Gi Whiz

They’ll be casting worldwide--’yes, in Hong Kong too”--for the lead role of Bruce Lee, the late martial arts film star, in the tentatively titled screen bio, “Dragon.”

Rob Cohen (“A Small Circle of Friends,” and lots of TV) will direct for Universal. Ed Khmara (“Ladyhawke”) is currently scripting. Cohen will produce with John Badham.

“We’ve bought the rights to the Bruce Lee bio by Robert Clouse (who directed Lee in “Enter the Dragon”) and to ‘The Man Only I Knew’ by Linda Lee (Bruce’s widow),” said a rep for Cohen.

Casting “will probably begin in early 1990.” The rep acknowledged that Lee’s gi (those martial arts outfits) won’t be easy to fill--candidates will have to possess extraordinary martial arts skills.