What: The Bruce Lee biopic will be big! Although no release date has been confirmed, the scale and ambition of the project suggest it is likely to receive a theatrical release. This theatrical release would be crucial for the film to be considered for Academy Award contention, a feat that director Ang Lee has achieved in the past. Notably, all of Ang Lee's films have premiered in theaters rather than opting for a direct-to-streaming release. As the production is under the banner of Sony-owned 3000 Pictures, there is potential for Ang Lee's Bruce Lee biopic to eventually arrive on platforms like Netflix following its theatrical run, as Sony has a history of collaborating with Netflix for streaming releases of their films.
Who: Ang Lee's doesn’t look far for his lead. He cast his own son, Mason Lee, in the role of Bruce Lee. This isn't Mason's first appearance in one of his father's films, as he previously had a role in "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk." Mason Lee's previous credits include "The Hangover Part II" and "Made in Taiwan." Allegedly Mason has been training in the martial arts for the last 5 years to prepare for the role.
Ang Lee, known for his unique creative vision, will helm the directorial duties for the Bruce Lee biopic. Lee gained recognition with his debut feature, "Pushing Hands," and further solidified his reputation with the critically acclaimed "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." While martial arts was a prominent theme in his early work, Lee's exploration of the genre has been limited since then. However, he has continued to achieve success with films like "Brokeback Mountain" and "Life of Pi," the latter of which earned him an Academy Award for Best Director.
Producer Lawrence Grey has shared some insights into what fans can expect from the film. While it will chronicle Bruce Lee's entire life, the narrative will particularly focus on his era during the making of "Enter the Dragon," one of his final and most iconic films.
"What we realized was that the time period of Bruce's life around the making of ‘Enter the Dragon’ was a moment where so many different thematic threads were connecting, and there was a confluence of an incredible amount of drama and conflict in his life. So, we use that as sort of an axis around which to revolve his world. From there, I think the director would say it's a kaleidoscopic journey through his life. It has a traditional non-narrative structure and is really thematically and experientially connected," Lawrence Grey said.
While the union strikes further delayed the project last year, let’s hope production is well underway for this long-awaited film.