Jaden Smith Waxes On \"Karate Kid\" Remake

Columbia Pictures is back in dojo mode with a new version to the 1984 smash hit The Karate Kid refashioned as a star vehicle for Jaden Smith.

Produced by Jerry Weintraub – who launched the original franchise – and Overbrook Entertainment’s James Lassiter, Will Smith and Ken Stovitz – the film will be the second major market film for the 10-year-old budding actor.

The script is being written by Chris Murphy and the film will begin principle filming next year in Beijing and other cities. While this new version of The Karate Kid will be set in that exotic locale, it will borrow elements of the original plot, wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor.

Up next for Jaden Smith is The Day the Earth Stood Still – about an alien and its giant robot counterpart and their arrival on Earth.