I already did an issue on a remake of one of my guilty pleasure movies from the 80s, The Last Dragon. If you missed that issue, just click on the link to be sure you read that one.
Then it was confirmed last month that a remake of The Karate Kid was in the works.

Here is an article from Variety with more details on The Karate Kid remake which will star Will Smith's young son Jaden Smith:

Jaden Smith set for 'Karate Kid' redo
Columbia taps Chris Murphy to write script

By Michael Fleming
November 10, 2008

Columbia Pictures is back in the dojo with a new version of the 1984 hit "The Karate Kid," which has been refashioned as a star vehicle for Jaden Smith.

The film will be produced by Jerry Weintraub (who launched the original franchise) and Overbrook Entertainment's James Lassiter, Will Smith and Ken Stovitz. Will Smith, who is the 10-year-old actor's father, co-starred alongside Jaden in his feature debut, "The Pursuit of Happyness," which Overbrook and Escape Artists produced for Columbia.

The script is being written by Chris Murphy, and the film will shoot next year in Beijing and other cities. While the new film will be set in that exotic locale, it will borrow elements of the original plot, wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor.

China Film Group Corp. will co-produce in China.

The younger Smith, who next stars in "The Day the Earth Stood Still," is a martial arts practitioner.

Columbia presidents Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach said they had been trying to find a way to bring back the series, which began with three films that featured Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. A subsequent film launched the career of Hilary Swank.

I had a special issue on The Karate Kid which happens to be another one of my guilty pleasure movies from the 80s. Why do they need to do a remake or another sequel to this classic?  They don't.  Maybe Jaden Smith will become a superstar actor like his Dad.  Here is a link to my Top 10 Will Smith Movies list if you need reminding of his incredible work. They were great together in The Pursuit of Happyness and I think Jaden would find success even without doing a Karate Kid remake.

Then I saw a report by Reuters published on Yahoo! that a remake of the 1980 film Fame was in the works. Here is that article:

Five performers named to "Fame" faculty
By Jay A. Fernandez - Mon Dec 1, 1:07 am ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Actors Megan Mullally, Kelsey Grammer, Charles S. Dutton, Bebe Neuwirth and Debbie Allen have been tenured. The quintet has been chosen for administrative and teaching roles in the remake of "Fame."

Choreographer Kevin Tancharoen will direct the reinvention of the 1980 musical drama about a group of dancers, singers, actors and artists trying to survive four grueling years at New York City's prestigious High School of Performing Arts.

Allison Burnett and Aline Brosh McKenna wrote the updated screenplay for the MGM/Lakeshore Entertainment production, which is scheduled for release September 25 (2009).

"This picture is a celebration, a testament to people pursuing their dreams, so we set out to find talented actors who could both convincingly instruct onscreen and also inspire audiences," MGM Worldwide Motion Picture Group chairman Mary Parent said.

All five actors have noteworthy performing arts backgrounds. Mullally, who will play a voice instructor, graduated from the School of American Ballet; Grammer, who will play an orchestra conductor, attended Juilliard; Dutton, who will play an acting teacher, went to the Yale School of Drama; and Neuwirth, who will play a dance teacher, has won two Tonys.

Actress and choreographer Allen, who played dance teacher Lydia Grant in the original film and won a Golden Globe for her role in the spinoff television series, will appear in the updated version as Principal Simms.

The student cast includes Kristy Flores, Paul Iacono, Paul McGill, Naturi Naughton and Kay Panabaker.

Now is this necessary? I guess at least it is not coming back as a new reality series with kids auditioning to be in a real Performing Arts school or something like that. There are some intriguing casting choices specifically with Kelsey Grammar (Frasier), Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) and Charles S. Dutton (Roc). Who knows, with this cast of veteran TV actors, maybe the film will be followed up with a new television series like it did back in the 80's.

****UPDATE - Added 12/5/08 ****

Today I came across announcements that two more 80s movies are in the process of having remakes done.  Can you believe this?  They are coming fast and furious.  I saw articles in The Hollywood Reporter on a remake for the 1981 film Arthur and a remake of the 1984 film Romancing the Stone.  Here are the two articles below:

Russell Brand eyeing 'Arthur' redo
Actor could star in remake of 1981 comedy
By Borys Kit

Russell Brand might soon be caught between the moon and New York City.

The British comedian is developing a remake of "Arthur," the 1981 comedy that starred Dudley Moore, for Warner Bros. as a potential starring vehicle.

Brand is meeting with scribes to write the screenplay, which will be produced by MBST's Larry Brezner, whose credits range from "Good Morning, Vietnam" to HBO's recent "Little Britain USA."

The original movie followed a boozy playboy rascal who is set to inherit a fortune if he marries an heiress his family thinks will make something out of him. However, he falls in love with a working-class woman and turns to his valet for help when his family makes him choose between money and love.

Moore was nominated for an Oscar as was Steve Gordon, the film's writer-director. John Gielgud, who played the valet, won the best supporting actor Oscar, and the movie's theme song, "The Best That You Can Do," won for original song.

Sarah Schechter is overseeing for Warners.

Brand already has a rascally reputation, not only for his past sex-, drugs- and alcohol-infused lifestyle but also for on-air radio pranks that recently led him to being suspended by the BBC. He subsequently resigned.

American audiences got their first taste of Brand in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," in which he played a rock star lothario. He next appears with Adam Sandler in "Bedtime Stories," which opens on Christmas Day. The Endeavor-repped actor is filming Julie Taymor's adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and will reunite his "Marshall" co-horts for "Get Him to the Greek."

'Romancing the Stone' remake in works
Fox taps Daniel McDermott to pen screenplay
By Borys Kit

Fox is bringing "Romancing the Stone" to the big screen again, swinging into development a remake of the 1984 adventure movie and tapping Daniel McDermott to write it.

The original movie helped launch Robert Zemeckis as a director, turned Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito -- then best known for their TV work -- into film stars and established Kathleen Turner as a romantic lead.

Written by Diane Thomas, "Romancing" told the story of a repressed romance novelist who travels to Colombia to find her missing sister only to meet up with an American soldier of fortune. The two embark on a cross-country adventure involving a map, a jewel and a private police force. Thomas wrote the script while working as a waitress in Malibu. It turned out to be her only produced screenplay; she died in a car crash the year after the film's release.

No producers are attached to the remake.

McDermott, a former head of DreamWorks Television who segued to screenwriting, most recently co-wrote the DreamWorks thriller "Eagle Eye." He is developing a contemporary adventure movie for Tom Cruise at UA titled "Adventurer's Club" and working on a remake of "Soylent Green" for Warner Bros.

McDermott, repped by UTA and Media Talent Group, also created and executive produced the Lifetime drama "Angela's Eyes."

Disgusting in my opinion.  A couple of these remakes would be understandable, but why the sudden rush?  I fully expect to keep having more and more similar announcements made over the coming months.  Since I came across these two so close to my last issue, I decided to add them in here as an update rather than do an entire separate issue on them.

Either way, this is getting out of control pretty quickly.  Now back to you regular Kickin' it issue.

******** END OF UPDATE ********

These are just a few examples of how Hollywood is starting to get lazy and relying on remakes of past successes. Even many of the movies being released that are not remakes don't have all that much going for them. There far fewer outstanding movies nowadays than there was just 10 years ago, let alone in the 80's. Now they are pillaging those 80's movies to try to relive some of the success. It is sometimes said, "Everything old is new," but I don't think that applies to movies.

Here's hoping that Hollywood realizes this is not the road to take. Leave my classic 80's movies alone and come up with your own ideas. Please! For the sake of the audience, please!

That will wrap up another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. You can always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!). Peace and much love.

Check this out: With all of the constant media spotlight on the Cruise family, I would not blame little Suri (Tom Cruise's daughter) if this hand gesture was intentional. Here with her Mom, Katie Holmes, I am sure this was just a coincidence, but it still cracks me up. I think many celebrities would echo these sentiments in regards to the paparazzi...

Quote of the day: "But it is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation." -Herman Melville

Download this: Since it relates back to this issue, I will go with the 1980 hit "Fame" by Irene Cara which was on the film's soundtrack and later used as the theme song for the television series.