The film was confirmed to be in development in September 2022, with Entwistle set to direct and Lieber set to write the screenplay in November 2023. It serves as a sequel to the original films of the franchise starring Macchio and the 2010 film starring Chan, merging them with Cobra Kai in a single shared universe.[4] Casting took place from November 2023 to April 2024. Filming took place from April to June 2024.
A sequel to the 2010 remake was announced shortly after its release with Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson, and Chan set to reprise their roles. Breck Eisner was tapped to direct in April 2014.[5] By then, two drafts of the screenplay had been written by writing duo Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris as well as Zak Penn. Eisner left the project three months later and a new screenplay by Jeremiah Friedman and Nick Palmer was commissioned.[6] In April 2017, Eisner returned to the project[7] but by October, Chan expressed dissatisfaction with the film's script.[8]
In September 2022, a new feature film was confirmed to be in development, being described as "the return of the original Karate Kid franchise".[9][10] In November 2023, it was reported that Jonathan Entwistle was set to direct the film, with a screenplay written by Rob Lieber and with Karen Rosenfelt serving as the producer.[11]
Casting
In August 2023, Chan was reported to be reprising his role in the film. In late November 2023, Chan and Macchio were officially revealed to have joined the cast. The announcement confirms that the remake takes place in the same shared universe as the original films and the Cobra Kai series.[12] In addition, Chan and Macchio announced a world-wide open casting call for an actor to star as the film's iteration of the titular character, described as a Chinese teen who moves to the East Coast and begins studying martial arts.[12]
Karate Kid: Legends is scheduled to be released on May 30, 2025, in the United States and Canada.[21] The film was originally set to released on June 7, 2024,[9][10] however due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, it was delayed to December 13, 2024.[22] It was moved once again to May 2025 to avoid conflict with the final season of Cobra Kai.[23]