The 2010 reboot film "The Karate Kid" which starred Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan has locked Breck Eisner to direct the sequel.
Eisner is popularly known for his 2005 comedy-adventure film "Sahara" with Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn, and Penelope Cruz, and the 2010 reboot of George A. Romero's "The Crazies."
Deadline reported that Eisner has officially signed with Sony Pictures to helm "The Karate Kid 2" which will reunite Chan and Smith. The sequel will once again be co-produced by Will Smith's company, Overbrook Entertainment.
According to an article on Cinema Blend, talks of a sequel to the 2010 film started swirling only four days after the first movie was released. Since "The Karate Kid" grossed $18.8 million on its opening day alone, it's no surprise that Sony wanted to immediately start working on a follow-up film and turn it into a franchise. According to sources, the company wants Chan and Jaden's characters to massively appeal to both foreign and local audiences in the sequel.
Cyrus Voris and Ethan Reiff, the screenwriters of "Kung Fu Panda," were originally drafted to prepare the script for the sequel. But then, the development of "The Karate Kid 2" went quiet for a while and in February of 2012, it was reported that both Reiff and Voris have walked away from the project.
They were replaced by Zak Penn, the writer credited for his work on superhero films such as "X-Men: The Last Stand," 2008's "The Incredible Hulk" and "The Avengers."
There are no formal announcements yet regarding Penn's vision for the sequel's script. But fans can surely expect to see an older Dre Parker (Jaden) become more deeply involved in the world of kung fu with the help of his master, Mr. Han (Chan).
Cinema Blend speculated that given Penn's extensive background superhero action films, "The Karate Kid 2" might feature more fantastical fight scenes in its storyline.