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Bruce Lee vs. AI: Chinese studios announce a plan to update kung-fu classics including Fist of Fury, Drunken Master, and more using artificial intelligence

The Kung Fu Movie Heritage Project 100 Classics AI Revitalization Project will let Chinese studios partner with tech companies to reshape some iconic movies starring Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and more

News by Graeme McMillan, Editor

Published on Thu Jun 19 2025

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If fans got upset about the Special Editions of the original Star Wars trilogy, which saw director George Lucas go back and digitally tinker with the movies that defined a generation, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of response awaits the announcement that 100 classic martial arts movies are about to be reworked with AI additions — including films starring Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and Jackie Chan.

An announcement at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival revealed the plan to remaster and “reimagine” 100 martial arts classics using artificial intelligence under the project name the ‘Kung Fu Movie Heritage Project 100 Classics AI Revitalization Project,’ including Drunken Master, Once Upon a Time in China, and Bruce Lee’s breakthrough project, Fist of Fury. Also included in the project is A Better Tomorrow: Cyber Border, a reimagining of the John Woo 1986 movie starring Chow Yun-Fat that is describe as being “the world’s first full-process, AI-produced animated feature film.”

10 movies will be reworked in the first phase of the project, although it wasn’t announced which titles would be prioritized. No release schedule has been announced as of writing.

Tian Ming, chairman of Chinese media giant Canxing Media, was keen to emphasize that, despite the use of AI, the human touch wouldn’t be lost in these reworking. “AI is the brush, but creativity is the soul,” he explained. “Classic kung fu films embody China’s spiritual backbone. We’re inviting global partners to join this cultural and technological reboot.” However, he also said that he hoped the move would “reshape the visual aesthetics” of the original versions of the movies, which might sound particularly foreboding to many fans.

Expect updates on these updated classics as they near release.

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Graeme McMillan: Popverse Editor Graeme McMillan (he/him) has been writing about comics, culture, and comics culture on the internet for close to two decades at this point, which is terrifying to admit. He completely understands if you have problems understanding his accent.