Although Breck Eisner signed on to direct back in April, Deadline reports that the The Crazies helmer has exited Sony Pictures’s The Karate Kid 2 due to schedule conflicts. The studio has also brought aboard a new screenwriting pair, Jeremiah Friedman and Nick Palmer, to rewrite the script, previously drafted by Zak Penn, Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris.
The original movie, directed by Harald Zwart, modernized the beloved 1984 classic starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, and opened big with $55.6 million in June 2011, before going on to gross $359 million worldwide.
Both Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith are planning to reprise their roles for the sequel.
Eisner, meanwhile, remains attached to Lionsgate’s The Last Witch Hunter, which has Vin Diesel attached to star.
