The gears are now in motion for Bruce Lee, a biopic in the works about the iconic actor and martial artist. Directed by Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), the film will be written by Dan Futterman (Capote). As the project has been in gestation for years, Futterman will be reworking the story following prior drafts by Jean Castelli, Alex Law, Mabel Cheung, and Wells Tower. Per Deadline, the biopic has also found its lead star, as director Ang Lee has tapped son Mason Lee to play the Enter the Dragon star. According to the new report, Bruce Lee's daughter Shannon Lee is also on board to serve as a producer on the film alongside Ang Lee, Lawrence Grey, Ben Everard, and Brian Bell.
"Accepted as neither fully American nor fully Chinese, Bruce Lee was a bridge between East and West who introduced Chinese Kung Fu to the world, a scientist of combat and an iconic performing artist who revolutionized both the martial arts and action cinema,” Ang Lee said in statement, explaining why he's so eager to direct the film. “I feel compelled to tell the story of this brilliant, unique human being who yearned for belonging, possessed tremendous power in a 135-pound-frame, and who, through tireless hard work, made impossible dreams into reality.”
The project is in the works at Sony's 3000 Pictures with Elizabeth Gabler and Marisa Paiva overseeing for the studio. Gabler also touched on the biopic getting put into motion and how excited everyone is to see the film, which has been slowly coming together for a very long time, finally coming to fruition.
"Bruce Lee is a longtime passion project for Ang and a deeply emotional story depicting the triumphs and conflicts of one of the foremost real-life action heroes of our time. All of us at Sony and 3000 Pictures are proud to help Ang and his filmmaking team create what we believe will be an extraordinary theatrical event," Gabler says, promising a theatrical release.
The Bruce Lee Biopic Has Taken Years to Get Going
Shannon Lee spoke about her desire to have a biopic made about her father in 2015, giving us a clue of how long it's taken to get the gears to turn. Ang Lee has reportedly been working quietly on the project as well, long preparing to have his son play the part with Mason Lee apparently working on his training over the past three years. As Mason Lee is still a rising star, this could be a breakthrough role for him in Hollywood. Aside from acclaimed work in Taiwanese and Hong Kong films, Lee has also appeared in movies like The Hangover Part II and Lucy.
"There have been projects out there involving my father, but they've lacked a complete understanding of his philosophies and artistry," Shannon said in 2015. "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."
Bruce Lee doesn't yet have a set premiere date.