Jackie Chan’s 2010 remake of The Karate Kid has long been a standalone project, but a sequel would have been welcomed if it had ever materialized. Chan’s character followed an incredibly similar trajectory to Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi when they each made their respective debuts. Similarly, Jaden Smith’s Dre Parker was the movie’s replacement for Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso. While it was never intended to be a sequel to the original four Karate Kid movies, it has recently become one thanks to its being folded into the main continuity.

Thanks to Chan’s 2010 effort being integrated into the main Karate Kid and Cobra Kai timeline, Mr. Han can finally interact with the franchise’s other legacy characters. When Karate Kid: Legends is released, that development will be fully taken advantage of when Mr. Han unexpectedly teams up with Daniel LaRusso. It was once a partnership that would have been canonically nonsensical, but it’s now happening and is sure to be a great ride. However, the then-remake deserved a far less meta sequel.

The Karate Kid (2010) Was A Box Office Hit But Never Got A Sequel

Chan’s movie made a lot of money internationally

According to Box Office Mojo, The Karate Kid‘s 2010 remake had a budget of $40 million and took in over $350 million at the worldwide box office. Those figures would quite often make studios’ mouths water, and a sequel would pretty much be a foregone conclusion in a lot of cases. Sadly, even though there was still plenty of source material to continue updating and remaking the Karate Kid franchise, a second movie never happened.

Unsurprisingly, a second Jackie Chan-led movie was actually planned after the success of 2010’s effort. Everyone involved in the first movie was expected to return to make the sequel, but then it entered development hell. After years of production discussions and failed negotiations, the plans fell apart, and a second movie was abandoned. Thankfully, Cobra Kai came along in 2018 and reᴀsserted the original continuity. If Chan had made another movie in the immediate wake of his 2010 triumph, it’s unclear if the legacy sequel show with Ralph Macchio would have happened.

The Karate Kid Remake Is Finally Getting A Sequel (Sort Of)

Karate Kid: Legends is allowing Jackie Chan to return to the franchise after 15 years away

Because Cobra Kai was such an immediate hit, it became apparent that making another Chan movie was probably never going to happen. It’s not unusual for certain franchises to have two active timelines simultaneously, but it would be a little too high-concept for a martial arts series like The Karate Kid. That being said, Chan’s reprisal of Mr. Han in Karate Kid: Legends technically makes it the sequel the actor never had after the 2010 installment. Of course, it’s very different from what Chan’s The Karate Kid 2 would have been, but it’s still great he’s coming back at all.

Source: Box Office Mojo