Ang Lee enters nepo baby discourse, will direct son Mason in Bruce Lee biopic

Two-time Oscar-winning director Ang Lee’s next project will be a biopic of Bruce Lee, with the filmmaker’s son, Mason, set to star as the martial arts icon. The elder Lee is, of course, no stranger to directing spectacular action sequences, having been behind Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

“Accepted as neither fully American nor fully Chinese, Bruce Lee was a bridge between East and West who introduced Chinese Kung Fu to the world, a scientist of combat and an iconic performing artist who revolutionized both the martial arts and action cinema,” Ang Lee says in a statement provided to Deadline. “I feel compelled to tell the story of this brilliant, unique human being who yearned for belonging, possessed tremendous power in a 135-pound-frame, and who, through tireless hard work, made impossible dreams into reality.”

Bruce Lee’s daughter Shannon will serve as a producer on the project. She has long overseen her father’s legacy, speaking out against his depiction in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and appearing in Bao Nguyen’s ESPN 30 For 30 documentary Be Water in recent years.

Mason Lee made his onscreen debut as a baby in his father’s film The Wedding Banquet. As an adult, he appeared in Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk in 2016. His other credits include Cathy Yan’s Dead Pigs and an episode of Fresh Off The Boat. Deadline reports that he has already been training for the physical demands of the Bruce Lee role for three years, which really shows an awareness of the inevitable nepo baby discourse.

“Bruce Lee is a longtime passion project for Ang and a deeply emotional story depicting the triumphs and conflicts of one of the foremost real-life action heroes of our time,” executive producer Elizabeth Gabler says. “All of us at Sony and 3000 Pictures are proud to help Ang and his filmmaking team create what we believe will be an extraordinary theatrical event.”

Ang Lee’s most recent feature was 2019's Gemini. He previously won Academy Awards for his work on Brokeback Mountain and Life Of Pi. His other projects include Sense And Sensibility, Hulk, and Lust, Caution.