Variety reports that Jackie Chan will star in the Chinese-Hollywood movie Kung Fu Kid, which is a so-called remake of the 1984 American box-office smash hit The Karate Kid.
In the original, the late Pat Morita created one of the most iconic characters in movie history, the Karate master known simply as "Mr. Miyagi." He mentored Daniel Larusso, played by Ralph Macchio, a high-school kid who suffers humiliation and physical abuse at the hands of bullies who take karate from a slave-driver coach with a serious attitude problem.
Chan will apparently be a second incarnation of the Miyagi role, and the part of the young pupil will be played by Jaden Smith, the son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith who starred alongside his father in The Pursuit of Happyness. Will Smith is also acting as one of the movie's producers.
It's strange that Kung Fu Kid's being called a remake when so many aspects of the original have been changed. According to a post on Movieline, the project is shooting in China due to financial obligations, thus forcing changes to parts of the original story that were specifically Japanese. These include the change from Mr. Miyagi, a carpenter born in Okinawa, to "Mr. Han," a Chinese janitor, and also the change from karate to kung fu.
As a result, the product will likely bare only a passing resemblance to the movie from 25 years ago, but calling it a remake will likely stir up the desired anticipation. Shooting for Kung Fu Kid began this past weekend, and the movie is scheduled for release next June. It is a joint project between Columbia Pictures and the China Film Group, and is being directed by Harald Zwart (Agent Cody Banks, The Pink Panther 2).
Posted 07.14.09 by reelz 
Mike Myers has created a new character for the silver screen, and this one doesn't wear velour leisure suits. The Love Guru will star Myers as a man who was left at an Indian ashram as a baby and then raised by gurus and must use his enlightenment to help a troubled couple, says Variety.
Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four,Sin City), Romany Malco (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Blades of Glory) and Verne Troyer (Austin Powers' Mini Me) will costar.
Variety is also reporting that the sequel to Steve Martin's 2006 The Pink Panther is under way. Pink Panther 2 will feature Martin again reprising his role as Clouseau. Jean Reno (The Da Vinci Code, Ronin) and Emily Mortimer (Match Point, Lovely & Amazing) will also return.
The script, which will be directed by Harald Zwart (Agent Cody Banks), has also attracted John Cleese (A Fish Called Wanda, Monty Python), Andy Garcia (When a Man Loves 
a Woman, Ocean's Thirteen) and Alfred Molina (Spider Man 2, Magnolia) to the cast. Pink Panther 2 will come out on February 13, 2009.
Finally, The Hollywood Reporter has more casting news on the still Untitled Adam Sandler/Anna Faris comedy about the outcast Playboy bunny who becomes house-mother to a lame sorority. Monet Mazur (40 Days and 40 Nights), Beverly D'Angelo (National Lampoon's Vacation), and Colin Hanks (Orange County) are all joining the cast.
Posted 08.09.07 by reelz