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‘Karate Kid’ Found: ‘American Born Chinese’ Actor Ben Wang Nabs Lead in Sony Movie

Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio are already on board to reprise their roles from previous installments.

Plot details are being kept under a bonsai tree but the new installment will bring the story to the East Coast and focus on a teen from China who finds strength and direction via martial arts and a tough but wise mentor (or maybe even two). Jonathan Entwistle, known for his well-regarded and award-winning teen television dramas I’m Not Okay with This and The End of the F***ing World, is directing the feature that has a script by Rob Lieber, whose credits include Sony’s Peter Rabbit and Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day. The movie kicked off three sequels — Macchio appeared in two of them, while Hilary Swank took on the titular mantle in a 1994 outing — with the franchise seeing a resurgence in recent years thanks to the the YouTube and Netflix series Cobra Kai.

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