The new film coming to the Karate Kid franchise won't involve the showrunners or leading cast of the Netflix series Cobra Kai, Jon Hurwitz has confirmed.
Hurwitz, who is preparing for a new season of Cobra Kai along with co-showrunners Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald, tweeted in response to a fan's inquiry about the upcoming Karate Kid film on Saturday, Sep. 17. "The guys and I would love to make Karate Kid and Cobra Kai movies and hope to someday," Hurwitz said. "But this one isn't from us or focused on the Cobra Kai cast. Don't know much about it, but wish it well."
The news that a new Karate Kid movie was being made came on Friday, with no word on whether it would integrate any elements from Cobra Kai. The project will be the franchise's first film entry since the 2010 reboot starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, which is not considered canon to the Miyagi-verse that serves as the setting for Cobra Kai. The upcoming film is planned to release in 2024 and currently does not have a synopsis or any casting information.
The Karate Kid, starring Ralph Macchio as teen karate student Daniel LaRusso, was released in theaters in 1984. It quickly became a cultural phenomenon in the United States and beyond, spawning two sequels with Daniel at the forefront. The 1994 fourth installment in the series focused on Julie Pierce (Hilary Swank) instead of Daniel and was titled The Next Karate Kid. Despite the protagonist change, Pat Morita still reprised his role as the wise sensei Mr. Miyagi.
Cobra Kai originally premiered on YouTube Red in 2018 and featured the return of Macchio as Daniel in addition to William Zabka as his former rival Johnny Lawrence. Season 5 of the series recently dropped on Netflix and has continued the tradition of bringing back actors from the original movies to reprise their roles as allies or enemies of Daniel and Johnny, such as Chozen Toguchi from The Karate Kid Part II. The new season fared well with critics and fans alike, receiving a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Currently, the Cobra Kai showrunners are working on their own film for an unrelated franchise: a Ferris Bueller's Day Off spinoff film titled Sam and Victor's Day Off. This side story from the classic comedy will focus on the previously unnamed Chicago garage attendants who took Cameron Frye's father's Ferrari on a joyride around town.
Source: Twitter