It’s been a while since I posted on stars that weren’t Chinese, but Will Smith‘s family is just too precious to pass up. They recently attended the first press conference of the movie, Kung Fu Kid, a remake of the 1984 Karate Kid movie, but with a name change to befit the location change. Jackie Chan will be taking up Pat Morita’s role, changed from Mr. Miyagi to Mr. Han.
Taraji P. Henson, will be playing a single mother, who moves with her son to Beijing, China due to job pressures. I think it’ll be interesting to see how they portray a foreign expatriate family in China. Even though it’s a common story in real life (see Kanye West), I don’t recall such stories being represented in film before and that intrigues me a lot more than the Kung Fu aspect. Will Smith’s son, Jaden Smith is the lead this time. Who else thinks that they need to make a live-action version of the Boondocks with this kid? His fro and his deadpan facial expresssion in these pictures scream Huey Freeman. Is it just me?
The production behind this includes a Chinese company, China Film Group, which has produced Chinese children’s films like CJ-7 and other less child-friendly films like Nanking!Nanking!. This collab guarantees that Kung Fu Kid will guaranteed national distribution across China, instead of being restricted by the usual import quotas on foreign films. The screenwriter is Steven Conrad who wrote The Pursuit of Happyness, which was Jaden’s debut film.
What happened to Jada Pinkett Smith?
Edit: Apparently director Han Sanping (not the director of the film though) and Jackie Chan were there too. I’m not sure why this press conference was out in the open in Beijing, where it’s tremendously hot in summer. Especially when everything is dragged out twice as long as usual due to translation necessities.
Aww you dont like it? I don’t think it was very stereotypical…
But let’s judge after the movies out ok?
Ugh, the trailer looks horrible. Another stereotypical portrayal of Asians in Asia.
And seriously, how many kids in China still do kung fu?
I’m really disappointed in Will Smith. I thought he would’ve been more sensitive to these racist portrayals since as a black man in America he suffered through his fair share of discrimination, but it looks like he just wants to make some money.
And Jaden Smith is cuteness incarnate
The trailer’s out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvHEm4-QB2o
It actually looks really good! I’m looking forward to it. Plus the fly part was awesome.
I use to like the karate films… jackie chan in kungfu
kid is a major bonus. jaden smith is kinder young compared to do kungfu has the poten tial to be rather cheesy… am gonna watch it … but… yeah^ the possible
stereotypes are endless.
I use to like the Karate Kid films… Jackie Chan in Kungfu kid is a major bonus. Jaden Smith is kinda young compared to the Karate Kid counter parts. Having a young kid do kungfu has the potential to be rather cheesy… am gonna watch it… but yeah^ the possible stereotypes are endless.
I remain hopeful… but at the same time I won’t be surprised if it’s completely stereotypical.
I wasn’t old enough for the Olympics. Not attending the Olympics is probably the biggest regret of my life so far…not that I had any other major ones.
Beijing’s beautiful. I lived there 9 years ago, and went back four years ago. I love it. Construction is always dusty and ugly, no matter where. it is, so pre-Olympics must’ve been really hectic. I really want to re-visit Beijing. I’m still working on convincing my parents (the original plan was to visit my great-aunts in Xinjiang…that got veto’ed by my mom. Xinjiang’s always been my dream place to visit.)
I love Will Smith’s family. They’re all so adorable.
@ mrpeng
Haha, yes, I meant 7 days – 7 years would be ridiculous.
I dunno, I always felt like Shanghai was nicer than Beijing – 2 years ago when I visited China, I went to both Beijing & Shanghai, and there was a significant difference in how much nicer Shanghai is compared to Beijing.
You can volunteer for the World Expo? That’s cool – I wanted to volunteer for the Olympics, but I wasn’t old enough for that. LOL. I have family in Beijing and like a cousin-relative on my mom’s side in Shanghai, hmm.
@A
you mean 7 days not 7 years.
its funny, my sisters bestfriend went to visit her reletives in nanjing, she got quarantined because she had a slight fever.
you should visit beijing again, beijing wasnt as nice 2 years ago, due to the city remodeling, contruction,etc. shanghai is getting ready the 2010 world expo so it is at the same stage beijing was 2years ago. im planning to volunteer at the expo and my family is from shanghai, so it will be especially cool to see how clean and nice everything will be by then.
LOL at the work in a factory.
I’m guessing Beijing’s cleaned up quite a bit for the Olympics – last time I went, like 2 years ago, Beijing was still in the process of cleaning up & there was construction everywhere so the place wasn’t exactly “clean & beautiful.” I’m still upset I didn’t get to go back this year thanks to swine flue – my mother read that anyone coming from the US was to be quarantined for 7 years, but when I asked my other friends who went back this year and none of them were quarantined. Apparently my mother wasn’t the only one “misinformed” – my other friend told me this too. Or maybe they’re just especially strict with this stuff in Beijing, because all my other friends went to Shanghai.
Oh well. Will Smith will definitely bring publicity.
Lol, I don’t think she has to go work in a factory.
There are plenty of other jobs…and most expats start with teaching English in China.
it would be cool if the characters live in conditions like “Wo De Qing Chun Shui Zuo Zhu” but i dont think so since the plot is about mom moving to china to find job due to job pressures. (bet you that the mom is going to find job in a factory.)
but as long as the audience gets a glimpse of modern beijing, (CCTV tower,etc) then im okay.
If the story is like Kanye West’s mom’s story, then they might be living in modest conditions. Unless the mom in this case is super rich, which it doesn’t sound like.
And they did change the name to Kung Fu Kid.
i read about this couple of weeks ago. im pretty excited about this movie.
reason 1: movie will take place in beijing, china. i hope it protrays beijings moderness. beijing is incredibly clean and beautiful. i went there 2008.
reason 2: will smith is famous, and karate kid was a very popular movie, many people will watch it, and they will be exposed to the moderness of china(hopefully) since the west and many other countries still compare china and glorious rich history, but not china and modern.
*i think they should change the name to kungfu kid, instead of karate kid.