Bruce Lee (1940-73), one of the greatest martial artists and
kung fu movie stars of the 20th Century, will be reincarnated in a
40-episode TV drama series entitled The Legend of Bruce
Lee.
The TV programme will be produced by China International
Television Corporation, a producing and marketing arm of China
Central Television, for global markets.
The first of its kind on the Chinese mainland, The Legend of
Bruce Lee, is scripted by veteran dramatist Qian Linsen and
will be directed by Wu Ziniu, a fifth generation film director
whose best known work is Evening Bell, a Silver Bear Award
winner at the 19th Berlin International Film Festival in 1989.
"More than 30 years after his death, Bruce Lee is still
remembered by millions of fans of Chinese kung fu movies, Chinese
martial arts and Chinese philosophy," said Wu.
"We hope to portray a charismatic Bruce Lee who is not only a
brilliant kung fu master, a top-notch action star, but also a man
of strong will, independent thinking and national esteem."
The TV drama will chronicle Lee's life from when he was 9 years
old to early 1973 when he made his signature movie Enter the
Dragon.
But the TV drama will avoid touching upon his death, which
remains a mystery even today, said scriptwriter Qian Linsen.
The selection of the actors and actresses for the leading roles
is under way and the location shooting, scheduled to kick off in
December, will probably be carried out in Chinese mainland, Hong
Kong, Canada and the United States, according to Wu Ziniu, the
director.
And it is rumoured that Taiwan pop idol Jay Chow, dancer-turned
popular actor Nie Yuan, and kung fu star Shi Tianlong from the
Chinese mainland are vying for the leading role of Bruce Lee.
The TV drama series is slated to be completed and aired for
audiences across the country in early 2008, to coincide with the
Olympic Games in Beijing, according to Yu Shengli, the producer of
the TV drama series.
(China Daily May 26, 2006)