Sony has finally unveiled the first look at director Harald Zwart’s Karate Kid remake with Jackie Chan and Will Smith’s son Jaden, and it certainly appeals more than Hilary Swank’s last sequel. A mustachioed Chan looks like he’ll make an entertaining (if drunken) replacement for Pat Morita in the iconic role of Mr. Miyagi, while Jaden plays Dre, a young boy who moves to China with his mother, played by Taraji P. Henson. Come check out the trailer after the jump and let us know what you think.
Once Dre moves to China, he is confronted by bullies who take issue with a young lasses notebook and throw it to the ground (sound familiar?). Thoroughly beaten by the Chinese youths, Dre retreats to the guidance of Chan’s Miyagi and learns kung fu. In fact, this film was originally going to be called “The Kung Fu Kid.” No lie. Watch as Chan ends the clip with a nice update on the fly chopstick trick.
So what do you think? Does this trample on a childhood classic or give it new life? Is replacing “wax on, wax off” with “jacket on, jacket off” blasphemy?
The Karate Kid hits theaters on June 11, 2010.