Ralph Macchio urges studios to leave classic movies alone

Jan 21, 2009 13:35 GMT  ·  By
Ralph Macchio, who shot to fame with “The Karate Kid,” does not approve of Will Smith’s remake
   Ralph Macchio, who shot to fame with “The Karate Kid,” does not approve of Will Smith’s remake

A couple of days ago, word got out on the Internet that Jackie Chan would take on the legendary role of Mr. Miyagi in a remake of “The Karate Kid,” currently in the works with Will Smith at the helm, and his son Jaden as the kid. Other than the countless fans that have already spoken out against the remake, it seems that the original “karate kid” too is opposed to the idea, saying that the studios will ruin a classic.

Ralph Macchio shot to fame with his part in the first three films, before he passed on the part to a young Hilary Swank in 1994 for “The Next Karate Kid.” He has recently spoken to MTV News and expressed his disapproval both of the remake and of the actor who is set to walk in the shoes he wore a long time ago, so to speak. However, it’s not so much that the movie would be bad, he said, but rather that it would spoil the appeal the original had with the public.

“It feels pretty good that some people are pretty angry that they’re trying to remake ‘The Karate Kid.’ It feels good that the public feels you don’t touch certain things. Some times you go back to that, and probably shouldn’t.” Macchio said of the remake. “From my personal view, the filling the void of what Mr. Miyagi was – and the magic of that character – is going to be the toughest task. I [also] don’t know where the romantic story-arc goes [with Smith’s Daniel] at that age.” he further explained.

Whereas, so far, not much has been made official regarding the much mediated remake, it seems that Chan as Mr. Miyagi is a go. The same can be said about Jada Pinkett Smith, Will’s wife, who will most likely take up the part of the mother onscreen. Smith’s production company, Overbrook, will coproduce the movie with China Film Corp. Group, with the remake poised to film entirely in China, as several industry insiders have reported not long ago.

Stay tuned here for more on this, as well as for an estimated release date.