The Karate Kid is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment of the Karate Kid franchise and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and William Zabka. The Karate Kid follows Daniel LaRusso (Macchio), a teenager who is taught karate by Mr. Miyagi (Morita) to help him defend himself and compete in a tournament against his bullies, one of whom is Johnny Lawrence (Zabka), the ex-boyfriend. of his love interest Ali Mills (Shue).
Kamen was approached by Columbia Pictures to score a film similar to Avildsen’s previous hit, Rocky (1976), after hiring the director. Kamen was inspired by his own life when writing the film. As a result, he held strong opinions about the cast and strongly requested Morita’s inclusion. Preparations for the film began immediately after final editing of the script was completed, with casting taking place between April and June 1983. Principal photography began on October 31, 1983 in Los Angeles and was completed on the 16th. December 1983. The film was Macchio’s second major role after The Outsiders (1983).
