Karate Kid Sequel Series Cobra Kai Fills Out Cast

YouTube Red is moving full steam ahead with their Karate Kid sequel series Cobra Kai. Just a few months after announcing the show, which will reunite Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, the budding network has shared even more casting announcements, adding Ed Asner as a guest star and other TV actors as the families of the two leads. (via Entertainment Weekly)

Macchio played the heroic underdog Daniel in the original 1984 film and its sequels, while Zabka played his rival Johnny. The new series will take place 30 years after the fateful events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament and will see Johnny, looking for redemption, reopening the Cobra Kai dojo and therefore reigniting his rivalry with Daniel. While Daniel is now successful in life, he is still struggling to find balance without the help of his mentor Mr. Miyagi, who was played in the film by the late Pat Morita. The pair will address their past and present frustrations through, of course, karate.

Courtney Henggeler (The Big Bang Theory, Mom) is set to play Daniel's wife and business partner Amanda, who is described as "the glue" that keeps the household going. Mary Mouser (Body of Proof, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day), meanwhile, will play the couple's "firecracker" daughter, who has newly entered high school and is still learning how to balance being a "good girl" and a popular kid. 

Xolo Mariduena (Parnethood, Rush Hour) will play Miguel Diaz, a young teen struggling with bullies at his new school after moving to the U.S. with his single mother from Ecuador. Diaz joins Cobra Kai as a student, helping him to gain back some of his confidence. Tanner Buchanan (Designated Survivor, The Fosters) takes on the role of Johnny's son Robby Keene, who is described as being "street-smart" and desperate to prove he is different than his father, despite the fact that he is making many of the same mistakes. Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant) will guest as Johnny's stepfather Sid Weinberg, a tough former studio mogul frustrated with his stepson's frequent failures.

Hot Tub Time Machine's Josh Heald will write the script alongside Harold and Kumar duo Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. All three will executive produce alongside Macchio and Zabka, with Hurwitz and Schlossberg also serving as directors. Will Smith, who produced the 2010 remake which his son also starred in, will also be involved with the series through his Sony Pictures Television-based Overlook Entertainment, whose James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett will executive produce.

Cobra Kai will debut at some point in 2018.