A year after Will Smith and his publicist shot down reports that the erstwhile Fresh Prince was working on a remake of Karate Kid starring son Jaden--"certainly not" was the official word--the project is now a go. According to Variety, Columbia Pictures is waxing on for a remake of the 1984 classic, reworking it as a star vehicle for Jaden Smith, Will and Jada's 10-year-old progeny and his father's costar in The Pursuit of Happyness. So as not to anger too many dojo loyalists, the new film will follow the formula of bullied youth meets eccentric mentor. Lending some Method to the remake madness, Jaden has already been schooled in martial arts. The elder Smith is not expected to appear in the film, but will produce. Chris Murphy, the scribe of the original franchise, is writing the new take, which will film in Beijing next year. The mentor role has yet to be cast. Pat Morita, who played sensei Mr. Miyagi to Ralph Macchio and, lest we forget, Hilary Swank in the original films, died in 2005. credit: eonline
