The New Karate Kid Trailer with Jackie Chan

The newest The Karate Kid trailer has been released and though it bears some resemblance to its 1984 predecessor, it takes on a life of its own with a different location and a different martial art!

The new Karate Kid is all about... kung fu. Instead of Pat Morita as the Okinawan Mr. Miyagi we have Jackie Chan as mentor and master. Instead of Los Angeles, California we have Beijing, China.

Chan has told interviewers that film cast members have been referring to the movie as The Kung Fu Kid, and he believes the film will only be called Karate Kid in America, and Kung Fu Kid in Asia.

The original The Karate Kid film starring Ralph Macchio as “Daniel” helped popularize karate as a mainstream activity in the United States. The tale of a bullied youth learning to stand up for himself with the aid of a soft-hearted though ornery master inspired many and propelled Macchio to stardom.

Through the teaching, Daniel-san not only learned a martial art to protect himself but important life lessons about perseverance, discipline and not backing down. The showdown at the film’s finale is one of the film’s highlights.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE NEW FILM
Dre, played by Jaden Smith, is forced to move to China after his mother transfers to Beijing for work. Unable to speak Chinese, Dre has a hard time settling in, finds interest in a local girl and gets bullied by local martial arts students. Chan plays Mr. Han, a tired maintenance man who spots Dre’s bruises and offers to teach him both martial arts and Chinese so he can defend himself.

Will eleven-year old Jaden Smith be able to fill the shoes as the new emblem of the "karate kid"? The trailer looks interesting and The Karate Kid may just be a good film in its own right. In any case, we get an opportunity to enjoy Chan from a different perspective (and with a moustache). It will be hard to top the original but remakes are always a gamble.

The Karate Kid will be released theatrically in the United States on June 11, 2010. Visit the official website: www.karatekid-themovie.com. 

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