Hanelle Culpepper to Direct CW’s ‘Kung Fu’ Pilot, Says ‘Excited to Bring Kung Fu to a New Generation’

Hanelle Culpepper has been roped in to direct the reboot pilot of Kung Fu for The CW. Culpepper, who will also serve as the executive producer on the project, recently made headline when she was roped in to direct the first three episodes of Star Trek: Picard at CBS All Access. She made a history by becoming the first female director to launch a new "Star Trek" series in 53 years. Elizabeth Hurley, Hannah Simone to Star in as Mother-Daughter For CBS Comedy Pilot.

"I am very excited to join the fantastic team of Christina Kim, Martin Gero, Berlanti, and Warner Bros. to bring ‘Kung Fu' to a new generation. An authentic and honest portrayal of a Chinese American family is rare in mainstream media so I am honoured to be able to introduce the Shen family and shoot some thrilling action sequences as well. "I think many people, myself included, can relate to our heroine's journey of self-discovery and finding her purpose," Culpepper said in a statement to Variety. Echo: Venom Actor Reid Scott to Lead Investigation-Drama Pilot For NBC.

The show is inspired by the original series created by Ed Spielman. In the re-imagination, a quarter-life crisis causes a young Chinese-American woman to drop out of college and go on a life-altering journey to an isolated monastery in China. She returns to find her hometown overrun with crime and corruption, and decides to use her martial arts skills and Shaolin values to protect her community and bring criminals to justice. The new "Kung Fu" features Olivia Liang in the lead alongside Tzi Ma and Kheng Hua Tan. Christina M Kim will write and executive produce the show.