Deadline reports that writer and producer Jason Ning is developing a new take on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon for Sony Pictures Television. If his name rings a bell, it's likely because he was recently tapped to serve as co-executive producer on Silk: Spider Society with showrunner Angela Kang.
Ning will adapt Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the other four novels in Wang DuLu's Crane Iron Pentalogy, published between 1938 and 1944, which chronicle the struggles of four generations of youxia, a type of ancient Chinese warrior folk hero.
You probably don't need us to tell you that the story was previously brought to the big screen by Ang Lee in what ended up being an Oscar-winning hit. This series will give Sony the chance to tell the story in much greater detail, and the studio is keen to move forward with this small screen adaptation after recently regaining the rights to the property through its deal with Vertigo.
Roy Lee and Miri Yoon from that studio are attached as executive producers, as is Johnny Levin.
Ning's credits include shows like Lucifer, The Expanse, and Perception, but his involvement in Silk, one of the many characters from Spider-Man's world owned by Sony, is what's generated a lot of buzz around the filmmaker. Other projects he has on the way include Mrs. Davis and The Brothers Sun.
A sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was released on Netflix in 2016 titled Sword of Destiny. Michelle Yeoh was the only original cast member to return, while the first movie's action choreographer, Yuen Woo-ping, stepped in to direct. It didn't receive a particularly warm response and was actually shot in English before later being dubbed into Mandarin.
It's unclear what direction this TV series will take, though we'd imagine it will be respectful and faithful to the books. There's no word on a creative team or cast at this stage as it's still early days.
Stay tuned for updates.
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