“Maybe Even Bigger Than His Dad”: Dolph Lundgren Said Brandon Lee Would Have Outshone Bruce Lee

Most people remember the late Brandon Lee for his performance as Eric Draven in 1994’s The Crow. However, action fans also appreciate 1991’s Showdown in Little Tokyo (Rotten Tomatoes: 33%), which saw Lee share the screen with Dolph Lundgren in what has now become a cult classic.

Watching the chemistry between Lee and Lundgren onscreen, you can’t help but wonder how many more times they could have teamed up – either for Showdown sequels or other projects – had Lee not passed away at the age of 28. Their pairing also showed that Lee could hang with action heroes and was well on his way to becoming one himself.

In a Reddit AMA with Lundgren, a fan asked the Rocky IV actor about working with Lee and mentioned that Lee seemed to be on course to be a major movie star before he died. “Brandon was a special guy,” Lundgren wrote. “We became good friends during the shoot of the picture. His mother was Swedish. So he was half-Chinese (because of Bruce Lee, his dad) and his mom was Swedish, and we both were martial artists. And I agree with you – had he lived, he would’ve become a huge star, maybe even bigger than his dad.”

It’s a huge claim from Lundgren, especially since Bruce Lee is one of the biggest action stars of all time. That said, it’s obvious that Brandon tried to step out of his father’s humongous shadow by choosing different roles. The Crow, for example, was a big genre departure from Showdown in Little Tokyo and Rapid Fire, as he tried to expand his acting repertoire.

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According to Lee’s sister, Shannon, Brandon used his martial arts ability to get noticed and cast in Hollywood, but he eyed a career beyond just being an action hero. “He would have loved the opportunity to stretch and do dramatic roles,” Shannon told CNN, adding that Brandon had auditioned for 1989’s Say Anything… and had wanted the role of Lloyd Dobler, which went to John Cusack in the end.

Lee’s death at such a young age prevented him from building up a large catalog of work, although there’s no denying that he left a mark on everything he appeared in. Look at The Crow, for instance. Even though sequels have been made that focused on other protagonists and there has been one reboot movie with Bill Skarsgård as Eric, the franchise struggles without Lee as the lead. Even his co-star Ernie Hudson agreed, telling ComicBook.com that “The Crow is Brandon Lee.”

Maybe Lundgren (who is back in the spotlight thanks to his memoir, Fights Worth Fighting) was right after all. Maybe Brandon Lee would have become a bigger star than his father, Bruce Lee, given enough time and the right roles.

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Showdown in Little Tokyo isn’t streaming for free in the US at the time of writing, but you can rent or buy it digitally on Amazon Video, Apple TV and Fandango At Home.