You and I might not know each other, but I want you to know that I care about your good health. So just in case you haven't reached your female-led reboot quota for the day, I've got some news that'll be certain to help top you off. Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Fox has signed on the dotted line for KUNG FU, a drama with a female lead based on the 1970s David Carradine-starring TV series.
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The project, which will be executively produced by Greg Berlanti, was given a put pilot commitment. To clarify, a put pilot is a pilot that the network has agreed to air either as a special or series. Furthermore, if the network opts not air the pilot episode, the network will owe a substantial amount of money in penalties to the studio.
With a script penned by ARROW executive producer and established Berlanti collaborator Wendy Mericle, KUNG FU will be framed as a sequel to the original series, which was created by Ed Spielman. Set in the 1880s, KUNG FU chronicles the adventures of Kwai Chang Caine (Carradine), a Shaolin monk who travels the American Old West armed only with his spiritual training — including a ton of pithy observations — and his skill in martial arts in search of his half-brother.
According to Deadline, the new KUNG FU follows the adventures of Lucy Chang, a Buddhist monk and kung fu master who travels through 1950s America armed only with her spiritual training and her martial arts skills as she searches for the man who stole her child years before. When she teams with JT Cullen, a charming Korean war vet with his own secrets, the two form an unlikely alliance that allows Lucy to continue her search while also coming to the aid of people in need. (It is unclear whether Carradine’s character and Lucy Chang are related.)
If the pilot is successful, it would be considered a milestone as a broadcast drama series with two Asian leads.
The female-led KUNG FU reboot is the second lady-centric pilot project to be announced through Fox, this afternoon. Earlier, the major network unveiled their plans to green light a script commitment with penalty for THE NICE GIRLS TV series, a gender-bent version of Shane Black's 2016 comedic crime drama THE NICE GUYS starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe.
To quote the great Hooper X of CHASING AMY fame, "The chickens is comin' home to roost y'all."