Jackie Chan's Miyagi role

10 months ago 15th Jan 13:30

Jackie Chan is set to star in the remake of 'The Karate Kid'.

The 'Rush Hour' actor is in talks to play the mentor of Jaden Smith - Will Smith's son - in the upcoming film.

In the original film, Mr. Miyagi - played by the late Pat Morita in all four films in the series - took young Daniel LaRusso under his wing to teach him karate as a way of defending himself against school bullies.

However, the ageing martial artist of the original franchise was Japanese, which suggests the name of the character may not survive due to Chan's Chinese heritage.

The film - which is only loosely based on the classic 80s movie - will also be set in Beijing, whereas the originals were largely based in America.

Meanwhile, filmmaker Harald Zwart - who helmed 'One Night At McCools' and 'Agent Cody Banks' - has signed on to direct.

Filming is set to begin in the summer.