Hollywood star Will Smith waves at a news conference for the Asian premiere of the sci-fi thriller "I am Legend" in Hong Kong on Friday, December 7, 2007. [Photo: cnsphoto]

Hollywood star Will Smith met actor-filmmaker Stephen Chow Friday in Hong Kong, where he attended the Asian premiere of the sci-fi thriller "I am Legend," and invited him to produce, direct and star in the remake of the hit 1984 martial arts movie "The Karate Kid."

Reports say Smith selected Chow because he likes the innovative actions in Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle," as well as his latest film "CJ7," which Smith had seen a rough cut edition at Sony Pictures Classics.

Chow told the media, "I'm very fond of 'The Karate Kid' and would love to join in the remake project, no matter as a producer, director or actor. But it depends on my schedule. As you know, next year I will work on two movies, 'Dragon Ball' and 'Journey to the West.'"

Will Smith hopes to shoot the movie in China, according to Agence France-Presse.