Birth of the Dragon

Birth of the Dragon
A black-and-white Bruce Lee (Philip Wan-lung Ng), seen from the chest-up, stands in front of a red flame-sparks background.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGeorge Nolfi
Written by
Based on"Bruce Lee's Toughest Fight"
by Michael Dorgan
Produced by
  • Michael London
  • Janice Williams
  • James Hong Pang
  • Leo Shi Young
  • Stephen J. Rivele
  • Christopher Wilkinson
Starring
CinematographyAmir Mokri
Edited byJoel Viertel
Music by
Production
companies
  • Groundswell Productions
  • Kylin Pictures
  • Anomaly Entertainment
Distributed by
Release dates
  • September 13, 2016 (2016-09-13) (TIFF)
  • August 25, 2017 (2017-08-25) (United States)
Running time
89 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Mandarin
Budget$31 million[2]
Box office$7.2 million[3]

Birth of the Dragon is a 2016 American martial arts action film directed by George Nolfi and written by Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele. The film stars Philip Wan-lung Ng, Xia Yu, Jin Xing, Qu Jingjing, Ron Yuan, and Billy Magnussen. Based on Michael Dorgan's article "Bruce Lee's Toughest Fight", the film is a fictional account on the supposedly true story revolving around Bruce Lee who, as a young martial artist, challenged kung fu master Wong Jack-man in 1964 in San Francisco.

Principal photography began in Vancouver, Canada on November 17, 2015. Birth of the Dragon was selected to be screened in the Special Presentations section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival,[4] and was released in select theaters on August 25, 2017, by OTL Releasing, BH Tilt and WWE Studios.[5][6] The film received negative reviews from critics.

  1. ^ "Birth of the Dragon (2017)". AllMovie. RhythmOne. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  2. ^ Rainey, James (January 29, 2016). "How a Bruce Lee Origin Tale Is Taking Flight With Chinese Money and Abundant Diplomacy". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  3. ^ "Birth of the Dragon". The Numbers. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  4. ^ Jaafar, Ali (July 26, 2016). "Toronto To Open With 'The Magnificent Seven'; 'La La Land', 'Deepwater Horizon' Among Galas & Presentations". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  5. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 1, 2017). "Bruce Lee-Wong Jack-man Brawler 'Birth Of The Dragon' To Land At BH Tilt & WWE Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  6. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 12, 2017). "Bruce Lee Origins Pic 'Birth Of The Dragon' Punches August Release Date". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved June 29, 2018.