At a time when the Western world wasn’t yet acquainted with wuxia films, a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China, Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee dropped an enduring classic in the form of 2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. 25 years after its well-received debut, the eastern action saga is returning as a live-action series at Amazon Prime Video, with Sony Pictures Television producing.
Jason Ning (Lucifer, The Expanse) is writing and executive producing the project, which was first announced in 2023. Ronald D. Moore (For All Mankind, Battlestar Galactica), who’s currently working on the God of War adaptation for the Amazon-owned streamer, came aboard last year, joining Maril Davis via Tall Ship Productions. Roy Lee and Miri Yoon from Vertigo, alongside Johnny Levin, are also attached to the show.
No release date or cast list has been announced, and it’s unclear if its story will remain faithful to the source material, but the official logline gives an idea of what to expect:
“Amidst stunning landscapes and spectacular action, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon follows Shu Lien and Mu Bai, two star-crossed warriors, as they struggle between forbidden love and the pull of modernity — caught between preserving their way of life or embracing a future together.”
Based on the Crane-Iron Pentalogy (鶴鐵系列) novels by Wang Dulu, the original Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon starred Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-Fat, and Zhang Ziyi. It featured elements from other parts of the collection and became the first non-English-language film to receive the most Oscars nominations until Roma tied this record in 2018.
Yeoh returned to the sequel in 2016, released on Netflix as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. It scored a lukewarm reception, despite the combined star power of her and Ip Man‘s Donnie Yen. As for the novel, the literary classic was published between 1941 and 1942, with Crane Startles Kunlun (鹤惊昆仑), Precious Sword, Golden Hairpin (宝剑金釵), Sword Force, Pearl Shine (剑气珠光), and Iron Knight Silver Vase (铁骑银瓶) forming the rest of the collection.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Yonk
Natalie
Kevin Low
