‘Karate Kid: Legends’ Star Ben Wang Did Most of His Own Stunts in That Final Fight: ‘He Took Some Hard Hits’

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WARNING: This tale reveals crucial aspects, even the finale of the ongoing movie “Karate Kid: Legends,” now showing in cinemas.

The climactic point in “Karate Kids: Legends” is undeniably its last battle – a 12-minute event known as the Five Boroughs Tournament, which unfolds atop a towering New York City skyscraper.

The sixth installment in the franchise serves as a link between the films and the “Cobra Kai” TV series. In this story, we meet Li Fong, a young martial arts student from China who’s being trained by his uncle, Han (portrayed by Jackie Chan). Despite his training, Li lacks confidence in his abilities. This stems from a tragic event: a year prior, his brother had won a martial arts tournament, only to be murdered by the competition afterward. Witnessing this trauma left Li with deep-seated fear.

His mother, played by Ming-Na Wen, secures a new job in Manhattan and relocates the family to America as a fresh start. Under one condition: Li must abstain from martial arts. As fate would have it, he crosses paths with Mia (Sadie Stanley), who works at a local pizzeria. This friendship stirs up trouble with Connor Day (Aramis Knight), the school bully and reigning champion of the Five Boroughs Tournament.

Li finds himself in a difficult situation with Connor. However, complications arise when Mia’s father, Victor (played by Joshua Jackson), gets into debt and is assaulted in an alleyway. Despite his mother’s disapproval, Li decides to participate in the Five Boroughs Tournament as a means to earn prize money. He undergoes rigorous training day and night under the guidance of Han and Danny LaRusso (portrayed by Ralph Macchio).

Director Jonathan Entwistle aimed to keep the action flowing swiftly as he approached the climactic confrontation between Li and Connor, which was set to be an intense, twelve-minute martial arts showdown with minimal dialogue. In his own words, “My goal was to breeze through the tournament stages so I could reach this extended martial arts scene.

Entwistle called on stunt coordinator Peng Zhang to help pull it off.

Before Zhang delved into the script for Ben’s role in the franchise, he felt it essential to come up with a signature move for him. Since Danny performed the Crane Kick in the original “The Karate Kid,” Zhang decided on a triple kick as a fitting alternative for Li. A stunt double, A.J. Anthony, was found who could execute this move. As Zhang explains, “This move is designed to appeal to today’s younger audience. They’re really looking forward to something fresh and new.

In the movie, Zhang managed the overall progression of events. “He initially attempts to employ it, but fails, and then Jackie and Daniel train him,” Zhang clarifies. “All these occurrences culminate in the climactic battle. Connor understands he’ll use this kick, yet we witness Li preparing the trap.

Of course, Wang’s safety always came first, and Anthony would step in where needed.

However, Zhang acknowledges that Wang primarily handled the intense final battle, yet he emphasizes that he put in a great deal of effort to reach that point. In his words, “Ben’s physicality was impressive, and I initially believed him to be skilled, but after our rigorous training sessions, he took some brutal blows. Nevertheless, he worked tirelessly to embody that character.

Entwistle acknowledges that Zhang’s performance in the final battle references Li’s training. He explains, “Attentive spectators will notice small instances from the training are replicated in some of the fight scenes, such as specific strikes, kicks, and punches. This integration was part of the choreography itself but posed a challenge because we aimed to execute it as practically as possible.

Zhang remarks, “One day, after wrapping up tasks and heading towards my car, I encountered him performing a one-inch punch. Even now, he continues with these maneuvers, prompting me to say, ‘We must put in more effort so that he can continue to master these skills.’

The focus was on ensuring the battle appeared genuine. Entwistle aimed to capture it all live, so he constructed a skyscraper set and collaborated with the camera operator to decide camera positions. “We filmed it section by section,” he explains. “It was quite demanding.” There was minimal use of wires in that scene, but there were some breathtaking stunts performed off the ground, including the Dragon Kick, which was executed without the aid of wires.

Todd Gilchrist contributed to this story.

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2025-05-31 00:46