A New Karate Kid Movie Will Star Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio [Updated]

Just when you thought The Karate Kid universe couldn’t get any bigger, it just did. The star of the original franchise as well as Cobra Kai, Ralph Macchio, is teaming up with action movie legend, and star of the 2010 Karate Kid remake, Jackie Chan, for a brand new Karate Kid movie.

News of the new movie broke last year but at the time, it was unclear what it was about exactly. All Sony was saying is that it took place in the same universe as Cobra Kai and the original films. Now, we know, it’ll take place in that universe, and bring the universe of the 2010 film, which co-starred Jaden Smith, into the story too.

Macchio and Chan announced the news in the below video, which also revealed there’s an open casting call for the person who’ll play the title character. Check it out.

This new Karate Kid will come to theaters on December 13, 2024, directed by Jonathan Entwistle (The End of the F**king World) and written by Rob Lieber (Peter Rabbit). There are no details on what exactly the plot is but you can begin to put together the pieces if Chan’s Mr. Han, a new type of Mr. Miyagi, meets Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso, himself a karate sensei.

The timing of the film will almost certainly come after the sixth and final season of Cobra Kai too, which is currently in development. Though that’s just an assumption.

Another good piece of news here is that it turns out, while the team behind Cobra Kai isn’t directly involved in the project, they have been part of the process. Sony Pictures Television produces Cobra Kai, and since Sony Pictures is making this movie, Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg have known it is happening and have offered assistance when asked. A source close to the project tells io9 the team has seen and given notes on all iterations of the scripts, and Entwistle speaks to them often, which is great news. They know and understand Karate Kid better than anyone so if they’re supportive of the film, that’s a huge bonus.

So while there are sure to be some misgivings from fans about bringing together two different versions of The Karate Kid, that the project has some Cobra Kai sprinkles, as well as Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, is very encouraging.

Update: 11/21/2023, 5:30 p.m.: This article was updated with information about the Cobra Kai team’s contribution.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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