shanghai Longzhilin Cultural Investment Partnership and Kirin Media.

"I always thought that a film about how my father’s life was shaped in his early years in Hong Kong would be a worthwhile story to share so we could better understand him as a human being and a warrior," said Shannon Lee in a statement.

Now in preproduction, the project will begin shooting this summer in China and Malaysia, the partners say.

Yu-San Yu, Allen Tan, Leo Zheng and Jeff Chao, along with Kapur, will serve as executive producers.

Tim Kwok of Convergence Entertainment, who will produce with Lee, added: "This film is a deeply personal exploration of Bruce before his inner power and discipline forged him into the ground-breaking icon that continues to this day to inspire people throughout the world."


Courtesy of the Bruce Lee Family Co.
Bruce Lee in Hong Kong in the 1950s.

[GeneChing]

Interesting location choice.

Malaysia to be location shoot for Bruce Lee biopic and Hollywood version of Sarawak rajah
Published: May 10, 2017 10:47 AM GMT+8


Shannon Lee (pic) is the co-scriptwriter of the Bruce Lee biopic which will be shot in Malaysia. ― File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 ― An authorised biographical film on martial arts legend Bruce Lee's younger days will be shot in Malaysia, while an Oscar-nominated director will direct a Hollywood movie on Sarawak colonial rulers.

Shannon Lee, the daughter of the martial artist and co-scriptwriter of the biopic, reportedly carried out new research on her late father's youth and formative years.

“I always thought that a film about how my father’s life was shaped in his early years in Hong Kong would be a worthwhile story to share so we could better understand him as a human being and a warrior,” she was quoted saying in a statement by US entertainment magazine Variety’s portal.

According to Variety, the film is currently in pre-production and shooting in Malaysia is expected to begin from July.

The film Little Dragon ― the English translation of Bruce Lee's Chinese screen name Lee Xiao Loong ― will be the first film under Shannon's production house, Bruce Lee Entertainment, and will be co-produced with US company Convergence Entertainment.

Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapu has been named the movie’s executive producer and co-scriptwriter.

“It is important that audiences today can relate their own lives to the journey of Bruce Lee, who manages to tap into his inner wisdom and harness his true destiny before it was too late,” Shekhar was quoted saying in a statement by Variety.

He was also quoted saying by The Hollywood Reporter that the film ― depicting Lee's life in Hong Kong during the 1950s ― will be “a contemporary take on Bruce Lee who, aside from being considered the most gifted and famous martial artist of all time, is now accepted as a major philosopher in his own right”.

The film which will also be shot in China will depict Lee coping with “his family’s disappointment, young love, true friendship, betrayal, racism, deep hardship and the inner fire that threatens to unravel his destiny, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Hollywood casting director Mary Vernieu was also reported to be in charge of a global hunt for an actor to play Lee in his teenage years for the movie.

Sergei Bodrov, who is a two-time Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, will reportedly direct the Hollywood movie on Sarawak's first Rajah, Sir James Brooke.

According to the film producer and scriptwriter Rob Allyn, the movie The White Rajah will also feature locals scouted from Malaysia.

“Bodrov’s goal is to make a culturally authentic and thrilling historical adventure, and he has a history of directing great performances by non-actors in his past Oscar-nominated films. So in ‘White Rajah’, we will combine big-name Hollywood stars with the local talent we can find in Sarawak, Malaysia and the region,” he was quoted saying by local daily The Borneo Post.

Citing a press release, the paper reported that Bodrov had recently visited sites in Sarawak together with Allyn and Brooke Heritage Trust trustee Jason Brooke.

“We love the idea of using the Sarawak Cultural Village to make our film, both as a possible shooting location but also to cast their phenomenally-talented actors, dancers, musicians and martial artists to perform in our film,” Allyn was quoted saying.

The places that they reportedly visited include the Sarawak Cultural Village, Siniawan, Bako National Park, Santubong, Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, and Annah Rais longhouse.

They also went to Kuching's Sarawak Museum, Main Bazaar, Carpenter Street and the historical residence of a character who will be featured in the movie, Bishop Francis Thomas McDougall.

The Borneo Post said Sarawak has approved shooting for the film in mid 2018.

It was reported last September that the producers are also planning to build a full-scale replica of the ship on which James Brooke sailed to Sarawak and the vessel would be left in the state as a heritage attraction.

[GeneChing]

I'm going to leave this here on the Ram Gopal Varma's Bruce Lee thread, as well as copy it to the Little Dragon - Bruce Lee Biopic from Shannon Lee. I'll copy it off into its own indie thread if anything really comes of it.

ram gopal varma on bruce lee biopic

Thursday May 11th 2017



After news that Critically acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur is going to direct and co-produce a biopic on Hong Kong –American martial artist and actor Brucelee, titled ‘Little Dragon’, Sensational film maker Ram Gopal Varma took the twitter and claimed that will make a biopic as no else can match up to him when it comes to the biopic of Bruce Lee.

RGV tweeted, “Just because of my devotional worship of Bruce Lee I am going to make his biopic and release it same time as Shekar Kapur's authorised one, I have nothing against Shekar kapoor who I admire immensely but it's just my obsessive fascination for Bruce Lee “ .

He also shared a link to the article titled "Bruce Lee is the one and only who I loved more than sex", that is posted on his Face book. RGV feels he can do justice to Brucee Lee's biopic as he tweeted, “Inspite of closeness of family and brilliance of Shekhar Kapur, I believe only I can do justice to his biopic.”

On the other-side, recently during the media interaction, Varma denied that he is making a biopic on Bruce Lee and when he was asked about his tweets, he said, “ No no, it was only for fun. I am not making the biopic.”

According to Sekhar Kapur, Little Dragon will be a contemporary dramatization of the 1950s Hong Kong social and political forces that shaped Bruce Lee into most popular martial arts star and a significant modern day philosopher.

[GeneChing]

Too bad Ryuji Imai isn't old enough yet.

ENTERTAINMENT Bruce Lee’s Daughter Begins Search For Young Chinese Actor in New Biopic
By Khier Casino Posted on May 24, 2017



Casting calls have already begun for the upcoming Bruce Lee biopic “Little Dragon” with Betty Mae Casting searching for 16 to 18-year-old English-speaking Chinese actors “with a winning smile and wonderful sense of humor”.

A representative for Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, confirmed to NextShark that a flyer recently spotted in a tea shop in Los Angeles’ Chinatown is authentic.

A worldwide search for the actor who will play the teenage martial arts legend is currently underway, scouring every nook and cranny of the globe to find him.




If you think you have what it takes, below is the full text:

SEEKING A 16-18 YEAR OLD, ENGLISH SPEAKING, CHINESE ACTOR FOR A MAJOR STUDIO FEATURE FILM

‘LITTLE DRAGON’

LA CASTING by Betty Mae, Inc.

Starts Shooting July 2017

[YOUNG BRUCE LEE] 16-18 years old, Chinese-American, charismatic, charming, passionate, brimming with self confidence. With a winning smile and a wonderful sense of humor, he’s truly irrepressible. He has a great love of life and believes that anything is possible.

If you are interested, please e-mail a recent picture, age, and contact info to:

littledragoncasting@gmail.com

Directed and co-written by filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, “Little Dragon” is scheduled to start filming this summer in China and Malaysia.

The feature film is a an official U.S.-China co-production and will follow the Lee’s early days in 1950s Hong Kong as he deals with “family’s disappointment, young love, true friendship, betrayal, racism, deep hardship and the inner fire that threatens to unravel his destiny,” according to the producers.

“I always thought that a film about how my father’s life was shaped in his early years in Hong Kong would be a worthwhile story to share so we could better understand him as a human being and a warrior,” Shannon Lee, who will serve as co-writer and producer, said in a statement.

[GeneChing]

Never been to Penang. Does it look like 1950s HK at all?

September shooting for Bruce Lee biopic ‘Little Dragon’... in Penang
BY OPALYN MOK
Wednesday August 9, 2017
03:57 PM GMT+8


Tim Kwok (left) and Shannon Lee presenting a memento to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. — Picture by Opalyn Mok

GEORGE TOWN, Aug 9 — Penang has been picked as a location to film a movie on Bruce Lee titled Little Dragon and shooting may begin as early as next month.

His daughter, Shannon Lee, said the production crew has been in Penang for the past few weeks to scout locations for the movie.

"We are looking for sites to replicate the 1950s period in Hong Kong when my father was growing up," she told a news conference today at Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's office here.

Shannon, who is co-producer, said the film will tell the origins of Bruce Lee and the influences in his life that put him on the path he was on.

"This is a story on the younger days of my father's life," she said.

Another co-producer Tim Kwok added that a major portion of the film will be shot in Malaysia.

"After Penang, we will film in Pinewood Iskandar Studios in Johor and Guangzhou, China," he said.

The shooting of the film in Penang will start sometime in September and may take till early November before they move to the next location.

Kwok said they are still in the process of selecting the actor to be the 17 to 18-year-old Bruce Lee.

"About 5,000 people worldwide have auditioned for it and we have shortlisted four candidates for now," he said.

One of the four shortlisted is a Malaysian actor.

The movie is produced by Bruce Lee Entertainment, which is part of the Bruce Lee Family Company.

Kwok said they expect to wrap up filming my middle of 2018 and the 120-minute movie is expected to be released in late 2018.

Bruce Lee, known as the master of kungfu, was born in San Francisco, the United States but he grew up in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

He died at 32 years of age on July 20, 1973.

[Phantom Dreamer]

Too bad Ryuji Imai isn't old enough yet.

[Seeking 16-18 year old English speaking "Chinese" actor]

They never seek actors who are a quarter white like Bruce Lee himself was. Bruce Lee was a quarter British and that's why most actors in Bruce Lee biopics don't really resemble him much.

[Jimbo]

[Seeking 16-18 year old English speaking "Chinese" actor]

They never seek actors who are a quarter white like Bruce Lee himself was. Bruce Lee was a quarter British and that's why most actors in Bruce Lee biopics don't really resemble him much.

Not British. It's generally acknowledged he was a quarter German (his mother was half). One source has said it was Dutch instead of German.

Most actors don't resemble him because Bruce had a distinctive face. Look at photos of him posing with his own siblings and he still looks distinctive among them. Even an actor who is one-quarter or one-half Asian won't necessarily resemble him, let alone be able to act or move like him. And how does anyone specifically cast for Asians who are both actors and one-quarter white? There are many full-blooded Asians who are as distinctive-looking in their own unique way as Bruce Lee was in his way, including in their eye shapes. Casting anyone who looks just like another person is naturally extremely difficult. Elvis Presley has more impersonators than any other celebrity, yet none of them look just like the real Elvis.

Bruce Lee could have easily passed for full Chinese/Asian.

Chuck Norris claims to be half-Cherokee Indian, but he just looks fully European Caucasian. In truth, many white Americans' claims of part-Indian heritage (specifically Cherokee) are not verifiable, but that's another thread...