Actors Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio join martial arts forces in Karate Kid: Legends

(From left) Ben Wang, Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio in Karate Kid: Legends. PHOTO: SONY PICTURES

UPDATED Jun 04, 2025, 12:00 PM

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LONDON – Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio blend fighting techniques to train a new karate kid in the latest instalment of the martial arts movie franchise.

Karate Kid: Legends, opening in Singapore cinemas on June 5, stars Ben Wang as Beijing gongfu whiz Li F ong. He moves with his mother to New York, where he befriends pizza restaurant owner and retired boxer Victor (Joshua Jackson) and his daughter Mia (Sadie Stanley).

When that friendship irks a local karate champion (Aramis Knight), Li enters a karate tournament and begins training with his old gongfu teacher Mr Han (Chan) and Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso, the protagonist of the original 1984 film The Karate Kid who learnt karate from mentor Mr Miyagi (Pat Morita).

“They presented the concept to me... connecting Miyagi to the Han family and how that made sense. I was like ‘That’s kind of clever, so how do we maintain this connective tissue into Li Fong’s story that is organic and truthful?’” American actor Macchio, 63, said in a joint interview with Chan and Wang.

“That was the challenge at first and figuring that out. Working with Jackie was like, ‘Sign me up.’ And then, who’s the kid? If we don’t love this kid, then you have no movie. So all that, like it happens with The Karate Kid universe, is magic dust that comes down, and somehow it continues to resonate. I’m excited for the next-generation version.”

Karate Kid: Legends is Macchio’s fourth Karate Kid film playing LaRusso, a character he also portrayed in the martial arts comedy series Cobra Kai (2018 to 2025).

Hong Kong superstar Chan, 71, reprises the role of Mr Han, a character he first played in the 2010 film The Karate Kid opposite American actor Jaden Smith.

“Now, we’ve both become a Miyagi,” Chan said, referring t o his and Macchio’s characters becoming mentors.

“I remember when I saw the first one. Why Macchio? Why not me? I want to be the Karate Kid. Now, we work together.”

(From left) Actors Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang and Jackie Chan at a photo call to promote their film Karate Kid: Legends in London, Britain, on May 20. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Wang, 25, said Chan’s 2010 film introduced him to the franchise.

Best known for playing the protagonist in Disney+ series American Born Chinese (2023), the American actor said: “Stepping into it, it’s a terrifying thing in a certain way because it’s a beloved franchise and the fans love it so much so that I want to do right by them.

“But it’s also a great honour because a lot of people auditioned for this part, so I know how special and lucky it is that I get to do this with the two of them.” REUTERS

Karate Kid: Legends opens in Singapore cinemas on June 5.

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