Ending an almost 10-year hiatus for the actor from the silver screen, Joshua Jackson (“Dr. Death”) is coming back to film. His next project you may ask? Why, a little flick at Sony Pictures rebooting/reimagining yet again “The Karate Kid.”
Jackson will be joining Ben Wang (“American Born Chinese”), as well as Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, who will be reprising their roles from previous films/series. While we do not know what role Jackson will play, he will be one of the main characters in the movie. Jonathan Entwistle (“I Am Not Okay With This”) will direct from a script by Rob Lieber (“Peter Rabbit”).
Unsurprisingly, plot details are still being kept under the mat but it will take place on the East Coast. The movie centers around a teen from China (Wang) who finds strength and direction via martial arts and a tough but wise mentor(s).
“The Karate Kid” franchise kicked off in 1984. Directed by John G. Avildsen, it tells the story of Daniel LaRusso (Macchio). A bullied teen, who gets into martial arts with the aid of handyman and war veteran Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). in 1986, “The Karate Kid Part II” saw Daniel accompany Mr. Miyagi to see his dying father in Okinawa, Japan. The journey turns even more sour when an old friend-turned-rival decides to act on a long-harbored grudge against Miyagi.
In 1989’s “Part III,” a rival dojo run by John Kreese and Terry Silver, attempts to gain revenge on Daniel and Miyagi. To do so they hire a ruthless martial artist and attempt to break up the pair’s long-standing relationship. In 1994’s “The Next Karate Kid,” Miyagi gains a new pupil with Julie Pierce (Hilary Swank). The film was generally panned and the franchise laid dormant for a while.
By 2010, the franchise was rebooted with “The Karate Kid” which follows roughly the same plotline as the first film. The major differences being karate has been replaced by kung fu since the film is set in China. Jaden Smith and Chan also took over the roles previously done by Macchio and Morita. Eight years later, YouTube Red launched “Cobra Kai,” which continued the story of the original three films. The show saw the return of Macchio and several other original cast members. It eventually found a home on Netflix, where it’s garnered critical and fan acclaim. (It will return for a 6th and final season, which just began filming.)
The latest installment of “The Karate Kid” is set to be released on December 13th. We’ll keep you posted on updates about this project as they become available.
