"Cobra Kai" season 6 is the last chapter of the hit Netflix series, but it isn't the end of the "The Karate Kid" franchise.
Sony Pictures just dropped the first official trailer for its upcoming film "Karate Kid: Legends," which features "Cobra Kai" star and original Karate Kid Ralph Macchio reprising his role as sensei Daniel LaRusso. According to previous comments from LaRusso, this latest movie in the "Miyagi-verse" is set "after the events of 'Cobra Kai,'" confirming that the show and movies all connect canonically (h/t ScreenRant).
But Macchio isn't the only returning figure from the "The Karate Kid" franchise. Jackie Chan is also returning as Mr. Han, the kung fu master who trained Jaden Smith's Dre Parker in the 2010 reboot of the 1984 original. This time though, he's training kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) and he's turning to Daniel-san to help Li blend his kung fu knowledge with Miyagi-do karate to become the ultimate martial artist.
What to know about 'Karate Kid: Legends'
As mentioned above, this latest installment in "The Karate Kid" franchise introduces a new "Karate Kid" played by Ben Wang. The Chinese-American actor isn't a total newcomer to the world of feature films, but this is by far his biggest role to date. He was found in a global casting search of over 10,000 actors and landed the role in no small part due to the fact he's proficient in karate and kung fu, just like his character Li Fong will be by the end of "Karate Kid: Legends."
Despite being in the same universe as "Cobra Kai" though, the trailer sets a far more serious tone for this movie than the Netflix show, which isn't a comedy but not pure drama, either. But "Karate Kid: Legends" even starts on a dramatic note, as Li is uprooted from his home in Beijing and forced to move to New York City with his mother following a family tragedy. If that seems familiar, it's incredibly similar to the backstory for Macchio's Daniel in the original "The Karate Kid."
Just like Daniel, Li struggles to fit in his new city but ultimately finds some solid ground in karate, ultimately joining a karate competition. But Li's background is kung fu, so his sensei Mr. Han enlists the pupil of his old friend Mr. Miyagi — Miyagi-do sensei Daniel LaRusso — to train Li for the competition.
Aside from Macchio, Chan and Wang, "Karate Kid: Legends" also stars Joshua Jackson as Victor (likely Li's nemesis) and Shaunette Renée Wilson as Ms. Morgan (seemingly no relation to Owen Morgan from "Cobra Kai") as well as Sadie Stanley, Ming-Na Wen, Aramis Knight, Wyatt Oleff, Danny McBride, and Jennifer-Lyn Christie in undisclosed roles. It arrives in theaters on May 30, 2025, but should eventually make its way to Netflix based on Sony's current licensing deals.
