ROTTEN TOMATOES: Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon To Be Remade

Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon To Be Remade

A noir-tinged update, from the exec-producer of The Shield.

by Jen Yamato | August 10, 2007

Martial arts purists, unite: Hollywood is planning a remake of Bruce Lee's classic Enter the Dragon. According to the report, it will not be a faithful version but rather a contemporized remake, with noir undertones, set in the illicit world of fight clubs.

Who, you ask, would have the audacity to attempt a remake of one of the most legendary martial arts films in history? Variety reports that Warner Independent has given the go-ahead to Kurt Sutter, a longtime writer and executive producer of the award-winning F/X show The Shield, who is currently penning the script and will direct himself.

Perhaps for the better, the film -- entitled Awaken the Dragon -- will only loosely resemble the 1973 Bruce Lee film. Instead of a kung fu expert going undercover at a martial arts tournament to infiltrate a drug ring, the new version will follow "a lone FBI agent who pursues a rogue Shaolin monk into the bloody world of underground martial arts fight clubs."

Bruce Lee

By Sutter's own description, it sounds like the film will draw inspiration from more cinematic sources than just Enter the Dragon. From Variety:

"I'm a huge noir fan, and this plot lends itself to the film I want to make," Sutter said. "I wanted to set it in these underground fight clubs where the action is really raw and expose the brutality of Shaolin kung fu. This will be more 'Raging Bull' than 'Crouching Tiger' in its viciousness."

Another tidbit about the new film that Variety shares is Sutter's plan for casting the project: "Sutter will look to discover a fight star in the role of the monk and cast an established American actor to play the FBI agent."

"Noir," "Raging Bull," "FBI agent." Meditate on those keywords for a minute, then set adrift on memory bliss with a few classic moments from the original, via YouTube: the nunchaku scene; the mirror fight; heck, here's the theatrical trailer.

Enter the Dragon was the last film Bruce Lee completed before his untimely death in July 1973. Warner Bros. released the film nearly a month to the day later, and reaped huge sums in both the domestic and international markets ($25 million in the U.S. and $90 million worldwide, excluding Hong Kong, and in 1973). Lee's iconic position in film history spawned a notorious subgenre of cinema after his death -- Brucesploitation -- but this seems to be the first attempt at an official "remake." Interestingly enough, two of the original producers of Enter the Dragon, Fred Weintraub and Paul Heller, will also produce Awaken the Dragon.

Qualms aside, we can't help but wonder if Sutter could sneak in a few cameos for Enter the Dragon fans -- what's Jim Kelly up to these days? Weigh in with your thoughts below.

Source: Variety

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(1-20 of 81 posts) | Reply

MMacKK writes:
on Aug 10 2007 12:33 AM

Sounds ****.

(Reply to this)

kfarschman writes:
on Aug 10 2007 12:34 AM

Why!? What the **** is the point of doing this? Seriously, don't anybody say "don't shoot this down before you see it", either. I don't even completely understand how this is a remake if it has a different story.

How is Noir considered contemporary anyways?

(Reply to this)

screwhead100 writes:
on Aug 10 2007 12:48 AM

This is just stupid

(Reply to this)

Shaomaike writes:
on Aug 10 2007 12:51 AM

This martial arts genre enthusiast has no enthusiasm for this.

Hollywood -- Less FBI characters, please.

(Reply to this)

yodas gooch writes:
on Aug 10 2007 01:00 AM

there is no god

(Reply to this)

kfarschman writes:
on Aug 10 2007 01:05 AM

In reply to this comment (#1026267)
Shaomaike didn't you know. Every hollywood movie has to have either a cop, detective, FBI/CIA agent, or an assassin in it.

(Reply to this)

Terrorvator writes:
on Aug 10 2007 01:20 AM

Obviously, a worst-case scenario of a director claiming "I can do better than THAT!"...with "THAT" being Bruce Lee, whose contributions to the kung fu film industry seem to mean nothing if we see fit to tamper with a film that he felt was perfect; don't worry, children - Mr. Sutter knows best.

(Reply to this)

lpbreeze writes:
on Aug 10 2007 01:48 AM

This could be good but it is obvious they are using the Enter the Dragon movie to get attention. I don't even see the point of bringing up Enter the Dragon because it is not a remake. The plot they are talking about has been done before many times. Lets hope they dont put rap music in it. Christopher Walken and Steven Stegal should be in it just cause

(Reply to this)

Puzzledman writes:
on Aug 10 2007 01:56 AM

They should get Tony Jaa to be the Monk. He wants to make films in America.

(Reply to this)

Product_of_You writes:
on Aug 10 2007 02:42 AM

as different as the concepts are this doesn't really even sound like a remake; sounds like it is being titled as one to bring in viewers. And I agree: Tony Jaa is the way to go.

(Reply to this)

FEENXFIRE writes:
on Aug 10 2007 02:56 AM

Can someone please explain to me why, exactly, I should feel guilty downloading movies or tv shows off the internet?

(Reply to this)

welease_woger writes:
on Aug 10 2007 03:06 AM

Kawate chop him, Centuwion, vewy woughly!

(Reply to this)

Puzzledman writes:
on Aug 10 2007 03:22 AM

FEENXFIRE you shouldn't feel guilty downloading sh*t off the internet. I hate it when these multi billion dollar companies moan about the fact that there not making quite as much money as they used to because some bright spark has got round there inflated DVD prices.
If they've got enough money to pay Chris Tucker 25 million, they can afford to let me watch the odd downloaded film.
Generally the quality is so bad that if I like the film I,m gonna buy it anyway.
So ***** 'em thats what I say.

(Reply to this)

bigbrother writes:
on Aug 10 2007 05:54 AM

How is this a remake again? The plot is completely different, There were no Shoalin monks, rogue or otherwise in the Enter the Dragon I remember. Last Dragon with Bruce Leroy sounds more like a remake than this does. That aside, The Shield rocks though I don't remember hearing about Sutter that much. I'd feel much better if it was written and directed by Shawn Ryan.

(Reply to this)

Grendel419 writes:
on Aug 10 2007 06:12 AM

In reply to this comment (#1026408)
Actually, Bruce was a Shaolin monk in the movie. And Hann was a renegage Shaolin monk in the movie. Just thought you'd like to know.

(Reply to this)

arpeggio191 writes:
on Aug 10 2007 06:25 AM

f-ing terrible

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on Aug 10 2007 06:31 AM

These money grubbing hacks have no respect. If there ever was a film that deserved a nationwide boycott, it's this one.

(Reply to this)

ClericPreston writes:
on Aug 10 2007 06:33 AM

I'd be fine with this if they didn't call it a remake or Enter the Dragon. Tony Jaa yes, but he basically already made this movie, Ong Bak... I guess it could be an english remake of that

(Reply to this)

Baccus83 writes:
on Aug 10 2007 06:56 AM

There's really no reason to remake the film. I mean, the only thing that was remarkable about "Enter The Dragon" was Bruce Lee. Take him out of the equation, and you have a pretty thin plot, boring characters, and low production values. Producers money would be better spent finding something original to make, because unless they plan on raising Bruce Lee from the dead, this film is going to bomb hard.

(Reply to this)

BarbarianMonster writes:
on Aug 10 2007 07:01 AM

I'm ok with some remakes but this makes me sick and it's insulting to any martial arts fan, to think that anything Bruce Lee can be done better than his original performance. They should call this Enter the Rip-Off. LAME. I see just about every martial arts movie that comes out and I can tell you this... I will never see this movie. You can't just replace a mystical force like Bruce Lee with some guy (no matter how good he is) an not get laughed at.

(Reply to this)

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