Though he’s probably the last person that you’d expect to helm a big screen adaptation of the 1970’s TV series Kung Fu, Baz Luhrmann is stepping up to the plate for Universal, reports THR. The director is in talks to help the studio get the project off the ground, as it’s been sitting on the shelf for a while now.
If you recall, Bill Paxton was once set to step behind the camera, but that quickly fell through and things went quiet for a few years. Now, it looks like Universal is putting things into motion again and hopes to have the Australian director re-write the script as well.
Luhrmann is an odd choice for this type of project, that’s for sure. Mostly known for his glittery films that overload the senses with dazzling visuals and fantastic music (see: Moulin Rouge), I would have never thought in a million years that we’d be seeing the director put his talents towards something like Kung Fu. Then again, many were skeptical of his Gatsby adaptation as well, and that turned out to be fairly enjoyable.
For those unfamiliar with Kung Fu, it followed an orphan who was trained as a martial arts master and “travels around righting wrongs and delivering swift justice.” As I said, definitely not something that you’d expect to see Luhrmann attach his name to. Then again, stranger things have happened and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about how this is all going to turn out.
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