No one told Ralph Macchio about either ‘Karate Kid’ reboot

Ralph Macchio learned he was crane-kicked out of “The Next Karate Kid” by reading about it in the newspaper.

Macchio, then in his early 30s, was clueless about the project until reading in 1994 that producer Jerry Weintraub had told reporters the actor was “too old” to continue his role as New Jersey underdog Daniel LaRusso — some five years after starring in “The Karate Kid Part III.”

“In fact, that is how I learned [‘The Next Karate Kid’] was being made,” Macchio, now 60, writes in his 256-page memoir released Tuesday, “Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me.”

“I saw it in the newspaper,” Macchio continues. “They went with a different writer, a different director and a different actor for the protagonist.”

Actress Hilary Swank, making her first appearance in a starring role, portrayed Julie Pierce, replacing Macchio as LaRusso. Actor Noriyuki “Pat” Morita reprised his role as martial-arts mentor Mr. Miyagi.

The exclusion seemingly landed like a roundhouse kick to Macchio’s gut.

“To this day, for whatever reason, I have not viewed that movie curtain-to-curtain,” Macchio writes. “I have only seen it in pieces when scrolling through movie channels on television. It was strange for me, as I wasn’t in contact with anyone from the franchise during those years.”

“The Next Karate Kid” was widely panned, garnering a 7% approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics slammed it as an “unnecessary” fourth installment in the venerable franchise. It reportedly made less than $9 million domestically — the least successful of the series to date, including in the 2010 remake of “The Karate Kid” starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan.

But critics praised Swank’s performance, with the Los Angeles Times declaring she “really might be a find” in its review.

Years later, in 2008, Macchio found out that a remake to the 1984 original cult classic was in the works, with Hollywood stars Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith serving as producers and their son Jaden in the lead. A reporter asked Macchio about his thoughts while walking on the street, a “jarring moment” he details in his book.

“I recall being caught off guard trying to process the concept,” Macchio writes. “I remember saying that I am not the biggest fan of most remakes … I then went on to say that I was hoping there would be more original content coming out of Hollywood soon.”

A “clickbait” headline the next day screamed “Macchio Slams Remake” — prompting a call from Smith himself.

“He led off the call with a playful, ‘Look, I know I’m messin’ with your baby … but I promise I will do it right … respect, homage, respect,’” Macchio recalls. “He was cool and the intentions were clear.”

Macchio and Smith had previously met during auditions for 1992’s “My Cousin Vinny,” when both were up for a lead role (which Macchio landed).

“I alluded to his megastar movie successes that had followed almost immediately after that audition day,” Macchio writes of the phone call. “We had an upbeat conversation with a lot of laughs and mutual respect exchanged.”

Macchio cleared the air, telling Smith he wasn’t “angry” about the upcoming remake.

“And in return, he offered to involve me in the remake in any way I wanted and said that the door was open,” Macchio adds. “I felt very strongly that stepping back and allowing him and his team to reimagine the story their own way would be best for all.”

Smith then handed the phone to son Jaden — and Macchio gave his blessing, telling the youngster to “kick some butt” and have a little fun while doing it.

“But I couldn’t avoid the awareness that, in the moment, I felt very much like an Obi-Wan to a young Skywalker,” Macchio writes. “As if I were handing off the lightsaber to a new-generation Jedi warrior.”