According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ben Wang, who is the star of Disney+’s American Born Chinese is going to star in the next Karate Kid movie with Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio reprising their roles from their respective Karate Kid franchises.

As for Wang, he managed to stand out from thousands of entries which came from around the world, and he was said to have had a great audition that showed some deep connection to his character. It also helps that he’s already trained in several forms of martial arts including kung fu, taekwando, and karate, and he’s also fluent in Mandarin.

We don’t have a full breakdown of the story yet, but it’s said that the new Karate Kid will be taking place in the East Coast this time, and Wang will be playing a teen from China who will find their direction via the discipline of martial arts from one or two senseis.

Personally, I’m just hoping we get some kind of reference to Cobra Kai, because that show is mainly responsible for rejuvenating interest in the franchise for the past few years. Not only did they manage to introduce some new kids, but they also managed to toe the line with nostalgia that didn’t feel too pander-y to fans.

The next Karate Kid movie is expected to release in theaters Dec. 13, 2024.

The first trailer has just been dropped by Disney+, and it has a lot of surprise stars. Check this out:

Here’s the official series description:

The story of Jin Wang, an average teenager juggling his high-school social life with his immigrant home life. When he meets a new foreign student on the first day of the school year, even more worlds collide as Jin is unwittingly entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods. The action-comedy explores issues of identity, culture, and family.

Besides the leads Ben Wang and Kim Liu, the movie has managed to bring together an impressive cast, including Daniel Wu and Ronny Chieng. The series has also brought in not one, but four cast members from the hit Everything Everywhere All at Once, and they include Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and James Hong.

The series even draws from some of the trippy visuals and interesting cutting from EEAAO, but the story looks to be something on the more fantastic side—much like 2008’s Forbidden Kingdom which was based on the Journey to the West legend. We may not be getting a sequel to Everything Everywhere All at Once, but this could be the next best thing.

American Born Chinese premieres on Disney+ on May 24.