Bruce Lee (1940-73), one of the greatest martial artists and kung fu movie stars of the 20th Century, will be reincarnated in a 40-episode TV drama series entitled The Legend of Bruce Lee.

The TV programme will be produced by China International Television Corporation, a producing and marketing arm of China Central Television, for global markets.

The first of its kind on the Chinese mainland, The Legend of Bruce Lee, is scripted by veteran dramatist Qian Linsen and will be directed by Wu Ziniu, a fifth generation film director whose best known work is Evening Bell, a Silver Bear Award winner at the 19th Berlin International Film Festival in 1989.

"More than 30 years after his death, Bruce Lee is still remembered by millions of fans of Chinese kung fu movies, Chinese martial arts and Chinese philosophy," said Wu.

"We hope to portray a charismatic Bruce Lee who is not only a brilliant kung fu master, a top-notch action star, but also a man of strong will, independent thinking and national esteem."

The TV drama will chronicle Lee's life from when he was 9 years old to early 1973 when he made his signature movie Enter the Dragon.

But the TV drama will avoid touching upon his death, which remains a mystery even today, said scriptwriter Qian Linsen.

The selection of the actors and actresses for the leading roles is under way and the location shooting, scheduled to kick off in December, will probably be carried out in Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Canada and the United States, according to Wu Ziniu, the director.

And it is rumoured that Taiwan pop idol Jay Chow, dancer-turned popular actor Nie Yuan, and kung fu star Shi Tianlong from the Chinese mainland are vying for the leading role of Bruce Lee.

The TV drama series is slated to be completed and aired for audiences across the country in early 2008, to coincide with the Olympic Games in Beijing, according to Yu Shengli, the producer of the TV drama series.

(China Daily May 26, 2006)