Cobra Kai's popularity has skyrocketed ever since its arrival on Netflix, and its success is thanks in part to its blending the classic stories of The Karate Kid with a new story and characters. The series has re-introduced a lot of characters from the original movies in its first two seasons as well and teased more are on the way. With that said, there has been a question whether or not the show will ever be able to pull in one of the biggest stars from the franchise: Hilary Swank.
Though Swank's role as Julie Pierce in The Next Karate Kid wasn't as prolific as Ralph Macchio's run as Daniel in The Karate Kid, she's gone on to become one of the biggest names to emerge from the franchise. I recently spoke to Cobra Kai's co-creators about the possibility of Swank joining the series, and according to Jon Hurwitz, the writers have already discussed the possibility of Julie Pierce appearing in the show.
In our writers’ room we speak about literally every character that has appeared in the Miyagi-verse, so it’s obvious that we’ve spoken about Julie Pierce. As to whether or not she’ll return to the series, that’s something you’ll just have to wait to find out.
Jon Hurwitz wasn't willing to tip any cards as to whether the team has had any talks with Hilary Swank personally, but there have been talks about how her character could come into the world of Cobra Kai. As some may know, Julie was another pupil of Mr. Miyagi after Daniel LaRusso, though as far as fans know, Daniel and Julie never met.
The fact that Daniel LaRusso does not appear in The Next Karate Kid may have led to speculation on whether The Next Karate Kid and the characters introduced in the movie are considered canon. Jon Hurwitz continued and spoke about how the movie relates to Cobra Kai, and the value the movie brings to the franchise overall.
We always say that our show takes place in the Miyagi-verse...in our minds, any story in which Mr. Miyagi was a character, with Pat Morita playing Mr. Miyagi I should say, is canon to our world. The Next Karate Kid is a part of our universe. We believe that the events of that movie happened...In terms of that movie, it has its pluses and minuses. One of the things that’s really special about it is it's very early work for Hilary Swank and she’s gone on to be one of the great actors in Hollywood. Her performance is great in that movie and her chemistry with Pat Morita is fantastic.
The events of The Next Karate Kid may not have been directly referenced in Cobra Kai yet, but make no mistake, it is a part of the Miyagi-verse. Now the only question is whether or not Hilary Swank will be willing to return to the role that essentially jump-started her career in Hollywood. Swank has affiliated with Netflix shows in the past like BoJack Horseman and her recently canceled series Away, so there's a chance she could work with the streamer again for a Cobra Kai appearance.
Cobra Kai Season 3 arrives on Netflix in January of 2021. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest happening with the series, and for more news happening in the world of television and movies.
