A biopic of Bruce Lee is now in the works. Lee was an iconic Chinese American martial artist and actor who starred in a variety of films and television series from the 1950s through his death in 1973 at age 32. He was recently brought to life onscreen in Quentin Tarantino's 2019 classic Hollywood film Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, as played by Mike Moh.

​​​​​​Per Variety, a Bruce Lee biopic is in the works from celebrated director Ang Lee, who has won two Oscars for his films Brokeback Mountain in 2006 and Life of Pi in 2013. Despite sharing a family name, the Taiwanese director is not related to his subject, though he is related to his star, as his son Mason Lee will be taking on the iconic role. The script is being written by Foxcatcher and Capote scribe Dan Futterman.

Why Ang Lee is the Perfect Director for a Bruce Lee Biopic


Ang Lee's career has included a wide variety of entries in various genres, all of which have provided him the perfect grounding to approach a project like this. On the biopic angle, he has plenty of experience with more intimate human-sized stories in films like his 1995 Jane Austen adaptation Sense and Sensibility and his 2007 erotic drama Lust, Caution. Although none of his films have specifically been adapted from the life of a real person before, many of his projects are well-observed enough to feel like they may have been, including his 2016 Ben Fountain adaptation Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.

In addition to his skills in telling compelling human dramas, Lee has also long since proven he has the chops to deliver propulsive action. One of his many Oscar-nominated films is 2000's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a wuxia film that combined Western and Eastern sensibilities into one enormous hit blockbuster. He would go on to direct big-budget action in films like the early Marvel film Hulk in 2003 and the high-tech 2019 blockbuster Gemini Man, starring Will Smith as two versions of the same character at different ages.

Where You Might Have Seen Mason Lee Before


Although he has been acting for quite some time, this upcoming Bruce Lee biopic will be only the second major feature collaboration between the father and son duo. After playing a baby in Ang Lee's 1993 film The Wedding Banquet, he went on to hold a major role in Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. His best-known work is in projects that his father did not have a hand in, including playing Teddy in 2011's The Hangover Part II, he held roles in the 2014 Scarlett Johansson action film Lucy as well as a 2016 episode of the sitcom Fresh Off the Boat.