In principal we are against the idea of a Karate Kid remake. Not because it's a brilliant film that should not be touched, like Citizen Kane, Alien or Halloween. No, it's because it's just a good film that happened to be released at a time that somehow made it beloved of any boy, and some girls, of a certain age. A remake couldn't possibly hold the same magic for fans of the original and would likely not be dazzling enough to capture the affections of a generation weened on CG robots, big guns and knocking old ladies over for drug money.
Yet. Yet, when we read that Stephen Chow has confirmed to Moviehole that he's in talks to direct a remake and take the Mr Miyagi role, we find ourselves more intrigued than incensed.
"I'm very fond of 'The Karate Kid' and would love to join in the remake project, no matter as a producer, director or actor”, Chow told the site. “But it depends on my schedule. As you know, next year I will work on two movies, Dragon Ball and Journey to the West."
Anyone who's seen Kung Fu Hustle or Shaolin Soccer will know that Chow is all kinds of batshit bonkers, but that it often produces sequences of comedy action brilliance. His would surely be a very different Karate Kid from John G. Avildsen's. A whacked out story of some kooky old man teaching a boy to beat bigger kids up in bizarre, beautifully choreographed ways? That we would watch. So Chow gets our vote.