Jackie Chan returns: New "Karate Kid" film set for 2025 release
A new film with Jackie Chan? You're in luck. There's the first news about the production, and even a picture from the set, showing how the "Rush Hour" actor looks today.
Who remembers "Rush Hour," "The Tuxedo," or "Shanghai Knights"? These are some of Jackie Chan's most popular films. His career has recently slowed down a bit, although he hasn't retired from acting. Headlines have been more about the star’s family issues than roles in new productions—let us recall that the media reported on Jackie Chan's estranged daughter.
Jackie Chan's new project
Sony announced a global search for a new hero for the "Karate Kid" series, who will star alongside Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio. The casting was won by Ben Wang, who, despite his experience in taekwondo, didn’t initially see himself as a candidate.
Wang surpassed over 10,000 candidates, landing the role of Li Fong, a teenager from Beijing who moves to New York. "When a new friend needs help, Li takes part in a karate competition," reads the plot description of the new film, which is set for release in 2025.
Jackie Chan, present on set, contributed many ideas to the new production. "He was like the magical Dumbledore to us on set, and he's like that in the movie too," says director Jonathan Entwistle in an interview with EW.com. Chan often surprised the crew with his ideas for action scenes.
- There’s a wonderful fight sequence in the movie, which I'm not going to spoil, and Jackie had the idea to jump out at Ben from a random corner of this space, without Ben even knowing where he was going to be. He wanted to jump out from the spot that would have the most effect. He was always looking for an opportunity to either roll on the floor, roll over a table, jump off a staircase — he would just be like, "I will do this." None of us ever had a choice. It was like, Jackie would have an idea, and we just filmed it because it's Jackie, and it would always be awesome - comments the director.
In the first photos published in the media, you can see how the crew, with Jackie Chan at the forefront, presents themselves in the film.
The film story of "The Karate Kid" dates back to the late 1980s. The series's first film, featuring Pat Morita and a young Ralph Macchio, debuted in theatres in 1984 and earned a little over $90 million. However, it became a cult classic for many. Macchio starred in several teen films, but his career didn’t progress much further. He recently returned to the "Karate Kid" universe by starring in the series "Cobra Kai." Will the new take on this story appeal to fans and attract a new audience to theatres?
