TV and film are littered with all kinds of revivals and re-boots nowadays, some good, some absolutely terrible. In fact, you could definitely argue that there are far too many about, or at least we thought so till we at MALESTROM HQ got wind of a revisit to one of our favourite movies of all time, that of The Karate Kid! Yes, the stars of the crane kicking 1984 film are returning for a new television series called Cobra Kai and we’re very, very excited.
Cobra Kai sees Ralph Macchio return as Daniel LaRusso as he again ends up clashing with his nemesis Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Set 30 years after the famous 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, which Daniel won after beating Johnny with the famed kick, the 10-episode series sees a down at heel Johnny re-open the Cobra Kai dojo and reignite a fresh rivalry with the now successful but slightly rudderless Daniel.
Could this be due to his mentor and trainer Mr Myagi now having passed on? Pat Morita who played the martial arts guru passed away in 2005 so won’t be joining the cast but will surely be constantly referenced. As for whether another big character will appear, Cobra Kai’s Sensei played by Martin Kove, no confirmation as of yet, but we have everything crossed for a John Creese cameo.
The team behind the film Hot Tub Time Machine and Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle are co-writing and directing so expect comedy, hopefully more hit than miss. The writers have promised laughs, heart and some great fight scenes so we’re hopeful that the series will be a winner.
Apparently, there was a bidding war for Cobra Kai’s rights between the likes of on-demand giants Netflix and Amazon with subscription streaming service YouTube Red winning out (never heard of it, but definitely signing up), they’ll host the series next year.
Here’s a reminder of the classic moment Daniel and Johnny’s rivalry was settled in the first movie.
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