{TB EXCLUSIVE} Universal & Legendary Team Up for the Return of “KUNG FU”

by: Mac Maclamore

Legendary has reinvigorated efforts to get their planned KUNG FU remake off the ground, and officially put this one into development under their Universal deal. The project, which has been announced and re-announced several times over the past few years, saw it’s last major announcement on Halloween in 2011, with Bill Paxton set to helm from a script by John McLaughlin. Well, two and half years have passed, and those attachments are but a distant memory. In fact, since then Legendary (who never let this one slip too far out of active development) have brought on a number of other writers, including “Priest” and “Annabelle” writer Cory Goodman, and Rich Wilkes, who penned the upcoming Disney and Marvel project “Iron Fist”.

So where is the project now? With it officially being under Universal’s wing, the search for a new director is now actively underway. Sources are confirming that producers are looking for a director to restructure the project around before any future rewrites are tackled. We’re also hearing that the new plan may be to modernize the tale, bringing our story to current day. With this, I’m sure there will be some fan outrage, but how much more can there be after the original outrage of casting David Carradine instead of Bruce Lee in the original series. So, with the new plan, if we see the modern jump, instead of a late 1800s tale, look for an out of place monk journeying across America in search of his father, now facing even more dangerous foes than once before. My pitch would have to be somewhere in line with “Think ‘Crocodile Dundee’ meets ‘The Raid'”.  But, keep in mind, with the addition of a new director anything and everything could change. Space Kung Fu, perhaps?

Jon Jashni, Scott Mednick, Thomas Tull and Vincent Newman will produce.

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