Summary
- The upcoming 2024 Karate Kid movie will bridge the gap between the original films and the 2010 reboot, with Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan reprising their roles.
- 2010’s The Karate Kid, although not considered canon, saw unexpected success and introduced the story to a new audience.
- The connection between the original Karate Kid movies, the reboot, and the Cobra Kai series is somewhat confusing, but the upcoming movie is still anticipated with excitement.
It was recently announced that a new Karate Kid movie is coming out in 2024 with Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan reprising their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Han, which means that this latest film, and one of its actors, will be bridging the gap between the original movies and their reboot. The Karate Kid franchise first began in 1984, and after gaining unexpected popularity, spawned three sequel films, one reboot film, and two television series. The Karate Kid tells the story of a young boy who moves to Los Angeles, and in the face of various school bullies, is taught karate by the handyman at his apartment building.
There are differences between the many The Karate Kid movies and shows. For one, 2010’s The Karate Kid is a reboot of 1984’s The Karate Kid, but many details are changed. The movie is not led by Daniel LaRusso, but instead Dre Parker, a young boy who has just moved to China, and rather than learning karate from Mr. Miyagi, he learns kung-fu from Mr. Han. Because of these differences, it may seem possible that 2010’s The Karate Kid could exist in the same universe as 1984’s The Karate Kid, but that has never been confirmed. In fact, the original franchise has never confirmed 2010’s The Karate Kid as canon.
Jackie Chan In Karate Kid 4 Bridges Two Different Universes
Although 2010’s The Karate Kid has never been considered canon among the rest of The Karate Kid franchise, Jackie Chan’s involvement in the new movie will finally bridge this gap. Before, Jackie Chan simply starred as Mr. Han, a version of Mr. Miyagi that had no confirmed connection to the original The Karate Kid franchise. But now, by starring alongside Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso in the 2024 Karate Kid, Mr. Han will be a canon character in the franchise. There will finally be a major connection between the original and the reboot.
Overall, this is very exciting news for 2010’s The Karate Kid. Despite being somewhat cast off by the original franchise, the reboot film saw quite a bit of success, in the same unexpected way that the very first The Karate Kid movie experienced. Furthermore, 2010’s The Karate Kid brought the story to an entirely new audience. Many young audience members at that time had never seen the original The Karate Kid, and Jackie Chan’s version gave it to them in a fresh, modern way. Therefore, making Chan’s Mr. Han canon is a great win for the reboot film.
Jackie Chan Already Exists In The Original Karate Kid Movies (As An Actor)
The only flaw in this plan is Cobra Kai. The most recent installment of The Karate Kid franchise is Cobra Kai, a Netflix television series which follows a new group of young karate practitioners studying under the separate tutelages of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. Cobra Kai and 2024’s Karate Kid cannot be connected because Cobra Kai season 1 mentioned Jackie Chan as an actor. This means that, in the Cobra Kai universe The Karate Kid is a movie starring an actor named Jackie Chan. Ultimately, this confuses some of The Karate Kid lore, but either way, 2024’s Karate Kid will be an exciting venture.
