Following the announcement that a new Karate Kid sequel is in the works, Cobra Kai co-creator Jon Hurwitz has spoken out about the show's involvement.
When asked by a fan if the announcement was real, Hurwitz tweeted: "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."
We can speculate that the decision to greenlight a new Karate Kid sequel, one that is specifically part of the original '80s/'90s franchise (and has nothing to do with 2010's Karate Kid remake starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan), comes from the enormous success of Netflix's Cobra Kai. The show, which stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka in a reprisal of their original roles as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, is one of the streaming platform's most popular – with Cobra Kai season 5 currently sitting at number one on the Netflix Global Top 10. Cobra Kai also earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Oustanding Comedy series in 2021.
Netflix has not confirmed whether Cobra Kai season 6 is yet in development, though the creators of the show previously told us: "There’s no official [confirmation] right now, except we have lots of ideas. There’s time and places to make official things, we’re not at that place right now."
Sony announced the new sequel as a "return to the original Karate Kid franchise," though we don't have any info about plot or casting just yet. The original film starred Macchio, Zabka, and the late Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi. Cobra Kai sees the two as rivals yet again, as Johnny Lawrence opens his own Cobra Kai dojo – while Daniel opens the Miyagi dojo in honor of his late mentor. For more, check out our list of the best Netflix shows to stream right now.
