--- description: The Australian filmmaker is reportedly interested in helming a remake of the 1970s Western cult classic, which originally starred David Carradine title: Baz Luhrmann could be making a "Kung Fu" movie image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18297cf581ada64e/69868a8435ba6fa0d5c01805/451282773.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Baz Luhrmann In Talks to Make a _Kung Fu_ Movie by [Megan Gibson](/author/megan-gibson/) ## Megan Gibson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 14, 2014 12:21 PM CUT  Baz Luhrmann at American Museum of Natural History on November 21, 2013 in New York City. Baz Luhrmann at American Museum of Natural History on November 21, 2013 in New York City.Monica Schipper--FilmMagic by [Megan Gibson](/author/megan-gibson/) ## Megan Gibson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 14, 2014 12:21 PM CUT Can you picture a glitzy, extravagant [update of a Western classic](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/baz-luhrmann-talks-direct-kung-695285 "undefined")? It seems like Baz Luhrmann can. According to [The Hollywood _Reporter_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/baz-luhrmann-talks-direct-kung-695285 "undefined"), Luhrmann — the Australian auteur of _The Great Gatsby, Romeo + Juliet_ and _Moulin Rouge! —_ is in talks to direct _Kung Fu_, a big-screen adaptation of the 1970s martial arts Western series. The show starred David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin monk who travels through the American Old West. The show was cult favorite and also the origin of the oft-repeated phrase “young grasshopper.” _THR_ also reports that if Luhrmann does sign on, he’d likely do a rewrite on the script, penned by _Black Swan_ writer John McLaughlin, which is currently thought to be set in China, rather than the Old West. There’s no details on what vision Luhrmann would bring to the remake, but considering his past films — which have used [3D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXoNghTbRCM "undefined"), [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s12XiAOtjcg "undefined") and [fish tanks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bApvA8me8q0 "undefined") with varying levels of success — the possibilities are endless. \[[_THR_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/baz-luhrmann-talks-direct-kung-695285 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/61368/baz-luhrmann-kung-fu-remake/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/61368/baz-luhrmann-kung-fu-remake/"},"headline":"Baz Luhrmann In Talks to Make a Kung Fu Movie","datePublished":"2014-04-14T12:21:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:17:17.383Z","description":"The Australian filmmaker is reportedly interested in helming a remake of the 1970s Western cult classic, which originally starred David Carradine","url":"https://time.com/61368/baz-luhrmann-kung-fu-remake/","keywords":["movies","director"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18297cf581ada64e/69868a8435ba6fa0d5c01805/451282773.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan Gibson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/megan-gibson/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt18297cf581ada64e/69868a8435ba6fa0d5c01805/451282773.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"American Museum Of Natural History's 2013 Museum Gala","caption":"American Museum Of Natural History's 2013 Museum Gala","creditText":"Monica Schipper--FilmMagic","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/61368/baz-luhrmann-kung-fu-remake/","name":"Baz Luhrmann In Talks to Make a Kung Fu Movie"}}]}] ```