On February 26, 2016, the long-awaited “sequel” to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) premieres in theaters in IMAX and 3-D and simultaneously on Netflix. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny was written by none other than John Fusco, an avid lifelong Kung Fu practitioner who has been bringing Kung Fu to the screen in other notable projects like The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) and Marco Polo, as well as to children's literature with his book Little Monk and the Mantis, illustrated by Kung Fu Tai Chi's graphic artist Patrick Lugo. We caught up to John for this exclusive interview.

GC: Were you intimidated by the legacy of the original film?

JF: To say “yes” would be an understatement. As both a filmmaker and a martial artist, there are very few modern films that I hold in such high regard. To be frank, I passed. I said “no” to Harvey Weinstein despite my tremendous respect for him. But he soon made it clear that what he wanted me to write was not a straight-up sequel. Harvey is not only an ardent supporter of martial arts cinema, he's a true enthusiast and student of these films and their history (he told me that Tarantino taught him everything he knows on this). So he and I got into a long conversation about the source material behind the original Crouching Tiger. He expected me to know about it, and I did. At the end of our conversation, we both agreed that the fact that the Chinese writer Wang Dulu had a fifth book in his Crane-Iron Pentalogy (Crouching Tiger was based on Book Four), was food for thought. I did more research, recruited some very smart Chinese associates to translate Book 5, and I came away excited about the prospect: dramatizing the forgotten final chapter of The Crane-Iron Stories.

GC: What were some of the qualities of the original film that you worked to preserve? And what did you try to update?

JF: No one's ever going to recapture or replicate what Ang Lee did. It's simply brilliant. To try and build on that without him would have been a futile exercise. We committed early on to creating a movie that was less a sequel and more of a stand-alone treatment of Wang Dulu's final chapter, in the pure wuxia tradition. Especially when the Master Yuen Woo-Ping signed on to direct and make the film his own.

GC: How much embellishment did you add to Wang Dulu’s original book to convert this story to film?

JF: As mentioned, I had the final book translated. In fact, I had all five translated and I immersed myself. The tone of these original stories is very, very different from the Ang Lee film. Wang Dulu was definitely not writing Jane Austen with Kung Fu. Woo-Ping completely gets Wang Dulu; he completely lives and breathes the wuxia vernacular of Jin Yong, Liang Yusheng, and Wang Dulu. And that's what he committed to. This movie is a throwback to the roots, to the source. It's not a twist on the genre or a reinvention. It's old school. In terms of embellishment, the book was an inspiration and jumping-off point. I did a lot of my own stuff in the spirit of Wang Dulu. I also want to credit Bey Logan, a scholar of the genre, for working as a critical intermediary and being boots-on-the-ground. He was the conduit between Master Yuen and I, and his voice was essential. His Hung Gar Kung Fu is also quite impressive. I'm a great admirer of Bey Logan.

GC: Having a simultaneous theatrical and Netflix premiere drew a lot of controversy for this project. What do you think the upshot of all that has been in the end?

JF: To be honest, I really don't pay much attention to that. I live in the mountains of Vermont. I write, I practice Mantis Boxing, I take care of my family, and I don't pretend to know what 'busting windows' or any of that business means. But looking at it tangentially, I'd compare it to having the choice between staying home and watching the 49'ers in your living room, or going to the stadium for the big thrill.  You have the choice -- and one doesn't cancel out the other. Just two different experiences. I have to say though, Gene, I'm hearing that the IMAX and 3-D presentations of this movie are not to be missed. People I know who usually don't get excited over Kung Fu are getting pretty excited. I mean crazy-excited.

GC: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny assembled a dream cast. Usually screenwriters aren’t that involved in casting, but how much did the cast influence your script?

JF: Michelle [Yeoh] was always a very key component. I centered my script on her long before we knew if she'd sign on or not. She not only signed on, but we've become good and trusted friends. I call her my Kung Fu Sister from Another Mister. And that's how she came onto Marco Polo as well. I created a new role for her in the show. And she rocks it in Season 2.

GC: It’s a joy to see Michelle wielding a sword again. She is the only returning character, right?

JF: Yes, that's true. I had Bo in my first draft, but the Master wanted him out of there. I don't argue with the Master.

GC: That cameo of Michelle Yeoh in Marco Polo: One Hundred Eyes really confused me for a moment. I lost track of which Fusco-written show I was watching. Was that odd to be working with her playing two different swordswomen?

JF: I know – it all might seem crazy. But for me – and I think for Michelle – there's a thread running through it all. On a deeper level. There's the Wudang mythology of CTHD that informs her role in Marco Polo. She's one of the most inspiring and humble people I've ever met. We have spent a lot of time on set, in the jungle, and in the training hall. Creatively, we collaborate quite a bit together. Whether CTHD-2 or Marco Polo, she invests in her character and gets very involved in shaping every scene. She's not an actor who shows up and says the lines or does the moves; she keeps me on my toes.

GC: How was working with Yuen Woo-Ping again? It must be such a delight to have him bring life to your screenplay.

JF: He's a legend and there are no words to express the honor and privilege it is to have his confidence. This is my second film with the Master and I have learned so much from him. I think back to sitting in Beijing with him and listening to his translator read my scene in which I wrote an homage to the bamboo forest and the fighting in the tree tops. He'd sit there, working a toothpick in his mouth and thinking. For a long, long time. And then he'd throw out a few rough ideas of a wild fight scene he's always wanted to do. In a certain setting. Something completely new. And he'd send me off to write it. I love that challenge and the honor of it. Coming back to Yuen Woo-Ping and handing him pages that have my detailed, written-out fight based on his basic ideas. We collaborated on some pretty wild and inventive fights in this one. How he pulls it off, in the end, is still amazing to me.

GC: There was an initial report that Charlie Nguyen (The Rebel (2007)) was taking over as action director. He’s done some great work in Vietnam film, but certainly not as well-known as Woo-Ping yet. What happened there?

JF: Marco Polo Season One was shooting around the globe at the same time that CTHD-2 was shooting, so I was not on set. I worked closely with Master Yuen in the months prior, creative meetings in China, etc., etc. But I can't give a reliable account of what the dynamic was on set. I do know that Charlie has been an ally, but in what capacity I'm not able to speak to.

GC: Getting Donnie Yen involved in this project was quite a coup. He’s on fire now. How did that come about and how was it working with him?

JF: Major coup and I love what he did with the role I wrote. Donnie is going to blow up bigger than anyone can even imagine right now – and he deserves it.

GC: And Harry Shum Jr. too. He's shown he has the moves, but they’re dancing skills from Glee. How did his conversion to Kung Fu go?

JF: Master Yuen was skeptical. Ha ha – I have seen that in the past. On Forbidden Kingdom, I saw instances where he looked disgusted. But he has a way of finding the access code in an actor if that actor has athletic ability. He found a way to turn Harry's dance prowess into some pretty damn good Kung Fu. And I know that the Master was pleased. Harry looks very good. What's the old saying? Never give a sword to a man who can't dance?

GC: I love that Cheng Pei-Pei's daughter, Eugenia Yuan, has a role. Are their characters related in the film, or was that just coincidence?

JF: At one point they were. In my first draft, they were. They are no longer, but there's a subliminal connection there. It was very important to Harvey to cast it that way.

GC: Do you anticipate Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 3?

JF: I don't think so. We simply wanted to base a kick-ass, old school wuxia movie on the lost chapter of the Crane-Iron stories. But you never know.