Josh Gad gathered all of the stars from the original “Karate Kid” trilogy to talk about those movies while also being joined by the cast from “Cobra Kai”…
UPDATE: “Cobra Kai” season 3 will now debut a week earlier on Jan. 1. Happy New Years, karate kids!
With “Cobra Kai” season 3 set to debut on Netflix on Jan. 1, there was no better time for Josh Gad to feature one of his biggest episodes of “Reunited Apart” as he brought together the cast from all three of “The Karate Kid” movies.
The massive gathering also welcomed in cast members from “Cobra Kai” as they prepare for the third season to debut in just a couple of weeks.
Of course, original “Karate Kid” and now “Cobra Kai” stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka were front and center for the entire panel as they told stories about how each of them was actually cast in the original movie. One of the more interesting notes was Zabka was almost passed over because he was so much taller than Macchio but he then told director John Avildsen that Bruce Lee once beat up Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a movie and that seemed to do the trick to help him land the role.
Elisabeth Shue also made an appearance as she reunited with her fellow cast mates from “The Karate Kid” and she discussed how this was her first film as well as the experience shooting the infamous beach scene where Daniel attempts to stand up to Johnny and it goes horribly wrong.
From there, Gad welcomed in cast members from “The Karate Kid Part II” including Tamlyn Tomita, who played Kumiko and Yuji Okumoto, who portrayed Chozen. Both of them will actually be appearing in “Cobra Kai” season 3 as Daniel returns to Okinawa for the first time since his trip there with Mr. Miyagi in the original sequel.
“The Karate Kid Part III” was also represented with appearances from Thomas Ian Griffith, who played the villainous Terry Silver, as well as Sean Kanan as Daniel’s nemesis Mike Barnes and Robyn Lively as Jessica Andrews.
Of course, Robert Mark Kamen was there for the ride after he wrote all three of the original “Karate Kid” movies so he had plenty to add about the experience with those films. And perhaps one of the most interesting revelations during the Zoom reunion was the creator of the infamous Crane kick was also there — after he lost to Johnny Lawrence during the original tournament in “The Karate Kid.”
And the entire cast from the original “Karate Kid” trilogy paid tribute during a special segment devoted to the late Pat Morita, who portrayed Mr. Miyagi in all three films.
Finally, the cast of “Cobra Kai” joined the fun to talk about their own experiences with “The Karate Kid” as well as filming the newest season of the show. Of course, “Cobra Kai” season 3 drops in January with a fourth season already ordered from Netflix.
Take a look at the special “Karate Kid” and “Cobra Kai” episode of “Reunited Apart” and make sure to stick around until the very end for a special surprise musical appearance…
