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When Jackie Chan returns to theKarate Kiduniverse, his new prodigy will be played by Ben Wang instead of Jaden Smith. Wang will play the role of the new young karate fighter Li Fong inKarate Kid: Legendsand he looks amazing in the trailer of the film. It appears that he would surpass Smith and the entireCobra Kaistars as the best“Karate Kid”.
Ralph Macchio will also join Chan for the new film, which is helmed by Jonathan Entwistle ofI’m Not Okay with ThisandThe End of the F***ing Worldfame. The film is penned by Rob Lieber and will be produced under Sony’s banner.
The new Karate Kid – Ben Wang – fights better than Jaden Smith and theCobra Kaistars
15-year-oldBen Wang is the new Karate Kidin Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan’sKarate Kid: Legends. Thetrailerof the film dropped a week ago, showing some incredible moves of the young actor. Before the film, the Chinese-Canadian actor caught attention with his role in the Disney+ seriesAmerican Born Chinese.
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Fans who got a chance to look at the trailerfind him to be a killer in the role. The actor’s fighting skills look finer thanJaden Smithand the entireCobra Kaifighters put together. From their social media comments, fans are sure excited about the film and the actor’s performance. Some of the comments under@_darkmight‘s Instagram post read:
Comeback of Asian martial arts in cinema ?? HELL YEAH !!
I think it’s time we power scale the karate kid verse
That ladder kick has gotta go get added to the fight choreography hall of fame
He’s trained by Mr Han and Daniel! The kid literally has what it takes to be a legend
Good thing they went with cooler choreographers and fight scene editors
It appears that, unlike previous films, Wang’s character comes with some experience in fighting before he gets Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso andJackie Chan‘s Mr. Han as his mentors. From his fighting skills in the trailer, it comes as no surprise as to why he was chosen as the lead among thousands of young boys who auditioned.
Wang is skilled in several martial arts, including karate, wing chun/kung fu, gumdo, kempo, and taekwondo. In his Disney+ series, he got to showcase some of his fighting skills which earned him an advantage with theKarate Kidfilmmakers. Additionally, Wang is also fluent in Mandarin and hence could bring more cultural background to his character.
Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan look great together in the trailer
Ralph Macchioand Jackie Chan’s journey in theKarate Kiduniverse is going to intersect for the first time inKarate Kid: Legends. Macchio played the young prodigy in the first film in the franchise,The Karate Kid, in 1984. The film spawned three sequels, two of them starring Macchio, a reboot with Chan and Jaden Smith, and the Netflix seriesCobra Kaiwhere Macchio reprised his role.
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Chan’s character comes in search of Mr. Miyagi’s prodigy, Daniel LaRusso, in the trailer. It appears that Mr. Han and Mr. Miyagi share a history, which will probably redeem Pat Morita’s character after the recent revelations about him. Macchio was excited at the opportunity to work with Chan. He shared withTHRabout the experience:
Jackie Chan is a legend, just to have that opportunity was exciting. He was wonderful. Lot of heart, lot of soul and caring, I will say that about Jackie. He loves being on set and it was like his first day every day. I love seeing that at his age and time of his career because I like to try to bring that as well, but a great young cast on that one, and we’ll see where it goes.
Cobra Kaiwill release its final set of episodes in February 2025 and showrunner Jon Hurwitz told THR that he had spoken to the filmmakers about the series finale. It appears that the finale ofCobra Kaiwill tease the film in some manner.
Karate Kid: Legendsis set for a release date on June 25, 2025.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
