It was announced in August of last year thatCobra Kaiwas going to be made into a 10-episode series for YouTube Red and now we have our first look. The series is set 30 years after the events of The Karate Kid and it features William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence bringing back theCobra Kaidojo, which is something that Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso can’t understand. Johnny Lawrence is seeking redemption, 34 years after the fact, which is a dream come true for fans ofThe Karate Kid.
The trailer forCobra Kaishows off some familiar scenery fromThe Karate Kidand then featuresRalph Macchio and William Zabka. Macchio’s LaRusso character says, “I just don’t know why you’d ever want to bring back Cobra Kai.” Afterwards we here Zabka’s Lawrence telling his new students at the dojo that, “We are not trained to be merciful here. Mercy is for the weak.” There’s definitely going to be some turbulence whenCobra Kaimakes its debut later this year.
Ralph Macchio revealed that he had been highly protective ofThe Karate Kidover the last 34 years and was skeptical to do anything that mighttarnish the reputation of the original franchise. However, he changed his mind when Josh Heald (Hot Tub Time Machine), Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg (Harold & Kumar) pitched him the idea. Macchio liked the idea of the story focusing on the Johnny Lawrence character and compared theCobra Kaiseries to Ryan Coogler’sCreedmovie. He went on to say that this show is “the worst nightmare” for Daniel LaRusso.
William Zabka also recently spoke about theCobra Kaiseries, mentioning that it’s over 30 years later and Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso still have a rivalry. Zabka reveals that his character has a good heart deep down, but he’s still sour from losing all of those years ago, so he’s still “rough around the edges.” Johnny Lawrence is looking for redemption inCobra Kaiand Zabka hints that his character and Ralph Macchio’s Daniel-San are friends when it comes down to it. Whatever the case may be, the preview looks awesome and now is the perfect time to release this series. Let’s hope it comes out sooner rather than later.
There is no official release date forCobra Kai, but it will debut onYouTube Redlater this year. The series will see Johnny Lawrence take in the bullied high school student Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña) and train him at theCobra Kaidojo. All the while Johnny’s son, Robby Keene goes out of his way to prove that he’s nothing like his father. The trailer looks awesome, but it would’ve been a lot cooler if it were a bit longer because less than a minute is not enough. you may check out the trailer forCobra Kaibelow, courtesy of the Cobra Kai YouTube channel.
