Gemma Arterton (Their Finest) and Jason Tobin (Warrior) are set to star in an upcoming martial arts comedy titled Enter The Dragons. Marjane Satrapi (Radioactive, Persepolis) will direct the film from a script written by Joy Wilkinson (Doctor Who).
The story is set in the small English town of Coalshaw in 1979, “the film follows Gloria Grimshaw (Arterton). The most she can hope for from life is selling cosmetics and having a baby, but when the close-knit community of women come under threat, Gloria is forced to defend herself – by learning martial arts from Hao (Tobin) at the Chinese takeaway.”
As Gloria begins to take control of her life, “her friends notice this transformation and want to join in. Soon women of all ages are learning to fight together with Gloria and Hao, becoming the ‘Coalshaw Dragons’ and using their new skills to stand up to the men in their lives.”
Arterton said in a statement:
“Enter The Dragons is a truly original story, playing on so many themes I’m interested in and which are still very relevant today. It serves up a huge amount of much needed comedy, authenticity and empowerment. That Marjane is directing is a dream come true for me – she has a real connection to the story, the humor, the music, and of course, the martial arts. I can’t wait to bring Gloria Grimshaw to life (and kick some butt!).”
Marjane Satrapi added:
“Bruce Lee was my childhood hero and Enter the Dragon was the first film I saw in a cinema. After reading the script, I immediately knew that I wanted to bring this highly original comedy to the screen. Its rebellious spirit reminded me of films like Rocky and Saturday Night Fever, but told with that unmistakably irreverent British humor shining through.”
WestEnd’s Maya Amsellem went on to say:
“Enter The Dragons is an incredibly fun and modern comedy written, directed, produced and starring some of the most prominent women in the film industry today. WestEnd has been championing strong female stories and promoting female talent through our WeLove brand and this is a great example of the type of story audiences want to see more of,” added WestEnd’s Maya Amsellem.
This sounds like it could be a fun flick and I’m curious to see how it turns out. The movie will shoot this summer in the UK.
Source: Deadline