Latest news with #KarateKid:Legends'
USA Today
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'Karate Kid' spoilers! 'Legends' director talks ending, 'Cobra Kai' connection
'Karate Kid' spoilers! 'Legends' director talks ending, 'Cobra Kai' connection Show Caption Hide Caption 'Karate Kid: Legends' trailer: Ralph Macchio teams with Jackie Chan Ralph Macchio's karate sensei and Jackie Chan's kung fu shifu work together to train a martial arts prodigy in "Karate Kid: Legends." Spoiler alert! We're discussing important plot points and the ending of 'Karate Kid: Legends' (in theaters now), so beware if you haven't seen it yet. A big tournament championship between rivals is the hallmark of any 'Karate Kid' movie, and the latest installment in the Miyagi-verse literally takes the competition to new heights. In 'Karate Kid: Legends,' Ben Wang is the latest actor to wear the franchise's underdog mantle as Li Fong, a kung fu-trained transplant from China to America. He makes an enemy out of Conor (Aramis Knight), a Brooklyn karate champ and ex-boyfriend of Li's friend Mia (Sadie Stanley). Unsurprisingly, they're on course for a high-stakes matchup when Li enters the famed Five Boroughs tourney to win money to help Mia's dad Victor (Joshua Jackson) pay off a loan shark. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox To conquer Conor, though, he's going to need more than just kung fu moves. So his sifu Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) travels to Southern California to recruit sensei Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) to teach Li some karate skills with just days to spare. Let's dig into all the best spoilers, from a different sort of 'Karate Kid' ending to a mid-credits scene with a surprise 'Cobra Kai' connection. What happens in the ending of 'Karate Kid: Legends'? 'Karate Kid' tourneys have leveled up since the days of the original film's 1984 All Valley championship where teen Daniel tussled with Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Li conquers several foes via montage in the Five Boroughs, with each match taking place at a street location, leading to the final on top of a skyscraper against Conor. And like four decades ago, a signature kick is significant to the climax: Earlier in 'Legends,' Li tried to do his late brother's acrobatic Dragon Kick on Conor, which the bully easily countered. In the tourney, Li uses it as a trap, unleashing the kick, ducking under Conor's counterattack, and landing a decisive blow that leads to his victory. Director Jonathan Entwistle explains that he wanted to honor past movies but also avoid what he calls 'the tournament trap.' So his twist on the familiar was 'based on how kung fu itself is perceived in Western movies,' he says. 'What we had with kung fu and karate was this idea of street fighting and Bruce Lee vs. the sports movie.' The climactic match was built to be 'my 'Lord of the Rings' moment," Entwistle adds, "where we get to the top of the mountain and the wind's blowing, and that's where the fight is. That's what I wanted, to buy myself the ability to have a 12-minute martial arts finale with very little dialogue in a perpetual sunset.' Does 'Karate Kid: Legends' have a post-credits scene? Yes, it does! And it ties into the final scene where Li is working at Victor's pizza shop following his tourney win. After the end title card and before the credits roll, the movie cuts back to LaRusso's SoCal dojo and Daniel gets a surprise pizza delivery. He opens the box, sees a thank you note from Li and brings it into the house where Johnny's hanging out – a familiar sight for lovers of Netflix's 'Cobra Kai' series. Daniel tells him he needs to try this pie but Johnny argues that 'the best pizzas are in Encino.' Then Johnny has the great idea to do a karate-themed pizza parlor called Miyagi-Dough (a play on LaRusso's Miyagi-do karate). 'That's disrespectful,' Daniel says. 'To pizza?' Johnny counters. 'To Mr. Miyagi!' Daniel replies. Johnny then brainstorms some punny advertising: 'Miyagi-Dough: Pepperoni's the best defense,' 'Slice first, slice hard, no anchovies' and 'Olives on, olives off.' A 'Cobra Kai' fan himself, Entwistle wanted to further connect the dots in the Miyagi-verse. 'We just let Billy and Ralph go because that's the joy of where we were,' he says. 'I hope that that alone helps make people realize we didn't make a 'Cobra Kai' movie. We made a 'Karate Kid' movie. "But it's the homage to what has just finished to lead us on to a brand new chapter, a brand new novel in the series that hopefully can go on.'
New York Post
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
How ‘Karate Kid: Legends' turned Montreal into Manhattan
Two branches, one tree. Spoilers below for 'Karate Kid: Legends.' The newest 'Karate Kid' film follows kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) as he moves from Beijing to New York City with his mother, Dr. Fong (Ming-Na Wen). Advertisement But while 'Karate Kid: Legends' is mainly set in NYC, it was almost filmed one hundred percent in Quebec, Canada. 8 While 'Karate Kid: Legends' is mainly set in NYC, it was almost filmed 100% in Quebec, Canada. Sony Pictures In an exclusive interview with The Post, the movie's production designer, Maya Sigel, revealed how she and her crew recreated Manhattan on a soundstage in Montreal – and how they were able to make it as close as possible to the real thing. 'First, I always start with lots of research and reference photos, even when it's something I'm familiar with, like NYC,' she explained. 'I go through lots of old books, the internet, and, in this case, Google Street View.' Advertisement 'Then, along the way, different crew members will do additional research on certain elements and then bring them to me, and we'll add some of them to the mix,' Sigel continued. 'There were certain buildings that I specifically called out, and the set designers modified them for our space constraints.' 8 The Post spoke with the film's production designer, Maya Sigel, about how she and her team went about recreating Manhattan on a soundstage in Montreal. NurPhoto via Getty Images Even more impressive was the fact that Sigel used some of her own experiences living and working in NYC as personal references for the latest 'Karate Kid' film's production design. Advertisement 'I have lived in NYC and have made movies and TV shows there, so it's very much ingrained in my consciousness and design vocabulary,' she told The Post. 'When designing Li's Apartment set, for example, I'm thinking about apartments I've lived in or friends' places and location scouting that I've done in NYC in the past.' 'It also helped when I was looking for locations in Montreal with the location manager, knowing what looks right and where it might fit geographically in NYC,' Sigel continued. 'There are certain locations that I imagined designing and building from the first time I read the script because of either the page count there, the importance of the geography to the story, the fight sequences, or other practical constraints.' 8 'I wanted it to have this old-school New York feeling, a place that is both familiar and charming but also unique,' Sigel said. AP Plus, Sigel and the film's director, Jonathan Entwistle, talked about certain NYC locations 'right away' and ultimately settled on a few specific landmarks that one could easily believe were filmed there on location. Advertisement 'The alley was one of these sets, and it was inspired by Cortlandt Alley in NYC and modified for our story and needs, including the stunts,' she explained. 'Another was the rooftop set for the final Five Boroughs Tournament fight.' The Five Broughs Tournament serves as the climax of the film, when Wang's character must fight his rival, Connor Day (Aramis Knight), with the help of shifu Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) and sensei Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio). 8 Ben Wang's character Li Fong fighting on a rooftop designed to look like the NYC skyline is in the background. ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 8 Another shot of Ben Wang's character with the NYC skyline in the background. ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 'It was written as the rooftop of a skyscraper in Manhattan, and we – the art department, director, cinematographer, production, VFX and stunts – all worked together for months figuring out what the best way to achieve this would be, and in the end we landed on the Volume,' Sigel said. 'We built the rooftop set on stage, had hundreds of extras, and the Volume work turned out looking good,' she added. Sigel later described the production design for 'Legends' as a 'love letter to New York' and the 'old-school kind of New York nostalgia.' 8 Jackie Chan, Ben Wang and Ralph Macchio in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' AP Advertisement One set that captures those ideas the best is Victory Pizza, the pizzeria owned by the family of Li Fong's love interest, Mia Lipani (Sadie Stanley). 'I wanted it to have this old-school New York feeling, a place that is both familiar and charming but also unique,' Sigel explained. 'The slice shop on your block that is cozy and family-owned, with the grit and sweat and history that comes along with that.' 'There are family photos on the wall along with NYC memorabilia, Mets gear, and Victor's old boxing photos and awards,' she continued. 'It's a cozy place that's welcoming and makes you feel grounded and at home.' 8 'The Karate Kid is, at its essence, a story of a kid being thrown into a new environment, struggling, and eventually building strong relationships, finding his center, and returning home to himself,' Sigel explained to The Post. Sony Pictures Advertisement By the end of the film, and with the help of Sigel and her crew's production design, the audience witnesses Li Fong's true journey from his old home in Beijing to his new one in NYC. 'The Karate Kid is, at its essence, a story of a kid being thrown into a new environment, struggling, and eventually building strong relationships, finding his center, and returning home to himself,' Sigel said. 'I wanted to show New York as it can be at its best,' she concluded, 'a beautiful mish-mash of people and cultures, a place of possibility and vibrance, and a wild and warm place to call home.' 8 Ben Wang's character on what was designed to look like the NYC subway in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' Sony Pictures Advertisement As for why the movie was filmed in Montreal despite being set predominantly in Manhattan, Sigel said that the decision was already made when she joined the project. Still, she advocates for a boost in tax incentives and credits to bring productions back to the US – especially as more studios are ditching NYC and Hollywood for other countries to save on production costs.
New York Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
How ‘Karate Kid: Legends' filmed climactic fight on NYC skyscraper: director
Wax on, wax off. The latest movie in the 'Karate Kid' franchise, 'Karate Kid: Legends,' ended with a dramatic fight — that included hundreds of background actors. 'We had 650 extras in there on the [sound] stage for that sequence, to really sell it,' director Jonathan Entwistle exclusively told The Post. Advertisement 11 Ben Wang as Li in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 11 Ming-Na Wen, Wyatt Oleff, Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Jackie Chan, Sadie Stanley in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 11 Li (Ben Wang) and Connor (Aramis Knight) fighting on top of a skyscraper in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' Columbia Pictures Advertisement 'Karate Kid: Legends' follows a new character, Li (Ben Wang), who has trained in Kung Fu with martial arts master Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), who was friends with the late Mr. Miyagi (Nariyoshi Miyagi). When his mom moves him from China to New York, Li befriends local Pizzeria owner Victor (Joshua Jackson) and crushes on Victor's teen daughter, Mia (Sadie Stanley). Eventually, Li finds himself in a karate tournament, facing off against Mia's aggressive ex-boyfriend, Connor (Aramis Knight). Mr. Han comes to help Li train, since he knows Kung Fu but not karate, and also entreats original 'Karate Kid' Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) to help train Li. 11 Ralph Macchio, Jackie Chan and Ben Wang attend the 'Karate Kid: Legends' Photocall at Trafalgar Square on May 20, 2025. Getty Images for Sony Pictures Advertisement 11 Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 11 Ralph Macchio in 1984's 'Karate Kid.' Li and Connor's climatic fight takes place on top of a fake New York City skyscraper — filmed on a soundstage. 'We filmed using the volume technology,' he explained, referring to the visual effects technology that's also been used on shows like 'The Mandalorian' and 'House of the Dragon.' Advertisement 'The whole skyscraper building with the elevator and all of those things – we built it for real on a stage. And then we built big 40-foot screens all the way around this set.' 11 Ben Wang on top of an NYC skyscraper for the final climactic fight in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' Columbia Pictures 11 Director Jonathan Entwistle talking to The Post for 'Karate Kid: Legends.' Page Six 11 Li (Ben Wang) during the fight on top of an NYC skyscraper. ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection He said production then went to New York City, 'and we found the exact pinpoint position in Manhattan where we could take the camera and the drones all the way up – to get the exact skyline that we wanted at the exact same time of day.' Once they captured the New York City skyline footage they wanted, they filmed for over 24 hours to 'get all the sky versions.' Once they got the footage, 'we tweaked the sunset to get a most perfect sunset with the most perfect New York skyline to be able to work with that. Because it's very important for me that the movie felt like it was in New York.' 11 Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang and Jackie Chan in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Advertisement 11 Ben Wang (L) and Ralph Macchio promote the upcoming film 'Karate Kid: Legends' at the Sony Pictures Entertainment presentation during CinemaCon, the official convention of Cinema United, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on March 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images 'By New York, I mean Manhattan – kind of Flatiron [building] adjacent. That's New York for the vast majority of people in the world,' he explained to The Post. 'I was, like, 'let's make it feel like we were right in the middle there.'' The epic fight sequence took about two weeks to film. And because they were on a soundstage with 40 foot screens displaying their Manhattan skyline footage, production 'had a perpetual sunset.' 'Karate Kid: Legends' is in theaters now.
NBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Jackie Chan, 71, does all his own stunts in the new ‘Karate Kid,' naturally
There won't be any simulated roundhouse kicks from Jackie Chan in the new "Karate Kid" movie. The legendary actor returns to the big screen as he reprises his role as the wise instructor, Mr. Han, in 'Karate Kid: Legends,' in theaters Friday. And it draws on Chan's legacy. This meant choreographed fight scenes and, most importantly, a lack of CGI. Chan, 71, emphasized the importance of authentic action sequences in martial arts movies. 'People definitely don't like to see Jackie Chan with CGI, of course,' Chan told NBC News. The movie features kung fu prodigy Li Fong entering the ultimate karate competition, guided by Mr. Han and the legendary Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso. Mr. Han is a counterpart to the beloved Mr. Miyagi from the original 1984 movie. 'Karate Kid: Legends' director Jonathan Entwistle said he had a clear vision for the project and wanted it to feel like an early Jackie Chan movie. Chan first played Mr. Han, a maintenance worker and kung fu master, in the 2010 remake of the original film. The veteran actor said he's happy to be in on the action regarding his stunts and admitted that it has been 'easy' for him to adapt as he gets older because it's all 'muscle memory' for him. Chan also said 'Karate Kid: Legends' is somewhat of a full circle moment for Asian culture Mr. Han will be mentoring the first Asian American karate kid, portrayed by 'American Born Chinese' star Ben Wang. Chan expressed how proud and impressed he was by the young actor as he added a new dimension to the franchise. 'Before I met him, I was wondering, 'What did he do right to get this part?' There were so many audition tapes!' Chan said. 'But when I actually saw him, I knew. His dedication and humbleness and just how much he put into work on this movie, I was definitely impressed.' Pat Morita, who played the iconic Mr. Miyagi in the original 'Karate Kid' movie in 1984, was the only Asian American cast member at the time. The lack of representation and some of the plot points have drawn criticism from fans and community over the years. Despite an imperfect record on representation, Chan said he thinks the movies have helped make strides for cultural awareness. The original 'Karate Kid' movie became a cultural phenomenon in the 1980s, known for its underdog story and eventually helping popularize martial arts across the United States. 'It gave people a [new] way of looking at Asian culture, not just kung fu or karate, which are typical practices in Asian countries but that's just [scratching the] surface,' Chan said. 'What's more important is for the audience to know more about Asian culture, or at least part of it.' Chan's career spans six decades, including memorable roles in 'Rush Hour,' 'Shanghai Noon' and 'Police Story.' The actor became a household name in the United States in the 1990s and 2000s after he brought kung fu and death-defying stunts to the masses. However, his journey to stardom wasn't always smooth, as his 1980 Hollywood debut, 'The Big Brawl,' didn't quite hit. 'To be honest, I was frustrated when I was making 'The Big Brawl,' since it wasn't very much of a success. That's why I went back to Hong Kong then and continued making my own movies,' Chan said. 'But it's the first time for me to get to know Hollywood filmmaking. I learned a lot and tried to take the stuff I learned back to my crew so we can work better.' He added: 'I didn't know anything back then, I was just a kid. It was all fresh to me. Although it wasn't very much of a success, it taught me some lessons which I later on put into my own filmmaking.' Chan believes that the upcoming movie captures the true essence of what made the original so popular. '[This movie has] a lot of good and real action in it and you get to feel it only on the big screen. This is also a movie about love, affection, friends and family,' Chan said.
New York Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
'Karate Kid: Legends' director talks Johnny Lawrence cameo
Spoiler alert for 'Karate Kid: Legends.' Here's Johnny! The newest movie in the 'Karate Kid' franchise, 'Karate Kid: Legends,' initially seemed like it was leaving Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) by the wayside. Advertisement However, by the end of the movie, Zabka shows up for a cameo. 'It was really great fun shooting that scene,' director Jonathan Entwistle, 41, exclusively told The Post. 7 'Karate Kid: Legends' director Jonathan Entwistle in his interview with The Post. The New York Post Advertisement 7 William Zabka in 'Cobrai Kai' Season 6. ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection 'Karate Kid: Legends' (now in theaters) follows a new character, Li (Ben Wang), who has trained in Kung Fu with revered martial arts master Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). When his mom moves him from China to New York, he befriends local Pizzeria owner Victor (Joshua Jackson) and crushes on Victor's teen daughter, Mia (Sadie Stanley). When Li finds himself in a karate tournament, facing off against Mia's aggressive ex-boyfriend Connor (Aramis Knight), Mr. Han comes to help, and also entreats original 'Karate Kid' Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) to help train Li. 7 William Zabka in 'The Karate Kid' in 1984. ©Columbia Pictures/courtesy Ever Advertisement In the final scene, the movie catches up with Daniel, who returns home to California to the late Mr. Miyagi's old karate dojo. The camera pans out to show that Daniel's former bully and now friend, Johnny, is there too, dreaming up a business idea of opening a pizza restaurant together called Miyagi-Dough. When asked if Johnny riffing about the pizza restaurant was scripted or ad-libbed, Entwistle explained: 'It was a little bit of both.' 7 William Zabka and Lewis Tan in 'Cobra Kai.' ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection Advertisement 7 Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 'To have them both back together in that location was really, really fun,' he said of Zabka, 59, and Macchio, 63. 'They obviously have a rapport together from all of the years of working…we knew the concepts of what we wanted to do with the pizza and we just kind of let Billy go.' 'He loves that, he stepped right up into it.' Although Daniel and Johnny were enemies in the original 1984 movie, the Netflix series 'Cobra Kai' (which ran for six seasons from 2018 to 2025) revisited the characters as adults, redeemed Johnny, and ended with the two men as friends. 7 Jackie Chan, Ben Wang, and Ralph Macchio in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 7 Ralph Macchio in 'Karate Kid: Legends.' ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Shooting that scene took 'maybe an afternoon' to film, Entwistle told The Post. 'We got to play around in the old Miyagi house and it was great.' Advertisement He clarified that they built a 'recreation' of the house from the original movies, since he said it burnt down. Zabka's 'Karate Kid: Legends' cameo was 'always planned,' he added. 'I think once we knew that 'Cobra Kai' was coming to an end, it was just a nice moment to round out that period for the fans. So it was just very nice to just give everybody a moment to round that out.' 'Karate Kid: Legends' is now in theaters.
