The Karate Kid Remake

"The Karate Kid" is a classic film of growing up and overcoming obstacles. Now Will Smith is producing a remake that isn't a full remake since it only follows the same template as the original but doesn't follow the same storyline or involve the smae characters.

Just cast for the remake is Taraji P. Henson, who played Brad Pitt’s adoptive mom Queenie in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." She will once again tap into her maternal instincts by playing Jaden Smith’s mother. According to reports, Henson’s character is a single mother named Sherry who is forced to move with her son to China in order to keep her job.

“I’m off to Beijing [soon] to work on a film,” actress Taraji P. Henson revealed to MTV News. “They’re remaking ‘The Karate Kid.’”

The controversial remake of the Eighties classic is rumored to be called “Kung Fu Kid,” although Henson referred to the film by its original title. Will Smith is producing the project, which will cast his real life son and “Pursuit of Happyness” co-star in the role originally played by Ralph Macchio.

“Jaden Smith -– Will and Jada’s son -– is playing the karate kid. I’m playing his mom,” she explained. “And Jackie Chan is playing Mr. Miyagi.”

"The Kung Fu Kid" starts with Sherry (Henson) being offered a transfer to China. Considering the U.S office is about to lay off everyone, it's really her only choice; especially since nobody else at the office has been offered a transfer. With her young son Dre (Jaden Smith) in tow, the single-mother makes Beijing her new home. Needless to say, not knowing Chinese, and experiencing a bit of culture shock, they both find it a little hard to settle in - - Dre especially.

Like Daniel Larusso in the original film, Dre (who, unlike Larusso, is a skateboarding video-game buff) immediately catches the attention of the local bullies - in particular, Lui Wei Cheng. And before too long, Dre is going home with bruises (he tries to hide a black-eye under a cap by pulling it as far down his face as he can) and whining about wanting to return to the states.

Dre's enrolled into a strict Beijing Middle School. His first day there is a bit of a shambles - the assistant principal spots his bruises, and assumes he's been fighting (which, of course, they don't accept under any circumstances), and he turns up in a school uniform, something he didn't have to wear that day (there's only certain days when a uniform is required).

The Mr Myiagi character is actually named Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). He's the maintenance man of the apartment lock that Sherry and Dre have moved into, and meets the new residents when he's called over to fix their hot water service. From the bathroom, Han spots Dre practicing martial-arts kicks (unsuccessfully) in front of a video-game, and catches his black eye. Later, of course, he'll agree to teach him - both martial-arts and the Chinese language (so he can impress his mother by haggling over apples).

The ‘John Kreese' character - the character played by Martin Kove in the original film - is Li Quan Ha, the owner of the Fighting dragon school of Kung-Fu. One visit to the school - in which Li Quan terrorizes his students (who range from the age of 3 onwards), namely Lui Wei Cheng - and Dre is immediately put off.

Oh, and yes, there's a love interest - someone mother wants Dre to bring home for dinner.

The story is essentially the same - kid forced to move with his mother to a new city. Gets beat up by some Bullies. Maintenance man teaches him martial-arts - but this one, being set in China, does play to a slightly different beat.

Henson is currently hard at work on the Steve Carrell/Tina Fey comedy “Date Night,” and she’ll be flying to Beijing to shoot “Karate Kid” as soon as she’s done with that film.

Does an Oscar-nominated actress make the “Karate Kid” remake sound any better in your opinion? Will you keep an open mind, or is the project still scaring most of you folks at this point?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Moviehole, MTV News