'Karate Kid' to Wax on With Jackie Chan?

PopEater / Wire Services
posted: 201 DAYS 22 HOURS AGO
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filed under: Movie News, WTF?
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(Jan. 14) - Jackie Chan is in talks to wax on, wax off as Mr. Miyagi in an upcoming remake of the classic martial arts teen film, 'Karate Kid.'
The action star is close to scoring the role made famous by Pat Morita in the original franchise. Morita, who died in 2005, scored a best supporting actor nomination for the part at the 1984 Academy Awards.
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Unnecessary Remakes

    THE KARATE KID, Martin Kove, Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, 1984, (c) Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection

    Everett Collection

    Original: 'Footloose'
    Remake Status: Zac Efron is set to star in the updated version, which is in pre-production.
    Why It's Unnecessary: Zac Efron has shown he can dance, but what's the point of trying to fit into Kevin Bacon's shoes?

    Everett Collection

    Original: 'The Birds'
    Remake Status: Rumored, with Naomi Watts and George Clooney as names attached.
    Why It's Unnecessary: No Hitchcock should ever be redone. (See 'Psycho')

    Everett Collection

    Original: 'Romancing the Stone'
    Remake Status: The project was recently announced.
    Why It's Unnecessary: No one could recreate the chemistry between Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, probably not even Douglas and his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones.

    Everett Collection

    Original: 'My Fair Lady,' starring Audrey Hepburn
    Remake Status: Rumored, with Keira Knightley taking Hepburn's role
    Why It's Unnecessary: Others have tried to remake iconic Hepburn films, and they've failed. Even with Knightley, the current queen of period pieces, this movie is doomed from the start.

    Everett Collection

    Original: 'Melrose Place'
    Remake Status: Rumored
    Why It's Unnecessary: Just because one Aaron Spelling remake is moderately successful -- more on that later -- doesn't mean his catalog should be pillaged. Next thing you know, we'll be seeing a 'Seventh Heaven' redux.

    Everett Collection

    Original: '10 Things I Hate About You'
    Remake Status: A TV show is being produced for ABC Family.
    Why It's Unnecessary: Heath Ledger's legacy should be left untarnished.

    Zuma Press

    Original: 'Dark Shadows' (1966)
    Remake: 'Dark Shadows' (1991) and a big screen adaptation in the works with Johnny Depp and Tim Burton
    Why It's Unnecessary: How many times does a TV show need a reinvention?

    Everett Collection

    Original: 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' (1951)
    Remake: 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' (2008)
    Why It's Unnecessary: The first was understated and well done. The update, starring Keanu Reeves, looks anything but.

    Everett Collection / 20th Century Fox

    Original: 'King Kong' (1933)
    Remake: 'King Kong' (2005)
    Why It's Unnecessary: Sure, the 2006 edition had better effects, but it fell flat compared to the 1933 masterpiece.

    AP / Universal

Jaden Smith, son of actor Will Smith, would play Miyagi's youngprotege, a role originally played by Ralph Macchio. The studioalso has signed Harald Zwart ("Agent Cody Banks") to direct thepicture, which possibly will begin shooting this year in Beijing.
Like the original, the movie will examine the relationship betweena martial arts expert and a boy who is picked on by bullies.
Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment is producing along with theoriginal film's producer Jerry Weintraub. The setting will be relocatedfrom the United States to China.
Chan, who next appears in the action-comedy "The Spy Next Door,"has massive appeal overseas, which undoubtedly appealed to Columbia.His "Rush Hour" franchise with Chris Tucker has earned about$750 million worldwide.
2008 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved. // Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. // Copyright 2008, Reuters
2009-01-13 22:38:33
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