(Updated 12/17/2024)
The phrase "legacy sequel” has been at the tip of every studio executive’s tongue since four big 2015 movies all became audience and critical favorites: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, CREED and JURASSIC WORLD.
Every year at least one, if not two or three tried and true classics is reborn. Not remade or rebooted, but crafted as direct throughlines to the movies many of us grew up watching. Our heroes, be it Han Solo or Rocky, dust themselves off for another go (or several), all while showing the ropes of the world they inhabit to a plucky young hero.
A franchise like KARATE KID seems perfect for this approach. But aside from a 2010 remake starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, the characters have found new life as a streaming series. The show "Cobra Kai" became a sensation, starting out on YouTube, of all places, then on Netflix. It followed Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), the villain of the first movie, as he breaks good. Through six seasons, "Cobra Kai" weaved essentially every character from the KARATE KID series into a funny, insightful and genuinely touching story. You’d think the sixth and final season would be all that was left to say, right?
EnterKARATE KID: LEGENDS. Somehow doing the impossible, the sixth film in the series will be a continuation of the original trilogy starring Ralph Macchio, the tv series that followed, and the remake starring Jackie Chan!
What's the Karate Kid: Legends Release Date?
Sony Pictures will release KARATE KID: LEGENDS in movie theaters on May 30, 2025.
Watch the First Trailer for Karate Kid: Legends
The first KARATE KID: LEGENDS trailer is here! "What you were to Mr. Miyagi, he is to me." The characters played by Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio team up to train a new Karate Kid — and this trailer has all the classic flavor of the first KARATE KID movie.
Do You Need to Watch "Cobra Kai" Before Seeing Karate Kid: Legends?
While it is too early to make a definitive statement, we'll guess that you do not have to see "Cobra Kai," or even all the previous KARATE KID movies, to understand and enjoy KARATE KID: LEGENDS. While this movie takes place after "Cobra Kai," it is not a direct sequel to the series.
Furthermore, the appeal of these movies has always been that they feature instantly-understandable characters in scenarios that appeal to everyone. The first trailer for LEGENDS demonstrates exactly that — this movie is a core KARATE KID-style story with no need for deep "expanded universe" knowledge.
Who's the New Karate Kid?
As Macchio is too old to be called a kid, older and Jaden Smith isn’t returning, director Jonathan Entwistle (Netflix’s I AM NOT OK WITH THIS) and the producers went on what has been described as a worldwide casting search to find the next Karate Kid. (Not to be confused with THE NEXT KARATE KID starring Hilary Swank, who is one of the few major actors from the series to not appear in "Cobra Kai.")
They landed on Ben Wang, best known for appearing on the Disney+ series "American Born Chinese." He’s got massive shoes to fill, but with the original Karate Kid and a legend like Jackie Chan in his corner, he isn’t hurting for mentorship.
Who's in the Cast of Karate Kid: Legends?
It remains to be seen just how LEGENDS will bring together Daniel LaRusso, played by Ralph Macchio, and Mr. Han, played by Jackie Chan. It seems like Han reaches out to Daniel? In American movies, Jackie Chan, maybe the greatest action star of all time, hasn’t quite had an elder statesman role to sink his teeth into. The idea of him crossing paths with Macchio, himself now much older and wiser than the kid we met in the first movie, is one that’ll get your blood pumping.
Rounding out the cast are Joshua Jackson ("Dawson’s Creek") and newly-minted Disney Legend, Ming-Na Wen (MULAN, "The Mandolorian").
Legacy sequels are tough to get right. There’s a fine balance to ride between being a great movie that excites the fans and a bad movie that panders to fans. Given KARATE KID’s history, one with a slew of beloved films, including the underrated remake, and a great tv series, the pedigree for success is here. Come May 30th, there’s a good chance you’ll be leaving the theater pumping your fists belting “you’re the best, arooooound”, a giant grin slapped across your face.
KARATE KID: LEGENDS opens on May 30, 2025.
All images courtesy of Sony Pictures.