- Sam Raimi Wants to 'Get Back to the Basics' on Spider-Man 4 (111 Comments)
- Must Watch: Teaser Trailer for A Nightmare on Elm Street! (109 Comments)
- Must Watch: Intense Trailer for Mel Gibson's Edge of Darkness (81 Comments)
- Must Watch: Second Official Trailer for Lee Daniels' Precious (78 Comments)
- Check These Out: High Res New Na'vi Photos from Avatar! (77 Comments)
- Paul Blart Director Steve Carr Hired for the Short Circuit Remake (Oct 27, 2009)
- Hitman's Xavier Gens Set to Direct Action Thriller 'The Fallout' (Oct 27, 2009)
- Bruckheimer & Straczynski Adapting 2K's Shattered Union (Oct 27, 2009)
- Steve Carell on Par for Rick Reilly Golf Comedy 'Missing Links' (Oct 26, 2009)
- Jason Reitman Calls Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim 'Matrix for Love' (Oct 26, 2009)
- Matt Damon & Josh Brolin Joining the Coen Brothers' True Grit (Oct 26, 2009)
- Ricky Gervais to Host the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards (Oct 26, 2009)
- Woody Allen's New Film Titled 'You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger' (Oct 26, 2009)
| Inglourious Basterds | 10/10 |
| It Might Get Loud | 9/10 |
| Inglourious Basterds | 8.5/10 |
| Star Trek | 9/10 |
| Monsters vs Aliens | 5/10 |
Jackie Chan's Karate Kid Remake to be Called Kung Fu Kid
March 29, 2009
by Alex Billington
Last year it was announced that Columbia Pictures was remaking the 1984 classic Karate Kid with Jaden Smith set to star. In January, we announced that Jackie Chan had been cast as the lovable Mr. Miyagi, stepping in for Pat Morita. As far as I know, not a single person was excited by any of this news, but of course Sony is pushing forward with the production in hopes of convincing audiences later with marketing. Well, a good friends of ours dropped by with a tip recently letting us know that in a recent interview with Jackie Chan, he let slip that this remake is actually going to be called Kung Fu Kid, not Karate Kid.
"They don't want to call it Karate Kid any more," Chan said. "They want to call it The Kung Fu Kid." He quickly changed topics and unfortunately didn't add any more about as to why this change was being made. Our guess is that since this remake is a Chinese co-production and being shot in Beijing, it's much more relevant today to use kung fu as opposed to karate (which isn't as popular as it was back in the 80's) and also more appropriate considering karate actually has its historical roots in kung fu. As in, story updates and Chinese influence caused them to change the title to be more culturally relevant and accurate.
If you're actually big Jackie Chan fan, a great interview can be seen over on 3news.co.nz. He talks about how he's trying to change his image and become more of an "actor who can fight" not a "fighter who can act." It's actually a really heartfelt interview and it reminds me why I love him so much. Hopefully this news about the title actually sheds some positive light on the production, although I doubt it will. Thoughts?
•  |
Related Articles
- » First Logo Unveiled for Jackie Chan's Karate Kid Remake
- » Taraji P. Henson to Play Mom in The Karate Kid Remake
- » Jackie Chan Playing Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid Remake!
- » Jackie Chan's Heading to the Qin Dynasty for Junior Soldiers
- » Jackie Chan Headlining a Remake of Shaolin Temple in China
- » Jaden Smith Will Become the New The Karate Kid
Reader Feedback - 36 Comments »
1
why don't they just replace all the storm troopers with dickheads and rename it Cock Wars? wouldn't that be swell?
Roberto Dinamite on Mar 29, 2009
2
Funny fact:
In Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi was in fact teaching kung-fu. Wax on, wax off? That's basic wing chun. Who'd a thunk it? lol ^^
LW on Mar 29, 2009
3
Wait what? People think he can act and not fight?
Hey Ya on Mar 30, 2009
4
#1
BA HAHAHAHAHA!
DoomCanoe on Mar 30, 2009
5
This is a bad F**king joke. Even if the title was called The Karate Kid, I would never want to see this. The original film was fantastic and as much as I like Jackie Chan, Pat Morita will always be Mr. Miyagi.
Kal-el on Mar 30, 2009
6
i knew it they going to change it to Kung Fu Kid cause the story is going to based in China and the kid will be teach by Jackie Chan who is a Kung Fu master we will never believe him to be Japanese. Karate aint from China so it make sense to call it Kung Fu cause Kung Fu comes from China.
movieboy1 on Mar 30, 2009
7
#6… but the name Miyagi is Japanese, hehe
L on Mar 30, 2009
8
I'm guessing the name change has more to do with paying rights fees to DC Comics/Warner Brothers (who own the rights to the name "Karate Kid") than it has to do with Chinese sensibilities. It will, of course, be spun differently, however.
Mike on Mar 30, 2009
9
Movies are use to be good should just be remembered.
Movies that suck there is no remake of it.. Why is that? Sorry to say this THIS MOVIE IS F**King lame. Probably after Kung fu kid.. there will be Muay Thai kid..
cindarr on Mar 30, 2009
10
Karate was started in the towns of Shuri, Naha and Tamari in Okinawa moron!
Eric on Mar 30, 2009
11
honestly the news for this movie gets worse and worse just stop now pay your actors say sorry but i have my future to look at and this movie if made will ruin your film reputation
Tom W on Mar 30, 2009
12
Since we're making sequels, prequels, mid-quels, remakes, reboots, reimaginings and redos for just about every movie made more than 15 years age, you know what GD movie I want a sequel to, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai.
S on Mar 30, 2009
13
Please.
Travis Cowsill on Mar 30, 2009
14
What a bunch of crap
smacky on Mar 30, 2009
15
While I have not seen the original and therefore have no positive or negative opinions about this project, I'd like to suggest for debate the idea of whether this newe title was inspired by the popularity of Kung Fu Panda. With a similar title, it may help convince kids to see this movie.
James on Mar 30, 2009
16
James, I don't think that has anything to do with it as it's a completely different studio and they don't have a habit of imitating the titles of competitors. Also, since this is not animated I fail to see the comparison. They'll most likely market it to families and not kids as I see it being the type of film a father would take his son to.
The most likely reason for the name change would be the extremely negative buzz surrounded in calling the film a "remake" of the classic Miyagi legend from the 80s. I'm sure bastardizing such a classic started to look like a bad idea when the bloggers tore them a new one just at the thought of such a film. They most likely changed the name to seperate themselves from the connotation "The Karate Kid" carries in order to trick audiences into thinking it's an original story instead of a reboot.
peloquin on Mar 30, 2009
17
OH NO! if it's the same Jaden Smith from The Day The Earth blah blah blah. Then I'm out. I'm not against children of famous actors stealin movie roles (ok maybe I am just a tad) but if they suck at acting, then they suck at acting. I thought he pretty much ruined The Day The Earth Hibbity Squibbity.
Original Karate Kid is still the shit.
They should get Ralph Machio but I'm sure he's probably turned it down.
chris vu on Mar 30, 2009
18
The link below expresses how I feel about all of this:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A
Mr j Money on Mar 30, 2009
19
This is Chan another obvious attempt to please American audiences and I know that it's going to suck, he should go back to making films that brought him there in the first place which is with Golden Harvest.
Dave Jordon on Mar 30, 2009
20
thank you. you can make remakes all you want, but something as classic as the original The Karate Kid, doesn't need a remake not for another 50 years. give it a different name, at least leaves the original with dignity. they should have done the same with Dukes of Hazzard, Starsky and Hutch, Transformers (2007), those movies had nothing to do with the original shows, only used the name to garner "attention". thank you. Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio you can rest easy.
leavethemwithdignity on Mar 30, 2009
21
#18 LOL!!!
chris vu on Mar 30, 2009
22
Barf-a-roo.
Voice of Reason on Mar 30, 2009
23
apart of the idea that this will suck (and I think this will suck) I think that is the best idea. If you are a expert in a martial arts, and you have year after years being a master on it, I don think you will be happy to have it changed to another name. I will be pissed off in that case.
Atlantis CasinoReno on Mar 30, 2009
24
If 'The Good, The Bad & The Wierd' didn't suck…
then it's way too early to judge this just yet :/ . Not defending, just saying.
LW on Mar 30, 2009
25
Might as well remake the bible. Remake the eighties. Get the N. Dynamite's martial arts teacher in the American pants to play Mr. Miagi. It's a dumb idea. Just make a movie about a wimp who gets taught by a great master and beats his bullies. Old formula but a great one. Why call it a remake?
namegoeshere on Mar 30, 2009
27
WHY DO THEY HAVE TO DO THIS SHIT!!!!!
there is no f**king need!!!!!!
Josveta on Mar 31, 2009
28
to 26
Isn't the "The Good, The Bad and the Wierd" a complete remake, reimagining and retelling of "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly"? In which case, dosn't that mean to "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly" fans that their movie was completely butchered and brutalized by a bunch of "damn Koreans"? ((Not that I see it this way, but it's an interesting perspective))
But at the same time, I have immensely enjoyed 'The Good, the Bad and the Wierd', even if it is, what I'm sure what some would call, "a bastardization" of the 'original'.
LW on Mar 31, 2009
29
although "The Good, The Bad and the Weird" was heavily inspired by "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly," it was NOT a remake.
FYI, I loved Leone's film and hated Kim's film
Paul on Mar 31, 2009
30
Aha! Then why are we still calling 'Kungfu Kid' a remake? We may be calling it a remake over here, but are they calling it a remake over 'there'? And if they are, then there's a plausible possibility that Jackie Chan's english isn't that good, so we're both imagining completely different things around the word remake.
Check and mate good sir! 
LW on Mar 31, 2009
31
You may not know this and some people may disagree with this statement , but the idea for the Karate Kid came from Jackie Chan's original movie released in either 1978 or 79 called Drunken Monkey English translation (aka The Legend of Drunken Master or just Drunken Master). Whatever any movie would be called in any country is totally irrevelant, since it is the company that decides what it has to do to make itl sell. I also want to point out from judging Jackie's history is that he is a kung fu artist and Pat Morita although a good actor was always known as an actor who acts never as an martial artist. I don't think if by googling Pat Morita, he never has taught karate or martial l arts or had even choreographed a fight for a movie in his life. The Karate Kid was made for English audiences, Drunken Master was made for Chinese audiences. The only thing I know is most of Jackie's english movies all suck except for Rush Hour 1 and 2 .
Dave Jordon on Mar 31, 2009
32
I also want to know how many of Jackies movies had you guys had seen because the movies he used to make in Hong Kong, he's actually hitting people for real , unlike the movies they make in Hollywood they don't even touch. They just swing thre arms in the air with a camera behind someone. Two different countries making movies two different ways.
Dave Jordon on Mar 31, 2009
33
Dave, can you find anything (not anecdotal) that would back what you're saying about the Drunken Master as an influence?
It doesn't ring "Departed" in the asian-influence dept but it sounds really interesting and i'd love to read up on it if anything's available.
To me, Kung Fu Kid is still a crappy, rip-offy, type name and I think execs will try and ride what's left of the cult wave from the original franchise.
Mr j Money on Mar 31, 2009
34
It's a little naive to try to find any info regarding any movie to be an influence to another film unless the director or producers admit to it, this is to avoid paying other royalties and since they made alot of money why should they. I actually caught this piece of inf from a mag. I used to subscribe about Asian Films and they are expensive mags B/c they were independent. I can tell you though before Karate Kid was even made, Hong Kong under British rule were making martial art movies about training for years. If you google at Jackies history, it's extremely impressive. Almost every film he's been in are stunt- filled and martial arts imaginable.
I mean both the idea and the storyline of "The Lion King" by Walt Disney is an direct copycat from an old Japan animation series called Kimba The White Lion. Ironically it was also one the last Disney movies to be on DVD to avoid royalties because Disney want to make sure that even word Kimba would never be mentioned on the "making of bonus disc" The Chinese had been making movies about martial art training in every way possible imaginable after Bruce Lee died, the difference is time settings are different and by the sound of it, you obviously cannot relate to anything unless it's in English with English settings. By comparison in my opinion Karate Kid is very tame to Drunken Master or even Snake In the Eagles Shadow both movies directed by kung fu artist Yuen Woo- Ping. I do however think Kung Fu kid is not going to be very good unless they let Jackie do whatever he wants.
Dave Jordon on Apr 1, 2009
35
hi yeh
it will not be the some as karate kid and i been watching it when i was 7yrs old and i know what it be like.
nikki on Aug 11, 2009
36
The film will be a huge hit, not only do we have a real karate master; Jackie Chan, we have a great young actor; Jaden Smith who plays the young boy 'DRE' who moves from America to China with his mother played by Taraji P. Henson , plus Jackie Chan plays the very funny character 'Wong Tong' from the young adult novel 'Fledgling Jason Steed'
'Dre' is bullied and seeks help from Jackie Chan, the film may have the same theme, but its better made and acted. The director of 'Agent Cody Banks' 'Harald Zwart'
steps in as director. Watch out for a box office hit and the best 'G' rated movie for the fall of 2010. The book 'Fledgling Jason Steed' is released at the same time by Sourcebooks Inc.
Expect to see a little romance between Mom (Taraji P. Henson) and Jackie Chan.
Roger beckner on Sep 22, 2009