| Teleplay: | Jacqueline Feather David Seidler |
| Story: | Dominic Minghella |
| Director: | David Wu |
| Starring: | John Reardon David Carradine |
| Theme Music Composer: | Lawrence Shragge |
| Country: | United States Canada |
| Language: | English |
| Producer: | Matt Fitzsimons Erik Heiberg James Wilberger |
| Editor: | David Wu |
| Cinematography: | Thomas Burstyn |
| Runtime: | 174 minutes |
| Network: | Hallmark Movie Channel |
Son of the Dragon is the first Hallmark Movie Channel original television film. It premiered on Hallmark Movie Channel on Wednesday, April 2, 2008, and helped launch the new channel.[1] It was also the first movie for either of the two American cable networks to be shot and shown in HDTV.[2]
The classic Arabian Nights tale "The Thief of Bagdad" is retold and relocated to ancient China.
D.B. (or "Devil Boy") (John Reardon) was abandoned at birth and rescued from the docks of Shanghai to grow into an impetuous thief who steals to provide food for the street children he considers his family. Now the young man and his wise partner Bird (David Carradine), have their eyes on stealing the royal court's jewels. They devise a plan to get into the court by wooing the Governor's daughter, Princess Li Wei (Desiree Siahaan) with whom he is immediately attracted to. However, they are met with strong competition from other potential suitors, especially the Prince of the North (Rupert Graves) who is the Governor's personal choice. The Princess, however, finds D.B. most intriguing and manages to convince her father to challenge all her suitors with rigorous trials to prove their worth.
As various suitors proceed with the tests put before them, the Princess sends along her lady-in-waiting, Ting Ting (Theresa Lee), disguised as a man to keep D.B. safe. However, the Princess doesn't know that Ting Ting already knows D.B. and has her own secret feelings for him.
Filming took place in Hengdian TV City, China, and Yong Kang Shiguliao Film and Television Studio in Zhejiang Province, China. The location houses an exact replica of the Forbidden City.
This film was released in DVD format in October 2007, with English audio, no subtitles, and a running time of 174 min., by RHI Entertainment.[3] In July 2015 it was released in DVD format by Mill Creek Entertainment, with English audio, no subtitles, and a running time of 178 min.[4]