Jackie Chan & Ralph Macchio Karate Kid Movie Adds American Born Chinese Star as Lead

The new Karate Kid has been found. The upcoming installment in the franchise, which will star both Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, has recruited American Born Chinese star Ben Wang as the titular karate kid, following an extensive search. The casting news comes courtesy of THR, with sources revealing that Wang won the role due to his “deep emotional connection to the character as well as his fluency in Mandarin.”

The same insiders went on to reveal that Wang “delivered a standout audition” that showed off his “deep connection” to the character. The actor, who recently starred in the musical adaptation of Mean Girls, is also reportedly “highly skilled across many forms of martial arts, including karate, wing chun/kung fu, gumdo, kempo and taekwondo.”

Wang recently demonstrated his affinity for martial arts in the Netflix series American Born Chinese, which followed his character, average teenager Jin Wang who, after meeting a new foreign student on the first day of school, finds himself unwittingly entangled in a battle with Chinese mythological gods.

Starring alongside Oscar winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, American Born Chinese was canceled after one season just last month.

The Karate Kid Will Star Both Ralph Macchio & Jackie Chan

After much speculation, it has now been revealed that the upcoming Karate Kid movie will star both Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, and thus bring together the two separate franchises. Macchio has, of course, recently reprized the role of The Karate Kid lead Daniel LaRusso in the Netflix series Cobra Kai, with Chan having played Mr. Han opposite Jaden Smith as Dre Parker in 2010’s The Karate Kid.

While the plot itself remains largely under wraps, earlier reports have revealed that “the latest iteration will bring the story to the East Coast and focus on a teen from China who finds strength and direction via martial arts and a tough but wise mentor.” So, it sounds like the project will attempt to tie the likes of The Karate Kid franchise, The Karate Kid movie from 2010, and Cobra Kai together, with Ben Wang no doubt the student at the center of it all.

The new Karate Kid movie is all set to be helmed by Jonathan Entwistle, who is best known for I’m Not Okay with This and The End of the F***ing World, from a script written by Rob Lieber, who is known for Sony’s Peter Rabbit and Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day.

It was also recently revealed that the creators behind Cobra Kai, Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg, have been a part of the process since development began on the new Karate Kid movie.

“Sony Pictures Television produces Cobra Kai, and since Sony Pictures is making this movie, Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg have known it is happening and have offered assistance when asked. A source close to the project tells io9 the team has seen and given notes on all iterations of the scripts, and Entwistle speaks to them often, which is great news. They know and understand Karate Kid better than anyone so if they’re supportive of the film, that’s a huge bonus.”