In the early 70s, Bruce Lee developed a concept for a potential TV series about a martial artist in the American Old West but was having difficulty pitching the series to networks. Warner Bros. allegedly took that concept and transformed it into Kung Fu, the 70s series which starred David Carradine, and gave Lee no credit. Now, decades later, Lee's original idea has been brought to life as Warrior, an upcoming Cinemax series which stars Andrew Koji as Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who emigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances and becomes a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful crime families. Check out the new trailer for the action-packed series above.
Warrior comes from Jonathan Tropper, co-creator of Banshee, another action-packed Cinemax series, and Justin Lin, best known for work on the FAST & FURIOUS movies as well as STAR TREK BEYOND. I’ve always admired Bruce Lee for his trailblazing efforts opening doors for Asians in entertainment and beyond," Lin said in a statement when the project was announced. "So I was intrigued when Danielle [Woodrow] told me about the urban legend of his never-produced idea for a TV show and suggested we bring it to life."
The official synopsis for Warrior
WARRIOR is a gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series follows Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who emigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances and becomes a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful tongs – also known as a Chinese organized crime family.
Warrior will debut on Cinemax on April 5, 2019.