A series adaptation of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is in the works at Prime Video, and it could quickly overshadow the 2000 film version. Like the movie, this show will be adapted from the 1941 novel by Wang Dulu, but that book was one of five in a series. The movie only tackled one part of this epic saga, leaving room for the TV show to break new ground. According to a report by Deadline, the series is just entering development, but it has two big names behind it — Jason Ning and Ron Moore. The project comes from Sony, so the combination of a lauded creative team and recognizable IP might give this show a serious shot as success.
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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is actually the fourth book in Dulu’s Crane-Iron Pentalogy — an iconic series in the Chinese genre wuxia, or youxia. The term literally translates to “martial arts and chivalry,” and these stories tare typically historical fantasies about wandering martial artists in ancient China. Dulu’s series is a multi-generational melodrama, with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon covering just one generation’s entanglement.
Western audiences are already familiar with this story thanks to the 2000 film adaptation directed by Ang Lee, and starring Michelle Yeoh as the heroine Yu Shu Lien opposite Chow Yun-fat as Li Mu Bai. The two warriors share a mutual attraction that they are unwilling to act on because Shu Lien was once betrothed to Mu Bai’s best friend before his untimely death. As Mu Bai attempts to retire from the life of a swordsman, the two are caught up in one last fight where their dynamic is reflected back to them in the form of younger characters.
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It’s definitely the kind of story that will do well in serialization, and Ning is equipped to write the adaptation. His credits include The Expanse, Lucifer, and The Brothers Sun. Moore, meanwhile, is best known for the 2004 reboot of Battlestar Galactica, along with many Star Trek titles over the years. Both have overall deals with Sony, and Moore is also working on the studio’s TV adaptation of God of War.
Although it is only in development, this project already has a growing team of executive producers including Maril Davis, Johnny Levin, Ying Lou and Roy Lee, as well as two EPs representing the Wang Dulu estate — Hong Wang and Qin Wang. At the time of this writing, there are no official English translations of the Crane-Iron series, though the first two novels have been published in French.
The Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon series is in development now, with no release date or production schedule. The 2000 movie version is available to stream on Max at the time of this writing.
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