Karate Kid

The remake began to be developed in late 2008, produced by Will Smith and conceived as a vehicle to launch his son Jaden Smith's career.

Despite keeping the title in English, the film does not feature karate (originating from Okinawa, Japan), but rather Chinese kung fu; the cast usually called the production 'The Kung Fu Kid', and in China the film was released as 'The Kung Fu Dream' (功夫梦), while in Japan and South Korea it received the title 'Best Kid', in reference to the local name of the original 1984 film.

Producer Jerry Weintraub, who also produced the original Karate Kid, rejected Sony's idea to change the remake's title.

Filming took place in Beijing, China, from July to October 2009, and the Chinese government granted the production access to the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China and the Wudang Mountains.

On some occasions, the crew had to negotiate with local residents who were not accustomed to filming activities.

Icelandic composer Atli Örvarsson was originally hired to compose the soundtrack, but was replaced by American composer James Horner, who thus returned to composing after his work on Avatar (2009).

The official theme of the film, 'Never Say Never', was recorded by Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith and had its music video released on May 31, 2010.

In the Chinese version of the film, censors shortened bullying scenes and removed a kissing scene, resulting, according to Los Angeles Times journalist John Horn, in 'two slightly different films'.

The announcement of the sixth film in the franchise, Karate Kid: Legends (2025), with Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio reprising their roles, caused a retcon that placed this 2010 remake in the same fictional universe as the original films.