‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ Sequel To Shoot In May
A dozen years after the release ofCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Weinstein Co. is getting ready to make a sequel. Though it’s been a while since we heard about any potential follow-up toAng Lee’s international hit, it looks like the Weinsteins have quietly been making preparations behind the scenes. Production is on track to begin in May, with a script byJohn Fusco(The Forbidden Kingdom).Ronny Yu(Fearless) is in talks to direct. More details after the jump.
Crouching Tigerwas primarily based on the fourth installment of the series, though it also drew from some of the other novels. The sequel will be based on the fifth, titledIron Knight, Silver Vase. The plot picks up once again with Yu Shu Lien, who was played byMichelle Yeohin the last film. But it’ll bring in plenty of new characters as well, as Fusco explains.
While we’re on the subject of characters, it’s not clear at this point whether Yeoh or any of herCrouching Tigerco-stars will reprise their roles. We’ll know more once casting gets underway, which won’t happen until Yu’s deal is closed. Fusco says that we can expect a return fromWoo-ping Yuen, who choreographed the thrilling fight scenes in the original film. Fusco and Yuen previously collaborated onForbidden Kingdom. However — and this one’s a bummer — Lee will not be involved in the new film.
Lee’sCrouching Tigerexceeded expectations when it became a global sensation, raking in $213.5 million worldwide on a budget of just $17 million. That it’s getting a sequel isn’t really a surprise, even if it took a while. The new film could have a slightly bigger budget, but not by much;Deadlinesays only that it’s north of $20 million. A release date hasn’t been announced yet, but assuming everything goes according to plan we might see it in theaters by 2014.
Discuss:Do you think aCrouching Tigersequel without Lee is a good idea?
