Een oud Bruce Lee verhaal lijkt na meerdere decennia alsnog een film te krijgen. De vechtjas schreef in de jaren 60 The Silent Flute samen met James Coburn (tevens zijn geplande medespeler in de film) en Stirling Silliphant. Toen Lee in 1973 overleed raakte het project echter in de vergetelheid. Producer Paul Maslansky is nu van plan om er een hedendaagse martial arts film van te maken.
Variety noteerde de volgende woorden van Maslansky: "This will be an epic martial arts adventure film that promises to honor Bruce Lees original artistic and philosophical conception. It also promises to reach new levels of action and adventure never before seen in martial arts filmmaking.
In Lees originele concept zou hij zelf meerdere rollen voor zijn rekening nemen. In het geval van Circle of Iron speelde Carradine ook al deze rollen. Hieronder zie je een omschrijving van Circle of Iron; de nieuwe film zal hier en daar wel wat verschillen, aangezien Sasha Maslansky bezig is met een nieuw scenario gebaseerd op Lee's verhaal.
A martial artist rebel named Cord embarks on a quest for the Book of Enlightenment, which is kept by the mysterious Zetan. He must pass various trials along the way that educate him in Zen philosophy. Among the characters that he runs across are a blind flute-player, a monkey chieftain, a death character, and the leader of a gypsy tribe (all played by David Carradine), who acts as a reluctant mentor to Cord. Some trials involve combat, while others involve riddles or encounters with unusual characters, such as a man who has been standing in a barrel of oil for 10 years in an attempt to remove the lower half of his body so he is no longer distracted by his genitals. Cord successfully passes all trials and is able to view the Book of Enlightenment. He discovers that each page in the book is a mirror, showing him that the secret to enlightenment and all knowledge is already within himself. He then returns to the outside world to himself become a mentor for later seekers.
En nog even de trailer van Circle of Iron:
