Between August and October 1972, Bruce Lee shot hours of footage for his then-upcoming project, Game of Death. Lee hired his student, 7’9” NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for a role in the film. For three months, Lee reportedly shot over 100 hours of footage for the ambitious project before getting an offer to star in Enter the Dragon. Earlier, the official Bruce Lee Instagram page posted a rare image from the sets of Game of Death.

While Lee had planned to resume filming after finishing?Enter the Dragon, he would not get the chance to finish the film. The writer-director-actor passed away on July 20, 1973, at the age 32. However, the resurfaced picture from the martial arts legend’s passion project still invoked fans’ emotions on Instagram.

The film Bruce Lee could not finish

In the picture, Lee and two other crew members stood beside the 7’9” NBA giant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar was one of Lee’s high-profile students, and the martial arts master hired him for his towering presence. Since most of the footage Lee shot was of the climatic fight with Abdul-Jabbar, the picture was most likely taken during the filming of the iconic fight scene.

READ MORE: Rare Photo Shows Bruce Lee?s Height Next to 7 Ft Lakers Legend Kareem Abdul Jabbar

In fact, the day Lee met his untimely demise, he worked on the film. Lee met producer Raymond Chow to discuss the project. After their discussion, the pair arrived at Betty Ting Pei’s residence to discuss the script since Lee wanted Pei to star in the movie. It was there, on July 20th, 1973 that Lee passed away before he could complete filming the Game of Death.?

Fans expressed their nostalgia in the comments

The resurfaced picture of Lee with the crew of the unfinished film left many fans wondering what could’ve been.?”Great to see the whole crew,”?commented a user. However, most fans expressed what Lee could’ve accomplished with the project if not for his untimely death.?“Wish they would remake this movie and use CGI to have Bruce appear in the entire film. I love this movie!”?wrote a fan.

“Bruce Lee Last Movie… Miss You Legend…”?wrote one fan.?“How I miss Bruce,” commented another. “Greatest unfinished masterpiece…” a fan wrote. “What a pic what a movie,” wrote another user. Enter the Dragon director Robert Clouse finished the movie using stand-ins and the original footage that Bruce Lee shot. However, fans wished Lee had gotten the chance to realize his vision.

“One of the coolest fight scenes in pop culture history EVER! It’s always a treat for me to watch this. Thanks, Bruce!” a user wrote. “D**n he is so tall,” wrote another fan after noticing the height difference between the master and his student. However, one fan thought of a unique scenario and said,?“I wonder if Bruce ever played a game of basketball with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.”?

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What do you think of the resurfaced picture? Write your thoughts in the comments section.