Sony Finds New ‘Karate Kid’ in Ben Wang

Sony has found the new Karate Kid. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed on Monday that Ben Wang will star in the newest Karate Kid film. Wang, who is coming off of American Born Chinese, will join Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio in the film.

Wang’s casting comes after Sony held a global search, which reportedly saw over 10,000 video submissions within the first 24 hours after it was announced. Wang’s audition is said to have “demonstrated a deep connection to the character.” The studio also loved that Wang is fluent in Mandarin and is highly skilled in various forms of martial arts. Sony is keeping details regarding the film quiet for now, however, the film will see the franchise head to the East coast and focus on a teen from China.

If you’ve been following us here for some time, this shouldn’t be surprising. We here are Murphy’s Multiverse first revealed Sony’s plans to revisit the Karate Kid franchise on the big screen in 2022. In our report, we noted that the actor will need to be fluent in Mandarin, we also revealed the film will see the character move from Beijing to Brooklyn.

The film is currently slated to hit theaters on December 13th, 2024.

Source: THR