Although a remake of The Karate Kid starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan was released in 2010, the original incarnation of the franchise hasn’t had a theatrical presence since 1994’s The Next Karate Kid. However, that universe has been getting a lot of attention in recent years through Cobra Kai, the show that originally premiered on YouTube and is now available to stream with a Netflix subscription. The entirety of Cobra Kai Season 5 dropped on September 9, and while there’s no official word yet on if Season 6 is happening, it’s been announced that a new Karate Kid movie is on the way.
Sony Pictures announced this news as part of some studio scheduling updates, with the new Karate Kid movie slated to arrive on June 7, 2024. The only other piece of information revealed about the project is that it’s “the return of the original Karate Kid franchise,” indicating that rather than being another remake/reboot, this will be set in the same continuity as the original Karate Kid movies and Cobra Kai. That June 7 date previously belonged to an Untitled Sony/Marvel Universe flick, which has now been moved to July 12.
Considering how well Cobra Kai has been holding down the proverbial fort on the original Karate Kid universe since it premiered in 2018, it’s interesting that Sony has decided to keep this saga going on two fronts by delivering a new Karate Kid movie to the masses. So what exactly does this mean? Is this upcoming movie a direct continuation of Cobra Kai, perhaps acting as the concluding chapter to the saga of Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso and William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence? Or is this next Karate Kid movie meant to launch a spinoff saga centered on new characters while Cobra Kai continues on Netflix?
The latter approach could be the better course of action with enticing moviegoers who haven’t been keeping up with Cobra Kai or haven’t even seen any of the prior Karate Kid movies. However, there are enough Karate Kid/Cobra Kai fans out there that would surely come out in droves to their theaters if this ends up being connected to the main saga. For now, Sony Pictures is keeping tight-lipped on what precisely this feature entails, but rest assured CinemaBlend will keep you apprised on updates concerning the project.
In the meantime, for those of you behind on Cobra Kai, catch up to speed on all five seasons now and stay tuned on any news about Season 6. You can also scan through our 2022 movies schedule and 2023 movies schedule to plan your cinematic entertainment viewing accordingly.