In an unlikely but extremely promising match-up, Killing Them Softly writer-director Andrew Dominik has been tapped by Perfect Storm Entertainment and Beijing Enlight Pictures to pen the script for Shaolin Temple, a martial arts revenge epic which is set to be directed by The Fast and the Furious helmer Justin Lin.
The pic, a remake of the 1982 movie on which martial arts legend Jet Li made his feature debut, is being planned as a big-scale 3D epic with a hefty budget (when it was announced back in January, Shaolin Temple‘s projected budget clocked in at over $100 million). It’s inspired by Shaolin myth and takes place in ancient China, during the transition period between the Sui Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty.
As per Deadline: When the Tang emperor is betrayed by one of his generals, the son of one of his slave workers escapes to the temple, trains in kung fu, and sets out to kill the traitor.
Dominik, also known for his films Chopper and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, is currently working on the Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde, in which Jessica Chastain will take on the role of the iconic movie star. It’s unclear whether his involvement in Shaolin Temple will begin after that project or further delay it. For his part, Lin is currently helming the untitled fifth installment of Universal’s Bourne franchise, which is expected to again star Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz, but Shaolin Temple is up next for him.
It’s a talented duo, to be sure, and Dominik’s gritty, dramatic scripting should pair well with Lin’s slick direction for a martial arts epic like this, but the decision to go ahead with such a pricey venture must have been a difficult one in light of the Keanu Reeves-led 47 Ronin‘s notable failure at the box office. Here’s hoping Shaolin Temple is met with more open arms.
