His only previous directorial credit being 2011’s “The Adjustment Bureau,” longtime screenwriter George Nolfi‘s (“Ocean’s Twelve,” “The Bourne Ultimatum“) latest directorial effort, “Birth of the Dragon,” finds him switching gears a bit. Inspired by the true story of young Bruce Lee‘s public face-off with a kung-fu master in San Francisco circa 1965, ‘Birth’ will likely feature significantly fewer hats than Nolfi’s last picture.
‘Birth’ stars a very charismatic Philip Ng as Bruce Lee, Xia Yu as Wong Jack Man, the martial-arts Master who Lee must fight, and Billy Magnussen as Steve McKee, a fictional student of Lee’s. It was written by Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele and produced by Blumhouse Productions‘ BH Tilt. Here’s the official synopsis:
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Set against the backdrop of 1960s San Francisco, BIRTH OF THE DRAGON is a modern take on the classic movies that Bruce Lee was known for. It takes its inspiration from the epic and still controversial showdown between an up-and-coming Bruce Lee and kung fu master Wong Jack Man – a battle that gave birth to a legend.
Like most things on the Internet these days, “Birth of the Dragon” has managed to stir up some outrage — it’d have been almost shocking it if hadn’t. The film opens on August 25th.