K.T Simpson
“Cobra Kai” may be the reining champ of anything Karate Kid these days but back in 2010 a reboot of the 1984 film on which the Netflix series is based on made quite a pretty penny at the box office. Director Harold Zwart’s The Karate Kid, starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, told of a 12-year-old who is transplanted to China and finds himself needing some assistance in defending himself against bullies. That’s where Chan’s Mr. Han comes in.
The Karate Kid remake, produced by Will Smith, went on to gross a sumly $359 million world at the box office. Not bad for a film that snagged only $40 million.
When YouTube (who produced “Cobra Kai” before Netflix took over a couple of years later) decided to bankroll a series based on the original Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso (returning star Ralph Macchio) and his long-time adversary Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka reprising the role), plans for a sequel to the Smith-Jaden smith were dashed. “Cobra Kai” was a smash, end of story.
It was announced earlier this year that a new Karate Kid film was on Sony’s to-do card, with June 7, 2024 being the date we’ll find out whether it’s any good or not. At the time, the studio advertised the new film as being a return to “the original Karate Kid franchise” so this news makes might have a few scratching their heads.
According to Discussing Film, Jackie Chan is set to reprise his role as Mr.Han in the film. It’s not known whether the film will be a sequel or spin-off to the 2010 film but sure does sound like that’s the format of the Jonathan Entwistle directed pic. Or maybe they’re planning on bringing in both Mr. Han and, say, LaRusso – played by Macchio – to merge the players of the Karate Kid universe?
“I know it’s on the slate. On the slate doesn’t always mean it’s gonna be in the theaters, so I don’t know at what level that is and what exact story is being pursued,” Macchio said in a recent interview. “For me right now, it’s about finishing up Cobra Kai and making it the best last season ever. But, you know, I haven’t taken my phone off the hook.”
Cobra Kai co-creator Jon Hurwitz made it clear on Twitter a while back that the film has nothing to do with “Cobra Kai” saying, “The guys and I would love to make Karate Kid and Cobra Kai movies and hope to someday. But this one isn’t from us or focused on the Cobra Kai cast. Don’t know much about it, but wish it well.”
Has that changed?
