Karate Kid: Legends’ creative team had a serious task ahead of them. Director Jonathan Entwistle and co. not only had to honor the franchise’s roots from a narrative standpoint, but they also had to craft some entertaining martial arts scenes. Among the moments that they produced is one that involves the film’s protagonist, Li Fong (Ben Wang), fighting goons in an alley. Now, Entwistle and the film’s stunt coordinator are sharing insight into their approach to the scene in an exclusive clip that coincides with the movie’s digital release.
This particular scene in the 2025 movie release sees Li witnessing local pizza owner Victor Lipani (Joshua Jackson) being assaulted by goons employed by the villainous O’Shea (Tim Rozon). With that, Li tries to help and ends up brawling with the brutes himself. As conveyed by Jonathan Entwistle and coordinator Peng Zhang, the crew put quite a bit of thought into how they wanted to approach this very physical sequence. Zhang makes note of how the scene is comedic, and Entwistle expands upon that concept:
We wanted humor and evasion, and we also wanted to show that Li’s character isn’t a superhero at the beginning of the movie. So, the way we started it is much more evasive, funny, jumping, falling backwards.
the early films of Jackie Chan (who also returns as Mr. Han in Legends). That meant going for humor-infused action sequences like the ones featured in classics such as Drunken Master and Project A. It’s through those kinds of fights that viewers not only get a sense of a film’s vibe but also an idea of who the characters are.
Speaking of Jackie Chan, he also had the opportunity to get in the action amid filming, as there are a few scenes that required him to utilize his kung-fu prowess. 71-year-old Chan even dislocated his shoulder while filming his first action scene. The Rush Hour icon was a true pro, though, as he simply popped his shoulder back into place and kept going. I’d expect nothing more less from a man who wants to keep performing his own stunts.
I can’t even imagine how invaluable it must’ve been for the cast and crew to have the Shanghai Noon star in their midst. However, Ben Wang deserves credit for his physicality, and the alley fight is a testament to that. We’ll see if Wang gets to do more work like that in a potential sequel.
Karate Kid: Legends is now available to own on digital platforms. While checking that film out, be sure to seek out and enjoy other Karate Kid films as well.