Ralph Macchio Says A Jackie Chan Cameo Wouldn't Work In Cobra Kai, But A Hilary Swank Cameo Might

On the eve of its fourth season, people are still as crazy as ever for "Cobra Kai," the sequel continuation series based on "The Karate Kid" franchise that's set in what creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg call the "Miyagi-verse." For the uninitiated (which, why are you reading this article?!), Mr. Miyagi is the legendary karate master from Okinawa, Japan played by Pat Morita, who famously mentored Daniel (Ralph Macchio) in "The Karate Kid." As "Cobra Kai" stars plenty of characters from the series, fans have been wondering if Jaden Smith or Jackie Chan will ever make an appearance, since that duo starred in the 2010 remake. But according to a cast interview with the YouTuber Jake's Takes, fans shouldn't hold their breath for a cameo from the duo.

"Anyone who knew Mr. Miyagi and interacted with Mr. Miyagi is canon for our show, for the 'Cobra Kai' show," Macchio said during the interview. Smith and Chan's version of "The Karate Kid" is a remake in an entirely different universe apart from the Miyagi-verse, so there's no canonical way to connect them to the story of "Cobra Kai." Macchio then mentioned that a different Hollywood star could absolutely fit into the universe, due to her appearance in "The Next Karate Kid."

"To the flip side of that, someone like Julie Pierce, who is Hilary Swank's role, did know Miyagi," he said. "So there's always a chance for maybe that."

The fourth installment of "The Karate Kid" franchise, 1994's "The Next Karate Kid," starred Hilary Swank in her first theatrical starring role as a high schooler named Julie who is struggling with severe anger issues following her parents' death in a car accident. Where "The Karate Kid" focused on helping Daniel learn to defend himself against bullies like Johnny Lawrence and defeat him in a tournament, "The Next Karate Kid" was centered on emotional regulation and self-defense living as a woman in a world surrounded by sex pests, toxic creeps, and a gang of fascist teens led by Michael Ironside. The film was critically panned upon release — a bit too harshly, in this writer's opinion, especially when it's a definite step up compared to the hot-mess known as "The Karate Kid III."

Many people evidently don't even remember aspects of this movie, as "Karate Kid with the Girl" is one of the common Google questions that pops up when researching this film. Hilary Swank might be too big of a star for "Cobra Kai" to get these days, but she'd be a perfect addition and bring some much needed femme energy. While "The Next Karate Kid" didn't feature nearly as much karate as we'd like to have seen, Swank's recent performance in "The Hunt" shows that she's still more than capable of kicking some absolute ass. Julie facing down Johnny? Where do I sign up?