Since the original Karate Kid was released in 1984, the franchise has seen a surprising ability to stay relevant through a series of film sequels, a decades-later sequel series, and a 2010 Jackie Chan-starring reboot. In the original film, Ralph Macchio starred as New Jersey kid Daniel LaRusso who, upon moving to the Los Angeles suburb Reseda, quickly discovers that all the local kids resolve their differences by attempting to murder each other in the streets with karate. Comedian and actor Pat Morita earned an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of wise old karate teacher Mr. Miyagi.
And now, the show business blog Murphy’s Multiverse has exclusively reported that twelve years after Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan led a reboot to major box office returns, Sony Pictures plans to once again remake The Karate Kid, this time centering around a 17-year-old named Li from Beijing who finds himself living in Brooklyn with his mother.
According to Murphy’s, the plot revolves around Li training a fellow student in kung fu:
“Li is said to be struggling with a past tragedy, which drives a wedge between him and his doctor mom, who has managed to handle the same tragedy in her own way. After Li meets Mia, a student from his high school, and her father, Victor, at a local pizza restaurant, he’ll soon find his life has changed yet again – for the better. Li soon finds himself training Victor in the art of Kung Fu, despite his mother’s stance against violence and fighting, and ultimately back in the ring himself.”
Although there’s no director attached, the film is set to be written by Rob Lieber, a screenwriter who specializes in children’s movies, having written the James Corden-starring Peter Rabbit CGI film, as well as Goosebumps 2: Slappy’s Revenge. With Sony still searching for a lead actor to play Li, it seems this film will still be years away from hitting the big screen.