The enduring legacy ofBruce Lee has continued many years after his death, with films like The Last Dragon paying homage to the martial arts legend by incorporating him into the narrative as a major plot point. Despite Bruce Lee having made only 5 movies before his tragic ing in 1973, he was able to become one of the most iconic names in cinema history, let alone the martial arts genre that he dominated. This has been endlessly proven by the multitude of films that heavily rely on Lee's influence as a story beat, including The Last Dragon. 2l6k2

One move featured in Karate Kid: Legends is the perfect nod to Bruce Lee, one of the most popular martial artists of all time. Karate Kid: Legends is the first film in the franchise in 15 years and is exciting for longtime fans since it features both Jackie Chan's Mr. Han and Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso. In the film, Mr. Han and Daniel team up to train Li Fong, who is played by Ben Wang. However, Li also trains a student of his own in Karate Kid: Legends.

Bruce Lee is known for crafting some of the best fights in cinema, but his greatest scene came in a film that he almost got fired from. Though Lee got his start onscreen when he was an infant, the legendary martial artist would break into Hollywood with the role of Kato in the Green Hornet TV series. Lee would return to Hong Kong in the early 1970s, where he earned the chance to lead films and show off his impressive martial arts acumen at the same time. His last few years before his tragic early death produced his best work.

Bruce Lee was a true legend, not only in martial arts but in the world of cinema, as his skills, charisma, and teachings reshaped the way the world viewed movement on screen. The icon brought a new level of intensity to fight scenes, making them feel more like a form of art than anything else. Lee didn't just perform, but made every move count, blending speed, power, and grace in a way no one had seen before.

Years before becoming a kung fu movie superstar, Bruce Lee considered dropping martial arts altogether. In addition to his starring roles in classics like Enter the Dragon and Way of the Dragon, Lee's highly disciplined approach to martial arts is an important part of his legacy and image.

Of all the clashes between classic kung-fu and martial arts movie legends, few are as notorious as the fight between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. The Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris fight in Way of the Dragon went on to gain cult status among martial arts movie fans due to the careers of both legends of the genre, but many still wonder who won and how it came to be.

Bruce Lee practiced several martial arts styles over the years. Having acquired an interest in martial arts at a very young age, Lee spent most of his life developing his skills as a fighter. While most martial artists tend to devote their time to mastering a single way of fighting, Lee always evolved, picking up moves, stances, and ideas from other styles. Unlike the biggest actors in the martial arts genre, Lee never had a black belt and only spent a very short period as a student in a martial arts school.

While Bruce Lee’s fame made it seem likemartial arts movies were ready to become a mainstream phenomenon, there is a range of reasons that this trend never really took off after his untimely death. Lee was a one-of-a-kind star. The actor’s movies brought martial arts to the mainstream and changed the history of the action genre in the process, influencing most of the biggest stars in martial arts cinema history during the decades after his death. Lee’s impact on action cinema can still be felt to this day, which makes it somewhat surprising that Hollywood never fully embraced martial arts movies after his death.

Bruce Lee might be the most well-known martial arts star, but there are also many other kung fu stars that his fans would love. Instrumental in popularizing martial arts films around the globe, Bruce Lee's greatest movies like Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon are staples in the kung fu genre that remain influential to actors, directors, and filmmakers in the action genre. Despite only making five kung fu movies before unexpectedly and heartbreakingly ing away in 1973, Bruce Lee's legacy made martial arts films a global phenomenon, and led to the rise of other big-screen martial artists.

Lawrence Grey, producer on the Bruce Lee biopic being directed by Academy-Award winner Ang Lee, says their leading man has been training for five years to perfect Bruce’s fighting style. Officially announced in November 2022, it was revealed that not only would the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon director be helming the as-yet-untitled biopic, but he also cast his own son Mason Lee as the legendary martial artist. Mason Lee, who is best known for his role in The Hangover Part II, already boasts a long list of screen credits and was still an infant when his father first cast him in 1993’s The Wedding Banquet.