The legacy of legendary martial artist Bruce Lee just got its second, or perhaps third wind. Season 3 of HBO Max seriesWarrioris finally set to begin production soon, allowing fans of the show inspired by Lee’s own original concept to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The announcement was made on the official Twitter account of Lee’s image and family, thanks to a video from his daughter, Shannon Lee. She serves as executive producer for the series alongside formerFast & Furiousdirector Justin Lin. Based on a story written by Lee himself,the arguably underappreciatedWarriorfollows a Chinese martial arts prodigy named Ah Sahm (played by Andrew Koji) in the late 1870s who travels to America hoping to find his sister. He finds himself in San Francisco only to get wrapped up in a secret criminal society of fellow Chinese immigrants. This is a departure from Lee’s original concept, which kept the same basic story but set it in the American Old West.
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Shannon Lee announced the news in a video book-ended byfootage from the show, and it turns out the production start date is a significant one regarding her late father. “So, you know how July 20th is a very special date in the Bruce Lee legacy?” she started off. “It is the day that my father passed away. Well, this year, we get to celebrate him and his legacy in a really, really special way. But on July 18th instead of July 20th. What’s happening on July 18th, you ask? Well, the whole cast and crew ofWarriorare getting together… to start filming season 3!”
Warriororiginally aired on Cinemax in 2019 before quickly earning a second season. While season 2 dropped in 2020, the series was canceled shortly after as Cinemax ceased its production of original programming. Fans immediately began calling for someone else to pick up the series. But while HBO Max gained the rights to stream the already aired episodes, it wasn’t until April of 2021 that the service finally greenlit a 3rd season. This came aftera passionate fan campaignto keep the show alive, including a petition that had gained nearly 70,000 signatures at the time of renewal. So now, fans have basically been waiting well over a year for an update, making this news from the younger Lee a refreshing salve for that long-standing ache.
Lee actually made legitimate attempts to get his original story on TV back in the early 70s, having difficulties pitching the idea to Warner Bros. and Paramount. In fact, Warner Bros. actually took the idea and turned it into the popular 70s seriesKung Fu, starringmovie veteran David Carradine. It wasn’t until nearly 45 years later in 2015 that his treatment would get another shot, thanks to his daughter teaming up with Perfect Storm Entertainment to createWarriorfor Cinemax. Now, after another particularly long wait, the legend will continue.
This is certainly good news for the passionate fans who have stuck byWarriorsince the beginning. Hopefully, they won’t have to suffer another agonizing wait before season 3 finally airs. But knowing that it’s got a definitive starting date is sure to be a big morale boost.
Warrior’s first 2 seasons are available to stream on HBO Max.
