This article is lifted from the online
Guardianreposted here for your perusal.
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)To the Great Wall of China, where the scion of one of America's foremost acting families prepares to make his leading child debut opposite an icon of the People's Republic, in a coolly anticipated reimagining of one of the most important movies of the 80s.
To wit, Will Smith's boy, Jaden, is to star opposite Jackie Chan in The Karate Kid. Or The Kung Fu Kid, as it is to be known, after Chinese financiers insisted production be shifted from Japan to China. These same constraints appear to have necessitated the rebranding of Mr Miyagi to Mr Han, who is shown in the first on-set pictures released this week looking on semi-indulgently as little Jaden high-kicks his way to centre-stage atop the Great Wall.
Does the casting of Chan presage a movie one would want to watch? Over to the original film's star Ralph Macchio, who says. "I think Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, with a good script, and all the moons in alignment? It could be another big, fat hit. The thing is whether Jackie Chan gives you Jackie Chan, or if Jackie Chan does a, you know, real stretch to the character . . ."
Say no more, Daniel-san. Say no more. We can only hope that, like a legendary footballer's shirt, the "wax on, wax off" line has been retired in honour of Pat Morita – or at the very least, that the financiers have insisted on its being altered to communicate the benefits of practising goose-stepping for youngsters keen to learn kung fu.
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