'American Born Chinese' Star Ben Wang Is the Next 'Karate Kid'

Even though Disney+ series American Born Chinese has just recently been canceled, it seems like series star Ben Wang didn't stay out of a job for long. The Hollywood Reporter revealed today that the young actor has been cast in the upcoming movie and crossover event Karate Kid, which will make franchise veterans

The Big Picture

  • American Born Chinese star Ben Wang joins the upcoming Karate Kid movie alongside franchise veterans Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan.
  • Wang's martial arts skills and charisma made him stand out for the role.
  • The new Karate Kid movie may tie in with the events of Cobra Kai' s final season on Netflix.

Even though Disney+ series American Born Chinese has just recently been canceled, it seems like series star Ben Wang didn't stay out of a job for long. The Hollywood Reporter revealed today that the young actor has been cast in the upcoming movie — and crossover event — Karate Kid, which will make franchise veterans Ralph Macchio (Cobra Kai) and Jackie Chan (The Foreigner) share the screen as well. Details of the movie are yet to be revealed.

It's pretty safe to say that Wang will play a young student of Macchio's Daniel LaRusso or Chan's Mr. Han, or maybe he will be taught by both mentors. Chances are that the new Karate Kid movie will follow the same structure of the previous movies, with a young boy learning life lessons and martial arts from fighters who were able to master what it takes to be a true martial artist. According to THR, Sony accepted submissions from actors all around the world, and as many as 10,000 subs were sent in the first day alone.

It's not hard to figure out why Wang was chosen: The young boy is fluent in Mandarin and is skilled in several martial arts, including karate, wing chun/kung fu, gumdo, kempo and taekwondo. The actor got to showcase his fighting skills in the short-lived American Born Chinese, but more important than that: The series evidenced that Wang is extremely charismatic, and managed to steal virtually every scene from the series. Knowing Mandarin is probably not a requirement of the role, but it means that Wang can bring more to the background of the character he will play.

What Will Be The Story of The New 'Karate Kid' Movie?

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Since the new Karate Kid movie hasn't even started filming, we'll have to wait a while to see how the worlds from the original The Karate Kid movie and the more recent one will collide. However, we might get a hint of how it will all play out sooner rather than later: Cobra Kai is soon returning to Netflix for its sixth and final season, and whatever happens to Daniel LaRusso, his family and pupils will probably tie in to the events of the upcoming movie.

We're also yet to discover what other familiar faces we'll see in the new Karate Kid movie. Sony is yet to confirm if LaRusso's former archenemy Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) will also reprise his role, as well as other actors previously featured in the franchise like Taraji P. Henson (The Color Purple), Jaden Smith (After Earth), Hilary Swank (The Good Mother), Elisabeth Shue (The Boys) and Martin Kove (The Karate Kid Part III).

Sony is yet to reveal further details from Karate Kid, including the expected release date.

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