Karate Kid: Legends Director Confirms Jaden Smith’s Character Is Still Canon!

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The iconic martial arts series known as “The Karate Kid” debuted in 1984, and its sixth film was recently released. This latest installment features many familiar faces from the franchise, but not the lead actor from the 2010 remake, Jaden Smith.

Back in 2010, I found myself immersed in the world of Dre Parker, played by Will Smith, as he navigated China under the tutelage of Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han, learning the art of self-defense after moving there with his mother. Fast forward to the latest installment, Karate Kid: Legends, where Jackie Chan reprises his role and Ralph Macchio returns as Daniel LaRusso, but unfortunately, Smith’s presence was missed. Recently, in an exclusive interview with , the director of Karate Kid: Legends, Jonathan Entwistle, shed light on whether Smith’s character remains part of this cinematic universe.

In the latest installment of the series, the main character transitions from Beijing to New York City, with Will Smith’s character Dre Parker not making an appearance. However, the director affirms that his character remains integral to the franchise’s overall storyline.

It appears that he’s still around, as confirmed by Entwistle. To clarify, while the character remains canonical, there’s no direct connection to Li Fong in this context. The same goes for this specific storyline.

The filmmaker adds, “There’s no doubt that he represents a part of Mr. Han’s narrative.

2010’s movie served as a refreshing start for the series, and the task of uniting the original cast member was challenging for the director. When asked about what sparked his enthusiasm for the film, the director emphasized that the formula for success was already present in the show, but he aimed to place Macchio on a rooftop.

At that moment, I blurted out, ‘Hey, what if Jackie Chan battles Ralph Macchio on a New York rooftop?’ I agreed with myself, ‘That sounds cool too.’ That’s when we started imagining the visual elements. It’s not wrong to want Jackie Chan performing incredible martial arts on a rooftop. To be honest, that’s exactly what I wanted for this movie. I was thrilled about it as well. I wonder what unique aspects Jackie will bring to the martial arts scene in this film? And visualizing his martial arts moves on a rooftop is incredibly exciting.

Karate Kid: Legends Is Not Off to a Great Start

The sixth installment of the franchise didn’t meet the high expectations set by “Cobra Kai,” a series that ended after six seasons on Netflix and received critical acclaim (94%) and positive feedback from viewers (90%). However, as more reviews have been published, its score has significantly decreased to 53%. Currently, there’s no audience rating available.

1) The sixth movie’s rating aligns well with many of the franchise’s other installments.

– The top-rated film within the franchise is still the original one, boasting a thrilling 81% Certified Fresh score from critics and an impressive 83% approval from audiences.

– The second most highly-acclaimed film in the series is the 2010 movie, receiving concurring ratings of 67% from both critics and audience members alike.

As a devoted movie enthusiast looking back at the Karate Kid series, I must confess that the 1986 sequel, The Karate Kid Part II, didn’t quite hit the mark, earning a less-than-impressive 49% and 52% from audiences and critics respectively. Fast forward to 1989, and the follow-up film suffered even more, with critics giving it a dismal 18%, while audiences were only slightly kinder at 35%. The next installment in 1994, The Next Karate Kid, fared no better, receiving a mere 20% from critics and 24% from the audience. Comparatively, the 2010 reboot, Karate Kid: Legends, seems to be a step up for the franchise, but we’ll have to wait and see what the audience thinks of it.

Karate Kid: Legends is playing now in theaters.

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2025-05-30 19:50