It’s a Brand New Day for the Karate Kid franchise. Err, wait, we’re getting our CinemaCon news mixed up. Nevertheless it is a lowercase brand new day for Karate Kid, which in its next installment will unite Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) with Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) to usher in a new star, Li (Ben Wang). As Daniel says in the new Karate Kid: Legends trailer, “Let’s make a karate kid.”
According to the Karate Kid: Legends synopsis, “after a family tragedy, kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Wang) is uprooted from his home in Beijing and forced to move to New York City with his mother. Li struggles to let go of his past as he tries to fit in with his new classmates, and although he doesn’t want to fight, trouble seems to find him everywhere. When a new friend needs his help, Li enters a karate competition – but his skills alone aren’t enough. Li’s kung fu teacher Mr. Han (Chan) enlists original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) for help, and Li learns a new way to fight, merging their two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown.”
The new film reportedly takes place three years after the events of the Netflix series Cobra Kai, which concluded in February. Li is already proficient in kung fu in the Karate Kid: Legends trailer, but he needs a bit of that Miyagi magic to defeat his bully, which is why Mr. Han lures Jersey native Daniel from California to New York. Meanwhile, his mom (Ming-Na Wen) has serious concerns about the whole thing: “So we’re just supposed to let him fight, so that he can end up like his brother?” she questions. “So that he does not end up like his brother,” Mr. Han clarifies. Wang, Macchio, and Chan (who’s looking pretty sprightly for 70 years old) all get some great action in the trailer, but we’re crossing our fingers that Wen may get some fight scenes of her own. (Don’t you miss Melinda May?) Karate Kid: Legends premieres in theaters May 30.
