Jaden Smith is the new 'Karate Kid' (VAR)
By Nancy Tartaglione-Vialatte
Columbia Pictures is returning to the dojo with an update of 1984�s �The Karate Kid� � and Will Smith�s kid is set to star. Ten-year-old Jaden Smith will take up the role that once belonged to Ralph Macchio in a film to be scripted by Chris Murphy, says Variety.
The new �Kid� will shoot in Beijing and other cities next year and is said to borrow elements from the original plot wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor. The mentor was previously played by Pat Morita.
The film will be produced by Jerry Weintraub and Overbrook Entertainment's James Lassiter, Will Smith and Ken Stovitz.
Jaden Smith made his feature debut alongside his dad in "The Pursuit of Happyness." He next appears in "The Day the Earth Stood Still."
Macchio was already in his twenties when he took on the role of Daniel Larusso in the John Avildsen-directed �Kid.� Still, the much younger Smith is said to be schooled in the martial arts.
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