Karate Kid: Legends director calls Jackie Chan's Mr. Han the "Dumbledore"

Karate Kid: Legends helmer Jonathan Entwistle calls Jackie Chan's Mr. Han "the Dumbledore" in an interview with Collider.

The director talks about the character of Jackie Chan, Mr. Han in the film, as he draws parallels with the wise mentor figure in the Harry Potter film series, Albus Dumbledore, as he says:

"..there is a Dumbledore quality to the aging Mr. Han figure that Jackie really encapsulates."

Let us find out what more the Karate Kid: Legends director talked about Jackie Chan's Mr. Han in the film.

What did Karate Kid: Legends director say about Jackie Chan's Mr. Han?

While speaking to Collider, helmer Jonathan Entwistle shed light upon his thoughts on the character that Jackie Chan portrays in the film. He draws parallels between Mr. Han's character and Dumbledore.

Chan returns to the role of Mr. Han in the film, a veteran martial arts practitioner who is the teacher of Li Fong. His role as Mr. Han first debuted in the 2010 film The Karate Kid, along with Jaden Smith.

In Karate Kid: Legends, Ralph Macchio's character, Daniel LaRusso, the OG Karate Kid, also joins Mr. Han. So we get to witness two extremely skilled exponents of the martial arts who shall be guiding Ben Wang's character, Li Fong.

About Jackie Chan's portrayal of Mr. Han, Jonathan Entwistle, in the interview, elucidates:

"big influence for me was what has happened to Mr. Han in the intervening period? You'll have to wait to see the movie to really see that, but there is a Dumbledore quality to the aging Mr. Han figure that Jackie really encapsulates. You really want Mr. Han to show up on your doorstep and train you for a tournament, especially after watching this movie."

What is also unique about the forthcoming film is the beautiful convergence of Mr. Han and Mr. Miyagi's star pupil Daniel LaRusso's individual martial arts practice and their relationship with one another. The two teachers are undoubtedly different, but they have one purpose, and that is to guide Li Fong the best.

In the interview, Jonathan Entwistle also sheds light on the ancestral link between both the teachers' families being a crucial part of the film, as he explains:

"the connection between the Han family and the Miyagi family is a very succinct and specific part of the Karate Kid franchise. We're connecting the two lineages together, also in a very cool martial arts attempt to have elements of kung fu and elements of karate come together in something that you can actually see there."

Karate Kid: Legends is slated for release on 30th May 2025.