Director George Nolfi takes on Bruce Lee biopic Birth of the Dragon

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The Bruce Lee biopic BIRTH OF THE DRAGON is starting to move along having just grabbed director George Nolfi to helm the project. Nolfi you might recognize as he wrote and directed THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU and wrote OCEAN'S TWELVE and THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM. I had never heard of the project until now but I’m happy to hear it's not yet another movie about the man who trained Lee.

The movie is described as:

The film is inspired by the true story of Bruce Lee’s historic 1965 duel with Wong Jack Man, China’s most famous kung fu master at a time when San Francisco’s Chinatown was controlled by Hong Kong Triads. The story of the match is told from the perspective of Steve Macklin, a young disciple of Lee, who ultimately joins forces with Lee and Wong to battle a vicious band of Chinatown gangsters.

His eventual rise to international superstardom was told before in the 1993 movie DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY where he was played by Jason Scott Lee (no relation). It's a good watch but I felt it only touched the service of the man Bruce Lee was and focused more on the legend. BIRTH OF THE DRAGON was written by Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen Rivele, they also wrote two other biopics, NIXON and ALI. Those movies definitely looked at the characters more than a specific event or events surrounding them; this project is getting interesting.

We don't yet know what this movie will cover but more than 40 years after his passing, Bruce Lee is still known the world over; hopefully this movie takes the opportunity to make something great.

What do you think about this Bruce Lee biopic? Also, remember the time Jackie Chan picked a fight with Bruce Lee?