The story of a young Bruce Lee, directed by Shekar Kapur and co-written by Shannon Lee, the martial arts legend’s daughter, is in the works, according to Deadline.
Under the working title “Little Dragon,” the film will follow Lee in 1950s Hong Kong as he comes “face-to-face with his family’s disappointment, young love, true friendship, betrayal, racism, deep hardship and the inner fire that threatens to unravel his destiny.”
The search for an actor to play Lee began last week.
Kapur, who is best known for the Academy Award-nominated “Elizabeth” films, said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter that he’s looking to capture Lee not just as a hero but as a philosopher. “It is important that audiences today can relate their own lives to the journey of Bruce Lee,” Kapur said.
“I always thought that a film about how my father’s life was shaped in his early years in Hong Kong would be a worthwhile story to share so we could better understand him as a human being and a warrior,” Shannon Lee told HR.
The $20 million project is a U.S.-China-Hong Kong co-production, with Dadi Media Group, Beijing Golden World Pictures, Shanghai Longzhilin Cultural Investment Partnership and Kirin Media attached.
