BH Tilt & WWE Studios martial arts action film Birth of the Dragon will be released in theaters nationwide on August 25, 2017. This feature-length dramatization, a U.S./China joint-production inspired by a true event, is brought to the screen by director GEORGE NOLFI (The Adjustment Bureau) from a screenplay by the Oscar-nominated writing team of STEPHEN J. RIVELE and CHRISTOPHER WILKINSON (Ali, Nixon).
Set against the backdrop of a 1960’s San Francisco, Birth of the Dragon follows a young Bruce Lee in a homage to the classic kung fu films the legendary actor made famous. PHILLIP NG (Wild City, Once Upon A Time in Shanghai) stars as the then unknown but irrepressibly talented Lee, alongside celebrated actor XIA YU (The Painted Veil, In the Heat of the Sun) who plays Wong Jack Man, his famed challenger. BILLY MAGNUSSEN, JINGJING QU, JIN XING and SIMON YIN also star with famed Martial Arts Choreographer COREY YUEN overseeing the fight sequences.
Before becoming a legendary icon, known to millions around the world, Bruce Lee was a driven young man working to establish himself as the No. 1 kung fu master in San Francisco. In 1964, everything changed for Lee when Wong Jack Man, a Northern Shaolin master from China, arrived in San Francisco and stepped forward to accept Lee’s public challenge. Remarkably, the outcome of that ensuing confrontation was observed by only a handful of witnesses and, still hotly contested today, has taken on mythic proportions. But one thing appears certain – from that epic battle, Bruce Lee emerged as The Dragon – the man who brought kung fu to the world.
BIRTH OF THE DRAGON
Almost a half century after his untimely death at the age of 32, Bruce Lee is still one of the most influential martial artists of all time. He is widely credited with popularizing kung fu in the United States and in so doing, fusing Eastern martial arts and philosophy with western culture and iconography. His milestones were many, from his own successful dojos and movies, culminating with “Enter the Dragon,” to his memorable, breakthrough role as Kato on “The Green Hornet” series and even the popular 1970s television show “Kung Fu,” which he conceived.
As simply noted in the PBS documentary “Shaolin Ulysses: Kung Fu Monks In America: “The popularity of kung fu in the United States can be traced back to one man: Bruce Lee.”
Before becoming a legendary icon, known to millions around the world, he was a driven young man working to establish himself as the top kung fu master in San Francisco. In 1964, everything changed for Lee when Wong Jack Man, a Northern Shaolin master from China, arrived in San Francisco and stepped forward to accept Lee’s public challenge. Remarkably, the outcome of that ensuing confrontation was observed by only a handful of witnesses and, still hotly contested today, has taken on mythic proportions. But one thing appears certain – from that epic battle, Bruce Lee emerged as The Dragon – the man who brought kung fu to the world.
Birth of the Dragon tells the story of the young Lee in a contemporary take on the classic kung fu films Bruce Lee made famous. PHILLIP NG (Wild City, Zombie Fight Club) stars as the then unknown but irrepressibly talented Bruce Lee, and celebrated actor XIA YU (The Painted Veil, Waiting Alone) plays Wong Jack Man, his famed challenger. BILLY MAGNUSSEN (Bridge of Spies, Into the Woods) plays Steve McKee a disillusioned martial artist. JINGJING QU, JIN XING and SIMON YIN also star.
