New Details Revealed For THE KARATE KID Sequel Series and a BTS Photo of Ralph Macchio and William Zabka
One series that I'm extremely excited about seeing is the Karate Kid sequel series being developed for YouTube Red called Cobra Kai. The fact that we are actually going to get to see what happened to these classic characters all these years later is so freakin' cool!
It's already been revealed that Ralph Macchio and William Zabka are reprising their roles as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. You can see them in a behind-the-scene photo that was released above.
The series was also described as a half-hour comedy with heart, and the story is set 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. It "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 show is also said to follow the duo "addressing demons from their past and present frustrations — through (what else?) karate."
Now, thanks to EW, we have some new information to share with you regarding the series. They explain:
"Daniel and Johnny at different places in their lives. Whereas Daniel is living his best life as a family man and proud owner of the No. 1 car dealership in the Valley, Johnny has fallen a long way since the ’80s and is now a heavy drinking, short-fused antihero living in Reseda, doing odd jobs to make ends meet. However, their rivalry is reignited when they re-enter each other’s lives, which drives Johnny to rediscover his Cobra Kai roots and reopen the infamous karate dojo."
That sounds like such a great concept to build on, and it will be fun to see where they take it. The report also offers details on the cast and the character they play in the series.
Courtney Henggeler (Mom) is set to play Daniel’s wife and business partner Amanda. She is described as "the glue that keeps the LaRusso household and dealership running, and a calming force in Daniel’s life." Mary Mouser (Freakish) will play their daughter Samantha, who is said to be a "firecracker" that "is learning to navigate the minefield that is high school, straddling the 'good girl' and popular teen cliques."
Xolo Maridueña (Parenthood) will play Miguel Diaz, who is being raised by a single mother from Ecuador, he has issues with bullies in his new school and will be taken under the wing of Johnny Lawrence.
Tanner Buchanan (Designated Survivor) is Johnny’s son Robby Keene. He's a street smart kid that is eager to prove he’s nothing like his dad, "even though he’s on his way to making the same mistakes."
Then there's Ed Asner, who will guest star as Johnny’s reluctant stepfather Sid Weinberg, "an old-school, hard-nosed, former studio mogul, who is tired of dealing with his stepson’s failures."
Everything seems to be coming together nicely for the series, and I can't wait to watch this series!
Cobra Kai is being written and executive produced by Josh Heald (Hot Tub Time Machine) and Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (Harold and Kumar), who are both expected to direct much of the series.
The 10-episode first season is expected to debut on YouTube Red in 2018.