SHANNON LEE exclusively talks 1 to 1 about how the WARRIOR Season 2 builds on the success of the first season taking her father, Bruce Lee’s, concepts and telling a gritty, layered, violent and bloody story that has many echoes for the world today. She also reveals the current and future plans to celebrate Bruce Lee’s 80th birthday anniversary in November, what is happening with the Bruce Lee museums, and upcoming books and other feature films. She outlines the direction she is trying to lead her father’s legacy so his work can be enjoyed by generations to come.
Back in 1973 a show debuted on American and then world wide tv screens called Kung Fu starring David Carradine. It was an instant success for Warner Brothers studios. Years later it was revealed that one of the first choice for the role was none other than Bruce Lee.
He had given some input into the role and when talking about the show he called it the Warrior. Even when contested Warner’s claimed it was their idea and that Bruce was probably too Oriental for TV audiences at that time, and would not be understood. This was in spite of his role as Kato in the Green Hornet TV show.
The concept lay dormant on the Lee Estate shelves until in 2015, Cinemax began developing the series with help of Fast and Furious director Justin Lin.
The first season was screened on cable TV which captured a large, enthusiastic audience. Based on this outstanding success of the first 10 episodes another second series was ordered by Cinemax, again starring the lead actors Andrew Koji and Olivia Cheng with the driving force behind the show president of the Bruce Lee Enterprise Bruce Lee’s daughter Shannon Lee.
WARRIOR is a gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series follows Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), a martial arts prodigy who emigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances. After proving his worth as a fighter, Ah Sahm becomes a hatchet man for the Hope Wei, one of Chinatown’s most powerful tongs (Chinese organized crime family).Befriended by Wang Chao (Hoon Lee), a fixer and profiteer in Chinatown, Ah Sahm is taken under the wing of Young Jun (Jason Tobin), the hard-partying son of the Hop Wei’s leader, Father Jun (Perry Yung), who is facing an imminent opium war with a rival tong. As he is indoctrinated in the rules of Chinatown gangs, Ah Sahm wins the confidence of a canny brothel madam, Ah Toy (Olivia Cheng), revealing to her the true intentions of his journey to America.
The drama series WARRIOR begins its ten-episode season FRIDAY, APRIL 5 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on CINEMAX. Filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, the show is based on the writings of martial arts legend Bruce Lee and is created and executive produced by Jonathan Tropper (CINEMAX’s “Banshee”) under Tropper Ink Productions, executive produced by Justin Lin (director of “Fast & Furious 6”) for Perfect Storm Entertainment and executive produced by Shannon Lee for Bruce Lee Entertainment.
Later, in search of a woman who left China two years earlier, Ah Sahm crosses paths with Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) and Li Yong (Joe Taslim), followers of the rival tong leader Long Zii (Henry Yuk), who is trying to avoid an opium war with the Hop We – a war that Walter Buckley (Langley Kirkwood), deputy to San Francisco Mayor Samuel Blake (Christian McKay), actively promotes. Meanwhile, after two Chinese laborers are killed by white thugs, police sergeant “Big Bill” O’Hara (Kieran Bew) is tasked with creating a Chinatown squad. Enlisting southern-born cop Richard Henry Lee (Tom Weston-Jones), Bill soon finds that the hostility between the Chinese and white dock workers, whose unofficial leader is Irish tough Dylan Leary (Dean Jagger), is unlikely to end anytime soon.
SHANNON LEE
Executive Producer Bruce Lee Entertainment
SHANNON LEE is the CEO and Owner of the Bruce Lee Family Companies. Shannon’s mission is to teach people about Bruce Lee’s philosophy through education and entertainment. In addition to being the daughter of Bruce Lee, Shannon is a singer, actor, producer, speaker, writer and mother. Her first book will be published in 2020 on her father’s philosophy and how to use it in daily life.
Shannon also chairs the Bruce Lee Foundation, a 501c3 charity that serves young people by introducing them to martial arts, philosophy, self-discovery, and harmonious living. The foundation awards scholarships for programs like Camp Bruce Lee—a summer camp that teaches Bruce Lee’s philosophy to kids ages 5-11 by engaging their mind, body and spirit.
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