Jackie Chan y Ralph Macchiowho starred in films The Karate Kid decades apart, they will return to play their characters in what is announced to be Sony Pictures’ last installment of the iconic martial arts franchise, 40 years after the release of the original.
Jonathan Entwistle, best known for his award-winning teen television dramas I’m Not Okay with This (or This shit is beyond me) and The End of the F***ing World, will direct the film, which still has no title. Sony is positioning the film as a “fusion” and continues the mythology of the original franchise. The screenwriter of The pranks of Peter RabbitRob Lieber, writes the script.
A global search for an actor to play the title character was launched, and Chan and Macchio released an introductory video. And Ben Wang is the next Karate Kid.
Wang starred alongside Michelle Yeoh in the Disney+ series American Born Chineseand landed the coveted role after a global search in which thousands of young actors from around the world competed for the lead role.
The actor, who is also fluent in Mandarin, is proficient in many forms of martial arts, including karate, wing chun/kung fu, gumdo, kempo and taekwondo.
The casting came after a global search that saw thousands of submissions from around the world, with 10,000 submissions in the first 24 hours alone.
The plot? Nothing is known.
However, it is known that the latest version will take the story to the East Coast of the United States and will focus on a teenager from China, who finds strength and direction through martial arts and a tough, but wise mentor. Plot details for the new film are still under wraps, but Macchio will reprise his role as Daniel LaRusso, while Chan will return to the role of Mr. Han, a kung fu master in the 2010 remake film starring Jaden Smith.
Sony has set the release date for December 13, 2024.
The Karate Kid was released in 1984 and the original film was an unexpected hit. Starring Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, a Brooklyn boy who moves to California and becomes an unlikely karate champion under the tutelage of Mr. Miyagi, a man who works as a building maintenance man, who is quite competent. in karate. Miyagi was played by Bed Moritawho earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for his work, and died in 2011.
The film spawned three sequels: Macchio appeared in two of them, while Hilary Swank took on the lead role three decades ago, in 1994. The franchise has seen a resurgence in recent years thanks to Cobra Kai. The series became a hit for YouTube and Netflix, bringing back many of the original characters, including LaRusso, while introducing a new generation of butt-kicking teenagers.
A successful remake
Sony had revived the title in 2010, with a remake that updated the story for more modern and even global times, focusing on an American boy (Jaden Smith, Will’s son) who moves to Beijing and is mentored by a martial arts master. played by Chan. The film turned out to be another sleeper hit, grossing $359 million on a $40 million budget and earning positive reviews.
The movies of The Karate Kid have grossed $618 million worldwide and spawned the Emmy-nominated Netflix series Cobra Kai. The series, created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, takes place decades after the events of the original films, reigniting the rivalry between Daniel and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka).
Chan is an actor who also produces and directs who became an action star in his native China with films such as Drunken Master and franchises Police Storyy Project A, where his acrobatics dazzled the public. She came to the United States in 1995 with Massacre in New York -but filmed in Vancouver, Canada-, and went on to star in action comedies such as Rush Hour, an explosive couplecon Chris Tucker, y Shanghai Kid, along with Owen Wilson. He has provided her voice in the films Kung Fu Panda and, more recently, Splinter the rat in Ninja Turtles: Mutant Chaos. In 2016, Chan became the first Chinese actor to be honored with an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement for his contributions to the film industry.