COBRA KAI CO-CREATOR CLARIFIES HOW NETFLIX SERIES CONNECTS TO NEW KARATE KID FILM
It will soon be the end of Cobra Kai on Netflix, but the franchise will continue. An all-new Karate Kid film is in the works with some familiar faces, including one major star from Cobra Kai.
While Ben Wang will star in the new Karate Kid movie as the protagonist, it will feature Ralph Macchio reprising his role as Daniel LaRusso. The inclusion of the character is the extent of the film's connections to Cobra Kai, however, as it will be the start of an original story. Speaking about the connections between the TV series and the film in a conversation with Screen Rant, co-creator Josh Heald reaffirmed that the Cobra Kai creative team was not directly involved. He also suggested that even with Daniel's return, the movie will tell its own standalone story.
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"The guys and I are not personally involved in the movie," he said. "That's a Sony feature, we kind of exist in this universe, so as we are wrapping our series, Ralph is actually going to go off to participate and film that movie. But our series doesn't set up the movie, the movie kind of exists in its own piece of its own universe with Jackie Chan's character, and Ralph's character, and the various other characters in that story. So, I think Daniel is the piece that does tie in, but there's there's nothing, from a storytelling or a character journey in our season that directly feeds into that project."
Jackie Chan Also Returns in the New Movie
The new Karate Kid movie brings back Jackie Chan to reprise his role as Mr. Han, the trainer in the 2010 version of The Karate Kid. While full plot details haven't been released, it's expected that both will help mentor Ben Wang's character. Other stars of the film include Joshua Jackson, Shaunette Renee Wilson, Sadie Stanley, Wyatt Oleff, and Ming-Na Wen. Jonathan Entwistle is directing with a screenplay by Rob Lieber.
Cobra Kai: Every Main Character's Age
With the time that's passed between the last Karate Kid film and the Cobra Kai series, fans can't help but wonder how old these characters are.
Just last month, the original feature film turned 40 years old. Macchio celebrated the occasion with a post on social media acknowledging the day when "the world met Daniel LaRusso." He went on to tease, "Looking ahead to one of the most exciting years yet! Just wrapped [Cobra Kai] and the new [Karate Kid]. Epic stuff on the way!"
Season 6 of Cobra Kai will debut its first set of episodes on July 18. This will be followed by a second part dropping on Nov. 28 with a third and final chapter arriving in 2025. As for the new Karate Kid movie, that film will be released in theaters on May 30, 2025.
Source: ScreenRant
Cobra Kai
Summary
A sequel series to The Karate Kid by director Robert Mark Kamen, Cobra Kai brings back the martial arts sensation under an unlikely protagonist, William Zabka's Johnny Lawrence. Whereas the original films followed Ralph Macchio's Daniel Larusso, Cobra Kai centers around Johnny in his 50s, working as a handyman in LA, who never recovered from the events of Karate Kid Part II. However, when Johnny loses his job, he sees his neighbor, a teenager named Miguel Diaz (Xolo Mariduena), being bullied and springs to their defense. Johnny decided to re-open his old dojo, the Cobra Kai, to reinvigorate himself. The dojo becomes a home for wayward teens looking for a purpose and an outlet, all seeking to learn from Johnny. This new martial arts revival catches the eye of his former rival, Daniel, and rekindles the battle between them. Originally airing on YouTube Red, Cobra Kai was eventually picked up by Netflix and has since expanded into a successful revival. Cobra Kai season 5 will premiere on September 9 2022.
