…in the way that we’re not outraged at all!
Let’s back up a bit. In January, EW reported that Jackie Chan was taking on the Mr. Miyagi-type role in the planned remake of the 1984 hit The Karate Kid, with Will Smith producing and his 10-year-old son Jaden Smith (The Day the Earth Stood Still) on board to wax on and wax off as the eponymous Karate Kid. Except, according to Chan in a recent interview with New Zealand outlet 3 News, the younger Smith will be known as The Kung Fu Kid instead.
A rep for Columbia Pictures tells EW that, in fact, the film’s title has yet to be decided — which is fine, since, either way, I’m not exactly sure what the big, swan-kicking deal is. From The Matrix to Kung Fu Panda, kung fu is certainly far more hip and now a martial art than that musty old karate your grandpa jabbers on about. Besides, the geekosphere consensus seems to be that naming the film Kung Fu Kid would keep the original Karate Kid unsullied by Hollywood’s crass campaign to besmirch every single beloved 1980s childhood touchstone…because that certainly never happened with The Karate Kid Part II, The Karate Kid Part III, or The Next Karate Kid, starring a pre-Beverly Hills 90210 Hilary Swank in the title role.
Of course, I am the same writer who got his knickers all be-twiddled over the plans to make another movie based on the board game Clue, so it’s not like I’m carrying loads of moral authority on keeping things in perspective. What do you think, P-Dubs? Is Kung Fu Kid a better title? Should they be remaking this movie at all? Or do you just feel kids of the 1980s have a seriously warped perspective on what made for "good" movies back in the days of Reagan, Rambo, and Howard the Duck?
Not surprising – Jackie Chan is Chinese and Chinese martial arts is Kung Fu, while Karate is Japanese. Differentiating it is important cause there are still sensitivity issues between China and Japan. A more westerenized example would be to not say Canada is the same as the US and Australia is the same as New Zealand. Cause it’s inherently different.
Karate Kid tuned me on to one of the best summer songs of all time. “Cruel Summer” by Bananarama. They didn’t look too bad either .
I’m slightly amazed that I’m the fourth person to post here and the first to point out that it was a crane kick, not a swan kick. I’m not actually angry about the mistake or anything, I just really felt like being the nerd police.
Completely. Unneeded. Remake.
“that musty old karate your grandpa jabbers on about.” Why is it so easy to stereotype and put down older generations? Even subtle jabs like this “get old” after awhile.
No way to the last question, Adam! A lot of the 80s was unfortunate in retrospect, but Back to the Future, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Die Hard still hold up as some of the most entertaining movies ever made!
it was wrong when it was going to be Karate Kid – it’s just as wrong if they call it Kung Fu Kid — WRONG WRONG WRONG!
Is Hollywood completely out of new ideas. It seems they are focused on re-doing what’s been done. Karate Kid was a good movie because it was a fresh idea. Kung-Fu kid is just a stale idea with new faces, and most likely more violence and foul language along with Jackie Chan’s expretise at being a martial arts clown.
I hope that they decide to make it, I’m auditioning for it next month!
When it come out I’ll go see it.
What the heck does Will Smith know about martial arts that he feels qualified to direct this? The fact that he was too dumb to know that karate is Japanese and not Chinese shows his incompetence. Stick to rapping, Will!
HA HA HA! Very true… but what’s worse is Jackie Chan letting the movie be called Karate Kid instead of Kung Fu Kid. And I COMPLETELY agree with Kit that comparing Chinese and Japanese is like comparing the US with Canada.
I think they sure leave alone,comeout some new.Do you know how many fake Bruce Lee came out after his death! just keep it the way it is, a great memory
“which is fine, since, either way, I’m not exactly sure what the big, swan-kicking deal is. From The Matrix to Kung Fu Panda, kung fu is certainly far more hip and now a martial art than that musty old karate your grandpa jabbers on about. ”
How exactly does this idiot get his job writing articles? Not know what the big deal is? The big deal is you think Chinese and Japanese are the same and interchangeable. You don’t confuse Spanish with French or German with Russian do you? Why should there be a double standard? The big deal is this dumb, ignorant excuse of a writer is more sensitive to hipness than to cultural differences. There’s a lot of good writers out there without a job, fire this one and hire another.
First Footloose, now The Karate Kid?? Here’s a thought…hire a writer to come up with something new. Ever heard of the phrase “if it ain’t broke…”? I love Jackie Chan (big fan actually) but I’m sorry, there will NEVER be another Mr. Miyagi. There are some movies that just should never be remade and this is one of them!
I’m with R Lau on this though I’m sure the writer is more ignorant than insensitive.
Karate is Japanese and “Kung Fu” is Chinese in origins. Calling it Karate Kid when it takes place in China is flat out offensive to the respective cultures.