The popular 1984 movie The Karate Kid is back, this time as a streaming series on YouTube Red. According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, Cobra Kai, a 10-episode series, will star Ralph Machio and William Zabka. Both actors will reprise their roles as Daniel Larusso and Johnny Lawrence respectively in the comeback show.
Macchio and Zabka will be co-executive producers, and the show will be directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. The story will begin 30 years after Daniel defeated Johnny in the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament and will reignite the rivalry between the two.
“What made me say yes after all these years — and I’ve been very protective of the franchise and where Daniel LaRusso sits in the world 30 years later — these guys, Josh, Hayden and Jon had such a smart and fresh angle in,” Ralph Machio told reporters. “It was relevant today yet had all the pop culture — they had the perfect marriage and angle in bringing it from the Johnny Lawrence [point of view].”
What is also new is that the series, comprising half-hour episodes, will be pitched as a comedy.
“[Cobra Kai] is not the first time anyone looks at a fresh angle from the villain’s point of view, but it was just smart to go that way and to cover these dual lives and do a rivalry series in a smart and funny way, and on top of that infuse the high school world — which is a big part of the show as well — for the new generation,” Machio, who has appeared in all three original Karate Kid films, told The Hollywood Reporter.