“I hope there’s a crossover with Cobra Kai”: Ralph Macchio Is as Ageless as Ever, Jackie Chan Becomes Old Man Han in ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ First Look
- Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan reprise their roles from The Karate Kid franchise in new sequel.
- The first look at Karate Kid: Legends has everyone wondering if it has anything to do with Cobra Kai.
- Director Jonathan Entwistle has nothing but nice things to say about working with Chan.
The first look for the new Karate Kid movie, Karate Kid: Legends is out, and fans are quite literally losing their calm as they wish for one thing or the other. A lot has changed since the franchise kickstarted in 1984, but Ralph Macchio does not seem to have aged. On the other hand, Jackie Chan is looking like the veteran martial arts artist cum movie star he is.
The Karate Kid is one of the oldest action franchises. Its foundation was laid almost four decades ago when Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso learned karate from Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi to fight his bullies. It remains one of the most beloved action franchises to date, so fans are beyond excited to see what this new entry has to offer, as they expressed their own wishes to witness certain things.
The first look for Karate Kid: Legends is out and here is what fans have to say
Ralph Macchio was 22 when he played 17-year-old Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid. Even then, it was his youthful appearance that allowed him to convincingly portray someone so much younger. The film was such a huge success that it spawned two sequels, released in 1986 and 1989 respectively.
Fast forward to almost two decades later, Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith took over the lead roles in the fifth movie in the franchise. Chan played the Kung Fu mentor, Mr. Han to Smith’s 12-year-old Dre Parker. Although this movie became the highest-grossing film of the franchise, it did not spawn an immediate sequel.
Macchio reprised his role as Daniel in the series Cobra Kai, a direct sequel to the original trilogy. He and Chan are reprising their roles as Daniel and Mr. Han in the upcoming sequel, Karate Kid: Legends. Recently, Entertainment Weekly has released a new look at the movie. This has led to fans wondering if it will have anything to do with Cobra Kai.
Whether or not this movie will have anything to do with the fan-favorite Netflix show remains to be seen. In October, Variety reported that a trailer for the film was shown at the New York Comic Con, so hopefully fans will also get to see one soon.
Director Jonathan Entwistle called Jackie Chan “Dumbledore” for his contributions to the production of the movie
Jonathan Entwistle, the creator of the Netflix original series The End Of The F***ing World and I Am Not Okay With This, is at the helm of the upcoming martial arts film. The movie will introduce another new student named Li Fong, played by Ben Wang, and is bound to feature some intense action scenes like its predecessors.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Entwistle was asked about his experience of working with Jackie Chan. The director shows great appreciation for Chan, saying:
Jackie Chan is a movie star, and that is something that you don’t see so much anymore. He had the ability to come up with a tiny idea that I’d never thought of — and all of Jackie’s tiny ideas are in the movie. He was like the magical Dumbledore to us on set, and he’s like that in the movie too.
Chan has established a name for himself in Hollywood with his comic timing, phenomenal acting chops, and of course, his stuntmanship. Getting to work with him is an honor in itself and having him give out advice is a cherry on the top.
Karate Kid: Legends will be in theaters on May 30, 2025.
