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'Karate Kid' to Wax on With Jackie Chan?

PopEater / Wire Services

posted: 170 DAYS 5 HOURS AGO

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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 young protege, a role originally played by Ralph Macchio. The studio also has signed Harald Zwart ("Agent Cody Banks") to direct the picture, which possibly will begin shooting this year in Beijing.

Like the original, the movie will examine the relationship between a martial arts expert and a boy who is picked on by bullies.

Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment is producing along with the original film's producer Jerry Weintraub. The setting will be relocated from 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.

2009-01-13 22:38:33

Dan Steinberg, AP

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Ukchef43

01:31 AMJan 15 2009

The writers union just got a pay raise.Now go out and earn it,stop with the remakes.

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PHPoling

11:46 PMJan 15 2009

WHY???? DO NOT REMAKE THOSE MOVIES!! LEAVE POPULAR 80'S MOVIES ALONE!! THEY ARE THE BEST ALONE NO OFFENSE TO 90'S AND 2000'S MOVIES

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TJFoster965

08:59 PMJan 15 2009

Tao of Miyagi might help them out on this one. The best way to avoid an unfortunate situation is to not be there.

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AgtChaos

08:17 PMJan 15 2009

This seems like another hollywood botch job to me. Will you please stop ruining classic films by acting like you can do better? Just because it was good before doesn't mean you'll make a ton a money off it again. I smell straight to DVD on this one.

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DALANDER

08:01 PMJan 15 2009

That's because nobody has any immagination. Remake of Walking Tall with the Rock, stunk

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GDeliawolf

07:37 PMJan 15 2009

How about a remake of Conan the Barbarian with Kevin Spacy starring in the role? Or Laverne and Shirley, starring Paris Hilton and Rosie O'Donnal <sp?> I mean why not just pull out and dust off all the old films ever made and remake them all starring different people? How about Dirty Harry, starring Will Ferral?

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JC Seward

07:15 PMJan 15 2009

I wish they would remake Shaft with Ben Affleck and see how that goes over....

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Scolex8

07:04 PMJan 15 2009

ARRRGHHH!!! NOOO MOORRRE REMAKES!!!! Sheesshh! Comon, STOP Copying the Original ideas!!! ARRGGHH!!! THis is going FLOOOOOOP!!

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FtSumner

06:31 PMJan 14 2009

No, it would'nt look right.The Karate Kid only knew the basics,It was fine in his flim.I dream some times too.

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BarbraKDDEV

05:48 PMJan 14 2009

Spoochetta...are you kidding me? what is so "old fashioned" or out of date about the original Karate Kid? The cars that Miyagi had were all '50's cars...should they have had modern cars from the '80's to make it easier for us to "relate to" when the movie came out? I am sure any generation can enjoy this classic movie....maybe it's just those with "video-game" menatlity that cannot

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