Ralph Macchio Teased 'Karate Kid' Universe Plans Past 'Cobra Kai' Season 5
Fellow students of Cobra Kai, Eagle Fang, Miyagi-Do—or your fictional karate studio of choice, really—listen up. We have good news. Not only has Netflix announced that Cobra Kai's fifth season will debut earlier than expected (i.e. this week!), but Danny Boy himself, Ralph Macchio, is out and about, teasing major plans for the expansion of the Karate Kid cinematic universe. In a new interview with ComicBook.com, Macchio had enough spinoff ideas to keep the '80s franchise alive and well until the next century.
"The thing that's been created, there's kind of this Karate Kid Cinematic Universe now where Cobra Kai is, you know, at the center of that and when that day does come in for a landing, there are other areas to draw from," Macchio said. "I mean, whether it's ... Is there a Miyagi origin story? Is there a Cobra Kai prequel before The Karate Kid? Is there spin-offs with some of the young cast of these characters? Who knows? But we're not done as long as we're given the opportunity to really bring it in. As long as it evolves organically, these guys that write the show really have their finger on the pulse of that."
If you ask us, Okinawa-set origin story for Mr. Miyagi should be the top priority on that list. But first? We have a new season of Cobra Kai to get ready for. First, watch the newest full-length trailer for Season Five below, then go ahead and read up on everything we know about Cobra Kai Season Five so far.
When Will Season Five of Cobra Kai Debut?
If you're a Cobra Kai superfan, you know that the creators behind the series run a tight production schedule, never letting much more than a year pass between seasons since its debut. Season Five will be no different. The trailer announced that Cobra Kai will break its longstanding New Year's release date tradition, arriving this Friday, September 9.
Where Could Cobra Kai Season Five Take Its Heroes? (And Villains, Too.)
By the looks of the Season Five preview, streaming above, we're going to see another The Karate Kid II-esque road trip, only with Johnny and Robby instead of Daniel and Mr. Miyagi. The father and son will head to Mexico, searching for Miguel as he looks for his father. (Does Miguel's dad know karate? Probably!) No matter what, the Cobra Kai producers are making absolutely sure to reassure us that the next season will be worth the wait. “There’s a lot of insanity; if you’re a fan of the franchise, maybe some familiar faces show up, maybe not; there’s going to be a lot of karate,” Jon Hurwitz told Deadline at the PGA Awards.
Let's talk about those familiar faces. Whose money is on The Karate Kid Part III villain Mike Barnes turning out to be Miguel's dad? Barnes has been confirmed to return, at least. If you remember, Terry Silver brought in Barnes to kick Daniel LaRusso's tushy and f*ck up Mr. Miyagi's bonsai trees in the maligned Karate Kid III, but our man eventually won, as always. Now, you can safely assume that Silver will call up his old buddy to wreak havoc in the Valley, and maybe even strike a blow (or two) to LaRusso, just like the old days.
As for Silver, the baddie has reverted back to his manic-aggressive '80s self, looking like he might be the endgame villain for this series, aiming to turn the entire state of California into a Cobra Kai dojo. Thanks to the trailer and photos, we know that Season Five will see Daniel, along with his frenemy Chozen, do everything they can to stop Silver and Barnes. Maybe Hilary Swank's Julie Pierce, last seen in The Next Karate Kid, will finally show up to put an end to all the craziness. We'll save you predictions for every one of the thousand-some kids on this show, but assume that whatever allegiances they had at the end of Season Four, they'll jump ship to another side by the end of the next batch of episodes. That's how Cobra Kai goes.
What about the future of Cobra Kai beyond its fifth season? Well, it's hard to tell. Like Macchio, the trio of producers behind the series have long teased spinoffs set in the Karate Kid world, which they've dubbed the Miyagi-verse. Plus, Hayden Schlossberg added in the PGA interview: “We have an end in mind. How many seasons it takes to get there, we don’t know. We’re enjoying making it so much.... If it gets tiring to us, we’ll stop before that; we have a few more seasons already planned out.” You could easily see the series ending its run while it's still massively successful, or continue on as long as William Zabka and Ralph Macchio are willing to reprise their iconic '80s roles. Either way, we're not going to see a 55-year-old Miguel mentoring a new generation of fighters during Cobra Kai Season 43, right?
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