[UPDATED] New KARATE KID Movie Casts Ralph Macchio And Jackie Chan Ahead Casting Call For Lead Star: ‘The Global Search Starts Now!’
12:42pm: A previous version of this article has been updated with director and writer information, and a studio release date
EARLIER: Actors Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan will star in a new installment of the Karate Kid franchise, according to the duo on Tuesday. A new video is now online via Sony Pictures hosted by the pair who have officially confirmed their additions to the film, while launching a global casting call for potential candidates to star as the film’s titular “Karate Kid”.
The news comes a little over a year after Sony added a new Karate Kid film to its slate which would have had a summer 2024 release at the time, adding to the longstanding success of the franchise that began with John G. Avildsen’s 1984 hit trilogy starter, The Karate Kid, with Macchio and co-stars Martin Kove, William Zabka and the late Pat Morita, and followed up with Christopher Cain’s 1994 take with Hilary Swank in The Next Karate Kid. A new movie had long been in the works as well, following Harald Zwart’s 2010 reboot, The Karate Kid, starring Jaden Smith opposite Chan, while Netflix hit big in recent years with currently-running Karate Kid spin-off series “Cobra Kai,” starring original cast mainstays Zabka, Macchio and Kove on Netflix.
Per the official Backstage website page, casting for the lead role of the new Karate Kid movie reads as follows: “Seeking young actors who can portray being Chinese and who can speak Mandarin and American English to play the lead, a 17-year-old boy named Li for the next Karate Kid.”
The film is being directed by Jonathan Entwistle from a script by Rob Lieber, and will release theatrically on December 13, 2024.
Watch the video in the player below, and visit KarateKidCasting.com to learn more about the casting process and how to get involved if you or someone you know is keen on becoming the next Karate Kid star.
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