Have you been waiting for a superstar emcee to feature in a TV show that is based on a Kung Fu flick classic? Well if so, Common has just the show for you. Variety reported today [Friday, June 17] Common has agreed to star in a television adaptation based on Marc Olden’s 1974 book series, which inspired the 1977 Kung Fu film of the same name, Black Samurai.
To no one’s surprise, RZA, of the Wu-Tang Clan is an executive producer on the project that will feature Common as a rugged Kung Fu master that dismisses his foes with fists of fury. Just so you can get a sense of the character Common is playing, watch the trailer for the original 1977 film below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uggAnUlG8aQ
Common is going to be playing Jim Kelly’s character, a Kung Fu master who is a member of D.R.A.G.O.N (Defense Reserve Agency Guardian Of Nations), who fights bad guys where ever they might appear. You probably remember Jim Kelly from the Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon, where he once again sported his signature afro while pulverizing dudes. No word yet on whether or not Common will be sporting such an afro.
And while the quality of the original film is not very good, and the plot of the original movie is essentially like the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s with some Kung Fu sprinkled in, surely the modern day adaption will address both of those problems. According to Variety, the show is being shopped around the major networks at the moment, and once it is picked up, a director and writers can be chosen.