"Cobra Kai" diehards are counting down the days until they'll be reunited with Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and the rest of the Miyagi-Do crew. (Part two of season 6 will hit Netflix on November 28, with the third and final installment of the show to come on a to-be-announced date in 2025, FYI.) But while we all wait, at least there's fresh intel on the upcoming "The Karate Kid" movie to satisfy your karate cravings.
Though not a direct continuation of "Cobra Kai" — which is already a spin-off series of the original "The Karate Kid" film trilogy, with several key characters from the movies popping up throughout the seasons, including Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto) and John Kreese (Martin Kove) — "The Karate Kid" movie will further the decades-spanning storyline of student-turned-sensei Daniel LaRusso. And, per a recent social media reveal, the film finally has an official title: "Karate Kid: Legends."
The sixth film installment in the long-running martial arts franchise — which will pair Macchio with martial arts icon Jackie Chan, who will reprise his character of Mr. Han from the 2010 "The Karate Kid" remake — "Karate Kid: Legends" will hit theaters in the United States and Canada on May 30, 2025. (It was originally set to debut in June 2024 but was delayed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike and to avoid any conflicts with the final season of "Cobra Kai.") And ahead of that release, the film's stars will be promoting the movie during a Sony panel at New York Comic-Con this Friday (October 18), so it's safe to say fans will be getting even more intel on "Karate Kid: Legends" very soon.
Joining Macchio and Chan in the film's cast are Joshua Jackson ("Doctor Odyssey"), Shaunette Renée Wilson ("Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"), Ming-Na Wen ("Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."), Aramis Knight ("Ms. Marvel") and newcomer Ben Wang as our eponymous new martial arts student. Jonathan Entwistle is in the director's chair, with a script written by Rob Lieber.
The new #KarateKidMovie is kicking things off at #NYCC. Join us at the Empire Stage at the Javits center on Friday, October 18th 7:00PM-8:00PM. pic.twitter.com/WxxqoiwKW8October 10, 2024
And though "Cobra Kai" creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg are not involved with the new "Karate Kid" film, Macchio did reveal to Collider that there will be a connection and continuity in how he portrays his character, Daniel LaRusso. "Mainly, to me, it was about always being true to LaRusso," the actor told the outlet. "I tried to play truth in 1983 when I originated this character, and still always, throughout 'Cobra Kai' and then the new film, it's about being honest and truthful to the character and what would motivate any of his actions."
We'll see how Daniel LaRusso's story continues when 'Cobra Kai' season 6 returns on November 28 with another batch of five episodes. Tom's Guide will keep you posted on all updates surrounding the next installment of "Cobra Kai," including behind-the-scenes tidbits, casting intel and showrunner insights. In the meantime, you can revisit the first five seasons of the martial arts comedy-drama, as well as the first five episodes of season 6 on Netflix right now.
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