More than 30 years after the debut of The Karate Kid, the upcoming web series Cobra Kai will see high school martial arts students reunite and further their rivlary. The new YouTube Red series just got an official trailer, which you can watch above.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“In the highly-anticipated return of two iconic characters, the arch-rivals from the legendary Karate Kid film series reunite over 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. Now living in the affluent hills of Encino, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) leads an enviable life with his beautiful family, while running a successful string of car dealerships throughout the valley. Meanwhile, his high school adversary, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), whose life has taken a rocky turn, seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo. Their lives inevitably become intertwined and the rivalry is reignited, setting forth the next generation of ‘karate kids’ in Cobra Kai, a YouTube Red Original Series.”
Macchio went on to star in two sequels to the original film, but this series is the first time Zabka has appeared in the franchise since the first sequel in 1986.
Fans of the original films will be thrilled to see Johnny Lawrence living a pathetic life, as Zabka’s character became one of the quintessential high school bullies in the ’80s, with the Cobra Kai martial arts organization requiring students to embrace their killer instincts. Based on the initial trailer and teasers for the new series, Cobra Kai appears to blend the family-friendly humor and action of the original movie, while also possibly offering one of cinema’s most reviled characters an opportunity at redemption 34 years later.
Following the original trilogy of films starring Macchio, the 1994 The Next Karate Kid introduced a new pupil for Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), offering audiences a gender-switch with Hilary Swank playing the troubled teen in need of guidance. In 2010, a remake was released starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, which was both a critical and commercial success, yet never spawned any sequels.
Cobra Kai is set to debut on YouTube Red on May 2.
Are you looking forward to catching up with the iconic ’80s characters? Let us know in the comments below!
[H/T YouTube, Cobra Kai]
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