I always thought that if anyone was going to bring Ed Spielman's Kung Fu to the big screen it would have been Quentin Tarantino. From Jules proclamation that he would "walk the Earth like Caine from Kung Fu" at the end of Pulp Fiction to the casting of David Carradine as the titular character in his Kill Bill movies, it always seemed as though Tarantino was foreshadowing a future announcement that he would be making a feature film from the 1970s television series. If that actually is true, it looks like he may have waited just a touch too long, as now it looks like another director is looking to take the gig.
Deadline reports that Bill Paxton is looking to return behind the camera and is now in talks to direct Kung Fu for Legendary Entertainment. While Paxton doesn't have the longest directing resume around, his two films - the crime thriller Frailty and the golf drama The Greatest Game Ever Played - were both given warm receptions by critics. John McLaughlin, whose work ranges from Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan to the dismal Tommy Lee Jones comedy Bringing Down The House, is writing the script. The studio is looking to have the film in production by next summer and the plan is to shoot part of the film in China. The series was about a Shaolin Monk named Kwai Chang Caine who fled to America after killing the Chinese Emperor's nephew. While there, he searches for his brother and attempts to stop evil whenever he comes across it.
What I'm really curious about is the pitch that Paxton gave to make Legendary think that he is the right man for the job. The material doesn't resemble anything in the actor-director's filmography, but he must have something up his sleeve. What do we think, folks? Is Paxton the right guy to direct Kung Fu? Should this project even be made at all? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
