Nov 11 2008Jaden Smith is the Next Next 'Karate Kid'
Jaden Smith, the ten-year-old son of Will Smith, has been lined up to star in a remake of The Karate Kid. Which is strange because he's ten. Previously it was feared, now it's official:
Columbia Pictures is back in the dojo with a new version of the 1984 hit "The Karate Kid," which has been refashioned as a star vehicle for Jaden Smith.The script is being written by Chris Murphy, and the film will shoot next year in Beijing and other cities. While the new film will be set in that exotic locale, it will borrow elements of the original plot, wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor.
The film will shoot in Beijing and other cities, and will star a ten-year-old? So basically, this is The Karate Kid in its pandering name choice only. Otherwise it's Three Ninjas, but with one ninja, and he's Jaden Smith. This sounds like the kind of movie where fending off bullies is balanced with foiling a team of bumbling jewel thieves; the kind of movie where, at some point, Jaden Smith is "surfing" on something inappropriate to take out the bad guys.
Let's start the speculation on who will play the "eccentric mentor." The Chinese setting makes Jackie Chan an early prospect, but I could just as easily see Steve Carell or Samuel L. Jackson letting the kid out of the duffel bag to attack. What do you think?
Reader Comments
1. dk - November 11, 2008 11:56 AM
is this some new horrible trend on this site: remake + member of smith family = me sticking hot forks in my eyes
2. gL - November 11, 2008 12:03 PM
thats some bullshit ass bullshit right there
3. Anthony - November 11, 2008 12:03 PM
Ralph Macchio will be the new Mr. Miyagi.
4. BadCopNoDonut - November 11, 2008 12:07 PM
Just when you thought Hollywood couldn't dig any deeper into the open sewer of defunct 80's franchises
5. jaime - November 11, 2008 12:28 PM
what the fuck, can't they at least wait until he's 15 or something?
there's no way a 10 year old is scary even with karate skills! plus, 10 year old bullies aren't that bad!
just wait 5 freakin years... (or chose an unknown, older kid who isn't the son of a celebrity. unless you want to see knox leon pitt as the star of a goonies remake)
6. Bickle Wentelworth III - November 11, 2008 1:08 PM
This is only watchable if written, directed by, and starring Stephen Chow.
7. R Rothchild - November 11, 2008 1:27 PM
This is bullshit. The original Karate Kid is an institution. You can't remake it with a 10 year old kid. That's like remaking "Bad Boys" with the little kid from "Jerry Maguire". Very disappointing. I hope that people will have sense enough not to pay to see this crap but then again people spent $90 million to see "Beverly Hills Chihuahua". I've lost all faith in humanity.
8. momboelitist - November 11, 2008 1:39 PM
This should teach all of you aspiring actors that can't get a break. Movie star kids always get first crack at everything.
I can't wait for Jaden's first hollywood career expose where he claims that he would change his name at auditions so he could make sure he got jobs on his own merit.
"Yea, I would go in and tell them my name was Jaden Jones and they never knew I was really Jaden Smith. I worked hard to build a career and never depended on my father or mother."
"You know, I knew I had an drinking and addiction problem when I woke up in a pool of my own vomit. How I filled that pool is beyond me."
9. Markonius - November 11, 2008 1:54 PM
Oh Hollywood. Home of the shameless, and for the homeless...
We saw this one coming a long time ago. I am just asking why even though we all know the answer. MONEY.
Let's see how long they take to make the Barack Obama movie. I'm thinkin' this summer on FOX staring Jamie Foxx.
10. ElectrocaineXxX - November 11, 2008 2:32 PM
This should be called The Karate Kid for all the same reasons I Am Legend was called I Am Legend..........NONE! They don't have SHIT all to do with the source material.
@ #6; As for Stephen Chow. Fuck that guy! Yeah, big thanks to him for convincing them to turn Green Hornet into a bigger piece of shit than I was afraid it would be. Here comic book flicks are FINALLY taking a serious turn. No more winks that, "Oh, we know it's just a comic book flick. Take the kids." They are being accepted as genuine entertainment for movie goers not just nerds getting dropped off by their Grandmas. And these idiots think it's the perfect time for another funny comic book adaptation. Thanks assholes!
11. jimbob - November 11, 2008 2:44 PM
My money's on Jet Li breaking his vow of no-more-films-ness once again for this pile of shite. In old person make up.
12. The Karaoke Kid - November 11, 2008 4:29 PM
When this bad idea for a movie comes out on dvd I will buy it and use it for a coaster.
13. All Look Same - November 11, 2008 4:50 PM
Say nothing of the fact that he'll be learning karate in Beijing. Certainly, there are places in Beijing where karate is taught, but not as many as there may be in, say, I dunno.. Japan! You know, the country where karate comes from! But let's not pretend that producers give a flying fuck about inconsequential details like ethnicity and culture. (The lead is black! That's plenty ethnicity and culture!)
Why not just have him learn Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in Beijing? Sure, it's not impossible.. But what the fuck?
Where's Bruce Leroy when you need him?
14. Jeff W. - November 11, 2008 5:14 PM
Based on that picture alone I want to smash that kid.
15. sully - November 11, 2008 8:10 PM
@9 - Are you serious? It wouldn't star Jamie Foxx, that is ridiculous. It would obviously star Will Smith. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?
And I'm PRETTY sure that the new Mr. Miyagi will be Mike Meyers. Didn't you guys see how awesomely well he stereotypes in "The Love Guru"? He could be SO Asian
16. electrocainexxx - November 11, 2008 9:39 PM
@14 - Thank you!!!! I wanted to say that so badly. Just the smug look on the kids face makes me wanna smack the shit outta him. If Jaden, his father and his ass-faced mother NEVER make another movie life will be great.
I, Robot = Nothing to do with the book except the Laws. Smith and Shia together. What a circle jerk!
I Am Legend = WTF? NES games had better graphics than those stupid vampire/mutant/whatever the fucks! And yet again, what a raping of the novel.
Hancock = Shoulda been called Mouthcock.
17. Mr.Anderson - November 11, 2008 10:09 PM
There is always so much rage in these comments. I mean don't get me wrong, they are all very well placed rages.
I too feel for the older movies being remade into these abominations.
It's almost as if they dug up grandpa and grandma, sat then down on chairs in front of the kitchen table while waving their decaying hands and saying "Look Mr.Anderson! Your grandma and grandpa are waving at you!! Awww, isn't that cute ^_^"
Ummm...what I meant to say with the above analogy, is that they are killing my childhood memories and making me cry (I'm really bad at analogies).
18. Duke Steele - November 12, 2008 12:18 AM
I think that somewhere in a parallel universe, an actor's kid actually grows up and gets real job like a real person. So much for teaching your kid about the real world.
19. oedura - November 12, 2008 4:03 AM
That's a boy?
20. hawaiian - November 12, 2008 6:26 AM
Dude, karate is Japanese not Chinese, so why film in China?
21. Brian - November 12, 2008 9:39 AM
LAST!
Until someone else posts I guess...
22. Aerialgreen - November 12, 2008 2:05 PM
Finally! HOT FOOD will be on Ralph Macchio's table, yay him!~
... of course that's if Hillary Swank doesn't show up as the new sensei, hee, leaving Machio to a minor cameo appearance..
23. Brian - November 12, 2008 6:58 PM
Dammit, Aerialgreen... you screwed up my "last".
LAST!
24. Chris - November 12, 2008 7:48 PM
In the stunning climax he'll be confronted by a gang of sword-wielding ninjas, at which point he'll pull out his sega game-gear and skillfully blast them away...
25. iKaratekid - November 14, 2008 10:12 AM
Ok ...
#1 he is soooo smug I don't like him...
#2 ruining of a "semi classic"
#3 they didn't want to risk having him tank in a unique new movie so they
chose to coattail Karate Kid and ruin that instead...
#4 Karate Kid was based on Japanese culture not Chinese
#5 A movie about 10 year olds.... B O R I N G unless you are 10 years old too!
#6 Need I go on... I would rather watch Melrose Place than this movie
#7 Uber Last Bitches!
26. WTFFFFF - November 17, 2008 8:16 AM
karate kid was white ffs... black peeps dont do karate, they just cap peeps
movie gonna end with little willy in praying mantis stance and then he gonna pull out a glock and fuck shit up
27. james saunders - January 19, 2009 12:32 AM
This little f**cking kid is a real piece of work just what industry needs , some spoilt talentless little sack of sh*t. The smith family is gunna turn into the Hollywood equivalent of the BUSHES. Hope this F**ck bombs!!
28. Thomas Jensen - April 20, 2009 4:45 PM
I thought it was a bad nightmare when I heard about this bull shit. The first Karate kid movie is a classic and is the reason why I started karate and still train today. But this movie also reminds of great child hood memories of a great time in the world.
Anyway the karate kid was never a black kid, so what the F... it is up now.
I hope the people in Hollywood will realize that they made a mistake and leave these kind of classic movies alone.
I don't know what to think I am lost for words.