ONTD

Images from the set of producer Will Smith’s remake of THE KARATE KID have appeared online depicting 11-year-old Jaden Smith (Will’s son) and action superstar Jackie Chan training on a dock.

Officially re-titled KUNG FU KID, this co-production between China Film Group and Columbia Pictures began shooting in the second week of July in Beijing and has since moved production to Wudang Mountain in Hubei.

According to Chan when writing on his official site, Jaden spent at least two months prior to the start of production training in martial arts with the film’s stunt coordinator Wu Gang. Chan relayed glowing praise for his co-star.

"I have seen many young children learn martial arts, but I have never met anyone like him. He learned many Chinese phrases for the different movements of kung fu. When Wu Gang asked Jaden to show me, he barked out his orders in Mandarin. Jaden immediately understood what was asked of him and performed it. When he was thirsty, he gave the traditional hand gesture, putting one fist into the palm of the other, bowed and asked permission to drink some water.

Not only was he hard working, he was respectful, focused and really good! I couldn’t believe it. He showed me every exercise Wu Gang had taught him and finished the demonstration with the “drunken kung fu routine” from one of my own films, DRUNKEN MASTER. He put my son to shame! I provided my son with the best martial artists in the world, and he could not be persuaded to try it. In just two months, Jaden had learned so much. He is truly a talented boy. He could sing, break dance, play ping pong, and now he can do stunts!"

A veteran of Jackie Chan’s stunt team since SHANGHAI NOON, Wu recently finished choreographing stunts for Chan’s Hollywood comedy THE SPY NEXT DOOR and Chan’s upcoming period comedy BIG SOLDIER.

In KUNG FU KID, Jaden plays Dre, a boy who travels to China with his mother (Taraji P. Henson) where he is bullied by local youths until a handyman, played by Chan, trains the boy in kung fu.

The film, which deviates from the original KARATE KID, was written by Steve Conrad (THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS) and is being directed by Harald Zwart (THE PINK PANTHER 2).

How does this even count as a remake anymore? It's just another movie following the (unoriginal) Karate Kid formula, like my fave 'No Retreat, No Surrender' or that movie with Chuck Norris. I say bring it on