The Karate Kid (2010 film)

The Karate Kid
File:Karate Kid 2010.jpg Karate Kid movie poster
Directed by	Harald Zwart
Written by	Screenplay: Christopher Murphey Story: Robert Mark Kamen
Produced by	Jerry Weintraub Will Smith Jada Pinkett Smith James Lassiter Ken Stovitz
Starring	Jackie Chan Jaden Smith
Cinematography	Brad Baker Stephen Early
Edited by	Kevin Stermer
Music by	James Horner
Production companies	Overbrook Entertainment JW Productions China Film Group
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	June 11, 2010
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$35 million

The Karate Kid is an upcoming 2010 martial arts film remake of the 1984 film of the same name. Directed by Harald Zwart, the remake stars Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. Principal photography for the film took place in Beijing, China; filming began around July 2009 and ended on October 16, 2009. The Karate Kid will be released theatrically in the United States on June 11, 2010.

Plot

The plot bears many similarities to the original Karate Kid film, with some notable differences. Twelve year old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) is the most popular kid in Detroit until he and his single mother (Taraji P. Henson) move because of a pivotal career change made by his mother. In their new home of Beijing, Parker falls for a young school student named Mei Ying. Both children find it hard to form a solid friendship with each other because of their cultural differences. To make matters worse, this attraction makes him the enemy of the infamous bully leader, Cheng, who gives Parker the nickname of 'The Karate Kid' due to his severely limited knowledge of Karate, hence the title of the film.

With the bullies constantly throwing him to the ground, and with no one else to turn to, the outlook for Parker's new life looks bleak until he meets Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), a quirky mentor and a Kung-Fu master in secret. Mr. Han teaches Parker Kung-Fu through unconventional, yet effective techniques to help make life in his new home an easier affair and hopefully stand up to the bullies. The entire plot eventually builds up to a grand finale with Dre Parker battling against Cheng and his allies in a large scale Martial Arts Tournament.

Development

On November 10, 2008, Variety reported that work on a Karate Kid remake had begun. Variety stated that the new film, to be produced by Will Smith, "has been refashioned as a star vehicle for Jaden Smith" and that it would "borrow elements from the original plot, wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor." On June 22, 2009, Jackie Chan told a Los Angeles Chinatown concert crowd that he was leaving for Beijing to film the remake as Jaden Smith's teacher.

Unlike the original 1984 movie, The Karate Kid, the 2010 remake does not feature the modern interpretation of karate, which is from Okinawa. Despite its title, the new film focuses on a boy learning kung fu in China. Chan has told interviewers that film cast members have been referring to the movie as the Kung Fu Kid, and he believes the film will only be called The Karate Kid in America, and The Kung Fu Kid in Asia.

The film will contain homages to the original film, including a variation on the famous fly catching scene in which Chan's character ends up swatting it instead of using chopsticks; the theatrical trailer shows this scene with the original movie's theme "You're the Best" playing.

Oscar winning composer James Horner has been confirmed to score the film, his first film score since the blockbuster epic Avatar, which he spent over two years working on. He is replacing Atli Örvarsson.

See also

• Jackie Chan filmography

External Links

• Official website
• The Karate Kid at IMDb
• Official Trailer