Screen Rant » awaken the dragon

Rain Still In Line For ‘Enter the Dragon’ Remake? [Updated]

Ross Miller — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:58:38 +0000

[Update: Not so fast! Awaken the Dragon screenplay writer Kurt Sutter is questioning claims of Rain's involvement!]

A few months ago we gave you an update on the planned remake of the classic Bruce Lee martial arts flick, Enter the Dragon, this time renamed Awaken the Dragon. The main part of the update was that Latino Review had a “confirmed source” which said that Korean pop-star-turned-action-star, Rain (currently starring in the awesome-looking Ninja Assassin), was going to be filling Lee’s shoes in the lead role.

Fast forward a few months, and it appears that Latino Review’s scoop was right on the money, as a video interview over at Cinemablend featuring Rain himself confirms that he’s at least considering the Awaken the Dragon role. Of course, he doesn’t give much away, but does hint that he’s talked to the studio about it and would be up for playing the role if he’s officially offered it. I share Katey Rich from Cinemablend’s thoughts that WB is probably holding off to see how Ninja Assassin does at the box office before they commit Rain to another big action flick.

Awaken the Dragon has already got The Shield writer/producer Kurt Sutter handling the script, as well as making his directorial debut. The film is said to be changing up the story of the original Enter the Dragon just a bit: it will now be about a lone FBI agent who pursues a rogue Shaolin monk to get him to participate in the world of underground fight clubs. WB is apparently looking for an already-established and well known American actor to play the agent, and now we know they’ve at least got Rain in mind for the ass-kicking monk.

I’ll admit I was dubious when Rain was announced to be starring in Ninja Assassin, simply because he’s only done a handful of films, performing in supporting roles that aren’t anywhere near as intense and physical as a film like Ninja Assassin demands. However, after seeing all the stuff that’s come out from the film (such as the official trailer and clips), any doubts I had about Rain being a legitimate action star have officially been eradicated.

Rain in Ninja Assassin

That all said, I would absolutely love to see Rain take on the lead role in Awaken the Dragon, even if the film is yet another questionable remake. Enter The Dragon is a classic, no doubt, and I’m always wary when Hollywood decides to redo a classic. But it sounds like they’re really trying to add something different to the mix with the story/style (Sutter is planning a kind of neo-noir), and Rain possibly starring in it sounds good to me.

UPDATE: Following the posting of this article Screen Rant was promptly contacted by Awaken the Dragon screenplay writer Kurt Sutter, where he questions the claims that Rain is in line for this role!

According to Sutter:

I just wanted to update you on my status with the “dragon” remake. Unfortunately, the project was a victim of the writer’s strike and I was forced to abandon it because of my commitment to “Sons of Anarchy”. If Rain is attached, I am no longer involved in the project, nor is my original pitch (neo-noir) valid. Honestly, and I could be wrong, but I find it hard to believe that any actor is attached to this project because as far as I know it has stalled in development at Warner Bros. I fear you could be the victim of wishful self-promotion. The next time someone interviews Rain, they should ask if he’s read the script or met with the director.

Would you like to see Ninja Assassin’s Rain, star in Awaken the Dragon? Do you think a redo of Enter the Dragon is called for or is it yet another that should be left alone?

Ninja Assassin hits theaters on November 25th, 2009 (next Wednesday).

There’s no word on when Awaken the Dragon will start shooting or be released.

Source: Cinemablend

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‘Ninja Assassin’s’ Rain To ‘Awaken The Dragon?’

Ross Miller — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:51:55 +0000

Latino Review has grabbed an exclusive scoop from a “confirmed source” that Ninja Assassin star and Korean pop star, Rain, is set to star in a remake of the 1973 Bruce Lee classic, Enter The Dragon. Screen Rant reported on this “sort of” remake almost two years ago, and much of the details remain the same:

Awaken The Dragon will be about a lone FBI agent who pursues a rogue Shaolin monk to get him to participate in the world of underground fight clubs. Warner Bros. is hoping for the FBI agent to be played by an already established American actor, and the monk to be played by a “fight star.” And Latino Review’s scoop says that fight star will be Rain.

The Shield writer/producer Kurt Sutter is writing the script for, and making his directorial debut with, Awaken the Dragon. The aim is to make the 21st century update of the Bruce Lee classic have a Noir feel. The story of the original was that of a martial artist who is drafted by a law enforcement agency to enter into a fighting tournament and take down a drug-smuggling operation run by the guy in charge of the tournament.

Here’s what Sutter had to say about his contemporized take on Enter the Dragon:

“I’m a huge noir fan, and this plot lends itself to the film I want to make… I wanted to set it in these underground fight clubs where the action is really raw and expose the brutality of Shaolin Kung fu. This will be more ‘Raging Bull’ than ‘Crouching Tiger’ in its viciousness.”

Rain is starring in the upcoming Ninja Assassin, an English-language action film from the director of V For Vendetta, James McTeigue and Matrix producers The Wachowski Bros. After starring in a few Korean films and TV shows (including Park Chan-wook’s charmingly peculiar I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Okay), Rain got his first English language role in Speed Racer. And, after seeing the trailer for Ninja Assassin, I can say Rain looks absolutely kick ass in martial arts role, eradicating any doubts people may have had about a pop star becoming a great action star.

I know I’d certainly be up for Rain getting the lead role in Awaken the Dragon.

At the start of the year, fellow Screen Rant writer Rob Keyes posted a video showing the behind-the-scenes stuntwork of Ninja Assassin by the infamous 87Eleven stunt team. Rob pointed out something interesting: If Rain does indeed get the Awaken The Dragon gig (which it seems likely he will), and with the amount of movies 87Eleven have worked (300, Watchmen, Bourne trilogy, on and on), could we see the same stunt team work on Awaken The Dragon? I’d actually be surprised if WB didn’t already have them in mind for it.

I don’t usually like remakes because of one simple thing: most of them tend to lack much originality and are just trying to capitalize on the popularity/success of the original to make money. Having said that, if they can make Awaken The Dragon different enough that it doesn’t just come off as a rip-off, then I’m all for it.

Awaken The Dragon certainly sounds interesting – will it have more martial arts-style versions of the fight scenes from Fight Club, perhaps? 87Eleven did the stunts for that, too. Interesting…

Screen Rant will keep you up to date on whether or not this casting news turns out to be true.

Ninja Assassin to is set to be released on November 25th in the US, and on November 27th in the UK, both in 2009.

No word yet on when Awaken The Dragon is aiming to be in theaters.

Source: Latino Review

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The Weekly Rant – August 12, 2007

Vic Holtreman — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 23:15:42 +0000

Ok, ok… it’s been a while. No excuses, I’ll just give you the scoop on this week’s topics:

- Marvel’s Thor is moving forward.

- A remake of Enter the Dragon, that isn’t, really.

- Here comes another giant robot movie: Voltron.

- My thoughts on Stardust, which opened this weekend.

You can download this week’s podcast directly by clicking here.

Or you can listen to this week’s podcast by clicking here:

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Enter The Dragon Remake? Well… Sort Of But Not Really

Vic Holtreman — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 17:49:54 +0000

If you read Screen Rant regularly you know that I am not a fan of remakes. For the most part they reek of a lack of creativity and just cashing in on the original film’s popularity to guarantee an audience. However with this story I have to ask: When is a remake not really a remake?

The original starred Bruce Lee as a martial artist hired by the FBI to infiltrate a drug smuggling operation by entering a huge martial arts tournament hosted by the head honcho. It’s a seminal kung fu movie and showed studios that a martial arts movie could be extremely profitable, opening the door to making the genre mainstream.

This version, on the other hand is described as:

“…a contemporized drama about a lone FBI agent who pursues a rogue Shaolin monk into the bloody world of underground martial arts fight clubs.”

Ok, that sounds kind of similar, but it will take place in the setting of underground fight clubs and it sounds to me like they’re shooting for fight scenes reminiscent of those from Fight Club. The goal is to make the action raw and show how brutal Shaolin kung fu can be in a fight.

Another difference is that first time director Kurt Sutter wants a “noir” feel to the film, and that they’re not even giving it the same title. This one will be called Awaken the Dragon.

Just the fact that they’re not calling the new version Enter the Dragon scores points with me. It’s way early but I’ll be keeping an eye on this one.

Source: The Movie Blog

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