Even though Disney+ seriesAmerican Born Chinesehas just recently been canceled, it seems like series star Ben Wang didn’t stay out of a job for long.The Hollywood Reporterrevealed today that the young actor has been cast in the upcoming movie — and crossover event —Karate Kid, which will make franchise veteransRalph Macchio(Cobra Kai) andJackie Chan(The Foreigner) share the screen as well. Details of the movie are yet to be revealed.
It’s pretty safe to say that Wang will play a young student ofMacchio’s Daniel LaRussoor Chan’s Mr. Han, or maybe he will be taught by both mentors. Chances are that the new Karate Kid movie will follow the same structure of the previous movies, with a young boylearning life lessons and martial arts from fighterswho were able to master what it takes to be a true martial artist. According toTHR, Sony accepted submissions from actors all around the world, and as many as 10,000 subs were sent in the first day alone.
It’s not hard to figure out why Wang was chosen: The young boy is fluent in Mandarin and isskilled in several martial arts, including karate, wing chun/kung fu, gumdo, kempo and taekwondo. The actor got to showcase his fighting skills in the short-livedAmerican Born Chinese, but more important than that: The series evidenced thatWang is extremely charismatic, and managed to steal virtually every scene from the series. Knowing Mandarin is probably not a requirement of the role, but it means thatWang can bring more to the background of the characterhe will play.
What Will Be The Story of The New ‘Karate Kid’ Movie?
Since the newKarate Kidmovie hasn’t even started filming, we’ll have to wait a while to see how the worlds fromthe originalThe Karate Kidmovieand the more recent one will collide. However, we might get a hint of how it will all play out sooner rather than later:Cobra Kaiis soon returning to Netflixfor its sixth and final season, and whatever happens to Daniel LaRusso, his family and pupils will probably tie in to the events of the upcoming movie.
We’re also yet to discover what other familiar faces we’ll see in the newKarate Kidmovie. Sony is yet to confirm ifLaRusso’s former archenemy Johnny Lawrence(William Zabka) will also reprise his role, as well as other actors previously featured in the franchise likeTaraji P. Henson(The Color Purple),Jaden Smith(After Earth),Hilary Swank(The Good Mother),Elisabeth Shue(The Boys) andMartin Kove(The Karate Kid Part III).
Sony is yet to reveal further details fromKarate Kid, including the expected release date.
