Bruce Lee makes triumphant return in trailer for 30 for 30 doc Be Water

May 29th 2020, 9:40am

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

ESPN's 30 for 30 docuseries has made a reputation for itself for its hard-hitting honesty and surprisingly hefty emotional weight. The testament of their power is that they can make me 100% invested in the lives and careers of athletes I've never heard of. For their next subject matter, they're stepping into the world of film by focusing on Bruce Lee and we get a tease of how his legacy will be explored in the first trailer for their latest doc, Be Water.

Bruce Lee was more than a movie star. In fact, that distinction may be one of his smallest achievements. He was a true athlete and master of his craft as he brought a philosophical angle to martial arts. He's arguably the most influential martial artist of all-time and he's certainly a true pop culture icon of the 20th century. Be Water looks to explore Lee's fascinating life as well as his struggle to break into a racist Hollywood system that dealt with offensive stereotypes. The archival footage alone in the trailer has me hyped or its release and the doc will also feature interviews with Lee's surviving family and friends.

Bruce Lee has always been an intriguing figure to me. He reaches almost mythic levels in my eyes and even though I don't actively follow martial arts and I'm not usually a frequent viewer of his style of film, I have always been drawn to his work. ENTER THE DRAGON is honestly one of my favorite movies of all-time and that's largely due to Lee's charisma and screen presence as he showcases fight sequences that are 100% authentic. This guy was clearly the real deal and his legacy is made all the more tragic that it's beginnings were cut so short when he suddenly died at the age of 32 after just beginning to break into movies that would've made him a true crossover star. Clearly his presence and influence were way too large to extinguish and that's why he still continues to resonate today.

Will YOU be watching? Be Water debuts on ESPN June 7, 2020, at 9 PM ET.