Will There Ever Be Another Karate Kid Movie?
We will see another The Karate Kid movie in June 2024, and here is all we know about the project.
It has been almost 40 years since Daniel LaRusso landed his crane kick on Johnny Lawrence to win the All Valley Karate tournament in The Karate Kid – the debut film in the beloved franchise. Since then, we’ve seen the famous martial arts film spawn an iconic 80s trilogy, a fourth franchise film in the ’90s, and a not-so-popular remake in 2010 with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. But today, the franchise is hotter than ever thanks to Netflix’s hit Cobra Kai series, and we’re happy to announce that another The Karate Kid film is indeed in the works.
Last September, Sony officially announced (via Deadline) that a new Karate Kid film was in development. Currently, the movie is set to release on June 7, 2024. No other details surrounding the plot or cast have been officially announced, but updates and recent interviews offer exciting speculation; here is everything we know.
First and foremost, any Karate Kid fan likely has the same burning question: Will Ralph Macchio reprise his role as the level-headed Daniel LaRusso? Macchio had no part in the franchise’s last run on the silver screen in 2010, but we could see the actor back for next year’s film.
In a recent interview with 20 Questions: On Deadline, Macchio was asked if he was returning for the upcoming movie. With an ambiguous response, the actor neither confirmed nor denied his involvement with the next Karate Kid film.
“I haven’t taken my phone off the hook for anything that makes sense. Right now, I’m locked up with the Netflix and Sony contract for finishing out season 6. After what’s happened these last couple of years, I can’t predict what that future will be, but to be close-minded about any of it would be a disservice to the character, so let’s see where that lands.”
Ralph Macchio
This leads us to our next big question: Will 2024’s The Karate Kid take place in the same universe as Cobra Kai? Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that the anticipated movie will tie in with the Netflix series. Cobra Kai co-creator Jon Hurwitz confirmed this on social media, stating that neither he nor the cast were involved.
The Karate Kid is considered to be one of the biggest sleeper hits ever made. The original movie starred Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, a Jersey teen who reluctantly moves to Los Angeles with his mother and instantly makes enemies with the local karate champ, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). After befriending his apartment complex’s maintenance man, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), LaRusso is taken under Miyagi’s wing and taught the balanced ways of Miyagi-Do karate.
The sequel film dives into Mr. Miyagi’s past, as he and LaRusso travel to Okinawa, Japan, after Mr. Miyagi learns that his father is dying. And the trilogy ending took place back in Sunny California, where LaRusso comes up once again against the vicious Cobra Kai instructor, John Kreese (Martin Kove).
Six years after The Karate Kid Part III was released, a fourth film, The Next Karate Kid, came out. Morita would be the only franchise actor to reprise his role, as this time, Mr. Miyagi mentors Julie Pierce (Hillary Swank). The film was panned by critics and audiences alike.
In 2010, the famous story was rebooted, with Will Smith and family, along with Jackie Chan, hopping aboard for an updated tale on the martial arts story. Will Smith’s son, Jaden Smith, played the role of Dre Parker, based on Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso, and Jackie Chan portrayed Mr.Han, a take on the legendary Mr. Miyagi.
Unable to capture the essence of the original The Karate Kid, the reboot received mixed to negative reviews. A sequel was planned at one point, but after years of gaining and losing directors and writers, the project lay dormant, and there has been no word on the film for quite some time.
While there seems to be little chance of a second film in the non-Miyagi-verse realm of the franchise, that doesn’t mean the 2010 reboot won’t tie into 2024’s film. A recent report from Discussing Film claims that Jackie Chan is in talks to reprise his role as Mr. Han. And since the new movie looks to return to the original franchise universe, this could signal a crossover of the separate universes.
The next Karate Kid film is set to release next June, and we expect it to be monumental, considering it’s being released 40 years after we first met LaRusso, the charming yet feisty new kid in Reseda, Los Angeles. With little more than a year until its anticipated debut, stay tuned for more updates.
