April 15, 2025, 9:09 am | Read time: 4 minutes
A “Tiger and Dragon” series is set to be developed by Amazon. For TECHBOOK author Woon-Mo Sung, this is yet another reason to throw his hands up in frustration.
Hollywood is a company that churns out new franchises like a factory assembly line, milking them until they reach a budgetary collapse, leaving audiences overwhelmed by brand saturation with nothing but cultural-consumerist nausea. The widespread fatigue with Marvel and comic book films, as evidenced by poor reviews and declining box office returns, is a real phenomenon, and the situation isn’t much better elsewhere. New content is needed to feed this machine and further cement the creative bankruptcy. This could take the form of video game adaptations or a Tiger and Dragon series for Amazon Prime Video.
Overview
“Tiger and Dragon” Series Planned at Amazon — Unfortunately
Quick to the news: As reported by the U.S. magazine Deadline, a Tiger and Dragon series is set to be developed at Amazon. Like the 2000 film adaptation, it will be based on the book Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by Wang Dulu. Sony has regained the rights to the original material and has tasked Jason Ning and Ron Moore with the project.
Both will take on producing roles, with Ning also working on the scripts. It’s too early for more information on the cast and specific plot details. Therefore, it’s still unclear when the series will premiere on Amazon Prime Video and what its scope will be.
Why Care About the Book When There’s the Movie
Of course, I’m aware that this will primarily be another adaptation of the book. And book adaptations have a long tradition, even if they aren’t original material in the strictest sense. With that in mind, I could look forward to the Tiger and Dragon series on Amazon with ease.
But I don’t want to. Because in the minds of many, including my own small brain, the literary source fades into the background once one or more adaptations exist. Does anyone still remember Nothing Lasts Forever, the source material for Die Hard?
Exactly. And so I mainly look at the 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by director Ang Lee, featuring stars like Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-Fat, and Zhang Ziyi in the lead roles. As with other reboots or remakes, many fans will primarily associate any new project with the existing ones. I perceive a Tiger and Dragon series on Amazon primarily as a new version of the film.
Just Leave the Masterpieces Alone
And that triggers a spontaneous defensive reaction in me. Because Ang Lee’s version of the material is nothing less than a classic and is considered by many as one of the best films of the 21st century. The martial arts drama received rave reviews and numerous awards, including four Oscars, and even broke U.S. box office records for a non-English language film at the time.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a masterpiece that Hollywood should leave alone. But this time, really. Unfortunately, the late Netflix sequel Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny came out in 2016, which failed both artistically and commercially with critics and fans. Among other things, because it didn’t understand what made the previous film special.
Cinematic Poetry vs. Streaming Content
Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was distributed by Arthaus in Germany for a reason. It’s not a quick blockbuster. Instead, the work takes the necessary time and carefully establishes emotional character relationships.
The action is superbly staged but used sparingly. It never becomes brutally violent but remains elegant, graceful, and weightless in poetically composed images. True cinematic art to cherish, not content to have on in the background while you stare at the second screen.
Ang Lee’s adaptation is a unique artistic vision that has left a lasting impression, which is why Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is primarily associated with it. It’s a work that would have been better left untouched forever.
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Amazon Can Only Fail
So now a series at the ever-hungry online retailer. I fear the next dull content-ification of a major title, similar to the Lord of the Rings series The Rings of Power. It entices with Tolkien’s beloved storytelling world but, at best, divides opinions and scores with mediocrity. Perfect for passive viewing.
Will Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon meet the same fate? Time will tell. And who knows, maybe it will even be great. But in my eyes, Amazon has already failed because the endeavor is just another example of a franchise cash cow that the company fattens up as a series before leading it to the slaughterhouse.
What’s missing? A video game would be a good candidate, from which another movie and series could be made. And so on. The mechanism for regurgitating the dream factory is stronger than ever and isn’t picky.