Ralph Macchio is returning to one of his biggest roles – Daniel LaRusso (aka The Karate Kid) for a new TV series over on YouTube Red.
William Zabka is also coming back as bully Johnny Lawrence for the 10-episode, straight-to-series show, which is called Cobra Kai. The half-hour comedy is set 30 years after The Karate Kid Part III, and follows a down-on-his-luck Johnny (Zabka) reopening the Cobra Kai dojo and reigniting his karate-fueled feud with the now-successful Daniel (Macchio), who is struggling to maintain balance in his life without Mr. Miyagi.
Josh Heald (Hot Tub Time Machine) is writing the screenplay for the new series, alongside Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (the Harold and Kumar trilogy).
Will Smith’s production company Overbrook Entertainment is also behind the project, which is set up over at Sony Pictures Television.
“Like everyone who grew up in the 1980s, the three of us are enormous fans of The Karate Kid,” Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg said in a statement. “‘Cobra Kai’ will be a true continuation of the original films — packed with comedy, heart and thrilling fight scenes. We can’t wait to reignite the LaRusso-Lawrence rivalry, and we’re thankful to our partners at YouTube Red, Sony Pictures Television and Overbrook for their shared enthusiasm in making our dream project a reality.”
More details, including an air date, as we get it.
