When they announced they were remaking the (classic movie?) The Karate Kid I was, like most of you (I presume), really quite annoyed. Again Hollywood was looking backwards instead of looking forwards and remaking something from decades ago, trying to modernize it for today’s audience.

The first trailer for The Karate Kid didn’t impress me (the hip-hop music thrown in there I particularly hated) and even though the international trailer was an improvement, it still didn’t make me excited for the movie. Sadly, this third theatrical trailer doesn’t place it on my most anticipated list, but I have to say it’s a vast improvement over the previous trailers.

Check out the new Karate Kid trailer below, thanks to Yahoo:

You can watch the trailer in HD over at Yahoo.

Can someone, anyone, please explain to me why this film isn’t called The Kung Fu Kid? They even mention Kung Fu throughout the trailer and yet they still put the title The Karate Kid up at the end…

There was, and still is, some confusion as to whether this film is titled The Kung Fu Kid or The Karate Kid. The last we heard it may be changing back to “Kung Fu” (Jackie Chan suggested it would be called Kung Fu in China and Karate in America) but now this trailer suggests it really is “Karate” after all. I’d like some sort of official announcement telling us which one it is!

Anyway, the title issue aside, as I said this trailer looks a lot better than the previous ones in my opinion, with some genuinely funny moments (for instance, when the kid leans over and says his name to a Chinese man next to him in Chinese and the guy replies, “Dude, I’m from Detroit”). There’s also some decent looking action in the film – enough that I’m willing to keep an open mind.

Oh, and Jaden Smith still sucks in the role… Oohh, did I just say that? …

[NOTE: the views expressed by Ross Miller are not the views of the entire Screen Rant staff, our subsidiaries or shareholders - if we had any.]

What do you think of the latest trailer for The Karate Kid? Is it an improvement over the previous two? Like me, are you confused why it’s called The Karate Kid?

The Karate Kid hits theaters this summer on June 11th.

Source: Yahoo

First it was The Karate Kid, then it was The Kung Fu Kid, then it was back to The Karate Kid. However, is it about to be renamed The Kung Fu Kid…again?

So says star and Kung Fu…I mean Karate…er… I mean…oh… movie star Jackie Chan.

According to MTV via jadensmith.org via our reader Jon, Chan gave away some details on the title change when he was at the People Choice Awards. Chan is quoted as saying the following:

“We just finished the movie, Karate Kid. Um, the Kung Fu Kid. I don’t know. Probably Kung Fu Kid in China and Karate Kid in America. Maybe a different title? I don’t know. But mostly we’ve called it ‘The Kung Fu Kid.”

Chan went on to explain:

“It’s a totally different story; a totally different story. I was in China, Jaden was all the way from America to China, then they see me, then it’s how I teach him martial arts.”

It’s odd that it would appear that the filmmakers are still unsure what to call the film this late in the game – especially for a big budget summer picture (albeit lacking in effects). The studio already released at least one poster and a trailer for the film and it might be a little confusing for some if they change the title.

I’m sure, though, that the marketers or producers have good reasons (if this is indeed the case) for flip-flopping on their choices. Maybe The Kung Fu Kid tested better in marketing focus groups, or maybe they don’t want the film to be tarnished with the remake brush because the storyline is so different. There is also the fact (as many, many, many of our readers have pointed out) that karate is a Japanese martial art (the movie is set in China) and is not at all the style that Smith and Chan are seen practicing in the trailer for the film.

Personally, I’m not too fussed. While I’m not a big fan of remakes, the thought of this doesn’t really get my blood boiling. If they call it The Kung Fu Kid, I’d imagine it keeps fans of the original (and its sequels) happy and it opens it up to a new audience without any preconceived notions.

I can only imagine that Carl Douglas is hoping that they go for the Kung Fu angle so that his pension fund gets replenished.

Again, thanks to the heads-up from Jon!

The Karate/ Kung Fu Kid opens on June 11, 2010 so I’m sure that we will find out details soon enough.

Source: jadensmith.org

I am still befuddled( I love that word) by the sheer amount of loathing directed at Sony’s remake of the 1984 Karate Kid film starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. I hate remakes as much as the next guy, but since I don’t have a say in whether they get made or not, I figure I might as well try to enjoy them. When the announcement from Sony came in 2008 that they would be remaking The Karate Kid and calling it The Kung Fu Kid, I wasn’t too keen on the idea.

Then came the announcement about who would be starring in the film, Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, and I let out an audible groan. Not because of Chan – I’m a huge fan and have seen just about everything he has done (including his recent film, The Spy Next Door) – but because of Smith. Young Jaden has yet to really prove himself in a film and as a lead actor. He was merely OK as second fiddle to his dad, Will Smith, in Pursuit of Happyness and he was completely annoying in The Day the Earth Stood Still – but to be fair that entire move was annoying.

Then come some behind the scenes pictures, a poster and then finally a trailer. I watched it with an open mind and I found myself surprisingly enjoying it. Harold Zwart (The Pink Panther) really seemed to give us a feel of how the martial arts training would be for Dre (Jaden Smith). Gone were the “Paint the fence” and “Wax on, wax off” mantra all of us kids in the 80s had become attached to. Instead we have “Put on your jacket” and “Pick up your jacket”, which honestly I don’t think will become the latest catch phrase for youngsters.

Soon after the seething comments of hatred came pouring forth like lava from some angry volcano. Everything from “Jaden is too young” and “he can’t act” to “China is Kung Fu not Karate” and “He could never learn enough Kung Fu to beat kids that have studied it all their lives.” All valid arguments for picking on a film, I’ll agree, but are they valid enough to draw the ire of movie fanboys everywhere? Apparently Sony surfs the blogs as well and they did a test screening for The Karate Kid to see how bad it might actually be.

To their surprise, it scored as the second-highest research screening ever out of Sony films, with positive scores in the 97^th percentile. That’s right, if 100 people watched the film, only 3 gave it a bad review! For your information, Hitch scored Sony’s highest ever research screening at just above 97 – like father like son perhaps?

So what does all this mean? Well, some could argue that they filled the room with only people that like Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith and kids doing karate kung fu martial arts. That could be true, but I highly doubt it. Sony would want a true representation of how the current version of the movie will perform, so they could re-edit if necessary. If they were to purposely skew the results, it wouldn’t do anything but harm them at the Box Office.

I’m very curious now to see how this movie performs opening weekend and I think it just might surprise everyone. The Karate Kid will have to go against another blast from the 80s past, The A-Team, that same weekend -  but both films are striving to reach very different audiences.  The Karate Kid is obviously aimed at the “pre-teen to young teen and their parents” crowd, while The A-Team is geared more for the 18-35 male audience.

Does hearing how test audiences enjoyed watching The Karate Kid remake sway your opinion on the film or will you be waiting outside the theater opening weekend with picket signs and rotten vegetables?

The Karate Kid high kicks into theaters June 11^th, 2010.

Source: The Hollywood Insider

If someone had asked me which movie I thought was going to stir the most controversy this year, I would have guessed that if a new Michael Moore, Oliver Stone or Ben Stein movie was being made, those would be the top contenders. Heck! I was thinking Legion might even draw the ire of the religious sector for pitting angels and man against God using man-made technology.

However, I was WAY off. If our comment boards are any indication, the movie that will draw the most fire is going to be the Karate Kid remake.

Starring Jaden Smith (Pursuit of Happyness) in the titular role as Dre Parker, the Karate Kid story follows Dre as he and his mom move to China from America in hopes of starting a new life. Dre finds himself completely out of his comfort zone, not knowing the people, the country or the language, and soon finds himself on the receiving end of the local school bully’s kung-fu grip. Enter Jackie Chan as Mr. Han, the friendly protective handy man that helps Dre realize the full martial arts potential he needs to stand up to the bullies.

As far as the story goes, it’s pretty much a direct act-for-act copy of the original 1984 version of The Karate Kid. Mom and kid move to a new city, kid flirts with girl, bully beats him up, handy man comes to kid’s rescue, handy man teaches kid self-defense, kid becomes good at martial arts, kid fights whole school of bullies in martial arts competition, credits role. There’s nothing really new here (other than the location where the story takes place), and the kids involved seem to be about 5 years younger than Danielson was.

If you watched the first trailer a couple of weeks ago, then you won’t see too much new in this version other than some title screens and few new images but enjoy nonetheless:

Just like the first trailer, I really like this one and my opinion has not been swayed by all of the seething hate that seems to be focused at this film. In fact, my wife, who has completely different movie tastes than me, said “I got goose bumps near the end [of the trailer].” I’ve read everyone’s complaints ranging from the choice of titles all the way to the claims that Jaden Smith can’t act. I just honestly don’t understand what everyone is nitpicking. Screen Rant has covered dozens of martial art films in the past few years and never has anyone complained that the title didn’t match up with the location.

OK, so Karate IS a martial arts form that began in Japan (as a way to defend oneself after weapons were banned) and not in China. We all know that because Dre is in China, the basic fighting style he is learning is Kung Fu, but is that really a reason to blast the film? Sure Kung Fu Kid would have been a better title, but Hollywood is in the business of making money and brand name recognition is part of the game.

Also, let’s get off Jaden Smith’s back and cut the kid some slack. If you watch the trailer closely, he seems to really be trying to make his character look like he knows what he is doing with the martial arts. The tennis ball scene, in particular, looks great to me and I hope the rest of his training turns out the same way. I’ve said this before, but is anyone REALLY surprised that Jaden ended up in the movie business with Will and Jada Pinkett Smith as his parents?

I know I’m about to be blasted with all sorts of negative comments for going against the grain herem but I’m looking forward to seeing The Karate Kid.

What are your thoughts on the international trailer and the film as a whole? (be gentle, I’ve got feelings).

The Karate Kid high kicks into theaters everywhere June 11, 2010.

Source: Cinema Blend

Following some first official images, Columbia Pictures has released the first trailer for The Karate Kid (formerly titled The Kung Fu Kid), the remake of the classic ’80s movie. The film stars Jaden Smith (son of megastar, Will Smith) as Dre Parker who, because of work pressure for his single mother, moves to China and soon thereafter comes up against a bully. His misfortune catches the eye of Mr. Han (read: this new version’s Mr. Myagi), played by Jackie Chan. Mr. Han then teaches young Dre karate, presumably in order to defend himself.

There’s been much negative fan reaction to this Karate Kid remake, some people citing Jaden Smith playing the lead role as their problem, others just generally hating the idea of remaking such a classic movie that a lot of people hold dearly from their childhoods (myself included). This trailer starts out alright, but the further it gets into it, particularly when that annoying and cliched rap music kicks in, the more it looks very “blah” to me.

I won’t say anymore for now, check it out for yourself, courtesy of Yahoo below.

You can watch the trailer in HD over at Yahoo.

Well, I must admit it doesn’t look as wretchedly awful as some (myself included) were expecting it to be – but it doesn’t completely squash my apprehensions about it, either. I hate that they’ve thrown in a hip-hop feel (whatever that means ) and the more grown-up (since The Pursuit of Happyness) Jaden Smith doesn’t have the instant likability and charisma to pull off the role, particularly to make those few lines he utters in that trailer seem cool, something I imagine was the intention.

Perhaps the biggest mistake made about this project (apart from giving the it the greenlight ) was getting Harald Zwart to direct it. Why’s that? Well, he was responsible for the Pink Panther sequel with Steve Martin, as well as Agent Cody Banks with Frankie “Malcolm in the Middle” Muniz (ouch on both accounts). Of all the directors they could have chosen, I have no idea why they went for Zwart. It’s almost as if they wanted to give themselves a challenge!

Anyway, enough from me, what are YOUR thoughts on our first proper look at The Karate Kid remake? Does the trailer inspire confidence that it may be decent? Or does it confirm previous suspicions that it’s going to suck, muddying the legacy of the original Karate Kid?

The Karate Kid is set to kick its way into theaters on June 11th, 2010.

Sources: Yahoo (thanks to Cinemablend)

Sony has released the first official images of The Karate Kid remake (formerly known as The Kung-Fu Kid). The images, which come to us courtesy of /Film, show Jaden Smith’s character, Dre, training with Jackie Chan’s character, Mr. Han; splashing around with his Chinese girlfriend; and showing off some pretty impressive flexibility.

To be honest, none of these four pictures are particularly exciting to me. I guess I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around why there is a remake of The Karate Kid in the first place. I’m not being ironic or nostalgic when I say that the original Karate Kid is one of my favorite movies to watch. I enjoy the story, the acting is solid, and I like how the movie has a message without pandering to the audience. Plus, you know, it has that Joe Esposito song, “You’re the Best Around.”

At least when it was called “The Kung Fu Kid” you could make the argument that it was less of a remake and more of a reinterpretation. Now, the title is just sort of illogical. After all, karate is traditionally associated with Japan, not China. But I digress.

Check out the pictures below:

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There is definite potential for this movie. I know there are a lot of people who don’t care much for Jaden Smith and assume he only gets parts because his dad is Will Smith, but I actually think he is fairly talented for his age. I think the real important thing is that the dynamic between Smith and Chan mirrors that of Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita from the original Karate Kid. I’m a sucker for an underdog story, and if those two can get me to believe that they actually trust and respect each other, I might be okay with the film.

What do you think? Do these pictures make your more or less excited about The Karate Kid?

The Karate Kid comes to theaters June 11, 2010.

Source: /Film

Happy Friday everyone! Today we’ve again gathered the latest posters to come out for this week’s poster round-up.

Screen Rant’s wall this week now includes one-sheets for Toy Story 3, Saw VI, Paranormal Activity, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Blind Side, Dark Country, Jekyll & Hyde, The Hole, Get Low, The Descent: Part 2, The Karate Kid, The Fourth Kind, I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell, The Men Who Stare at Goats, and A Christmas Carol.

But that’s not all! We also have the latest sets of character banners for Where The Wild Things Are and The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Let’s get to it.

To start, here’s the first teaser poster for Toy Story 3 thanks to our friends at Latino Review:

Source: Latino Review

A remake of the classic ’80s movie, The Karate Kid, is something that, when announced, was met with the same groans and “Please no!” responses (from most folks out there) similar to about every other dreaded remake. The fact that they reportedly changed the name to Kung Fu Kid, as well as the storyline that was reported being a bit on the cheesy side, didn’t exactly help matters.

Today we get the news that the title of this remake has officially been changed to Kung Fu Kid.

Admittedly it makes sense since it’s Kung Fu our lead learns and not Karate as in the original. Playing the lead is Will Smith’s son, Jayden, as a kid (would you have guessed it?) who moves to China with his mum, gets bullied at school, and eventually ends up learning Kung Fu from Mr. Han (Jackie Chan, playing the remake’s equivalent of Mr. Miyagi). I’ve said it before – it’s not the absolute worst idea in the world, but couldn’t they have conjured something a bit better?

The Harald Zwart (Pink Panther 2) directed martial arts remake actually started filming this weekend in Beijing (heck, at least they’re shooting the camera’s in the right location…), where the story it will take place in modern day. The shooting schedule of the film is set to last for three months, and to celebrate the start of production, a traditional Chinese ceremony was held on Saturday.

Jayden Smith was there at the ceremony with his father, Will, mother, Jada Pinkett, and sister, Willow. In a video shot of the ceremony put online at Sina.com, Will Smith, Chan, and Zwart, “symbolically removed a piece of red cloth covering a movie camera, after which Smith gave Chan a hug.” If you want to take a look at the ten-minute video of the ceremony, you can head here.

'Kung Fu Kid' Beijing ceremony

Even if the title change from The Karate Kid to Kung Fu Kid does distance the remake to the ’80s original, I still fear it will soil the reputation of it. I fully realize that if the remake sucks, we’ve still got the original, but as I have said on a number of occasions, today’s audiences might automatically think of this remake whenever “The Karate Kid” gets mentioned. It’s happened numerous times with all the remakes of classic horror movies (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, House of Wax, The Amityville Horror, on and on...), where most likely today’s (young) audiences will not even be aware there was one before these relentless 21st century rehashes.

I suppose that’s what the title change is for, but will the same happen with Kung Fu Kid? I believe it just might…

What do you think of this remake now officially being retitled Kung Fu Kid? Do you think there’s a chance it may turn out to be any good?

As stated, Kung Fu Kid started production last weekend in Beijing, but it doesn’t have a release date set as of yet. The film is directed by Harald Zwart, and written by Steven Conrad (The Pursuit of Happyness).

Sources: AssociatedPress, /Film, and Sina

When Screen Rant first reported that Columbia was remaking The Karate Kid, fan reaction was decidedly negative. Many people asked: Why? Why remake a film that many consider a modern classic? If you are going to remake a well-known film, why change it’s title to The Kung Fu Kid? Our subsequent coverage did little to mitigate these concerns.

Now, The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Steven Conrad, the writer of The Pursuit of Happyness, has been brought on to work on the original script by Chris Murphy. The report is unclear as to whether Conrad has been asked to make major changes to the script or simply provide some touch-ups, but given that the film is set to begin production in a month, I wonder just how much polish the script needs before it’s considered ready.

As you probably recall, The Pursuit of Happyness starred Will Smith, the father of Jayden Smith who is taking over the Ralph Maccio role from the original film. Has Conrad been brought in to recapture some of the emotional depth that helped The Pursuit of Happyness earn $300M worldwide? One of the most endearing aspects of the original Karate Kid was the sincerity of the relationship between Maccio’s character and Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi. Will Jackie Chan and Jayden Smith be able to recapture that dynamic?

All in all, I’m still not totally on board for a Karate Kid remake. Call me sentimental, but there’s just too much to like about the original to justify retelling the story.

What do you think? Does Conrad’s addition to the production ease some of your concerns, or are you still unsure?

Source: THR via JoBlo

Just one of the many remakes in the works is of the classic 1980’s movie The Karate Kid, reportedly renamed the Kung Fu Kid (urgh….). Will Smith’s son Jaden has already been announced as playing this version’s Daniel (played in the original by Ralph Macchio), and Jackie Chan will be playing the remake’s Mr. Myagi (seriously…).

So what about the plot of the movie? Well, according to a couple of people who are involved with the project, it’s similar in tone to the original, but differs greatly in a lot of areas. The story is about a single mother and her son Dre (young Smith) who move to Beijing, China because of her job. Needless to say, she and Dre find it difficult adjusting and before long, Dre starts getting bullied at school.

Because of his bruises from being beaten up, the principal of the strict school he now attends thinks he has been the one picking the fights. The Mr. Myagi of the movie, who will now be called Mr. Han (played by Chan), is the maintenance man of the building Dre and his mother are living. After noticing Dre practicing martial arts in front of a video game, as well as his black eye, he agrees to train him in Kung Fu, as well as helping him learn Chinese.

For the full plot synopsis you can visit the MovieHole link at the end of the post.

I have said it before and I’ll say it again: This is a movie that does not need to be remade. Although, of course, we’ll still have the original there if the remake ends up being bad, but it may lead a whole generation of movie goers to think of this movie when the name “Karate Kid” gets brought up.

Of course, the reported name change to the Kung Fu Kid may remedy that, but that then removes a lot of the name recognition it would have had if they had just kept it as The Karate Kid. To me it’s a lose-lose situation and I see little about it that defines it as worthwhile.

The plot outline they’ve got for it isn’t necessarily the worst idea in the world, but is it me or does it seem a little bit cheesy? Undoubtedly the same could be said about the original, but it has to be remembered that that was in the ’80s, a very different movie-going age than what we have today. The cheesiness of the original, and many other movies from that time is readily accepted nowadays looking back because that’s the era they came from, and the cheesiness is most likely held as part of it’s charm.

It sounds like they’re trying to replicate the flavor of the original while putting a modern stamp on it. That, added to the fact that Harald Zwart (Agent Cody Banks, Pink Panther 2) is directing and first-timer Chris Murphy is writing, I just don’t know if it is going to work out.

What do you think of the plot put together for this remake? Are you in favor of a remake of it at all?

The Karate Kid remake (supposedly entitled the Kung Fu Kid) is hoped to be released sometime next year.

Source: MovieHole

The trend of messing with our childhoods just seems to keep steam rolling on, no matter how much complaining fans do. One of the latest is a remake of the 1984 classic, The Karate Kid. The news recently broke that Will Smith’s son, Jaden, will be starring in the lead role, with  Jackie Chan starring as the updated version of Mr Miyagi. It’s also come to light that this film won’t be a remake of the original: the screenplay will “borrow elements” from the original film but is not a remake.

And, to make that difference clear, the filmmakers have gone so far as to rename the film. So what are they renaming it? Well, according to Chan: “They don’t want to call it Karate Kid any more… They want to call it The Kung Fu Kid.”

So they’re remaking The Karate Kid, fine. And they’re casting Will Smith’s son as the titular character, okay. And they’ve even got Jackie Chan as the new Mr. Miyagi, great! But The Kung Fu Kid? Are they serious?! The filmmakers must’ve been reading all of the movie websites (such as our very own Screen Rant) to cover their backs with that one, eh?…

Film Drunk mentioned The Kung Fu Kid as a possible title for the project over a year ago, but now it’s looking like that’s what it’s going to be. With it the filmmakers have kind of neutered themselves, contradicting themselves in the most stupid of ways: they’re remaking a famous film, presumably hoping to capitalize on the name recognition of those who loved the original as kids, and then they go and give it a different title, effectively removing said name recognition.

Our friends over at First Showing point out the fact that the martial art of Karate actually has some of its historical roots in Kung Fu, so the reason they may be changing the name instead is to be more “culturally relevant and accurate.”

Hmmm, okay, I guess I can buy that – but you gotta’ admit, the title of The Kung Fu Kid sounds pretty silly, to say the least.

The Karate Kid is one of those movies that gets overshadowed by its many sequels (which steadily diminished in quality from the original). And much like the Rocky series, people seem to forget that the original Karate Kid film wasn’t just one of those fun, entertaining, “you like it because you remember it from childhood” type of movies; it’s actually a respectable film of decent quality that even got nominated for an Oscar (for Pat Morita’s legendary performance as Mr. Miyagi).

It’s yet another one of those classic movies that just doesn’t need another sequel, let alone a remake “re-imagining.” Didn’t Hollywood learn from the tried and failed The Next Karate Kid?

What are your thoughts on the title The Kung Fu Kid, and about the general notion of them doing another Karate Kid?

Sources: FirstShowing.net, /Film and Filmdrunk

But the fact that The Karate Kid is getting remade makes me feel…old. *Gasp!*

Considering that Jaden Smith has been cast as the lead, it was only a matter of time before the filmmakers found an actor to fill the shoes of the late Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi.

The folks over at Entertainment Weekly have confirmed that Jackie Chan will play the new Miyagi to Smith’s Daniel-san (or whatever character he’ll be playing!)

Mind you, I have nothing against Chan personally.

I was always “Meh!” towards the Rush Hour films, and haven’t sat through too terribly many of his action films from Hong-Kong.

But, I digress, ladies and germs.

Does anyone really care about a Karate Kid remake?

Source: Entertainment Weekly

They plan to remake the 1984 hit The Karate Kid, and want Jaden Smith to star as the new Daniel-san.

That’s right, Jaden Smith, the 10-year-old son daddy Will Smith keeps forcing onto us.

Variety is finally reporting that Jerry Weintraub is linking with Overbrook Entertainment’s James Lassiter, Will Smith and Ken Stovitz to butcher his own original franchise. I say “finally” because IGN broke this (albeit as a fairly solid rumor) over a year ago.

Overbrook and Escape Artists did produce The Pursuit of Happyness for Columbia, so there’s a glimmer of hope that this could be decent. But then again in that case, it couldn’t have been too terribly difficult for Jaden to play son to his actual dad.

Chris Murphy is writing the script, and the new film will be shot sometime next year. It’s set to take place in a number of cities but primarily in Beijing, where the dominant marital art is Kung Fu. It’s also said to borrow elements from the original, where a kid moves to a new city and ends up being bullied by the locals, who eventually learns to stand up for himself with the help of a mentor.

I have number of problems with this announcement, but one item specifically: Why Beijing? Maybe Columbia hopes we’ll be enchanted by a military brat who is bullied by Kung Fu practicing locals and finds some Mr. Miyagi to teach him to fight back–kind of like The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

We all know how that turned out.

Some other details that should be noted include: Will Smith Jr. is a martial arts practitioner himself, and Mr. Miyagi has not been cast. I would suspect the mentor will be an outsider to Beijing, as Mr. Miyagi was to Los Angeles, but either way I don’t have a good feeling about this film.

Do we really need another Karate Kid?

Source: Variety