Only six months remain until Karate Kid: Legends is scheduled to appear in theaters, 15 years since the franchise’s last film, The Karate Kid. This martial arts feature will bring back some familiar faces. While Mr. Miyagi will not be a character in the upcoming feature, his legacy will still be honored, according to the film’s lead, Ralph Macchio.
In an interview with ScreenRant, Macchio says how the upcoming feature will honor Mr. Miyagi’s legacy is how Daniel pays forward the teachings and impact of Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) and Miyagi-do by trying to “help anyone find their balance and move forward.” He reflects on how this man impacted Daniel’s life and how his influence continues in Cobra Kai, therefore, playing a role in his character’s growth and especially in the movie.
“Well, I can’t go into detail on it at this point, but one of the things of the choices I’ve made from back in 1983 was always to play the truth of Daniel LaRusso, and the honesty, even with all his flaws. He’s a good-hearted kid back in the day that was overcoming obstacles, and had this wonderful mentor in Mr. Miyagi that has become so much a part of his life. And through Cobra Kai, continuing to play that truth, and even in the storyline in Cobra Kai of unearthing who Miyagi might have been, and coming to grips with when we get to part 3 of how it resolves, and playing that in all honesty.
So, in the movie, it’s the same throughline for me. It’s wanting to pay it forward, wanting to honor the legacy, wanting to do all the things that Miyagi-do and that his life, to this point, has brought him, and that is to try to help anyone find their balance and move forward. So, therein lies some of the truth that I bring into that chapter of the franchise. It’s the best I could do without giving you story points, because I’d be in trouble at this point right now, when launching part 2 of Cobra Kai. But it’s about playing truth, and that’s important to me, and I think will pay off in dividends.”
Karate Kid: Legends is the sixth film in the Karate Kid franchise, starring Macchio and Jackie Chan, reprising their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Mr Han. This movie will also star Ben Wang (American Born Chinese), Joshua Jackson (Ocean’s Eleven), and Shaunette Renée Wilson (Black Panther) and will be directed by The End of the F***ing World‘s Jonathan Entwistle. A preview for the upcoming feature was previewed at this year’s New York Comic Con, teasing that the two returning characters will meet for the first time and will introduce a new Karate apprentice, Li Fong (Wang).
Who is Mr. Miyagi’s Actor, Pat Morita?
Outside The Karate Kid, Morita is an award-nominated actor who appeared in a variety of TV shows and films from 1962 to 2005. Some of his other notable appearances include his voice acting role in Disney’s Mulan and Mulan II, Boy Meets World, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Happy Days, and M*A*S*H, just to name a few. Morita was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 1985 Academy Awards for his performance in The Karate Kid, and his name was placed on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.
Unfortunately, the actor passed away on November 24, 2005, at age 73 due to kidney failure. Since his death, he was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame in 2015 and archival footage of him as Mr. Miyagi is featured in Cobra Kai. The actor has credited roles past his death in projects such as an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, Kingdom Hearts II, and Royal Kill, which featured his last acting role.
Karate Kid: Legends is scheduled to hit theaters on May 30, 2025. In the meantime, you can watch the first Karate Kid movie on Netflix and Apple TV+.
Karate Kid: Legends
- Release Date
- May 30, 2025
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Writers
- Robert Mark Kamen , Christopher Murphey , Rob Lieber
- Studio(s)
- Columbia Pictures , Jerry Weintraub Productions , Overbrook Entertainment , Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Distributor(s)
- Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Franchise(s)
- The Karate Kid
- Character(s)
- Daniel LaRusso , Mr. Han , Li Fong
