Wow, some great ideas! I spent a lot of time today thinking of various scenarios. I hope someday someone will start a new chapter in the Chan anthology and will be faithful to the legacy.
Why not do it both ways. Start out Chan as a standard James Bond type (action oriented, womanizing, arrogant everything the PCers complained about Charlie not being)but then have him make a tragic error linked directly to his lifestyle and arrogance. After struggling with the error he emerges significantly changed adopting a more demure intellectual style and only reverting to action and violence when forced into it.