‘The Karate Kid’ is getting a 10-episode TV revival starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka…
Get ready to sweep the leg again.
‘The Karate Kid’ will crane kick a whole new generation of fans after YouTube Red snagged the coveted rights to a 10-episode comedy-drama series that will pick up with the characters 30 years later after the original film was released in 1984.
Ralph Macchio — who played Daniel LaRusso in three different ‘Karate Kid’ movies — and William Zabka — who portrayed bad guy Johnny Lawrence in the first two ‘Karate Kid’ films — are both signed onto star in the new series titled ‘Cobra Kai’.
The series takes its name after the famous dojos from the ‘Karate Kid’ films where Johnny Lawrence once trained as the All-Valley champion until Daniel LaRusso stole his crown after training with Mr. Miyagi.
The sequel will follow the both characters as Johnny seeks redemption by opening a new Cobra Kai dojo after being down and out for several years while Daniel has opened a successful chain of schools but he’s now struggling with his own life following the death of his mentor Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita who played the character died in 2005).
Josh Heald (Hot Tub Time Machine), Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (Harold and Kumar) will work on the scripts and executive product the new series that was picked up by YouTube Red after a competitive bidding war with several other outlets including Netflix, Amazon and Hulu all attempting to land the show.
“What made me say yes after all these years — and I’ve been very protective of the franchise and where Daniel LaRusso sits in the world 30 years later — these guys, Josh, Hayden and Jon had such a smart and fresh angle in,” Macchio said after the series was announced. “It was relevant today yet had all the pop culture — they had the perfect marriage and angle in bringing it from the Johnny Lawrence [point of view].
“It’s not unlike how ‘Creed’ was a film that was about Apollo Creed’s son but you had Rocky Balboa in it in a certain way. [Cobra Kai] is not the first time anyone looks at a fresh angle from the villain’s point of view, but it was just smart to go that way and to cover these dual lives and do a rivalry series in a smart and funny way, and on top of that infuse the high school world — which is a big part of the show as well — for the new generation.”
There’s no word if any other past cast members from the ‘Karate Kid’ franchise could make appearances but anything’s possible.
‘Cobra Kai’ is expected to land on YouTube Red in 2018.
