Martial arts icons Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio team up on screen for the first time in Karate Kid: Legends, blending kung fu and karate to mentor a new young fighter in the latest evolution of the beloved franchise.
The Karate Kid legacy lives on in a powerful new chapter as Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio join forces in Karate Kid: Legends, released this week. The film introduces Ben Wang as Li Fong, a kung fu prodigy from Beijing who moves to New York with his mother and soon finds himself entangled in a martial arts rivalry.
When Li’s growing friendship with a local pizza shop owner, Victor, and his daughter Mia sparks tension with a neighborhood karate champion, he is drawn into the world of competitive fighting. To prepare for the challenge, Li is trained by not one, but two legendary mentors: Jackie Chan’s Mr Han and Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso—bridging the worlds of kung fu and karate in a cinematic first for the franchise.
“They presented the concept... connecting the Miyagi to the Han family and how that made sense,” said Macchio. “That was the challenge at first—figuring that out. Working with Jackie was like, ‘Woohoo sign me up—when, where?’”
Macchio returns as LaRusso for the fourth time on film, continuing the journey of a character he also reprised in the hit series Cobra Kai. Meanwhile, Chan steps back into the role of Mr Han, whom he first portrayed in the 2010 reboot opposite Jaden Smith.
"Now we've both become a Miyagi," Chan quipped. "I remember when I saw the first one... I want to be 'The Karate Kid'. Now we work together."
For 25-year-old Ben Wang, stepping into the iconic franchise was both daunting and deeply meaningful. “It’s a terrifying thing in a certain way because it’s a beloved franchise… but it’s also a great honour. I know how special and lucky it is that I get to do this with the two of them,” Wang said.
With nostalgia, action, and a message of mentorship at its core, Karate Kid: Legends promises to inspire a new generation while honouring the spirit of the originals.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has arrived in Turkmenistan for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit. ...
It started with classrooms. Too many students, not enough teachers, deteriorating buildings and growing anxiety over what comes after high school.&...
Visitors to Armenia could face temperature screening after a lab worker died from suspected Pneumonic plague in Russia, Yerevan’s Health Mini...
Russia's health watchdog said on Tuesday that no cases of plague had been detected among anyone who had come into contact with a Siberian plague institute laboratory worker who died last week, and locals said their lives had barely been disrupted.
Russia struck Ukraine overnight in one of the biggest attacks of the conflict, killing at least 19 people, Kyiv's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. Around 70 missiles were fired at Ukraine during the attack, as well as drones, the Ministry said.
An Azerbaijani citizen died and another is missing after a cargo ship was attacked by a drone in the Black Sea, near the coast of Romania on Monday, 5 October, Baku's Foreign Ministry has said.
A large Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region has killed two people, damaged homes and sparked a major fire at a key fuel facility, according to Russian officials and military bloggers.
The German-Azerbaijani Connectivity Conference 2026 commenced on 6 October in Baku under the title “Mobilising Finance for Infrastructure, Transport, Logistics, Green Energy, and Digitalisation along the Middle Corridor.”
Kazakhstan has hosted its first Astana AI Film Festival on attracting more than 8,000 entries from 125 countries and emerging as the world’s largest international competition dedicated to AI-generated films.
Exiled Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev confronts conscription and moral compromise in wartime Russia in Minotaur, a drama released nearly five years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
As Ethiopia's rainy season retreats and the landscape turns green beneath clearer skies, millions of Oromo people gather to celebrate Irreecha, a festival of thanksgiving, renewal and community.
A 13-month-old Chihuahua named Comando is helping Mexico’s National Guard connect with the public, becoming its smallest canine member and an unusual addition to the country’s K9 force.
In a workshop in Margilan, in eastern Uzbekistan's Fergana Region, silk threads are still being transformed into brightly coloured atlas and adras fabrics using techniques passed down through generations.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment