Lead actor, Ben Wang from Karate Kid: Legends (2025) recently poured lots of praise and admiration over the latest instalment in the martial arts franchise, hinting at its action as the best in all so far.
This month, Ben Wang takes center stage in JustWatch’s latest Why to Watch editorial, as the rising star shares his views on the franchise in which he took part alongside legendary marital arts icons Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio in an adrenaline-fueled new chapter of the beloved franchise.
Ben Wang had this to say about the Karate Kid: Legends:
It’s Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio. And they’re fighting people! That’s all you really need. The next chapter has everything you love about the originals, with fun new twists and really, really exciting action. I think it’s some of the best action we’ve seen yet in the Karate Kid franchise. – Ben Wang
Karate Kid: Legends premiered in theaters last month on 29 May, and has grossed $79 million worldwide and $35 million at the domestic box office so far respectively. This means it is $2-3 million away at the box office from overtaking The Karate Kid Part III. If it exceeds this feat, it will make it the fourth-highest-grossing movie in the history of the franchise.
The future is bright for Karate Kid: Legends
Karate Kid: Legends is a martial arts drama film starring Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, while introducing Ben Wang as the main lead. It is the sixth film in The Karate Kid franchise, serving as a continuation of The Karate Kid (2010) and the television series Cobra Kai (2018–2025).
Both Chan and Macchio reprise their roles from the franchise—the latter’s first involvement in a film from the franchise since The Karate Kid Part III (1989). The story follows Li (Wang), a kung fu prodigy who, after moving to New York and confronting with a local karate champion, receives help from his former master Mr. Han (Chan) and karate sensei Daniel LaRusso (Macchio). It is the first film in the series not to be produced by Jerry Weintraub, who died in 2015.
Karate Kid: Legends blends classic martial arts training with a new-generation storyline. With the return of Chan and Macchio alongside rising star Wang, the film honors the franchise’s past while pushing its action and heart into the future.
Who is Ben Wang?
Wang Pucun, professionally known as Ben Wang broke out in 2023 with Disney+’s Chang Can Dunk and the adaptation of American Born Chinese. In Karate Kid: Legends, he steps into a legacy role with charm, humor, and a new level of martial arts energy.
Wang was born in Shanghai, China but later migrated to the United States at the age of six with his mother after his parents divorced when he was four years old. Wang spent most of his childhood with his mother and his grandparents and studied musical theater at New York University.
Wang’s first major role came in an episode of MacGyver in 2021 as Eli Brown then in 2023, he played Bo in the Disney+ film Chang Can Dunk. He also landed the lead role in the 2023 Disney+ sitcom American Born Chinese, which is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang.
In February 2024, it was announced that Wang would play the lead role of Li Fong in Karate Kid: Legends alongside Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan.
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