The trailer for the upcoming movie dropped on Tuesday night (Dec 17) and revealed that Jackie Chan’s character, Mr Han, knew the iconic Mr Miyagi – played by the late Pat Morita.

The trailer also showed the first meeting between Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso and Chan’s Mr Han, revealing that the latter knew Mr Miyagi (played by the late Pat Morita), LaRusso’s mentor.

Han is also aware of the close relationship between LaRusso and Miyagi, saying: “Li is to me what you meant to Sensei Miyagi.”

Fans have begun to speculate on the exact nature of Han and Miyagi’s relationship, with some thinking that Han addressing the latter as “sensei” indicates that the two trained together.

Others recalled a scene in 1986’s The Karate Kid Part II in which Miyagi explained that his ancestor drifted to China, learnt martial arts there, and married a Chinese woman – implying that Miyagi and Han could be distant relatives.

In an interview with US entertainment outlet EW, Karate Kid: Legends director Jonathan Entwistle said of the potential relationship: “I can say that Mr Han and Mr Miyagi are the connection to Daniel.