Like everyone, Jonathan Entwistle grew up watching the Karate Kid movies. “Everybody over the age of 30 knows Mr. Miyagi, wax on, wax off,” the director of the new Karate Kid: Legends tells Inverse.
But turning something you absorbed via cultural osmosis into a successful new sequel movie is another story. That was the challenge that Entwistle, best known as the creator of acclaimed TV shows like The End of the F***ing World and I Am Not Okay With This, had to navigate when he was tasked with directing Karate Kid: Legends. The sixth film in the long-running martial arts franchise, Karate Kid: Legends is a soft reboot of sorts: It introduces new protagonist Li Fong (Ben Wang) and brings together original franchise star Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and 2010 Karate Kid star Jackie Chan as Mr. Han. But Entwistle was game to take his jacket off, roll up his proverbial sleeves, and deliver a Karate Kid for a new generation.
