The Karate Kid Being Turned Into TV Series
Youtube Red are to produce a sequel TV series to the 80s coming-of-age classic The Karate Kid called, Cobra Kai staring original actors Ralph Macchio and William Zabka.
According to Empire, the streaming service describes the series as follows: “Thirty years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, a down-and-out Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo, reigniting his rivalry with a now successful Daniel LaRusso (Macchio), who has been struggling to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi. The show is about two men addressing past demons and present frustrations the only way they know how: through karate.”
Great news right? Well, erh, the series will be presented in a half-hour format and is being produced by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (American Reunion, Harold & Kumar) and Josh Heald (Hot Tub Time Machine). Additionally, it's being produced by Sony's comedy division.
Which if any of you saw Baywatch the movie, might be enough to make you crane kick this production to the curb.
As for The Karate Kid, the franchise began under the guidance of John G. Avildsen, who took the Rocky formula, he also directed the first and fifth Rocky movies, to the world of karate. Avildsen directed all three of the original movies before bailing on the franchise along with Macchio for the fourth part, The Next Karate Kind in 1994. More recently, there was the 2010 remake of the original, which starred Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan.
There had been talk of a sequel, but so far nothing has materialized.
Cobra Kai will initially consist of ten half-hour episodes.
