Sony Announces New 'Karate Kid' Movie in the Works
As Cobra Kai continues to dominate the Netflix charts with Season 5, Sony just made a big announcement when it comes to The Karate Kid universe. On Friday, it was revealed that a new Karate Kid movie will be released on June 7, 2024, according to Variety. The new film does not have a synopsis as of this writing, and Sony didn't reveal a cast or crew. This will be the first film from The Karate Kid franchise since the 2010 reboot starring Jaden Smith.
This leads to the question of what will happen with Cobra Kai with a new Karate Kid movie on the way. The series has yet to be renewed for a sixth season, which is interesting since Netflix announced the show was renewed for a fifth season before the fourth season began streaming last year. Cobra Kai co-creators Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg recently talked to Total Film about the future of the seasons and teased the idea of spin-offs.
"That's what we love most about the franchise: anybody watching our show sees how many characters are entering in and there's part of us that never wants to stop," Hurwitz said. "We do have a place where it's all going, but that doesn't mean the world has to stop there. We have lots of ideas of continuing [the universe] and keeping the Karate Kid vibes going through other stories and other shows and different formats for that."
Cobra Kai is a continuation of The Karate Kid films that were released in the 1980s and 1990s. Ralph Macchio starred in the first three films, while the late Pat Morita appeared in the first four. The first three movies followed Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) taking down different bullies with the help of Mr. Miyagi (Morita). The fourth movie, The Next Karate Kid, featured Hilary Swank playing the role of Julie Pierce who, like Daniel, was bullied at school. The 2010 reboot does not take place in the same fictional universe as the first three films. Smith stars in the movie along with Jackie Chan and Taraji P. Henson.
Karate Kid is one of the few announcements Sony made when it comes to its upcoming movie schedule. Sony also shifted the release date to two comic book films. Madame Web, which stars Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney, is moving from Oct. 6, 2023, to Feb. 16, 2024. Kraven the Hunter is moving from Jan. 6, 2023, to Oct. 6, 2023. Both films are set in the Spider-Man universe.