New ‘Karate Kid’ Movie Has Found Its New Karate Kid

The Karate Kid franchise has found its new star: Actor Ben Wang.

Wang will star in a new Karate Kid movie which is due in theaters later this year. He will appear with at least two of the previous stars of the franchise: Ralph Macchio, who was the series’ original title character, Daniel La Russo, and Jackie Chan, who appeared in what previously seemed to be a reboot of The Karate Kid from 2010. In that film he played Mr. Han, who was essentially the updated film’s version of Mr. Miyagi.

The news was revealed in an article in The Hollywood Reporter. They wrote…

According to studio insiders, Wang delivered a standout audition that demonstrated his deep connection to the character. It also helped that he is fluent in Mandarin and highly skilled across many forms of martial arts, including karate, wing chun/kung fu, gumdo, kempo and taekwondo.

Wang has previously been seen as the star of the Disney+ series American Born Chinese. He also appears in the new musical version of Mean Girls.

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Sony confirmed the news, posting the THR article on their Facebook page and writing “Welcome to The Karate Kid family, Ben!”

It’s not clear yet how Daniel La Russo and Mr. Han will appear together in this film — or what any of this film has to do with Cobra Kai, the ongoing sequel TV series to The Karate Kid on Netflix. The creators of that show are not involved creatively with this new Karate Kid movie, despite the presence of Macchio in both. The new film is directed by Jonathan Entwistle.

The Karate Kid is scheduled to open in theaters on December 13, 2024.

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