The film concludes with voice-over narration by Lauren Holly as “Linda Lee”: “Three weeks before the opening of Enter the Dragon, the film that brought him international fame, Bruce fell into a mysterious coma and died. He was thirty-two. Over 25,000 people attended his funeral in Hong Kong, but I buried him back home in America to be close to us. All these years later, people still wonder about the way he died. I prefer to remember the way he lived.”
       On the DVD viewed for this record, opening credits are preceded by a seven-minute slideshow of photographs from Bruce Lee’s life. The following quote by Lee is displayed onscreen: “As long as I can remember I feel I have had this great creative and spiritual force within me that is greater than faith, greater than ambition, greater than confidence, greater than determination, greater than vision. It is all these combined. My brain becomes magnetized with this dominating force which I hold in my hand.”
       End credits state: “The filmmakers would like to thank Linda Lee Cadwell; Shannon Lee; Fred Weintraub; Van Williams; Ed Parker, Jr.; Adrian Marshall, Esq.; and Bonnie Timmerman for their invaluable participation,” and acknowledge the following: “Scene from Breakfast at Tiffany’s courtesy of Paramount Pictures”; “Film clip from Kung Fu courtesy of Warner Bros. Television”; “Footage from Fists of Fury and Return of the Dragon courtesy of Singel Films B.V., Copyright ©Paragon Films Ltd. All rights reserved.”; “Characters from The Green Hornet appear through the courtesy of ‘The Green Hornet, Inc.’”; “News clip from 1963 courtesy of ©NBC News Video Archives”; “Footage from General Hospital courtesy of Capital Cities, Inc., ABC Television”; “James Dean poster courtesy of the 1992 James Dean Foundation, under license authorized by Curtis Management Group, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.”; and, “Permission for use of Big Boss posters courtesy of Golden Harvest Films.”
       According to production notes in AMPAS library files, Rob Cohen was a long-time admirer of actor and martial artist Bruce Lee, and attended the 1973 U.S. premiere of Enter the Dragon (see entry). Although several filmmakers expressed interest in producing a motion picture biography of Lee’s life, Cohen’s project was supposedly the first proposal approved by Lee’s widow, Linda Lee Cadwell. On 30 Jul 1989, LAT announced that Universal Pictures had purchased film rights to The Man Only I Knew, Cadwell’s 1975 biography of her husband. The deal also included rights to Bruce Lee: The Biography (1989), written by Enter the Dragon director Robert Clouse, which is cited as “additional source material” in end credit acknowledgments. Both Clouse and Linda Lee Cadwell served as consultants on the picture.
       According to the 27 Apr 1992 DV, the screenplay was originally written by Edward Khmara, with two subsequent drafts completed by John Raffo and Cohen, who was hired to direct. A 5 Apr 1989 Var article stated that the $6—$10 million production was the first of several low-budget projects planned for Universal. However, the 2 Jun 1992 HR indicated a cost of $13.5 million, which was raised through producer Rafaella De Laurentiis’ Old Code Productions, Ltd., based in London, England.
       While casting was expected to begin in early 1990, an 8 Apr 1991 HR brief more than a year later indicated that Universal was still considering actors for the lead role, including Lee’s own son, Brandon Lee. Production notes stated that Cohen’s friend, casting director Bonnie Timmermann, suggested Jason Scott Lee (no relation), whom she discovered while casting The Last of the Mohicans (1992, see entry). Timmermann’s onscreen acknowledgment credits her as “Bonnie Timmerman.”
       Although the 14—20 Nov 1991 Hollywood Drama-Logue reported an expected start date of Mar 1992, production notes confirmed that principal photography began 11 May 1992 in Hong Kong. Overseas filming continued for six weeks, with locations including the Tsing Ling Temple, where the opening sequence was shot; the Mongkok Kai Fong Association, which stood in for the “Cha Cha” dance hall; and a movie theater in the Portuguese territory of Macau. A 23 Mar 1993 LADN brief claimed that Hong Kong police intervened when an organized crime group known as the “Triads” attempted to extort money from the production company. Filming concluded 14 Aug 1992 in Valencia, CA. End credits also acknowledge that portions of the picture were filmed at Santa Clarita Studios in Santa Clarita, CA.
       According to the 16 May 1993 LAT, the film contained a cameo appearance by Van Williams, star of the 1966 ABC television series, The Green Hornet, in which Bruce Lee appeared as “Kato.” In Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Williams portrays a director in a recreation of Lee’s debut in the series. The 2 Jun 1992 HR also stated that the character of “Philip Tan” was based on Raymond Chow, founder of the Hong Kong film company Golden Harvest, who was instrumental in launching Lee’s film career. Golden Harvest was not involved with the production of Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, and reportedly offered “commercial rates” for rights to footage, posters, and additional material related to Lee’s films.
       The premiere was held 28 Apr 1993 at Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA, according to the 30 Apr 1993 LAT. The event was considered a “tribute to father and son,” following Brandon Lee’s accidental death on the set of The Crow (1994, see entry) on 31 Mar 1993. The picture is dedicated to Brandon Lee through the onscreen statement, “Dedicated to the Memory of Brandon Bruce Lee, February 1, 1965—March 31, 1993,” accompanied by the quote: “The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.”
       The 10 May 1993 LAT “Morning Report” column stated that the film took in roughly $10 million from 1,887 screens, which was considered the biggest opening to date for the “typically slow first weekend in May.”
       A 29 May 1993 LAT news item reported that Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story had been banned from release in the U.K. by the British Board of Film Classification, due to the use of the outlawed nunchaku weapons in one of the film’s fight sequences. Although Cohen initially stated he would prefer to “keep the movie out of British release than edit it,” he ultimately agreed to replace one-third of the scene with previously unused footage.
       On 15 May 1995, HR announced that Acclaim Entertainment planned to release a video game based on the film later that year, which would be available for 3DO, Nintendo Super NES, Sega Genesis, and Sega Game Gear platforms. Although the article stated that the game was to be titled “The Dragon,” it was released under the same name as the motion picture. End credits state: “Play the Virgin video games.”