Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

Well, well, well...

This one had dropped off my radar a bit, but it looks like there’s finally some real forward motion on the new Warner Bros. big-screen adaptation of the ‘60s TV series, KUNG-FU.

The first bit of news is that there appears to be a director for the film now. I can’t find any reference to this guy’s connection to the film anywhere online, so I think this may be a scoop. It looks like Max Makowski, director of the Singapore film ONE LAST DANCE, may be onboard now to direct this one. We’ve had a few reviews for ONE LAST DANCE here on the site, and it seems to be generally well-liked, an action film that delivers.

So is Makowski the right guy for this? I know he was associated with a big-studio version of SHINOBI, too, but that appears to have gone nowhere in development so far. With them throwing this out to casting directors now, I’m guessing this is going to be a pre-strike project for Legendary/Warner, and we may start hearing more news about this soon. It looks to start production in China in March.

For now, they’re searching for “Caine, Male, 20-35. A handsome mix of East (Chinese/Asian) meets West (American). A man with the emotional capacity of a young Clint Eastwood. Charismatic and charming, Caine was raised by Shaolin monks after his mother’s murder and became a highly skilled fighter. In addition to being a strong actor with the right look, the actor for this role should be athletic and although not required, some martial arts training, gymnastics or ballet are a plus.”

What’s also interesting is that we now have an idea of what story the film will be telling.

“During the 1880’s, a half-Chinese Shaolin Monk roams America’s western frontier in search of his American Father, but winds up incarcerated in an exceptionally harsh prison where he must use his martial arts skills to survive.”

I’ve talked with some of the people developing this film at Legendary, and it sounds to me like the intention is to make something genuinely good and gritty and different. As with any remake, there’s certainly potential there, and the fact that it’s not “just” an origin story is encouraging.

We’ll have more on this one as it develops, and all thanks as always to my unnamed source.

Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles