Sony Just Gave The Karate Kid And Cobra Kai Fans The Best Possible News
Decades before "Cobra Kai" plunged an entirely new generation into the story of Daniel LaRusso, there were "The Karate Kid" movies that consisted of a franchise of four in-universe films and a Jackie Chan-led, 2010 remake of the same name. The first three films covered roughly a one-and-a-half-year timespan from 1984 to 1985, which consisted of LaRusso's story. His mentor Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) returned in 1994's "The Next Karate Kid" where he trained new student Julie Pierce (Hilary Swank), which served as a close to the series until "Cobra Kai" continued "The Karate Kid" timeline 30 years after the events of the first three movies.
"Cobra Kai" went on to gain phenomenal success once it was acquired by Netflix in 2020 (via The Hollywood Reporter). The show's popularity keeps leading to increased fan engagement after each and every season, with its most recent installment being no exception. For longtime fans of the franchise, seeing the movies over the decades gave those viewers a unique way of experiencing the long-running story before its revival in the age of streaming. Fans of all generations should prepare themselves for some good news.
A new Karate Kid movie will hit theaters in 2024
Sony's Columbia Pictures has just announced a brand new "Karate Kid" film with a theatrical release date of June 7, 2024 (per Variety). The only statement about what to expect for the new movie is that it will be a "return of the original 'Karate Kid' franchise." No other details were given on who will star in the film, or direct, nor any information on possible screenwriters. But the most telling tidbit is the return to the original tetralogy of movies, and with five seasons of "Cobra Kai" now told, this leaves lots of speculation on where a feature film could go story-wise. The words "original franchise" leave out any return of the stars from the 2010 remake.
Additionally, the only thing that bound "The Next Karate Kid" to the first three films was the character of Mr. Miyagi, but with Pat Morita's death in 2009 and Miyagi's death revealed within Season 1 of "Cobra Kai," the only possibility would be for Julie Pierce to find her way to Los Angeles, which has long been a fan theory for a future "Cobra Kai" Hilary Swank appearance. Another possibility is that the narrative of the show, which will likely have completed another season or two before June 2024, may transition to the big screen similar to the way "The X-Files" had its own movie premiere between Seasons 5 and 6. We will have to wait and see as further announcements are revealed.