This is amazing news, and if it’s old news to other people, so be it. I hadn’t heard it yet, and now I’m excited to see what the heck Donnie Yen’s going to do with this amazing story.
Ip Man was famous for teaching Wing Chun, a particular Chinese martial art, and Bruce Lee was his most famous student. His influence in martial arts in general was tremendous, and many of the people he taught went on to teach martial arts to others.
Craziest part of this story? That this is going to be one of the dueling Ip Man projects, with no less than Wong Kar Wai also planning to shoot a film about him soon.
Thanks for the heads-up, "Kimcheekitty":
FOSHAN, China (AP) -- Bruce Lee is the master to many martial arts fans, but less is known about his master, Ip Man, a pioneer in the kung fu style that influenced Lee. Hong Kong filmmakers hope to change that by bringing Ip's story to the big screen.
On Tuesday, action stars Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung from the U.S. TV series "Martial Law" prepared to start shooting one of two planned movies about Ip. They joined Ip's sons in paying tribute to their father at his hometown in the southern city of Foshan , a four hours northwest of Hong Kong.
Performers staged a traditional Chinese lion dance featuring four bright orange lions on outdoor platform near a memorial hall that honors Ip.
Yen posed next to a bust of Ip and performed a series of maneuvers against a wooden mannequin - a common practice in kung fu's wing chun style, which is known for its practical, no-frills style.
Yen, a veteran action star whose credits include "Blade II," "Hero" and "Shanghai Knights," said his role as Ip would be his most challenging ever.
"We all know that teacher Ip Man promoted Chinese kung fu around the world. He's also the teacher of my idol Bruce Lee. So when I took this role I put a lot of pressure on myself," he said.
