New ‘Karate Kid’ movie announced after ‘Cobra Kai’ success
(Credit: Netflix)

Netflix News

New 'Karate Kid' movie announced after 'Cobra Kai' success

Thanks to the success of the Netflix series Cobra Kai, Sony Pictures has announced a brand new Karate Kid movie, reviving the franchise that was started by John G. Avildsen back in 1984. 

The decision from Sony comes after Netflix’s long-running success with the karate series Cobra Kai, itself a direct sequel to the original Karate Kid films, with Sony Pictures announcing a new standalone film to be released in 2024. Understandably, the new movie will have no connection to the Netflix series, with Sony yet to provide further details as to which stars and producers could be attached to the project. 

Confirming that he had no involvement with the new project, Cobra Kai co-creator Jon Hurwitz told fans on Twitter, “The guys and I would love to make Karate Kid and Cobra Kai movies and hope to someday. But this one isn’t from us or focused on the Cobra Kai cast. Don’t know much about it, but wish it well. #KarateKid #CobraKai”.

The upcoming movie will be the sixth in the Karate Kid franchise, with the first movie becoming a phenomenon in the 1980s, thanks to the leading cast members of Ralph Macchio, William Zabka and Pat Morita. The most recent addition to the series was in 2010 when Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan took on a reboot of the original film. As one of the most globally-celebrated stars in cinema, Jackie Chan has a load of films currently available on Netflix.

Recently releasing its fifth season on Netflix, the official synopsis for the new installment of Cobra Kai reads, “Following the shocking results of the All Valley Tournament, Season 5 finds Terry Silver expanding the Cobra Kai empire and trying to make his ‘No Mercy’ style of karate the only game in town”. 

Take a look at the trailer for the new series, below.