Hollywood studio Sony has just updated its launch calendar – and caused amazement with a film. Because with a US theatrical release on June 7, 2024, a film with the title “Karate Kid” is now listed. In the info mail from Sony that we have received, there is only a short comment:
“The return of the original karate kid franchise.”
There is no more information – in contrast to all other films in the new start calendar listing, for which a short synopsis and the list of participants follows. It’s not just us who are puzzled. That Sony made a return to originals After all, announcing the franchise could mean that we’ll be shown Ralph Macchio again as Daniel LaRusso – but that’s what the series “Cobra Kai” already does?!
“Cobra Kai” was actually produced by Sony for YouTube Red. It wasn’t until the switch to Netflix in the run-up to the release of the third season that the series became a hit – and is now in its fifth season an absolute crowd pleaser. So it would be quite conceivable that a movie would follow on from that. But that is probably not the case.
Then Series creator Jon Hurwitz revealed that he’s interested in making “Cobra Kai” and “The Karate Kid” movies for the big screen. But he has nothing to do with the film that has now been announced. He doesn’t know much about it himself either, but clarified that the film isn’t focused on the “Cobra Kai” cast.
So it’s likely that Sony is simply telling a whole new story that takes place in the same universe, but comes up with completely new characters etc and has no points of contact with “Cobra Kai”. However, another variant is conceivable that Hurwitz refers his denial to the cast, i.e. his actors and not to characters, for example:
Could Sony be making another film set in the past and the world of the four movies from the original Karate Kid franchise, but with individual roles recast? One could attach oneself to a character that does not appear in the series itself: Because Pat Morita died in 2005, Mister Miyagi, who he embodied and for which he even received an Oscar nomination, is dead in “Cobra Kai”. But Sony could of course, slip a new actor into the role of Mister Miyagi and do his own thing – although that might upset some fans.
Of course, it’s still possible that Sony will simply do another “Karate Kid” remake – like it did in 2010 with Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith and Taraji P. Henson. On the other hand, the announcement of the project as a return to the originals Franchise. The future will tell, the first information about the team in front of or behind the camera shouldn’t be that long in coming with a planned start in summer 2024.
