It was announced that Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan will be teaming up in a new movie anticipated to come out in December 2024.
Now, that's sort of fascinating because they were never together during the run of the prior movies. Chan's version of the Karate Kid involved a remake decades later with Jaden Smith playing the "kid" role and Chan playing the "Mr. Miyagi"-type role. So how are they going to work this out and explain it all?
Plot details are kept under wraps on the new movie, but Macchio will reprise his role as Daniel LaRusso, whom he played in the original “Karate Kid” film trilogy starting in 1984 and brought back on Netflix’s “Cobra Kai” series. Chan will return to the role of Mr. Han, a kung fu master based on Mr. Miyagi, who coached Jaden Smith’s Dre Parker in the 2010 remake movie.
Now I like both Macchio and Chan, although I found the remake with Jaden Smith a little lacking.
But something that teams the main character, Macchio, with Chan could work if it follows in the fashion of the Cobra Kai series. One of the things that made Cobra Kai fun was how they refused to bend a knee to woke language, as my colleague Brandon Morse explained. Cobra Kai has been hugely popular as it explores the deeper characters of Macchio and his nemesis/friend William Zabka, "Johnny." Variety says that the series has earned $430 million at the global box office.
It's not clear if the new movie would involve Zabka or any of the other characters in the series. Since it's set for December 2024, it will likely drop after the Cobra Kai final season, season 6, wraps, so it might dovetail well.
Not only are they teaming up, but there's another big twist. They're doing an open casting call, searching for a person to play the new "kid" in the next movie. So if you or your kid might fit for the role and fit what they're looking for, this may be the role of a lifetime and great fun.
Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio will reprise their roles together for a new ‘KARATE KID’ movie.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 21, 2023
In theaters on December 13, 2024. pic.twitter.com/QhDK6zON6k
The announcement has naturally gone viral. Most were into it, although they definitely did want it to be consistent with the Cobra Kai series and not mess up the canon. There was also a lot of speculation about Jaden Smith and whether he would factor into this in any way, as the series has brought people back. It's not clear that the movie will, but the pro and anti-Jaden forces were already expressing themselves.
Nice. Excited for this. https://t.co/aD4onfrNED pic.twitter.com/yq99BeSHrN
— Crooked Table Productions (@CrookedTable) November 21, 2023
Hmm I wonder if this will be linked with the Cobra Kai show at all. pic.twitter.com/fuTJpXf6Zc
— CynicalFate (@CynicalFate) November 21, 2023
So the Karate Kid/Cobra Kai ‘universe’ was one of the first and is one of the few to really nail their reboots. Like almost flawlessly. I’m 100% on board with this. https://t.co/tifCfFCT2E
— Black Kevin Arnold (@bnease) November 21, 2023
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