Martial arts fighter Li Fong (Ben Wang) has more than legends Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) to guide his training. Also behind the kung-fu prodigy is family, and friends discovered along his new journey in New York City, in the newest addition to the iconic franchise, Karate Kid: Legends.
Karate Kid first came out in 1984 and became a worldwide phenomenon for its relatable theme of the underdog beating all odds. Ralph Macchio played Daniel LaRusso, the new kid on the block who was an easy target for bullying. William “Billy” Zabka played his rival and bully, Johnny Lawrence, while Pat Morita played Mr. Miyagi, LaRusso’s mentor and friend.
The movie spawned two more films starring Macchio, before shifting to Hillary Swank for The Next Karate Kid, released in 1994. Later in 2010, The Karate Kid was released with Jackie Chan as the mentor and Kung Fu teacher of Jaden Smith, the new lead. In the same timeline, fans were treated to Johnny Lawrence’s comeback and a re-introduction to the franchise through Cobra Kai, where he eventually patches things up with Daniel LaRusso.
This year, we’re treated to another addition to the Miyagiverse with Karate Kid: Legends, where Kung Fu and Karate come together for a new generation. Watch the trailer below.
In Karate Kid: Legends Li Fong finds a new home in New York City with his mother, Dr. Fong (Ming-Na Wen), moving across continents from Beijing. Finding himself clashing with the local karate champion, he turns to his uncle Mr. Han for guidance, who enlists original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso. Merging both karate and kung-fu, the two trainers prepare Li Fong for the ultimate martial arts showdown, and behind Fong’s back is his new friend Mia (Sadie Stanley), retired boxer Victor (Joshua Jackson), and his SAT tutor Alan (Wyatt Oleff).
The first friendly face Li Fong encounters as he adjusts to the big city is Mia Lipani, manning her dad’s pizza shop. “The key to Mia as a character is she’s grown up in New York, but she’s grown up working in New York, in a pizza shop with her dad,” director Jonathan Entwistle says. “She’s not an uber hipster. She’s not super cool. And Sadie was the perfect person to encapsulate that. She has a little vulnerability and a lot of backbone—she’s a very, very strong person.”
Sadie Stanley, who plays Mia, talks about her character’s personality and how inherently kind she is. “Mia is a very sarcastic girl, very headstrong, and very funny,” says Stanley. “And when Li Fong and Mia first meet, he’s overwhelmed with this new reality, this new life. Mia kind of comes in and shows him that first bit of kindness, that support he needs.”
Mia’s father, retired boxer Victor (Joshua Jackson) and Fong bonding together | Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Mia’s father, Victor Lipani, is a retired boxer, who has a shared experience with Fong, both coming from fighting backgrounds. Joshua Jackson, who plays Victor, sees that similarity and uses it to create a bond between the two fighters. “I grew up in a neighborhood where there were a lot of kids, a lot of parents, a lot of people who weren’t your blood relation,” he says. “It takes everybody to raise kids, right? So as a trusted older male, Victor is there for Ben, because he’s dealing with quite a lot of trauma.”
Fong’s mother is played by Ming-Na Wen, who was eager to play the part as joining the Karate Kid universe is very special to her. “To be part of the Karate Kid world, being an Asian American, it’s just different,” she says. “Even though Miyagi is Japanese and I’m Chinese, we have a shared Asian-American experience. It had such an impact on my life, when I was younger watching it.”
She’s excited to see the fans react to Ben Wang, as she felt such a connection with a young actor while playing his mother. “I told Ben, ‘You’re the perfect son.’ He’s so courteous and soft spoken. And yet there’s like this little wicked sense of humor. I think that the fans are going to fall in love with him!”
Family, friends, and epic martial arts fighting are all in Karate Kid: Legends, arriving in Philippine cinemas on May 28.