Rain may star in ‘Enter the Dragon’ remake

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News | Film News | by Mark Pollard

Rain

Latino Review has the exclusive scoop that Warner Bros. is eyeing Korean pop star RAIN for a leading role in AWAKEN THE DRAGON, writer-director Kurt Sutter’s remake of Bruce Lee’s ENTER THE DRAGON.

RAIN is already making waves in the U.S. Last year he appeared in SPEED RACER and come November he will star in James McTeigue’s bloody martial arts actioner NINJA ASSASSIN.

In development for two years, AWAKEN THE DRAGON is a noir-style remake of Bruce Lee’s 1973 film. Back in 2007, Sutter stated that it will be a contemporized drama about a lone FBI agent who pursues a rogue Shaolin monk into the bloody world of underground martial arts fight clubs.

To fill the role of the Shaolin monk, Sutter had been looking to discover a fight star while an established American actor would play the FBI agent.

If Rain does get the role, he will have gone from playing a Japanese martial arts expert to a Chinese martial arts expert despite the fact that he is Korean and doesn’t practice martial arts outside of his film preparation. Before NINJA ASSASSIN, Rain had no screen fighting experience and little or no martial arts training. However, Rain did train extensively for his ninja role for six months prior to the start of production and is reportedly doing much of his own fighting without wires. Whether or not this will satisfy Bruce Lee fans is another thing.

I’m leery about the idea of a non-martial artist following in Bruce Lee’s shoes but I’m not going to completely dismiss Rain yet. I haven’t seen NINJA ASSASSIN and the first teaser trailer shows too little of the film. I’m not prepared to pre-judge his performance or his general ability to carry a credible lead in a martial arts film. I am always skeptical of pop stars who try to be martial arts stars but Rain has proven to be a quick study based on behind-the-scenes footage.

As for the remake, it’s marketing hype. Without Bruce Lee, any remake of his films is just another film with the exception of Jet Li’s FIST OF LEGEND, director Gordon Chan’s quality remake of Lee’s 1972 classic FIST OF FURY. The difference here is that FIST OF FURY actually had a solid story that resonated with audiences in Hong Kong and abroad. ENTER THE DRAGON has nothing worth salvaging without Lee. It would be like remaking POLICE STORY without Jackie Chan in his prime. Just based on the two-year-old description of Sutter’s remake, AWAKEN THE DRAGON already appears to be substantially different.

Sources: Latino Review via FirstShowing.net, Variety

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  • The Dragon
    Sorry, I meant Gene Kelly.
  • The Dragon
    This is like remaking Fred Astaire's "Singing In The Rain", without real dancers... In fact, let's not use dancers, let's use Mimes in the title role.
  • Jake
    Sorry to go against the flow of the posts here but surely this is giving to be a good thing. Sure this pop-star Rain does not doesn't have any right to remake any Bruce Lee film. However, I believe that however bad this movie turns out to be it's going to inspire a new generation of youngsters to search out more martial-arts films. Eventually leading to new genre fans learning about the better films, may be popularising the latest Donnie Yen or Tony Jaa film, bringing higher-quality Asian action to the UK/US... May be even more cinema releases?
  • I have a sneaking suspicion that this film will not be an exact remake, but more of an "inspired by" type film. I think the producers would be very careful not to offend Bruce Lee fans. Especially the Chinese fans.

    In any event, I'd be very curious to learn more.
  • gregorysmith
    I cant believe the are going to remake the classic movie th put Bruce Lee On the map In the USA. You cant remake this classical movie and do it justies. Holly wood has just ran out of ideals and also this actor there considering to play the role Bruce Lee did isnt a Martial Artist . What the hell is holly weird thinking of! GEEZE!
  • WingChunBoyz
    I don't think it's a good idea to have Rain take on the role, he's not even a martial artist, he's a Pop star. I give him credit for his romance comedy role in Full House, but I definitely can't picture him whooping someone's ass in a Bruce Lee remake. And plus he's not Chinese, it should be a Chinese martial arts actor like Donny Yen. Donny Yen's had extensive training in MMA, wing chun, wushu, and other martial arts, plus he starred in a Fist of Fury Chinese Hong Kong series in the mid 90's. I thought Donny did a good job in portraying Chen Zhen. A lot of Chinese people are gonna be pissed if Rain takes on the role.
  • paul
    I saw this title and about killed someone. But then when I read into it, the rage subsided.

    For those who saw the title and immediately commented, you should actually read the article so you can delete your comment and not feel retarded.

    This story has one and only one thing similar to Enter the Dragon, and that is the word "Dragon" in the title. After that, there's no similarity at all in the plot lines.

    I do think it's pretty low to try and use this kind of crappy marketing technique though.


    Everyone who's anyone knows that you could never outdo or show up Lee. And I find it funny that they may use Rain for this role, because Bruce always said that the lead for a martial arts film should be a real martial artist.

    R.I.P. Bruce Lee
  • zetaGundam
    Hollywood should stop trying to bank on their classics and instead put money into making a fresh new idea and create a entirely new classic for us to love and enjoy. These remakes are getting so ridiculous these days its seem to me that people have lost creativity and imagination...
  • santoscaez
    Please! Leave this alone! Bruce must be turning in his grave. Enough with the watered down remakes! No one can touch Bruce on the big screen, what a disgrace! You might as well piss on Lee's grave site while your at it!

    PRICKS!!!!!!
  • timglover
    It took Bruce Lee, an incredibly talented martial artist with charisma that has not been seen on the MA front since his untimely death 32 years to deliver a career defining performance in Enter the Dragon. Rain could train for the next 60 years and he would still be unsuitable to play any role associated with the late great Bruce Lee. This is not necessarily a dig at Rain but just a statement of fact.

    Rain is not a trained martial artist and as a result he sets himself up for failure in trying to cover a part once played by arguably the greatest martial artist ever to live. As mentioned here the only remake worthy of being associated with the Lee canon is Jet Li's Fist of Legend but again we are talking about one of the two or three transcendent martial artist in Li over the last generation who was also classically trained.

    If they (the producers) want to do this movie about a "lone FBI agent who pursues a rogue Shaolin monk” (which actually sounds like a decent premise) more power to them but why does it have to be linked to ETD? I hope this project dies on the vine in its current incarnation.
  • tonyjaa
    I saw the sneak preview of NINJA ASSASSIN at Comicon last month, did any of you? It was hardcore "R," pretty much bloody action packed fighting, slicing and goring, headbashing, flying stars, swords, chain and dagger. (Well, there was a story, too, pretty much an homage to the genre's stereoplots.) Everyone speculating about Rain's performance--let me tell you as one who was there, he did not disappoint in any department. I totally can see why WB would be excited to cast him in another MA film.

    Debating whether it's better to have a MA expert who's not an actor or train an actor up is sorta moot, isn't it? We want the choreography to be exciting, we want the action to be believable, we want someone to root for, we want be caught up in a wild fantasy, we want to be entertained out of our skulls.

    I love Jet Li and many of these older guys, but I want to see a new Asian star step up to carry the torch. You should too if you want to see more mainstream MA films. People making judgments on the basis of rumors or a trailer? NA is not aimed at pop fans, it is too hard core. The audience coming out of the sneak preview for NA were STOKED. See it yourself then judge. Personally I can't wait to see it again.
  • Fastfist3
    What do you guys think about having Cung Le audition for the role of Bruce Lee or Donny Yen? Cung Le certainly has winning martial art skills but limited on acting experience but Donny Yen would be an easy fit.
  • Casey
    Cung Le couldn't be anymore stoic than Jet Li, so I wouldn't worry about acting in a sense of martial artists turned actors. That, and we know Cung Le could whoop some ass and look good doing it.
  • BruisedLo
    give me a barf bag please. enter the drag queen is more like it. enough Fking bruce lee's work.
  • danielzelter
    I see. My bad.
  • danielzelter
    If they want an Enter the Dragon actor in a remake, why not Jet, Donnie, or Tony? Oh, yes, because they have to appeal to teen idol fans, and not MA fans. =p

    "It would be like remaking POLICE STORY without Jackie Chan in his prime."

    I'm guessing someone didn't like NPS.
  • It was not my intention to take a swipe at NEW POLICE STORY but I can see why you might think I had.
  • stdthagreat
    I know hollywood is in a lazy mode with their reboots and remakes ,but why mess with perfection. If their going to do a new fu flick thats great, but don't attach it to ETD.
  • darkwarrior
    I think they should slow down a-bit Rain,s first film has not opened yet & now they are palnning to re-make ETD.
    Madness!!!!!
    If they were going to re-make it we all know who should be in it.
    After he did Bruce well in The Legend Of Bruce Lee TV series NOT Rain.
  • Whydoesitmatter?
    OK.... hmmm...here me out, if RAIN put in 6mths of training for ninja assassin, if he were to do the sam again for this movie wouldn't that be a good thing? No one will ever be bruce and i hope the script doesnt depend on what bruce brought to the table. Who knows, this might be good... wonder who will be the director, will samo or woo ping choreograph?
  • jiujitsu77
    on second thought...don't hire me. I look like i crawled out of a grizzly bear's behind right now
  • jiujitsu77
    just once....ONCE i wish stupid hollywoodn't could find someone who DESERVES the role. I know there can be only one, but why not look for Bruce Lee? Im not talking about a clone, im talking about an unknown competent martial artist who has the looks and charisma that will translate well on screen. It couldn't hurt? Enough of this pop star bullshit. there are plenty of hungry actors out there. hell....hire me
  • Hmmm, you're right. You can count the number of pop stars who have made martial arts films up to "our" standards on one hand.
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