Of all the upcoming reboots, we definitely didn’t see this one coming. Which, I guess, is pretty Karate Kid of them. An upcoming 10-part YouTube Red series will revive the feud between Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso and Billy Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence. The twist? The two (now 55 and 52 years old ) will be the heads of of their own dojos. Rival ones, naturally.
The Karate Kid has seen a number of sequels, a remake with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, and countless references in pop culture since the first film in 1984. It inspired kids and even robots to kick their enemies in the face. Zabka uses his status as the high school movie bully to give talks to kids about bullying.
But isn’t the fact that Johnny Lawrence still carries a grudge towards this high school incident kind of … sad? And can this television adaptation overcome the sadness of the late Pat Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi, no longer being around?
Here’s the full synopsis:
“The series, set to bow in 2018, is set 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament and revolves around a down and out Johnny who, seeking redemption, reopens the infamous Cobra Kai dojo. It reignites his rivalry with a now-successful Daniel, who has been struggling to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita). The half-hour comedy follows the duo addressing demons from their past and present frustrations — through (what else?) karate.
Josh Heald (Hot Tub Time Machine) as well as duo Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (Harold and Kumar) will pen the script and exec produce alongside Macchio and Zabka. Hurwitz and Schlossberg will direct much of the series. Will Smith’s Sony Pictures Television Studios-based Overbrook Entertainment will exec produce with James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett overseeing for the company.”
We’ll have to wait and see, but what do you think about Youtube Red reviving the Cobra Kai/Karate Kid feud?
(via Birth Movies Death, image: Columbia Pictures)
Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
