The largely mysterious path of the 2024 movie schedule is ready to lead audiences to what could become their new favorites. Nobody knows if something that’s already locked and loaded on the calendar could become one of the best action movies, or the brightest among any genre for that matter. While it’s still uncertain when Universal’s cinematic reboot of David Carradine’s Kung Fu series is slated for release, it’s just cast a perfect lead in John Wick: Chapter 4 star Donnie Yen.
What makes this scenario reported by Deadline even more perfect is the fact that production company 87North is still behind the project, with Kung Fu creator Ed Spielman on board as an executive producer. Furthermore, the action star from such films as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the Ip Man saga is also potentially teaming up with another John Wick vet, who may be operating behind the camera.
Among those previously attached when the Kung Fu reboot was first announced in 2020 is director David Leitch, who slated this cinematic reboot as his Hobbs and Shaw follow-up. The current reporting states that The Fall Guy director is “eying” the director’s chair at the moment, but to be fair, the eventual “follow-up” to Leitch's Fast and Furious spin-off happened to be the box office smash Bullet Train. So at this moment, it’s uncertain who’ll be helming, but one can hope that the intended director gets to work with Donnie Yen on this new variant of Caine’s saga.
The Kung Fu property has been revived a couple of times since the original 1972-1975 series run concluded on ABC. Carradine himself reprised Caine for both the 1986 TV movie Kung Fu: The Movie, as well as the continuation series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, which ran in syndication between 1993 and 1997.
Meanwhile, the non-David entries saw both a Brandon Lee-fronted pilot, Kung Fu: The Next Generation, as well as the three-season-long reimagining starring Olivia Liang. That latter project spanned between 2021 and 2023, becoming part of The CW’s cancellation bloodbath of 2023.
Which leads us to this moment, in which Donnie Yen might roam the earth, using his action skills only to survive and defend those in need. Yeah, this Kung Fu reboot is already sounding like a pretty sweet deal. Of course, now all that has to happen is for plans to get into gear and schedules to align. Currently, Kung Fu does not have a slated production start or release date to call its own.
However, if you’re a fan of both 87North and director David Leitch, The Fall Guy’s trailer should be enough to help you weather the wait. The Ryan Gosling-starring action/comedy is currently awaiting release, only in theaters, on May 3rd. Though if you’re in the mood to see Donnie Yen wrecking shop as the aptly-named Caine in John Wick: Chapter 4, you can currently stream that title with Starz, which is an easy add-on to your Prime Video subscription.
