One day after the casting call to find the next Karate Kid came out, Sony Pictures had already received 10,000 applicants, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Whoever gets picked will star alongside the OG Karate Kid himself, Ralph Macchio, and action superstar Jackie Chan.
Both Macchio and Chan were in a video to announce the global casting for their new co-star. Macchio even said the iconic “Wax on, Wax off” line from the first movie released in 1984.
Jonathan Entwistle will direct from Rob Lieber's script. Karen Rosenfelt is producing.
According to Sony Pictures' website, the next Karate Kid is 15 to 17 years old and is Chinese or mixed-race Chinese. The actor needs to speak fluent English, and conversational Mandarin is “a strong plus.”
It also describes the actor as “smart, scrappy and a skilled martial artist.” Another strong plus is a background in martial arts, movement, gymnastics and/or dance.
Submissions for the global casting have reportedly come from all over the world, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, Finland, India, Singapore, South Africa and Sweden.
The latest film, The Karate Kid, was released in 2010 starring Jackie Chan and an 11-year-old Jaden Smith. While the plot centered on Mr. Han (Chan) teaching Dre (Smith) kung-fu, the title references the actual movie when Dre takes the iconic stance at the start of a fight.
In the original film, Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita) taught that move called the crane kick to Macchio's Daniel LaRusso. The crane kick involves a one-legged karate stance and then launching into a flying kick.
The Macchio-Chan film is set to be released on Dec. 13, 2024.