Kid From Minnesota Will Be the Next “Karate Kid”

It's always fun to see someone from the home state do things like this, and suddenly we have another "famous person from Minnesota".

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There have been a few people that have "made it big" that are from Minnesota both in music and in movies/theatre.  And now we can add another.

Ben Wang, who is originally from Northfield, Minnesota, is fluent in Mandarin and has also been trained in martial arts.  The Star/Tribune reported on the movie and casting.

Minnesotan Ben Wang is joining a club that so far counts Ralph Macchio, Hilary Swank and Jaden Smith as its members, with the news that he'll star in Sony Pictures' next "Karate Kid" film.

The Hollywood Reporter broke news of the casting on Monday. Wang reportedly landed the role with an audition that "demonstrated his deep connection to the character," the outlet reported. He's also fluent in Mandarin and trained in several martial arts.

The movie is scheduled for a Dec. 13, 2024, release.

Wang also starred in a Disney + project that was called "American Born Chinese".  The show received some favorable reviews, and he said the role really did hit close to home for him.

"When Jin goes home, he feels like he's in a completely different world. And for me, it was like that on steroids," Wang said. "I wasn't the only Asian kid at Northfield High. If you walked the hallways all day, you'd probably catch one of the other ones. But I was probably the only one that wasn't adopted, so I had a Chinese culture at home. There were times I took pride in that and there were times I was made fun of for taking pride in that."

This newest installment of the "Karate Kid" franchise also stars Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio who will be reprising their roles.