SPOILERS are forward for Karate Child: Legends.
The newest of massive 2025 film releases that arrived over the weekend was Karate Child: Legends. The brand new installment to the Karate Child franchise lastly ties collectively Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi with the 2010 The Karate Child film with Jackie Chan, nonetheless, you may discover one key element of the 15-year-old film is lacking: Jaden Smith’s Dre Parker.
I do know I personally didn’t count on to see Jaden Smith in Legends given the son of Will Smith barely acts as of late. However I do discover it attention-grabbing to examine what director Jonathan Entwistle thinks about how Dre Parker matches into his new film, should you have been as curious as I’m by the choice. Right here’s what he informed Inverse:
He does exist. I believe he nonetheless is. Completely, the character remains to be canon, however he’s no actual reference to Li Fong. He’s no actual reference to this explicit chapter. It’s to not say that he’s not a reference to a chapter of Mr. Han’s story, that’s for positive.
As Entwistle shared with the outlet, he positively thinks Jaden Smith’s The Karate Child character remains to be completely canon and on the market someplace on the planet of Karate Child: Legends. It looks like maybe he wasn’t deemed essential to the story of Ben Wang’s Li Fong and subsequently is just not on this new film.
In Karate Child: Legends, which couldn’t surpass the continued field workplace success of Lilo & Sew and Mission: Unimaginable – The Remaining Reckoning over its first weekend, Mr. Han has adopted his time coaching Dre in The Karate Child within the 2010 film by turning into a grasp to many extra in China for the reason that finish of his first and solely look within the franchise. Li Fong is one in every of his college students over in China, however after the tragic demise of his brother after a kung fu match, Li Fong and his mom transfer to New York Metropolis for a recent begin.
And when Mr. Han senses that Li Fong can use some assist over in New York Metropolis, and it includes karate, he hunts down Daniel LaRusso in California to assist him be taught the artwork. Positive, it’s a little bit of a meandering plotline, however Legends does lastly tie collectively the unique motion pictures with the 2010 model by connecting Mr. Han with Mr. Miyagi. Understanding that the pair have some shared historical past makes it extra palpable that Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso would come collectively.
It will have been good to see Legends nod to Dre and the 2010 film, however I do know I discovered it enjoyable by itself to see Mr. Han and Daniel in the identical Karate Child movie. It’s been awhile since I noticed Jackie Chan in a Hollywood blockbuster, and he’s nonetheless doing his personal stunts on the age of 71 (and informed CinemaBlend he all the time will). I additionally had a good time seeing Daniel and William Zabka’s Johnny joke round within the put up credit score scene. A minimum of Dre Parker remains to be allegedly canon, however I do get why he’s seemingly not a part of the plotline of the brand new movie after the director’s feedback.