Deadline is reporting that John Wick, Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2 director David Leitch is in talks with Warner Bros. about directing the studio’s long planned remake of the 1973 martial arts classic Enter the Dragon.
The Hong Kong / American co-production marked Bruce Lee’s final film appearance prior to his death, opening just days later, and went on to cement his place as a pop culture icon. Lee plays a Shaolin martial artist who is persuaded by British intelligence to enter a martial arts tournament held by the suspected crime Lord Han, while he also has another motive – revenge against his sister’s killer.
The project has been in the works for several years, with Rush Hour helmer Brett Ratner previously circling the film back in 2015, prior to his fall from grace in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
If Enter the Dragon absolutely has to be remade, then Warner Bros. could do far worse than Leitch, who has developed a reputation for his action directing. That being said, the film is widely regarded as one of the greatest martial arts movies of all time – and perhaps the most iconic – so he’s going to have a challenge on his hands with this one.
Leitch’s next film is the Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs and Shaw starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, while he is also attached to adapt the video game The Division with Jake Gyllenhall and Jessica Chastain starring.