Ralph Macchio, Jackie Chan
Courtesy of Sony (2)
Call it the Karate Kid cinematic universe.
Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, who both starred in Karate Kid films decades apart, are set to reprise their popular characters in Sony Pictures’ latest installment of the iconic coming-of-age martial arts franchise.
Jonathan Entwistle, best known for his highly rated and award-winning teen television series I don’t agree with this And The end of the fucking worldis directing the untitled feature film which the studio is positioning as the fusion and continuation of the mythology of the original franchise.
A global search for a Chinese actor to play the former title character was launched today, with Chan and Macchio kicking off with an introductory video, viewable below.
Rob Lieber, whose credits include that of Sony Peter Rabbit and Disney Alexander and the terrible, horrible, not good, very bad day, wrote the screenplay. The plot is hidden behind the dojo.
However, it is known that the latest iteration will bring the story to the East Coast and focus on a Chinese teenager who finds strength and direction through martial arts and a tough but wise mentor.
Karen Rosenfelt is producing the feature which Sony has planned for a December 13, 2024 release date. Spring growth in sight.
THE Karate Kid launched in 1984, with the original film being an unexpected success. It starred Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, a kid from Brooklyn who moves to California and finds himself an unlikely karate champion under the tutelage of Mr. Miyagi, an apartment handyman who is quite proficient in karate. Miyagi was played by the late Pat Morita, who earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his work.
The film spawned three sequels – Macchio appeared in two of them while Hilary Swank took on the titular role in a 1994 release – with the franchise seeing a resurgence in recent years thanks to Cobra Kai. The series became a tornado hit for YouTube and Netflix, bringing back many original characters, including LaRusso, while introducing a new generation of kick-ass teens. Fans have dubbed these stories the Miyagi-verse after the character Morita; Morita died in 2011.
Sony revived the title in 2010 with a remake that updated the story for a more modern and global era, focusing on an American kid, played by Jaden Smith, who moves to Beijing where he is mentored by a handyman/martial arts master played by Chan, already a beloved international star by that point. The film proved to be another unexpected success, grossing $359 million on a budget of $40 million, and received positive reviews.
In addition to its Karate Kid work, Machhio made hearts beat with his striking role in Francis Ford Coppola’s film The foreigners. He also starred in the 1992 comedy My cousin Vinnyand more recently, the HBO series The devil.
Chan, a multi-actor who also directs and produces, has become an action star in his native China with films such as Drunken Master and franchises Police Story And Project A, where acrobatic stunts dazzled the audience. After his American breakthrough in 1995 with Mayhem in the Bronxhe then starred in Peak hour And Shanghai noon action comedies. He played a key role in the Kung Fu Panda films and more recently the voice of Splinter in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. In 2016, Chan became the first Chinese actor to receive an Academy Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the film industry.
Chan is replaced by CAA and Jessica Chen. Macchio is repped by Untitled Entertainment, Buchwald and Hansen Jacobson.
Entwistle is repped by CAA, Grandview and Jackoway Tyerman while Leiber is repped by Verve, Fourth Wall Management and Sloane, Offer.
Gn En enter