Bruce Lee is an endlessly popular subject for Hollywood, and it seems they haven’t given up on him year, as his life will be explored once more in Birth of the Dragon. However, this is not your usual biopic, instead using a little-known story as a ‘jumping-off point’ for a broader far more fictionalise tale, according to THR.
Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele (Nixon, Ali) are writing the script, which is based on a real-life 1965 fight between Bruce Lee and kung fu master Wong Jack Man, in San Francisco. The no holds barred fight took place at a time when San Francisco’s Chinatown district was controlled by the Chinese Triad gangs. The script will begin with this battle, then follow both men as they team up to take on a horde of gangsters.
Producer Michael London commented, “Stephen J. Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson have taken a little-known chapter in the life of Bruce Lee and used it as a jumping-off point for a bold, exciting story about the making of an international legend.”
It’s an interesting idea, but it sounds a little over the top, and could be a tough one to pull off.