'The Karate Kid' Musical Adaptation in the Works

Drew Gasparini and original screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen are working together on a Broadway-bound stage version of the 1984 film.

Nearly four decades after The Karate Kid hit theaters, screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen is looking to turn his martial arts drama into a Broadway musical.

Kamen is collaborating with composer Drew Gasparini (We Aren't Kids Anymore), director Amon Miyamoto (Pacific Overtures) and married choreographer duo Keone and Mari Madrid, who are also working on the incoming Once Upon a One More Time (based on Britney Spears' catalog of hits). Also joining the team is Tony-winning set designer Derek McLane.

Casting for the musical — which will retell Kamen's story of a new-in-town teenager who learns to defend himself against bullies with the help of Goju-ryu master Mr. Miyagi — will be announced at a later date.

Though the project is in its early stages, Kamen expressed his enthusiasm over breathing new life into The Karate Kid. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think this little movie would reach across generations the way it has," the screenwriter said in a statement. "And beyond my wildest dreams did I think what started out as a love letter to my devotion to Okinawan Karate and the man who taught me would become a full-blown Broadway musical."

Continued Kamen, "But here it is. Here I am. And here is hoping that what comes to the stage brings the same joy and relevance The Karate Kid has brought to countless kids and their parents for the past 35 years. Go figure."

This isn't the first time The Karate Kid has found itself onstage, however. In 2004, an unauthorized parody, titled It's Karate, Kid! The Musical and starring a young Andrew Rannells, had a brief run in New York.

The authorized Karate Kid musical — for which a premiere date has yet to be given — will be produced by Kinoshita Group, Kumiko Yoshii and Michael Wolk.