Karate Kid: Legends Is Strangely Copying The Karate Kid Movie Everyone Forgot About

One line from theKarate Kid: Legendstrailer reveals that the premise of the movie may slightly copy the lowest-ratedKarate Kidmovie. TheKarate Kidfranchise began in 1984, when Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso was first coached by Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi. Throughout the first threeKarate Kidmovies, Daniel and Mr. Miyagi formed a special bond. However, Macchio did not return for the fourth film in the series, 1994’sThe Next Karate Kid. Therefore, Mr. Miyagi found a new student in the critically-pannedThe Next Karate Kid.

TheupcomingKarate Kid: Legendswill be the first time Macchio appears in aKarate Kidmovie since 1989. The story ofKarate Kid: Legendsfollows Daniel and Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han, who starred in the 2010Karate Kidreboot, as they train a new student, Li Fong. In addition to Macchio and Chan, thecast ofKarate Kid: Legendsincludes Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Ming-Na Wen, Sadie Stanley, and Wyatt Oleff. Based on the first trailer for the movie, it seems likeKarate Kid: Legendsmay have some similar qualities asThe Next Karate Kid.

Mr. Han Having Another Student Mirrors Mr. Miyagi’s Next Karate Kid Story

Mr. Han Needs To Mention Dre In Karate Kid: Legends

Similar to how Mr. Miyagi finds a new student after Daniel inThe Next Karate Kid, thetrailer forKarate Kid: Legendsreveals that Mr. Han has found a new student after training Dre Parker in the 2010 reboot. InThe Next Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi trains Hilary Swank’s Julie instead of Daniel. However,Mr. Miyagi never even directly mentions Daniel in the movie, which is weird considering how much their relationship progressed over the first threeKarate Kidfilms.

In the trailer, Mr. Han claims that his relationship with Li Fong is similar to Daniel and Mr. Miyagi’s bond. Just like how Mr. Miyagi never mentions Daniel inThe Next Karate Kid, Mr. Han never brings up Dre, who he also had a special bond with, in the trailer. Since they went on such an inspiring journey together in theKarate Kidreboot,it would be disappointing if Mr. Han just completely ignores Dre’s existence inKarate Kid: Legends.

Karate Kid: Legends Must Be Careful Not To Ignore Dre Parker After The 2010 Film

Mr. Han & Dre Formed A Special Bond In The 2010 Karate Kid Movie

By bringing Daniel and Mr. Han together,Karate Kid: Legendsis honoring the franchise’s past. However, characters like Dre and Julie should not be completely forgotten. Whileit is possible that Hilary Swank and Jaden Smith will reprise their roles inKarate Kid: Legends, their appearances have not been confirmed. Since Mr. Han grew so close to Dre in the reboot movie, he should at least be acknowledged inKarate Kid: Legends, even if Smith doesn’t return.

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Mr. Han ignoring his time with Dre inKarate Kid: Legendswould make it seem like he forgot about his former studentright when he started training Li Fong. The relationship between a student and a teacher is meant to have significance in theKarate Kidfranchise, so emphasis should be placed on this inKarate Kid: Legends. Therefore, it would be very disappointing if Mr. Han doesn’t talk about Dre inKarate Kid: Legends.