Here is what we know about the upcoming YouTube TV series, “Cobra Kai.” They are bringing back the older version of the karate combatants, Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, some 30 years later to continue their feud. The cast will include Courtney Henggeler as Macchio’s (Daniel) wife and Vanessa Rubio as Zabka’s (Lawrence) girlfriend. The writers will be Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg who will also direct the initial series.
The trailer lasted less than 50 seconds, so there isn’t much just yet as to the storyline other than the feud/rivalry will continue long after Mr. Miyagi has passed away. Intended to start the hype machine of the 1984 movie, even though a trailer has appeared at this point there is no release date set for the series.
While it sounds like a good idea, the writers have apparently distanced themselves from the original Karate Kid movies and decided to try and make two 50-something actors relevant again. Anyone who knows anything about the movie franchise knows it was always about Mr. Miyagi. Take him out of the picture and you have … well … “Cobra Kai.” The original was always about a learning experience, not a karate experience. Karate was just the teaching tool, not the core of the movie.
It was natural that Daniel gets married since he was chasing everything that appeared female in the original franchise, but from what I can tell from the pics of his Cobra Kai wife she doesn’t look very Oriental. That would have been a much more natural and consistent follow through when considering Mr. Miyagi has now permanently retired. But the whole feud idea really doesn’t make any sense except to give Macchio and Zabka something to do with their idle lives.
One good thing about the upcoming series is that the episodes will only be 30 minutes long. There is likely to be a lot of fighting to be seen because what kind of drama can be created between two aging fighters who have a serious problem moving on? The writers have said we should expect a series “packed with comedy, heart and thrilling fight scenes.” Comedy was listed first, and that might be exactly what will carry the series, whether the comedy is derisive or characters who actually have something funny to say.
The 2010 attempt to revive the movie franchise was a gaping yawner, and there apparently is an attempt to have Jackie Chan star alongside Jaden Smith (yawn) in a Karate Kid 2 movie resuscitation. Chan is an outstanding choice as the Master because he has both the acting chops and the popularity to pull it off.
The uncomfortable truth is that the culture of the Karate Kid is long gone. In today’s America old people are to be ignored, so for damn sure no teenager is going to do what some broken down janitor will demand of them. “Wax on” will degenerate into “f*** off.” Just going outside and spending time away from Video Game Central will require therapy. Daniel will require special permission from his social media group before making the final decision, and that’s if he doesn’t have to attend anti-bullying classes after school. There is no need to worry about winning because everyone will get a trophy. Quite frankly, the whole thing is too much for today’s youth.
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