Cobra Kai actor says Ralph Macchio is "nervous" to fight Jackie Chan in the new Karate Kid movie: "He still moves like he's a 20-year-old"
Exclusive: Jacob Bertrand gives us the scoop on the new Karate Kid movie
Cobra Kai star Jacob Bertrand says co-star Ralph Macchio has been filling him in on all the deets about the new Karate Kid movie.
"He said that Jackie Chan still moves like he's a 20-year-old and it's really scary to fight with him. But you know, he's obviously a master and is so cool to work with," Bertrand tells 12DOVE. "He was just talking about being nervous to fight Jackie Chan, 'cause Jackie Chan is freaking Jackie muh-fricking Chan. But he said the fights went super well and that all his stuff was great and I’m stoked for the movie."
A new Karate Kid movie was reported to be in the works back in 2022, but was officially announced in November 2023. Macchio and Chan are starring alongside each other in the new film, which will see a brand new kid learn the craft from an older, wiser master. Jonathan Entwistle (I'm Not Okay with This, The End of the F***ing World) is set to direct from a screenplay by Rob Lieber.
"It was cool texting him as he was, as he was doing the movie, being like, all right, dude, what's up? How is it? And, you know, getting all the updates. He was saying that the young cast is really, really talented – but that they're not quite as good as I am specifically, that no one really holds a candle to me," Bertrand jokes. "These are Ralph Macchio’s words, not mine. I'm trying to think [what he said] verbatim. I think 'I'm a God' is what he said."
The Cobra Kai cast and crew has no involvement with the upcoming Karate Kid movie, though a Cobra Kai movie is not out of the realm of possibility as the 'Miyagi-verse' continues to grow. Cobra Kai is set to end after six successful seasons on Netflix - one of which earned an Emmy nomination - and is being split into three parts, which Bertrand swears "wasn't the cast's idea" but will be well worth the wait.
Cobra Kai season 6 part 2 is set to hit Netflix on November 15. Karate Kid is slated for a May 30, 2025 release. For more, check out our chat with Jacob Bertrand about Netflix's One Piece, or, check out our list of the best Netflix shows to stream right now.
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter
Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox
Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for 12DOVE currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.