Ralph Macchio knows a little something about being on the outside of a movie based on The Karate Kid. In fact, the actor wrote about that exact experience in his latest memoir, specifically how he responded to the news when producer Will Smith was behind The Karate Kid remake from 2010. Now he’s faced with that dilemma again, as Sony announced a new movie in The Karate Kid franchise, and he still has a lot of questions about the upcoming feature.
Back when The Karate Kid remake happened, Will and his son and star Jaden Smith took time to reach out to Ralph Macchio, and the actor went into the movie with an open mind. This time around, a new Karate Kid movie is happening while Macchio is the current star of Cobra Kai, and there are no apparent ties between this upcoming movie and the Netflix series. I asked Ralph Macchio in a recent interview tied to his book Waxing On: The Karate Kid And Me if that makes him see this situation a little differently than the last time a Karate Kid movie happened, and he gave me his honest thoughts:
It’s a great question. I actually have the same question for myself. You know, it’s very early. I don’t know what they’re specifically doing with it. I [got] wind of it beforehand but when the announcement was made it's–I don’t have enough information. I don’t know if I have involvement with it. There’s been no traction with that.
Ralph Macchio heard in advance that Sony was planning another Karate Kid movie, but based on what he told us, he doesn’t know much beyond that. Furthermore, it appears the production has not reached out to him to discuss an appearance or any other role he could have in its development.
It’s certainly a strange situation, especially if the intention is to make a movie entirely disconnected to Cobra Kai. With that said, Ralph Macchio offered some perspective on the situation for any fans upset with the situation, and noted that The Karate Kid is capable in living on in many different ways:
Listen, I’ll never cease to be amazed with The Karate Kid universe and its lasting longevity and the chapters ahead. There’s a musical coming to Broadway now. I actually saw the run of it in St. Louis…so it’s just exciting to see what’s next. I mean, if you would have told me 15 years ago that I’d be duking it out with Terry Silver in a show called Cobra Kai I might have said, ‘What? Probably not.” And here we are. So, eyes and ears open.
Ralph Macchio wouldn’t have believed he’d be doing Cobra Kai decades ago, and look at the hit it turned out to be. It definitely proved the Karate Kid franchise still has legs in 2022, so perhaps everyone should keep an open mind to what this upcoming movie may be and where it leads. After all, it seems like Cobra Kai will stick around all the same, though we are still waiting on the official confirmation of Season 6. Who knows, maybe this will be the Karate Kid project that Hilary Swank finally gets an invite to? If not, Macchio also told us if there’s a chance to bring her into Cobra Kai, he’d imagine the showrunners will jump on the opportunity.
As we wait for more updates on the next Karate Kid movie, be sure to stream Cobra Kai with a Netflix subscription. It’s certainly worth checking out if there are any fans of the original movies out there who still haven’t given it a chance, but after five seasons, I’d be dying to meet whoever is still depriving themselves of this great series.
