KARATE KID LEGENDS: Jonathan Entwistle

In this Reel Insights episode, Sean Tajipour, the Mayor of Nerdtropolis, chats with Karate Kid Legends director Jonathan Entwistle to talk about uniting the franchise’s legacy and bringing real martial arts back to the big screen.

Jonathan opens up about collaborating with Jackie Chan, his commitment to in-camera stunts and real punches, and casting Ben Wang and his incredible dedication.

Karate Kid Legends hits theaters May 30!

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hello, Jonathan, great to meet you.
Hey, Sean, likewise. Thank you so much for bringing
another Karate Kid movie to the big screen and being the one to
finally unite the branches. Fans like me truly appreciate
it. Great.
Yeah, you're very welcome. It's been great fun.
I bet it has been. And then Karate Kid legends you
direct, real punches, real kicks, real stunts, all under

(00:21):
the watch of Jackie Chan. Was there a moment where you
thought, whoa, Jackie Chan is actually watching me direct
right now and how surreal was it?
You should actually work with such a legendary icon,
especially for those of us who grew up on his films.
I mean, it's, it's everything you imagine and more.
You know, he's, he's such a, a smart filmmaker when it comes to

(00:41):
all of the, all of the stunts. He knows exactly what is the
right moment, the right prop to use, the right, the right spin
to make all for the camera and all for the story.
And so for me, it was just it was just a huge learning
experience to sit and watch him work out why a kick goes here
and not here from this side and why it's funny to roll this way

(01:04):
and not that way. It was a master class in all
things martial arts. Yeah, and also comedy as well.
You know, he's really great withcomedy as well as martial arts.
And, you know, Karate Kid Legends is all about learning
what's worth fighting for. What's something you personally
had to fight for during this production that you're really.
We're proud that it made it to the final cut.

(01:25):
I think the the in camera martial arts in this movie was
something that was something that I really was adamant that
we were able to achieve even from the from casting Ben, from
looking for the original Karate Kid.
I was so adamant that we must beable to kick and feel those real
punches on the screen in the theatre.

(01:46):
And that was that's also for thekarate and for the martial arts,
but also for the boxing sequenceof which when when Josh arrived
with us, I was like, OK, so you're going to take all these
punches to the face. And he was like, OK, cool, let's
go. So it, it, it, it, it runs all
the way through the movie. And I think for the theatrical
audience, it's quite the experience in there.

(02:07):
Yeah, and Speaking of new legends, when Ben was announced
as the new Karate Kid, I was allin.
I followed his work. I knew he had something special.
What's one thing you want the world to know about him after
they see this movie? That's an interesting question.
I think that everybody will see that his ability to take on a

(02:28):
fantastic role. And also I hope everybody can
see how much of the stunts he did himself, how many of them,
how much he committed to being able to do that.
That is not something that normal people can do.
Act in a Hollywood movie and take all those kicks and punches
and do all of those things and, and I think you can see that in

(02:50):
the movie. Yeah, he was already a star in
my eyes, but people are going tosee him on a bigger scale and
the whole cast is amazing. Jonathan, thanks for your time
and bringing fresh energy to thebeloved franchise.
You're welcome. Thank you.