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Karate Kid: Legends brings together two branches of one tree (AKA, the two sides of the franchise) – the original saga, which is made up of four movies and six seasons of the Netflix spin-off Cobra Kai, and the 2010 remake, a reimagining of the very first movie.
Ralph Macchio stars as Daniel LaRusso, the original karate kid himself, while Jackie Chan returns as Mr. Han, the Mr. Miyagi-esque figure from the 2010 film. Ben Wang, meanwhile, joins as newcomer Li Fong, a relative of Mr. Han's who is in need of some martial arts training. Luckily, he has not one but two legendary teachers on hand to help…
Daniel is no stranger to blending his unique karate teaching style with another after the events of Cobra Kai, which saw him join forces with William Zabka's Johnny Lawrence. So, how did Macchio find something fresh and fun with Chan?
"Well, it's hard not to find a fresh and fun dynamic when you're around Jackie Chan," Macchio tells us with a grin when we sit down with him and Ben Wang in London. "He exudes that, right? He just really has a great spirit about him. He loves being on the set. He loves making movies. He's there early, he leaves late. He will help you hang the lights and the microphones, if you need it. It's infectious, his kid in a candy store persona. He really has that. So that was exciting and new for me."
Legends is set after the events of Cobra Kai season 6, and Daniel has come a long way on his karate journey since the '84 film.
"He's more grounded, a little more Miyagi in his way, which is kind of how we landed him at the end of the Cobra Kai series," Macchio explains. "And this being a few years later, it made sense for me. He's in a place where I believed he would wind up even back in the day, and so having the opportunity to help someone who needs a little guidance and support, someone who is having a mirrored scenario that young Daniel LaRusso had, just seemed like an exciting, fresh way to bring this to another generation, in this spectacular Ben Wang."
Karate Kid: Legends is in UK cinemas this May 28 and US theaters this May 30.
In the meantime, check out our guide to all the year's most exciting upcoming movies for everything else that's in store.
