Time to head to the recycling center again. Rumors in the film industry suggest that Sony is working on a reboot of Karate Kid and is actively looking for a 17-year-old Chinese in the lead role. The new film is said to be completely unrelated to anything previously made, including the beloved Cobra Kai series, and instead focuses on telling a new story with elements of the original.
The news comes from Murphys Multiverse, who also stated that the intended protagonist will be called “Li” and will be a student in Beijing, but was forced to move to Brooklyn, New York due to external circumstances .
The character, known as Lee, is said to be young at his age, but tough, intelligent and combative. He is said to be a skilled fighter and a student in Beijing whose life was uprooted after his mother moved them to Brooklyn, New York. Lee is said to be battling past tragedies, which created a wedge between him and his doctor mom, who managed to deal with the same tragedy in her own way. After Lee meets high school student Mia and her father Victor at a local pizzeria, he soon finds his life changed again – for the better. Lee soon found himself training Victor in the art of kung fu, and despite his mother’s opposition to violence and fighting, he eventually returned to boxing himself.
The director has not been announced, but Rob Lieber is said to be one of the screenwriters for the film.
How does that sound, longing for another reboot (actually also the second consecutive reboot of the Karate Kid series)?