Now Fung is back with a new series, this time for Netflix. He has taken the lead on Wu Assassins, having directed the first two episodes of the programme. A modern chopsocky yarn, in the best way possible, the series stars Iko Uwais – whose incredible physical exploits in The Raid movies has made him the premier martial arts star of the day – and is Netflix’s first martial arts drama. The production is unfamiliar territory for Netflix and is something of a gamble, but Fung is confident it can succeed, as he tells us below.

What has been the biggest surprise for you when making the switch from being an actor to working behind the camera directing?

I wouldn’t say there were any big surprises at all because it was a very conscious decision to move from acting to directing. So what actually happened was that, I wouldn’t call it a crisis, but I had done so many films as an actor and some of them were not movies that I really wanted to make. You know, you do them for the pay cheque.

So I decided to move away and I stayed in LA for a year. Not only was I doing the typical auditions and all that, but I was also developing my own script. What happened was, I ended up not being cast in any movies I auditioned for but then my synopsis of this film that I wrote got picked up and that’s how my first film, Enter the Phoenix, was made.

As for Wu Assassins, there are elements like it’s set in China Town, the main character is an Asian chef, there’s the ancient triad, martial arts – all elements that seem deliberately schlocky. And whether it’s classic 70s Hong Kong films or Western interpretations of them, like Kill Bill or Big Trouble in Little China, a lot of these elements seem perennially popular. Why do you think that is?

To be honest, at first, when I was offered Wu Assassins, I looked at the script – just the first episode – and I was a little bit hesitant because of what you just depicted. The Asian chef, the triad, and all that. You know, pretty stereotypical characters. But then when I spoke to our showrunner John Wirth, he was really great about letting me be more engaged in setting the tone and how we could change different aspects to make it less stereotypical. And I think the end product is great because obviously this is on Netflix and it's for a worldwide audience, it can’t only be from the Asian perspective. Getting his perspective and my perspective allowed it to become what it is now.

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What are you looking to accomplish with the series? Do you think you are adding to these sorts of genres or are you seeking to subvert them?

I think first of all, the main goal of this is to be entertaining. That’s of the utmost importance because if it’s not entertaining, people won’t click into it and watch it. Then you don’t get a season two. So that’s the first aim, to make it entertaining. And I believe this is the first real martial arts drama for Netflix, so it’s a new can of worms that they’ve just opened.

And what have been the big inspirations for Wu Assassins?

The great thing about being able to kick off the show [Fung directed the first two episodes] is that you’re allowed more time to do pre-production, so you can gather more material and you can set the tone that other directors who come later must follow to be consistent.

With that extra time I was able to do a little bit more research and I was able to give the other directors a very detailed look book which describes how I want the show to be. For instance, there are different scenarios and in the show, our main protagonist, he’s in the real world, and then at points he gets sucked into different worlds.

In the real world, I really wanted the fights to be more realistic. So our leading man, Iko, is a master of the martial arts silat, which he performed in movies like The Raid, a more brutal, gritty kind of style of martial arts. So I wanted the tone to be more down and dirty, with a more handheld gritty kind of shooting method. Then, when he gets sucked into different worlds, we have more VFX work or wire work.

What was it like making the programme with Netflix versus a regular television network like AMC, which you worked with for Into the Badlands. Did the relationship with Netflix permit you more creative freedom?

I think both of these studios were pretty hands off, especially when it came to the action. [Into the Badlands] was the first martial art shows for AMC, and I think it was the only martial arts show on TV at all. So they were counting on our expertise. They put their trust in us. They allowed us a lot of creative freedom.

The representation of Asian males on screen has also been improving in recent years and Into the Badlands obviously helped with that since it was the first American TV series with an Asian lead in about 40 years. But what do you think still needs to be done in that regard?

I think it would be great in the future to see more Asian Americans taking a lead role that has nothing to do with martial arts. I think that would be a good first step. And I’m not saying that there isn’t now with, let’s say Crazy Rich Asians – I don’t think there’s any martial arts in there – but I believe there could be more.

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Did you find it hard to crack America as an Asian? Did you encounter any particular difficulties?

It’s not something that I deliberately planned or anything, it’s just that I was in the right place at the right time. I think this decade has been great for American television – all these good scripts and all these different platforms are out there pumping out content. During this time, it just so happened that me and Daniel [Wu] were there … AMC wanted to tap into the action demographic, so they asked us if we could think of something. So we thought of something and that ended up being Into the Badlands. So it wasn’t something very intentional. It just happened and one thing led to another which is Wu Assassins.

As a prominent filmmaker yourself, what kind of films and TV programmes do you like to watch?

Right now I enjoy making films that are action oriented and I think it’s because of my upbringing. When I grew up it was the golden era of Hong Kong cinema where you saw John Woo gun battles, kung-fu, explosions and car chases. But in terms of just watching, I watch all different types of movies and TV series. As I grow older, I don’t go to the cinema as much because I think these days, it’s pretty much all those same kind of superhero blockbusters. A lot of the time I’d rather sit at home and watch a lot of character-driven content.

Wu Assassins debuts on Netflix on August 8.

Video by Bridgette Hall

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