“Karate Kid: Legends” poster image featuring Jackie Chan, Ben Wang and Ralph Macchio.
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Karate Kid: Legends, starring Ralph Macchio, Jackie Chan, Ben Wang and Ming-Na Wen, is coming soon to streaming on Netflix.
Directed by Jonathan Entwistle, Karate Kid: Legends opened in theaters on May 30 and debuted on digital streaming via premium video on demand on July 8.
The official summary for Karate Kid: Legends reads, “When kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Wang) relocates to New York City with his mother (Wen) to attend a prestigious new school, he finds solace in a new friendship with a classmate and her father. But his newfound peace is short-lived after he attracts unwanted attention from a formidable local karate champion.
“Driven by a desire to defend himself, Li embarks on a journey to enter the ultimate karate competition. Guided by the wisdom of his kung fu teacher, Mr. Han (Chan) and the legendary Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso (Macchio), Li merges their unique styles to prepare for an epic martial arts showdown.”
According to a new listing on Netflix, Karate Kid: Legends will arrive on the streaming service on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Netflix has three streaming options. The platform’s ad-based package costs $7.99 per month for viewing on two supported devices, while an ad-free package costs $17.99 per month for two supported devices.
Additionally, Netflix has an ad-free package for $24.99 per month for four supported devices with 4K Ultra HD programming.
Ben Wang Says Ralph Macchio Helped Calm His Nerves Before Filming Started
The Karate Kid franchise, of course, began with Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita’s original version of The Karate Kid — which spawned three sequels — as well as Jackie Chan’s movie reboot version of The Karate Kid in 2010.
The franchise then made a major comeback with the release of the Cobra Kai series in 2018, which ran for six seasons before ending earlier this year.
As such, Ben Wang had a lot to live up to as the new Karate Kid in Karate Kid: Legends and he knew it, so a call from Macchio before the cameras started went a long way in calming the actor’s nerves.
“Ralph gave me a call two weeks before going to set to talk me through the process,” Wang recalled in a Zoom conversation before the film’s release on digital streaming.
“What was nice about that was he basically called to say, ‘You know, you have permission to do whatever you want … This is a film about your character and his experiences, and I’m here to bring you aboard [and help you not worry about the] legacy of the franchise. Just focus on doing basically what you’re good at and what you want with the character,’” Wang added. “So, that was, that was really nice to have that permission from the man.”
Rated PG-13, Karate Kid: Legends, which also stars Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, Wyatt Oleff and Aramis Knight, debuts on Netflix on Sept. 27.