There’s no doubt that Bruce Lee is a martial arts legend and many a movie and biopic have been made about him over the years. So no surprises here that one more biopic about him is in the works. And while this may be awesome news to his fans, it’ll be even more so for Malaysians!
This is because it’s been announced that part of the filming will be done in Malaysia. In a press conference announcing the film, the late martial arts star’s daughter, Shannon Lee, said that filming would be done between September and November this year.
Penang especially was deemed a perfect location to recreate the scenes of 1950s Hong Kong due to its heritage building. Aside from Penang, the second location in Malaysia that the movie will be filmed at will be Pinewood Studios in Iskandar, Johor.
“We will be trying to replicate the 1950s era in Hong Kong. A portion of the film will be filmed in Penang before we head to Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia studios in Johor Baru and then to Foshan, China to film the rest of the movie,” Shannon said at a press conference held by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in Komtar on Wednesday.
The film’s title is Little Dragon and focuses on the formative years of Bruce Lee in Hong Kong. It’ll be directed by Shekhar Kapur, the Oscar nominated director responsible for Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
The film is in the midst of casting at the moment and to date, more than 5,000 people have auditioned to play the role of young Bruce Lee. Already, four people have been listed and among them, is a Malaysian, according to Shannon. And while the casting decision has yet to made, here’s hoping that the Malaysian will be good enough to land the role!
No specific date has been set for the release of Little Dragon but it is expected to premiere sometime in 2018.
