Actor and martial arts star Jackie Chan is reportedly in final negotiations to star as Mr. Miyagi in the remake of The Karate Kid.
Chan will play mentor to Will Smith’s son, Jaden, who has been cast in the lead role once played by Ralph Macchio.
Variety says the film is set in an exotic Asian locale and that it will borrow elements of the original plot: a bullied youth (Smith) learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor (Chan).
Chris Murphy penned the screenplay with Harald Zwart directing.
The Karate Kid remake will shoot early this summer in Beijing.
Jerry Weintraub, who produced the original film in 1984, is producing alongside Overbrook Entertainment’s James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz and actor Will Smith.
Chan has been in martial arts films in his native China since 1962, but his breakthrough didn’t come until after the dead of Bruce Lee, when China was looking for an actor to fill his roles. Chan did his first American film in 1980, called The Big Brawl and later starred in popular U.S. films such as the Rush Hour trilogy, The Forbidden Kingdom and Kung Fu Panda.
Zwart directed the upcoming release The Pink Panther 2 starring Steve Martin.
