‘Karate Kid: Legends’ First Footage
Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio train new student in new film
“Wax on, wax off.” The lessons and the legends live on in a new movie in the memorable, long-lasting franchise, “Karate Kid: Legends.”
Sony showed the first trailer for the newest “Karate Kid” movie, titled “Karate Kid: Legends,” at New York Comic Con on Friday night. The upcoming movie, releasing in theaters on May 30, unites franchise stars Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan and introduces a new student named Li Fong, played by Ben Wang.
Macchio returns as Daniel LaRusso, whom he played in the original 1984 “Karate Kid” film trilogy and later reprised in Netflix’s “Cobra Kai” series. Chan is also back as Mr. Han, the kung fu master based on Mr. Miyagi, who coached Jaden Smith’s Dre Parker in the 2010 “Karate Kid” remake.
The trailer was shown exclusively to the New York Comic Con crowd and teased some intense karate action with the three leads. Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso arrives in Beijing, where Chan’s Mr. Han has been seeking him out. Han has a new protege, Li Fong, and is his mentor figure, just like Mr. Miyagi was to Daniel, Han explains. He and Daniel narrate the trailer, and it’s clear that the two will have to team up to train Li Fong, but will their teaching styles match up?
The trailer shows off plenty of fight scenes in the streets and at a dojo, including some kind of new karate tournament that was briefly teased. In one particularly impressive moment, Li Fong fights off a bully in an alleyway by swinging off a fire escape ladder and flipping off the wall. As the star of “American Born Chinese,” Wang has some stunt experience, and it certainly shows in the trailer.
After Chan and Macchio announced a worldwide search that saw thousands of young actors across the world, Wang was chosen for the role due to his standout performance and deep connection to the character. Wang is skilled in several forms of martial arts, including karate, wing chun / kung fu, gumdo, kempo and taekwando.
Ming-Na Wen, known for “Mulan” and “The Joy Luck Club,” will portray the mother of Wang’s character. Joshua Jackson and Sadie Stanley will also appear in the film.
Jonathan Entwistle, the creator and director of Netflix’s “I Am Not Okay With This” and “The End of the F–ing World,” will direct the film from a screenplay by “Peter Rabbit” scribe Rob Lieber. Karen Rosenfelt will produce.
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FEATURE IMAGE FROM SONY VIA VARIETY
