First “Karate Kid: Legends” trailer teases connection between Mr. Miyagi and Mr. Han

"Two branches, one tree."

With those four words, the trailer for Karate Kid: Legends raises a tantalizing question: Are Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) and Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) related?

Starring Ben Wang (American Born Chinese) as Li Fong, Legends unites original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) with Chan's Mr. Han, who mentored Jaden Smith's Dre in the 2010 remake. Ever since Sony announced that Macchio and Chan would be teaming up for this new installment in the franchise, fans have been nerding out with speculation about how the two characters will come together. The new trailer offers a few hints — even as it raises more questions.

Related: The Karate Kid cast: Where are they now?

"You knew Mr. Miyagi?" Daniel asks Mr. Han. "I did not come here for Sensei Miyagi," Han responds. "I came here for you." Just like a Kung Fu master to deflect! But later in the preview, Han reveals that he knows about Daniel's close relationship with Mr. Miyagi. "Li is to me what you meant to Sensei Miyagi." Then comes the kicker (so to speak), with this tagline: "When families unite, a new legacy begins." Couple that with Daniel's statement above about branches of a (family?) tree, and we've got a new leading theory to debate, karate fans. Watch the full trailer below.

As Entertainment Weekly first reported, Legends follows Li Fong as he moves from China to New York City with his mother (Ming-Na Wen). Like Daniel LaRusso before him, Li has trouble with bullies at school, and ultimately joins a karate competition and turns to his old sensei, Mr. Han, for training. According to Sony's official synopsis, Mr. Han "enlists original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso for help, and Li learns a new way to fight, merging their two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown."

Okay, fine, you're right. The "two branches" could refer to kung fu and karate, the two different martial arts styles Li learns from Mr. Han and Daniel — but we're still going with the "Mr. Han is related to Mr. Miyagi somehow" angle. As director Jonathan Entwistle told EW, "I can say that Mr. Han and Mr. Miyagi are the connection to Daniel. The Han family and the Miyagi family are connected all the way back to the old times. And there is a mention of this within the Karate Kid movie canon for those people who want to go looking for it."

Karate Kid: Legends premieres in theaters Friday, May 30, 2025.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly