Thirteen years after its release, the Oscar-nominated martial arts movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has been given the green light for a sequel. The new film, titled Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon II - The Green Destiny, will begin production March 2014.
The sequel, originally reported in January to begin shooting this May, will be produced by Harvey Weinstein of The Weinstein Company and will be scripted by screenwriter John Fusco, whose oeuvre includes Crossroads, Thunderheart, and the Oscar-nominated Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Like the first film, which was based on fourth installment of the Crane-Iron novel series, the inspiration for the sequel will be drawn from the fifth and final book.
This time around, only Michelle Yeoh of the first film’s original cast will be returning for the feature, reprising her role as the expert swordswoman Yu Shu Lien. In addition, the first film's director, Ang Lee, will not be returning as Yuen Woo-ping, known for choreographing the martial arts action in both The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, will be taking over.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon received many awards and nominations upon its release in 2000, including six nominations and four Oscars at the 73rd Academy Awards. The film won Oscars in Best Foreign Language Film, Best Art Direction, Best Original Score, and Best Cinematography categories.
A date for the release of the sequel is still unknown.
