Ralph Macchio, William Zabka to Reunite for 'Karate Kid' Sequel Series
"The Karate Kid" is all grown-up in YouTube Red's new comedy series "Cobra Kai."
Ralph Macchio will reprise his role as Daniel LaRusso from the 1984 movie, along with William Zabka as nemesis Johnny Lawrence.
"Cobra Kai" will run for 10 half-hour episodes and is set 30 years after the original. Johnny, down and out, reopens the Cobra Kai dojo in a bid for redemption. That puts him at odds again with a successful Daniel, who is struggling to find balance in his life without Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita, who died in 2005).
Macchio and Zabka, who reunited in cameos on "How I Met Your Mother," will serve as executive producers.
Josh Heald ("Hot Tub Time Machine") is teaming up with Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg ("Harold and Kumar") to write the scripts. The latter duo will direct most of the episodes.
"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 joint statement. "'Cobra Kai' will be a true continuation of the original films — packed with comedy, heart and thrilling fight scenes."