Watch the first teaser for 'Kung Fu Panda 2'

Yes, "Kung Fu Panda 2" is happening, and it's coming closer fast. The release for the Jennifer Yuh-helmed sequel is set for May 26, 2011, and the folks at Yahoo! today unveiled the first teaser trailer.

Watch it below. Not much going on here, except for a staring contest. Jack Black returns to voice Po, and the voice cast also includes Gary Oldman, Seth Rogen, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and David Cross.

I was not impressed with the first "Kung Fu Panda," but hey, I'm willing to give this one a shot anyway. It's opening in 3D, so get your glasses on. In the sequel, Po heads out to discover his mysterious origins.

Movie Review: "The Karate Kid"

Seen on: June 13, 2010

The players: Director: Harald Zwart, Writer: Christopher Murphey, Cast: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson

Facts of interest: Zwart also helmed "One Night at McCool's."

The plot: Dre and his mom move to China, where is beaten to the ground and ends up learning kung fu to fight back once and for all.

Our thoughts: In the mood to watch some kids beating the hell out of each other? Then Harald Zwart’s remake of “The Karate Kid” is just the right movie for you. There is indeed a solid dose of hardcore punching and kicking in this family film, and yet viewers young and old keep clapping until the last kid on the big screen is knocked to the ground hard. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

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New 'Karate Kid' trailer is nothing special

Let me tell you this right away: I've pretty much hated the idea of a new "The Karate Kid" ever since I first heard about it. After a couple of trailers, I still haven't changed my mind, and, oh surprise, this brand-new feature preview hasn't won me over either.

The film, a remake of John G. Avildsen’s 1984 version, follows a boy (Jaden Smith) who gets his ass kicked by some mean Chinese kids and eventually learns all there is to know about karate with the help of a tough but enthusiastic mentor (Jackie Chan).

I agree this trailer boasts some decent visuals in terms of landscapes, but that's pretty much it. Tons of fighting won't do the trick anymore, and at this stage, the new "Karate Kid" looks like it lacks punch and fun. The film is set to open everywhere June 11, 2010.

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Movie Review: “The Spy Next Door”

Seen on: January 9, 2010

The players: Director: Brian Levant, Writers: Jonathan Bernstein, James Greer, Gregory Poirier, Cast: Jackie Chan, Amber Valletta, Alina Foley, George Lopez, Billy Ray Cyrus

Facts of interest: Brian Levant also directed "Are We There Yet?"

The plot: A former CIA spy has to babysit his girlfriend's kids and protect them from a bunch of weird terrorists at the same time.

Our thoughts: Brian Levant’s “The Spy Next Door” is a terrible film. It’s as dry as a family comedy can get, and it suffers mainly from a chaotic plot, monotonous story and a handful of poor acting performances. Children of a certain age may appreciate Jackie Chan jumping around the screen for 90 minutes, but I stopped caring after the first five minutes.

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'The Karate Kid' remake gets lame trailer

Columbia Pictures decided to develop an unnecessary remake of "The Karate Kid," and a first trailer for the upcoming flick has hit the Web. See it below if you dare, because in my book, this looks lame!

The film, a remake of John G. Avildsen’s 1984 version, follows a bullied boy (Jaden Smith) who learns all there is to know about karate with the help of an enthusiastic mentor (Jackie Chan).

As you can see in this trailer, Smith fancies a chick but gets beat up by a bunch of kids, which leads to a tough training with karate master Chan, who puts on his regular show. None of this looks compelling at all.

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First 'The Karate Kid' remake images roll in

Columbia Pictures is currently making an unnecessary remake of "The Karate Kid," and the first pictures from the upcoming adventure have surface on the Web. Check out some of them above and below.

The film, a remake of John G. Avildsen’s 1984 version, follows a bullied boy (Jaden Smith) who learns all there is to know about karate with the help of an enthusiastic mentor (Jackie Chan).

The original “Karate Kid” was followed by three sequels. As terrible as this may sound, we'll probably see more remakes if this one ends up scoring big at the box office. I hope that won't happen though.

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Jackie Chan to join 'Karate Kid' remake

Jackie Chan is in talks to join Coumbia’s remake of John G. Avildsen’s 1984 hit movie “The Karate Kid.”

Written by Chris Murphy, the film follows a bullied boy (Jaden Smith) who learns all there is to know about karate with the help of an enthusiastic mentor (Chan).

Harald Zwart is on board to direct the remake, which is set somewhere in Asia and borrows several elements from the original flick. Filming is set to start this summer.

The original “Karate Kid” was followed by three sequels. As terrible as this may sound, we'll probably see more remakes if this one ends up scoring big at the box office.

Chan, who recently starred in "The Forbidden Kingdom," will also be seen in Brian Levant's upcoming comedy "The Spy Next Door." Last November, the actor also boarded a project entitled "Junior Soldiers."

As for Zwart, his directing credits include "Agent Cody Banks," "One Night at McCool's" and the upcoming "The Pink Panther 2" (which looks absolutely disastrous, by the way).

Source: Variety

Four more join Jackie Chan in 'Spy Next Door'

George Lopez, Billy Ray Cyrus, Amber Valletta and Katherine Boecher are the latest to join Jackie Chan in Brian Levant's new comedy "The Spy Next Door."

Chan plays a man who babysits his neighbor’s kids and ends up batting a bunch of secret agents after one of the youngsters accidentally downloads a secret code from the Web.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Lopez and Cyrus star as two CIA agents, while Valletta plays the children's mother. Boecher is on board as a Russian operative.

Valletta's credits include "Hitch" and "Transporter 2." She will next star in Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine's "Game." As for Lopez, he most recently did some voice work in Disney's "Beverly Hills Chihuahua." Cyrus will next be seen in "Hannah Montana: The Movie."

Chan recently starred in “The Forbidden Kingdom.” He also recently completed filming “The Shinjuku Incident,” an action drama about a Chinese immigrant who travels to Japan to follow his ex-girlfriend.

Jackie Chan joins ‘Junior Soldiers’

We barely know anything about the project at this stage, but Jackie Chan’s next film is currently titled “Junior Soliders.”

Variety says Ding Sheng will direct the movie, which is described as a road movie during the Qin dynasty and is said to focus on three people and a horse.

Chan is writing the script. Considering he recently said he’s not satisfied with many of the films he’s done, this gives him a chance to create something he likes.

Chan starred as Monkey in “Kung Fu Panda.” He will next be seen in Tung-Shing Yee’s “The Shinjuku Incident.”

Jackie Chan is ‘The Spy Next Door’

Martial arts star Jackie Chan is set to star in Brian Levant’s upcoming action comedy “The Spy Next Door,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“Spy” follows a man who babysits his neighbor’s kids and ends up batting a bunch of secret agents after one of the youngsters accidentally downloads a secret code from the Web.

Levant, whose credits include “Snow Dogs” and “Are We There Yet?,” is directing a script by Jim Greer and Jonathan Bernstein.

Although I pretty much hate the idea of Chan playing a badass babysitter, I have to admit I’m somewhat glad the project is not in development at Disney. If that were the case, we’d probably get to see another “The Pacifier” or “The Game Plan.”

Chan recently starred in “The Forbidden Kingdom.” He also recently completed filming “The Shinjuku Incident,” an action drama about a Chinese immigrant who travels to Japan to follow his ex-girlfriend.