Karate Kid: Legends Trailer Merges The Films And Cobra Kai For The Ultimate Crossover
"Cobra Kai" recently ended after six successful seasons, but fans of the "Karate Kid" franchise who want more adventures set in this world won't have long to wait to see Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) in action again. The upcoming "Karate Kids: Legends" movie will see the Miyagi-Do boss team up with Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), the sensei in the 2010 "Karate Kid" reboot, to train another young outcast, Li Fong (Ben Wang), for glory in the martial arts field. The wisdom-laden teachers claim to be two branches of the same tree, but let's hope they see eye-to-eye better than LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) did throughout "Cobra Kai."
The first "Karate Kid: Legends" trailer touches on the connections between the franchise's various movies and TV shows, and it will be interesting to see how the finished product brings all of these disparate elements together. However, the teaser kept the answers to the biggest questions close to its chest, such as Han's relationship with Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) and how he coaxes LaRusso out of retirement after the California native vowed to give up the karate game for good in the final season of "Cobra Kai."
Does the newest look at the film above provide some answers? Or will viewers leave it with even more questions heading into "Karate Kid: Legends"? Either way, the trailer will probably get fans even more hyped up for more heartfelt drama, laughter, and action.
Karate Kid: Legends looks like something both familiar and new
The new trailer for "Karate Kid: Legends" gives us our best look at the film yet, including how it stands apart from the various other entries in the larger "Karate Kid" franchise. For the first time, we have an underdog that actually knows martial arts already, with Ben Wang's Li Fong already having a foundation of kung fu training before he moves to New York with his mom, starts flirting with a girl, and gets in trouble with the local karate hot shot.
Except, somehow, Li seems as unable to defend himself as any other "Karate Kid" or "Cobra Kai" protagonist. Sure, kung fu and karate are vastly different, but come on, it must be good for something! He can't be this much of an underdog.
Of course, there is a big karate tournament in the movie and Li wants to participate, so his teacher Mr. Han reaches out to Daniel LaRusso to train Li. While we still don't know the exact background of Han and Mr. Miyagi or how they're connected, the trailer makes it seem like the two might be related or, at the very least, were very close.
Though "Cobra Kai" fans may understandably scoff at the new movie having seemingly zero connection to that amazing show, the trailer for "Karate Kid: Legends" does feel like a proper "Karate Kid" underdog story. Plus, the combination of martial arts could make for some interesting action scenes.
"Karate Kid: Legends" crane kicks its way into theaters May 30, 2025.