Apparently The Karate Kid exists in a cinematic universe unto itself, and now different Karate Kid franchises are combining like The Avengers for bullied youths who discover self-assurance and strength through karate and/of kung fu. What a world.
Sony announced today that they are now in the process of developing a new Karate Kid movie. This one will combine stars from both the original franchise from the 1980s (which has now morphed into the Cobra Kai show of the 2020s) and the Karate Kid reboot of 2010. From the original films, the original karate kid himself Ralph Macchio will star — alongside Jackie Chan, who played the role of Mr. Han, the Miyagi-esque figure who teaches that movie’s kid (Jaden Smith) fighting techniques.
As for the title character in the new movie, Sony is going to have a global casting search for their new star. You can watch Chan and Macchio talk about that in the video below:
READ MORE: The Coolest Karate Kid Easter Eggs in Cobra Kai
The press release from Sony says Chan and Macchio are “set to reprise their iconic characters in Sony Pictures’ new Karate Kid, which will bring them together to continue the mythology of the original franchise.” All other details are “being kept under wraps”; how this connects to Cobra Kai, which is still wrapping up its run on Netflix, and whether other characters from that show will appear in this movie was not revealed. (It also doesn’t mention if Jaden Smith might pop up as well.)
The creators of Cobra Kai — Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg — were not mentioned in this new film’s press release. It says that Rob Lieber wrote the screenplay and Jonathan Entwistle (TK) is directing the film.
The new Karate Kid is scheduled to open in theaters on December 13, 2024. Cobra Kai is still set to return for a sixth and final season on Netflix, but no release date has been set yet.
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