Cobra Kai Star Ralph Macchio Reacts to New Karate Kid Movie News
Earlier this month, Sony announced that a new Karate Kid movie is coming in 2024, calling it "the return of the original Karate Kid franchise." Of course, this news came soon after the fifth season of Cobra Kai was released on Netflix. Considering the show features many of the original cast members, including Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso) and William Zabka (Johnny Lawrence), fans have wondered if the new movie will tie in with the series. However, the show's co-creator, Jon Hurwitz, confirmed on Twitter that they are not connected. According to a new report from Entertainment Weekly, Macchio is also in the dark when it comes to the new film.
"I know no other information," Macchio told Entertainment Weekly. "It's too early to tell what that story is [with the movie]. This is all, like, happening in real-time as you're asking me this question." The actor revealed that he has not been contacted about the project. "I think that [will be figured out] in the near future, or I may have nothing to do with it," he explained with a laugh. "We'll talk when I know what's going on."
"Have you heard anything about a new movie for karate kid??? Is it real?" one fan recently asked Hurwitz on Twitter. "The guys and I would love to make Karate Kid and Cobra Kai movies and hope to someday. But this one isn't from us or focused on the Cobra Kai cast. Don't know much about it, but wish it well," Hurwitz replied.
Recently, Macchio talked to ComicBook.com about the possibility of a "Karate Kid Cinematic Universe."
"The thing that's been created, there's kind of this Karate Kid Cinematic Universe now where Cobra Kai is, you know, at the center of that and when that day does come in for a landing, there are other areas to draw from," Macchio recently told ComicBook.com. "I mean, whether it's ... Is there a Miyagi origin story? Is there a Cobra Kai prequel before The Karate Kid? Is there spin-offs with some of the young cast of these characters? Who knows? But we're not done as long as we're given the opportunity to really bring it in. As long as it evolves organically, these guys that write the show really have their finger on the pulse of that."
Macchio added, "There's stuff that they wrote in Season 3 that didn't happen until Season 4 'cause there wasn't any more room in Season 3. There's stuff that was in Season 5 that we know we shot that is being held for the future if we get that green light, so there's more to come, we hope."
Cobra Kai Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix, and the new Karate Kid is scheduled to be released on June 7, 2024.