Oscar-winning filmmaker Ang Lee — who is known for films like Life of Pi and Brokeback Mountain — will direct the biopic of the Chinese American martial arts legend Bruce Lee.
Ang Lee’s son Mason Lee will play the lead role in the Sony's 3000 Pictures project. The script is being adapted by Dan Futterman, who also penned Capote and Foxcatcher. Earlier drafts of the script were written by Alex Law, Jean Castelli, Mabel Cheung, and Wells Tower, according to a media source.
Actor, director, and martial arts specialist Bruce Lee had a short but lasting presence in Hollywood until his death in 1973 at the age of 32. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, his films like Fist of Fury, Enter the Dragon, and The Way of the Dragon as well as the TV show The Green Hornet, helped make martial arts famous all over the world.
Speaking on the occasion, Ang Lee stated, "Accepted as neither fully American nor Fully Chinese, Bruce Lee was a bridge between East and West who introduced Chinese Gung Fu to the world, a scientist of combat and an iconic performing artist who revolutionised both the martial arts and action cinema."
An accomplished director, Ang Lee has won numerous Academy Awards for his work, including four for Life of Pi, three for Brokeback Mountain, and two for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. His films have also performed well at the box office. On the other hand, 32 year-old Mason Lee has starred in films like The Hangover Part II and Long Halftime Walk. The most recent films in which he appeared were Who Killed Cock Robin, Limbo, and the Taiwanese romantic comedy Stand By Me.