Two teachers join forces in the new trailer for Karate Kid: Legends

Sony has just released the trailer for Karate Kid: Legends. The film stars Ben Wang (American Born Chinese) as a young teenager from China who finds identity and strength in martial arts. During his journey of self-discovery, Wang’s character meets a disciplined martial arts master. Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio reprising their roles of Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso. Joshua Jackson (Fatal Attraction) and Ming-Na Wen (The Mandalorian) also appear in the movie, alongside Sadie Stanley (Cruel Summer) as the romantic lead. Jonathan Entwistle (The End of the F***ing World) directed the movie from a script by Rob Lieber (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day).

The official plot synopsis reads,
“In Karate Kid: Legends, after a family tragedy, kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben 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 (Jackie Chan) enlists original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) for help, and Li learns a new way to fight, merging their two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown.”

Daniel-San himself couldn’t help but share his enthusiasm for this new entry into the series. “I’m not allowed to say a lot about it, except another awesome chapter is on its way,” Macchio said. “Ben Wang is a young kid in the show, he’s very exciting to watch. And working with Jackie [Chan], he’s a legend. They found, you know, it’s its own story in the vast universe, you know, so it’s another chapter in a different area that connects the mythology of where it all began. And fortunately, I was the guy that was there when it all began.“

Cobra Kai recently came to a close, and returning for Karate Kid: Legends wasn’t an easy choice for Macchio after spending so many years on the Netflix show, reprising his iconic role. However, in the end, it felt right. “It was not a quick decision, because it was about protecting the Daniel LaRusso character, and finding where he would be at that point, and then protecting the whole legacy in the Miyagi-verse,” Macchio told Variety. “Once we were able to line that up, for the ‘Cobra Kai’ story to lead into the new film — even though they’re separate ecosystems — it all made sense for me. Then, working with Jackie was just super exciting. I started this on the big screen. How cool is it to get it back to the big screen?” As for whether this will be the last time we see Daniel LaRusso, Macchio wouldn’t say. “I don’t want to overstay the welcome of a character that’s so beloved,” he said. “But he’s aging like I am, so there could be other areas to explore as well. Never say never.“