At this point, it feels like when a chapter in “The Karate Kid” franchise is stirred up, it can’t be done without pelican kicking pro Ralph Macchio. The original Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso, returned alongside his old enemy Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) for “Cobra Kai,” and together they helped the series become as successful as the films, if not more. But back when the franchise was still a trilogy, what stopped Macchio from returning for “The Next Karate Kid,” where he was replaced by Hilary Swank?
Macchio assured Uproxx that it wasn’t about rejecting an offer – he just never got the call. Fortunately, he had no animosity towards his co-star, Pat Morita, who played the masterful Mr. Miyagi. “I heard they were making the movie. There was a period, for no particular reason, where Pat Morita and I probably weren’t there. [in] so many contacts. It had nothing to do with anything…all I have for Pat Morita is the greatest love and respect. Macchio never clearly explained why he wasn’t invited back for “The Next Karate Kid,” although he speculated that it was a result of the franchise changing hands:
“I know [director] John G. Avildsen did not direct the film, I know Robert Mark Kamen did not write the film. The original creators were therefore not involved […] My hypothesis was [there was] an idea for the studio to continue, and they convinced Pat to sign on with that idea. »
According to Macchio, he had no tension with anyone – not his former co-star Pat Morita, nor his replacement Hilary Swank – simply because it wasn’t necessary.
Ralph Macchio never talked about The Next Karate Kid with Pat Morita
It happens from time to time: Studios will extract the last dregs of a franchise, with or without the original star. Macchio didn’t mind, but nonetheless, it was understandably odd for the franchise’s poster child for ten years to see someone else hopping on one leg for a change:
“It was a little strange for me. I never really had a conversation with Pat about it afterward. Again, for no apparent reason. It wasn’t like they came up to me and [I] said, ‘Oh no, I’ll never do another one.’ None of this happened. I think it was probably a decision by the studio and the producer at that point: ‘Hey, let’s go in this direction, let’s find another way forward.'”
As for the star who took his place, Macchio says their real-life encounters didn’t lead to them clashing: “I met Hilary Swank once or twice and we had an inner smile about the whole thing. “
The question for many “Cobra Kai” fans, however, is whether we will ever see Swank and Macchio share the screen together. With a third of the final season yet to arrive on Netflix, there’s only one hope for it to continue, as the show’s creators haven’t hinted at any major cameos coming soon.
The Next Karate Kid could still appear in the Cobra Kai universe
Given that almost every notable figure from “The Karate Kid” franchise on both sides of the mat has made an appearance in “Cobra Kai,” Hilary Swank’s Julie Pierce is one of the biggest characters left absent from its series. a six-season run. Fans have spoken about his absence and Macchio himself admitted that a Hilary Swank appearance makes sense.
The creators of “Cobra Kai” have heard this speculation, but they have remained silent on whether it will actually come to the Saikai Taikai. Appearance or not, though, we’ll apparently get some sort of mention at the end. Talk to CBR in November 2024, executive producer Josh Heald answered questions about Julie’s place in the “Cobra Kai” universe:
“We’ll eventually say something about whether or not she’s on the show, and how amazing it is, or why she’s not. But we don’t want to spoil anything by starting to dance around whatever either, because we can’t talk about which legacy characters will be returning and their involvement until it actually happens, or until we can give you a preview.”
We can only hope that in the future of the Miyagi-verse, we’ll find room for “The Next Karate Kid.” After all, there is something for everyone.
