Exclusive | Taking the Q train to Quebec How Karate Kid: Legends turned Montreal into Manhattan

Two branches, one tree.Spoilers below for “Karate Kid: Legends.”The newest “Karate Kid” film follows kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) as he moves from Beijing to New York City with his mother, Dr.Fong (Ming-Na Wen).But while “Karate Kid: Legends” is mainly set in NYC, it was almost filmed one hundred percent in Quebec, Canada.In an exclusive interview with The Post, the movie’s production designer, Maya Sigel, revealed how she and her crew recreated Manhattan on a soundstage in Montreal – and how they were able to make it as close as possible to the real thing.“First, I always start with lots of research and reference photos, even when it’s something I’m familiar with, like NYC,” she explained.

“I go through lots of old books, the internet, and, in this case, Google Street View.”“Then, along the way, different crew members will do additional research on certain elements and then bring them to me, and we’ll add some of them to the mix,” Sigel continued.“There were certain buildings that I specifically called out, and the set designers modified them for our space constraints.”Even more impressive was the fact that Sigel used some of her own experiences living and working in NYC as personal references for the latest “Karate Kid” film’s production design.“I have lived in NYC and have made movies and TV shows there, so it’s very much ingrained in my consciousness and design vocabulary,” she told The Post.

“When designing Li’s Apartment set, for example, I’m thinking about apartments I’ve lived in or friends’ places and location scouting that I’ve done in NYC in the past.”“It also helped when I was looking for locations in Montreal with the location manager, knowing what looks right and where it might fit geographically in NYC,” Sigel continued.“There are certain locations that I imagined designing and building from the first time I read the script because of either the page count there, the im...