Hey folks... got some news that I would call bad news today.
DEADPOOL 2 director David Leitch is in talks to direct a remake of Bruce Lee's final film, ENTER THE DRAGON. This is happening just a few days after the 45th anniversary of Bruce Lee's passing, which is, I suppose, as good a time as any to dance on his headstone. Do we want, or need, a remake of ENTER THE DRAGON in 2018?
Leitch is excellent with action films. ATOMIC BLONDE's fight sequences are amazing, in particular, the one where Theron is surrounded by West German policemen... and her later fight in a stairwell... and JOHN WICK's nightclub fight scene is legendary. Leitch is good. That's why this news distresses me. We don't need a remake of this film. It's a simple formula for a story, one that MORTAL KOMBAT leaned on.
I can admit that the 1973 film can be improved upon. Better foley. Better dialogue. Better photography and possibly even better choreography. But why call it ENTER THE DRAGON except to rob from Lee's legacy for a little cash? If Brandon Lee had lived and had a martial arts son or daughter, would he have approved of even his own kid remaking his father's final film?
I'm curious to hear some of the martial arts fans in Talkbacks and what they think; is there any version of this remake scenario that is not, in essence, a blatant cash grab on the strength of the previous work and Lee's attached legacy and legend? And if so, what current martial artist could star in it?
Read the Deadline Hollywood article on the ENTER THE DRAGON remake here.
-- Precious Roy
