SPOILERS are ahead for Karate Kid: Legends.
The most recent major film release from 2025, which premiered last weekend, was titled “Karate Kid: Legends“. This new installment in the Karate Kid series connects Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi, a connection that started with the 2010 movie featuring Jackie Chan. However, you might notice a significant absence from that 15-year-old film: Jaden Smith’s character, Dre Parker.
It might have surprised me to discover that Jaden Smith is in the film “Legends“, considering Will Smith’s son isn’t acting much these days. However, I find it intriguing to learn about director Jonathan Entwistle’s perspective on how Dre Parker fits into his latest project. If you’re as curious as I am about this casting choice, here’s what he shared with Inverse:
I believe he’s still around. To clarify, the character is indeed part of the official storyline, but he doesn’t directly connect to Li Fong in this specific instance. However, it’s worth noting that he may be linked to a chapter in Mr. Han’s narrative overall.
According to Entwistle, he firmly believes that Jaden Smith’s character from The Karate Kid remains valid and exists within the realm of Karate Kid: Legends. It appears that his role may not have been essential to Ben Wang’s Li Fong’s storyline in this latest film, which is why he’s not featured in it.
In “Karate Kid: Legends”, despite outperforming during its initial weekend, it couldn’t surpass the box office successes of “Lilo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”. Following his time training Dre in “The Karate Kid” (2010), Mr. Han has since mastered many more students in China since his last appearance in the franchise. One of these students is Li Fong, but after the sad demise of his brother following a kung fu tournament, Li Fong and his mother relocate to New York City for a new beginning.
When Mr. Han realizes that Li Fong needs assistance in New York City, particularly in karate, he tracks down Daniel LaRusso in California to teach him the martial art. Although the storyline seems a bit convoluted, the Legends series ultimately links the original films with the 2010 version by bridging Mr. Han and Mr. Miyagi. The fact that these two characters have a past connection makes it understandable why they would eventually connect with Daniel LaRusso.
In this film, it would have been delightful if “Legends” had paid tribute to Dr. Dre and the 2010 movie, but I can confirm that I enjoyed the movie just as much watching Mr. Han and Daniel sharing screen time in the Karate Kid remake. It’s been a while since I last saw Jackie Chan in a major Hollywood production, and at the age of 71, he continues to perform his own stunts – and he has even declared that he will always do so. Moreover, I had a fantastic time watching Daniel and William Zabka’s Johnny in the post-credits scene. Although Dre Parker is still technically part of the series lore, it makes sense why he appears to be absent from the narrative of the current film following the director’s statements.
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2025-06-07 21:07