The New Karate Kid Movie Won't Be Connected To Cobra Kai

So, remember that bit of news about the new "Karate Kid" movie in the works? Weeeeellll, things just got a little more confusing about that whole thing. 

The news was that Sony Pictures has dated a brand new "Karate Kid" movie for June 7, 2024 but beyond that the press release was very vague. No attached cast, writer or director and the bizarre phrase "the return of the original 'Karate Kid' franchise." 

Why is that bizarre? Because the "Karate Kid" franchise has already returned and returned in a big way with the hugely successful streaming series "Cobra Kai," which sees a grown up Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence coming back together in genuinely unexpected and emotionally complex ways. "Cobra Kai" has wooed fans of the original franchise by playing up the nostalgia while also turning it on its head.

LaRusso isn't the aw shucks innocent angel he was as a kid and Lawrence has a lot to make up for. Add in a whole new young cast of kids who do some karate business and you have an unlikely streaming success story that is apparently doing gangbuster business for Netflix.

So, what the hell is this movie? A continuation of "Cobra Kai?" A reboot? A 2018 "Halloween" type of sequel that ignores everything that came before? We still don't know the answer, but we do know we can cross one of those options off.

"Cobra Kai" creator Jon Hurwitz has been bombarded by questions on Twitter since the "Karate Kid" movie news dropped and he finally responded with a disappointing revelation: 

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. #KarateKid #CobraKai https://t.co/pd2aYYAF0A

— Jon Hurwitz (@jonhurwitz) September 17, 2022

There are rumors (unconfirmed, so take with a grain of salt) that the plot of the new film involve a new Miyagi style figure that teaches a pizzeria owner how to defend themselves with martial arts, which if proven true sounds like the furthest possible thing from a "return of the original 'Karate Kid' franchise." Sounds like a straight up remake to me and if it goes forward it will be the second time "Karate Kid" has been remade. We can't forget that weird Jaden Smith/Jackie Chan 2010 remake, even if we have tried really hard to.

On the one hand, it's understandable why making a movie that jumps off from "Cobra Kai" is a tough sell. That's a whole lot of seasons to require people to watch to be caught up, but then again who is the audience for a big screen "Karate Kid" reboot/sequel? Surely the same audience that's been keeping up with "Cobra Kai," which, season by season, has delivered everything the Sony press release promised.

This whole thing smells weird. Until we see some solid casting or creative team attachments, we're going to remain skeptical of this whole business.