China films Bruce Lee series
China’s national broadcaster has started shooting a 40-part series on the late action film star Bruce Lee, part of an apparent bid to promote Chinese culture in the run-up to next year’s Beijing Summer Olympics.
China Central Television started filming “The Legend of Bruce Lee” last weekend in Shunde in Guangdong province in southern China, Xinhua News Agency reported this week. Shunde is the ancestral home of the martial arts icon, who was born in San Francisco in 1940.
Xinhua said the $6.4-million production will also be filmed in Hong Kong and the United States, where Lee studied and launched his acting career.
“I’m nervous and also excited, but I will do my best,” said Chen Guokun, who plays Lee.
Chen, best known for his role in the action comedy “Kung Fu Hustle,” said he has practiced kung fu for many years and that from the time he was a child, Lee had been his role model.
Lee died in 1973 at age 32 from swelling of the brain. His films include “Fists of Fury” and “Enter the Dragon.”
The TV series is due to be aired in 2008.
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