Get ready to start learning the lyrics to a song about doing a crane kick, because Deadline is reporting that The Karate Kid screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen is developing a Broadway musical based on the classic ‘80s movie, with Drew Gasparaini (who wrote the amazing Skittles musical from last year’s Super Bowl, among other things that aren’t that) doing the music and lyrics. The musical will be directed by Amon Miyamoto and choreographed by Keone and Mari Madrid (who have worked with Billie Eilish and BTS). The Deadline story has a nice quote from Miyamoto about how the movie’s message of using karate “not to hurt, not to win, but to let opposing energies play out and come in grace to a conclusion that allows dignity and respect for all” will help society get through this “on-going ‘Age Of Division,’” which would certainly be nice.
Anyway, Teen Titans Go! already did a song about crane kicks, and if this musical doesn’t involve Jason Mantzoukas screaming at Ken Jeong, it’ll be a waste.
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WAX ON
*clap clap*
WAX OFF
*clap clap*
WAX ON, WAX OFF – THE WAXERI’ll be waiting for my royalty checks. I’ll need them for the infringement lawsuit.
Sweep, sweep, sweeeeeeeeep… the leg!
I’ve never seen The Karate Kid. I thought it sounded dumb. At the time, instead of seeing its premiere, I saw Ghostbusters again.I stand by my decision.
Nothin’s gonna ever keep you down.
He’s the best around.
It was charming. Karate Kid 2 was interesting, if not least, for the lovely Tamlyn Tomita. Karate Kid 3 was apparently cut so much that what was left made a minimal amount of sense and led to the series deflating, with one attempt to revive it with Hilary Swank in the Next Karate Kid. There was one additional cash-in try with a rebooted Karate Kid starring Jaden Smith (Will Smith’s son) learning kung-fu in Beijing. Sure, we just forget which martial art is involved for the sake of drawing in dollars.Cobra Kai, a Youtube series, is the real gem to come out of all this. William Zabka and Ralph Macchio star in it with a new cast and they all really make it fun to watch. There are 2 seasons available, with the 3rd coming out this spring. Here’s some music relating to this to tide you over – Cruel Summer – Bananarama and Back in the Game – Airbourne
I re-watched it a few years ago after an episode of Community made me realize that Pat Morita had been nominated for an Oscar. It was far better than I remembered it.
Give it a try, you might be surprised.
The director of Karate Kid also directed Rocky, and they’re pretty similar movies. Both are about a weird Italian guy (they are both really weird guys) going up against someone they shouldn’t be able to beat with the help of a short, strange teacher. There are training montages too. Karate Kid wins in the end, but that’s the biggest difference.
You’re absolutely right, I never realized that!
How mid-aughts is this?
It is amusing that 90s nostalgia is retro 1970s and the aughts are all about 80s nostalgia.Come to think of it, your post is aughts nostalgia.
I think with the (sad) demise of chillwave and the (awesome) rise of flannel-tinged anti-cock rock like Mitski, we are in for even more 90s revisionism anti-nostalgia. The problem is that the 00s were a wasteland, there isn’t anything to be nostalgic for except for the survival of the worst elements of the 90s and nothing taking their place. I have a little nostalgia for the rise of indie rock like Bloc Party and that whole movement (except for the straight white male sad bastardness of it, ironic I picked a band with a black LGBTQ lead singer as the example 🙂 ).20 years from now, if there is a planet, at least Kendrick, Chance, Kanye, Bey, Nikki (until she went crazy), Lizzo, etc., black artists with full crossover mainstream success while maintaining their cultural identities (even if not always winning the grammys they should), despite how shitty a lot of the decade was that is an awesome legacy. Look what a small corner that pushed “Country” (whites only) music into. But the aughts? rly fuck ‘em.
How does a single black singer manage to beall of those things? Must have an eclectic voice …
♬ I hate every snake nearbyFrom Cobra Alpha to Cobra Chi ♬
♬You treat me like a doggieYou got my tear ducts cloggy,Miyagi!…..Miyagiiiii!♬
♬ I’m waxing on
He’s waxing on
I’m waxing off
Waxing off waxing off
No more fights or having to beg,
No more sweeping of the leg,
No more taking Daniel-san down a peg,
I’m waxing onHe’s waxing on, he’s waxing on ♬ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Oh cool. Another musical based on a popular movie.
But not just any popular movie – a popular movie old enough to serve as President!
And more competently, at that.
o gawd noooooo!
The Karate Kid screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen is developing a Broadway musical based on the classic ‘80s movie
Why?
Pat Morita had a few cameo appearances in M*A*S*H. And gotta say, after seeing how deadpan and funny he could be playing an intelligent, articulate, un-accented role, it really makes this movie and its sequels look like a painful waste of his talent in retrospect. Hopefully he got paid at at least.
He was in Happy Days as well.
He got nominated for an Oscar for The Karate Kid so I’m sure that was some consolation. I think to suggest that Miyagi isn’t intelligent and articulate just because he has an accent is a bit more stereotypical than the role actually was at least in the first one. The sequels are bit more garbage but he gets to do some decently good acting in the first one. The dialogue is a bit much at times, but his expressions are great.
I mean his speech patters are right out of the You No Take Candle school of dialogue. It’s the kind of insulting stereotype that should have been done away with by then, let alone today.
Not disagreeing on the speech patterns, but I can also see what Morita might have liked about the character beyond the speech patterns. And as far as a pay day — an Oscar nomination is pretty much a guarantee that he got a higher pay day on sequels and other roles.
I just came here to say it better feature jason Mantoots and Chang
Peter Cetera was all ready for those royalty checks to stream in again until he remembered “Glory of Love” was part of the Karate Kid II soundtrack.
So many people will get a kick out of that.
Hopefully they will use this song from Teen Titans Go.
Have the producers learned nothing from Rocky The Musical?
I’m so glad you referenced Community! I loved that episode…
HAAAAAAAM, GIRRRRRRRL!!! This sounds like a blast!
nope
i got a community notifici didn’t even read the article before making this joke
“Your ambition really lacks, son,
All you do is jack off.
Well, I’ll teach you how to wax on,
And even how to wax off!”
Andrew Rannels has talked about how he was in an off broadway show called “It’s Karate, Kid!” I really hope this is just that and I hope that’s the title they go with.
Ben Chang should play Mr. Miyagi
Karate Kid adaptation? Karate Kid adaptation? Karate Kid adaptation? Karate Kid adaptation? Karate Kid adaptation?