Cobra Kai’s Ralph Macchio Remembers Awful Karate Kid Sequel Pitches Including Ghost Miyagi

These days, it’s a good time to be a Karate Kid fan. The fifth season of Cobra Kai was recently released on Netflix and features many of the original movie’s cast, including Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso) and William Zabka (Johnny Lawrence). It was also announced last month that Sony has a new Karate Kid movie is coming in 2024, calling it “the return of the original Karate Kid franchise.” However, the ideas for new Karate Kid projects haven’t always been good. Entertainment Weekly recently shared an excerpt from Macchio’s new memoir, Waxing On, and some of the pitches he heard over the years were pretty ghastly (and ghostly). 

“I can’t begin to share all of the pitches and ideas I had heard over thirty years on how and why I should return to the LaRusso well,” Macchio wrote. “But I do have some of the keepers that are well worth presenting. Especially at this juncture, when I look smart for waiting and only agreeing to Cobra Kai. Phew! I don’t blame many of the fans, writers, and producers who would share with me their reasoning or ideas for a reboot or sequel concept. I understood that for the most part, it all still stemmed from the love of the original film. But this was a big part of my legacy. I was extremely protective and held this role and that movie to such a high personal standard that it would be difficult for anyone to break through that.”

He continued, “Now, in the early days – say, the late 1990s, when I first started hearing ideas – I was pretty much at a point where I wasn’t willing to listen. This was a period in my career when I was actively trying to separate from the typecasting. However, as time went on I would slowly open one ear at a time and attempt to be flexible enough to at least hear them out. I must admit on most occasions it was challenging to get past the first few sentences: ‘Miyagi dies tragically and comes back as a ghost to guide you.’ ‘You have a kid that is a bully and you need to be the Miyagi to your troubled kid . . . who also has a drug problem.’ ‘Ali is pregnant with Johnny’s child and you can’t deal even though you’re now married to Kumiko.’” 

Macchio explained, “Those are just a few that stick in my mind. The best part is that they were completely serious and came from a perspective of trying to help. It was less about “I have a great idea” and more about “I want to get you back.” Upon recollection, that still brings me joy. I mean, I do have the greatest, most caring fans. But at the time, I could only smile through the pain of some of these story concepts.”

Is the New Karate Kid Movie Related To Cobra Kai? 

When the new Karate Kid movie was announced, many wondered if it would tie in with Cobra Kai, but it sounds like the projects are unrelated. The show’s co-creator, Jon Hurwitz, confirmed on Twitter that they are not connected. According to a another 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.

Waxing On is being released on October 18th.