There will be a sequel series featuring the original actors kicking some more legs.
Cool find Cataphract!
Here’s the original announcement:
AUGUST 04, 2017 5:00am PT by Lesley Goldberg
‘Karate Kid’ TV Sequel, Starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, a Go at YouTube Red (Exclusive)
Photofest
The 10-episode half-hour comedy ‘Cobra Kai,’ exec produced by Will Smith’s Overbrook, landed at the subscription service in a competitive situation following offers from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and AMC. It will debut in 2018.
Wax on, again.
Three decades after The Karate Kid, original stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka are heading back to the dojo. The duo are set to reprise their roles as underdog Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) and bully Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) in a 10-episode straight-to-series follow-up called Cobra Kai for subscription service YouTube Red.
The series, set to bow in 2018, is set 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament and revolves around a down-and-out Johnny who, seeking redemption, reopens the infamous Cobra Kai dojo. It reignites his rivalry with a now-successful Daniel, who has been struggling to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita). The half-hour comedy follows the duo addressing demons from their past and present frustrations — through (what else?) karate.
Josh Heald (Hot Tub Time Machine) as well as duo Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (Harold and Kumar) will pen the script and exec produce. Macchio and Zabka will co-exec produce. Hurwitz and Schlossberg will direct much of the series. Will Smith’s Sony Pictures Television Studios-based Overbrook Entertainment will exec produce with James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett overseeing for the company.
Macchio and Zabka are expected to make an appearance Friday at YouTube’s portion of the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour in Beverly Hills.
"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. We can’t wait to reignite the LaRusso-Lawrence rivalry, and we’re thankful to our partners at YouTube Red, Sony Pictures Television and Overbrook for their shared enthusiasm in making our dream project a reality.”
The series landed at YouTube Red following a competitive bidding process that sources say also included offers from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and AMC after Macchio and Zabka pitched the series all over town. Macchio appeared in all three original Karate Kid features, while Zabka had roles in the first two. “They were enthusiastic and fun,” YouTube global head of originals Susanne Daniels tells THR of the pitch meeting. “I don’t know whether they had rehearsed it, but they played the parts of their characters well. More than anything, it was just amazing to see them together again.”
Daniels, who said Karate Kid still resonates with YouTube users today, noted that the series comes as part of an effort to age up YouTube Red’s demographic from 18-34 to the more advertiser-coveted 18-49 set. “It had all the elements you look for in a strong show. It had heart, it had laughs, it had drama, it had characters with strong points of view. All of it was there in the pitch,” Daniels said.
Asked specifically why they were ditching the familiar Karate Kid title in favor of Cobra Kai, Daniels said it was driven by the story. “If The Karate Kid was Daniel’s story, Cobra Kai is equal parts Daniel and Johnny’s story. Also because this is a series and not a movie, we really wanted to reimagine how the story was told. Changing the name made sense as part of that.”
Sony’s Columbia Pictures distributed the original 1984 feature that went on to become a pop culture staple and spawn two sequels as well as a 1994 revamp with Hilary Swank and a 2010 reboot starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. The latter revival, produced by Smith, Overbrook and Columbia Pictures, grossed $359 million worldwide on a budget of $40 million. All told, the franchise has grossed more than $619 million worldwide.
“Continuing the story of The Karate Kid has been a passion project for all of us, and when Ralph and Billy said yes, we knew it had become real,” said Glenn Adilman, exec vp comedy development at SPTS. “We are thrilled that YouTube Red felt the same thing the minute they heard the pitch and then stepped up with this series commitment.”
In the years since the film’s 1984 debut, Macchio has remained busy with roles in My Cousin Vinny, among others. He next recurs in HBO’s upcoming David Simon drama The Deuce. Zabka, meanwhile, had a recurring guest role in How I Met Your Mother and earned an Oscar nomination in 2004 for his live-action short film Most. Macchio is repped by Untitled, Buchwald and Hansen Jacobson. Zabka is with Advanced Management and attorney Eric Feig.
Hurwitz and Schlossberg are with CAA and Hansen Jacobson; Heald is with Paradigm and attorney Howard Abramson. Cobra Kai is the largest TV foray to date for the CAA-repped Overbrook.
Cobra Kai joins a roster of originals at YouTube Red that includes Step Up, Mind Field, 12 Deadly Days, Sing It and more.
Reboots and revivals continue to be in high demand as broadcast, cable and streaming platforms look for proven hits in a competitive landscape that includes more than 450 scripted originals. Key reboots and revivals in the works include NBC’s Will and Grace — already renewed for another run — as well as ABC’s Roseanne, both of which bring the original stars back for more.
YouTube Red
‘Karate Kid’ Sequel Series With Ralph Macchio, William Zabka Greenlit at YouTube Red
Joe Otterson
TV Reporter
@JoeOtterson
MACCHIO: MJ PHOTOS/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK, ZABKA: COURTESY OF YOUTUBE
AUGUST 4, 2017 | 07:30AM PT
A sequel series to the classic film “The Karate Kid” is set to launch on YouTube Red.
Currently titled “Cobra Kai,” the series would reunite original film stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka. The 10-episode, half-hour series, coming to YouTube Red in 2018, picks up thirty years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. A down-and-out Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo, reigniting his rivalry with a now successful Daniel LaRusso (Macchio), who has been struggling to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi.
“The minute I heard about this project, I knew we had to have it. ‘The Karate Kid’ became an instant classic in the 1980s, and still resonates with audiences around the world and on YouTube today,” said Susanne Daniels, global head of original content for YouTube. “We’re thrilled to partner with Sony TV, Overbrook and the talented writing team led by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg to add a fresh, new comedic twist on one of Hollywood’s most storied rivalries.”
The series is written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg. Heald is the writer behind the cult classic “Hot Tub Time Machine,” while Hurwitz and Schlossberg created the successful “Harold & Kumar” film series and wrote and directed the hit comedy “American Reunion.” Hurwitz and Schlossberg will direct much of the series. James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett will executive produce for Overbrook Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television Studios.
Macchio is repped by Untitled, Buchwald and Hanson, Jacobsen, Teller. Zabka is repped by Advanced Management and Feig Law. Overbrook Entertainment is repped by CAA. Hurwitz and Schlossberg are repped by CAA and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller & Gellman L.L.P. Heald is represented by Paradigm Talent Agency and attorney Howard Abramson.
I don’t really want to subscribe to YouTube Red for this. It’s another $9.99 a month now, and I’m trying to cut back on my streaming fees. 
Sweep the LEG!
There’s an embedded vid behind the link.
Karate Kid sequel series: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka reunite in BTS photo
Plus, the rest of the ‘Cobra Kai’ cast has been announced!
CHANCELLOR AGARD@CHANCELLORAGARD
POSTED ON OCTOBER 24, 2017 AT 2:00PM EDT
Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) are back!
In the exclusive behind-the-scenes photo above, The Karate Kid arch-rivals are all smiles as they reunite on the Atlanta set of Cobra Kai, YouTube Red’s forthcoming sequel series to the 1984 film. The show will see Macchio and Zabka reprising their iconic roles.
MARK HILL
EW can also exclusively reveal that the series will also star Xolo Maridueña (Parenthood), Mary Mouser (Freakish), Tanner Buchanan (Designated Survivor), and Courtney Henggeler (Mom), along with guest-star Ed Asner.
Picking up 30 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, the half-hour series finds Daniel and Johnny at different places in their lives. Whereas Daniel is living his best life as a family man and proud owner of the No. 1 car dealership in the Valley, Johnny has fallen a long way since the ’80s and is now a heavy drinking, short-fused antihero living in Reseda, doing odd jobs to make ends meet. However, their rivalry is reignited when they re-enter each other’s lives, which drives Johnny to rediscover his Cobra Kai roots and reopen the infamous karate dojo.
GILBERT CARRASQUILLO/FILMMAGIC; TODD WILLIAMSON/GETTY IMAGES
Henggeler will play Daniel’s wife and business partner Amanda, the glue that keeps the LaRusso household and dealership running, and a calming force in Daniel’s life. Mouser stars as Samantha, Daniel and Amanda’s firecracker daughter who is learning to navigate the minefield that is high school, straddling the “good girl” and popular teen cliques.
ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ/GETTY IMAGES
Maridueña takes on the role of Miguel Diaz. Raised by a single mother from Ecuador, Miguel struggles with bullies at his new school, until he’s taken under the wing of a Cobra Kai karate master.
AMANDA EDWARDS/GETTY IMAGES
Buchanan is Johnny’s street-smart son Robby Keene. Robby is eager to prove he’s nothing like his dad, even though he’s on his way to making the same mistakes.
ALBERT L. ORTEGA/GETTY IMAGES
Finally, Asner will guest as Johnny’s reluctant stepfather Sid Weinberg, an old-school, hard-nosed, former studio mogul, who is tired of dealing with his stepson’s failures.
Cobra Kai is written and executive produced by Hot Tub Time Machine‘s Josh Heald and Harold and Kumar film series creators Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, both of whom are expected to direct much of the series, which is produced by Overbrook Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television.
The 10-episode series is expected to debut on YouTube Red in 2018.
Casting call
A little late to the boat on this but I’m posting this anyways.
Extras sought for Karate Kid spinoff show in Marietta
Shaddi Abusaid Dec 4, 2017 0
Lights, camera, wax on.
Cobb residents looking to launch their acting careers could catch that big break this week as an upcoming television series centered on the Karate Kid’s adult life shoots its season finale at Kennesaw State University’s Marietta campus.
Casting directors for “Cobra Kai” say they’re looking for extras for the filming of a karate tournament on campus. The series, which is set to air on YouTube Red sometime next year, depicts a grown Daniel LaRusso and rival bully Johnny Lawrence at it again more than three decades later. Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, who portrayed Daniel and Johnny, respectively, in the original 1984 film, have both reprised their roles in the show.
“It pretty much takes place in the adult lives of LaRusso and Lawrence,” said Chaz Yu, casting director for Atlanta-based Marinella Hume Casting. “We’re filming the big karate tournament scene in Marietta.”
Directors are looking for anyone 18 and older to portray tournament goers and event staff at the karate tournament, which will culminate the show’s first season.
Filming for the series began at the beginning of October, and Yu said plans are already in the works for a second season.
Cobra Kai’s producers are also seeking extras with real martial arts experience for the television spinoff, ideally between the ages of 14 and 22, to portray members of the tournament’s six karate teams, and someone at least 35 years old to play the role of a sensei. While martial arts experience is a must for the karate-specific roles, acting experience is not, said Yu.
Cobra Kai begins shooting on campus Thursday and Friday and continues Monday through Wednesday of next week. Aspiring extras do not have to be available all five days, but those looking to play the role of sensei or fill spots on the karate teams must be available Dec. 7, 8, 11, and 12.
Those looking to submit applications for available roles are urged to email recent photos along with their name, age, height, weight, experience (for karate roles), location and phone number to cobra.mhc@gmail.com using the subject line: MARIETTA TOURNAMENT. Submissions for anyone younger than 18 must be completed by a parent or guardian.
The positions are paid, with tournament-goers receiving about $8 per hour and martial arts positions paying about $12.50 per hour.
First-Ever Footage of Cobra Kai - The Karate Kid saga continues
Cobra Kai Trailer 2 Season 1 (2018) Karate Kid Series
Cobra Kai Official Teaser Trailer #3 (Karate Kid) - Sensei Daniel
Official Cobra Kai Trailer - The Karate Kid saga continues
The Karate Kid: Cobra Kai - LaRusso Auto Group | official trailer #5 (2018)
A friend of mine sent me a photo of a billboard in LA that is advertising LaRusso Auto Group and is tagged with graffiti that says ‘Cobra Kai Never Dies’.
1st one’s free
#8 on Trending on YouTube today - Cobra Kai Season 2
Saw the first two episodes
The first two episodes are free (follow the link in my first post). I really enjoyed them. I’m kinda hooked but I don’t want to invest in YouTube Red right now because I’m already subscribed to enough streaming services and I’m way behind on my viewing. Alas. What to do?
Man, I can’t believe I fell for the ol’ “first one’s free” scam again. :o
Cobra Kai is a funny and engaging return to the Karate Kid universe
No one asked me if I wanted a sequel, but I’m **** glad they made one.
JONATHAN M. GITLIN - 5/13/2018, 7:00 AM
This post contains a few spoilers. I’ve tried to keep them minimal, but if you’re the sort who freaks out about that kind of thing, consider this a warning.
Sometimes it feels like we’re drowning in sequels, prequels, and reboots. It’s easy to see why; comfortable and familiar is less risky than new and unknown. But the urge to revisit a successful film or TV show from the past needn’t always be resisted. Sometimes, great things can happen, as in the case of Cobra Kai.
You’ve probably seen advertisements for the new 10-part series on YouTube, and it is surely the highest-profile original content for its YouTube Red service. Cobra Kai is a sequel to The Karate Kid that checks back in on Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence 34 years after their their first showdown at the All-Valley karate tournament. And yes, Ralph Macchio and William Zabka are back in their roles.
The story opens from Lawrence’s point of view, and the past three-and-a-bit decades have not been kind to him. He’s living in a cheap apartment in Reseda, not dissimilar from the one LaRusso moved to from New Jersey in the original movie. Johnny’s a struggling handyman, still driving the same (not-quite so sweet) '84 Pontiac Firebird. Adding insult to injury, he can’t escape his rival’s success; LaRusso owns a chain of upmarket car dealerships, literally looking down on him in traffic from a massive billboard.
Cobra Kai borrows more than just the characters and locations from The Karate Kid, taking the original plot and weaving elements through the season’s arc. A nerdy kid (Miguel Diaz, played by Xolo Maridueña) learns karate to defend himself from a gang of bullies, but it’s Johnny who trains him in a now-reopened Cobra Kai dojo. “Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy” becomes an empowering philosophy for Diaz and his marginalized friends, the ultimate safe space one where anyone picking you on gets their ass beat.
I don’t want to give away too much, because if you had any love at all for the 1984 classic—and it was a classic—you’re bound to enjoy Cobra Kai. Between Johnny’s tale of redemption and a clever retelling of the original story, the show takes itself just seriously enough that it’s frequently funny. It’s not as on-the-nose as the 21 Jump Street movie; going that far would have made it impossible to keep the drama that that made The Karate Kid such a good film. And the best news of all? YouTube just greenlit a second season.
Listing image by Overbrook Entertainment/YouTube
JONATHAN M. GITLIN
Jonathan is the automotive editor at Ars Technica, covering all things car-related. Jonathan lives and works in Washington, D.C.
EMAIL jonathan.gitlin@arstechnica.com // TWITTER @drgitlin
I’m guessing from the review above that the author only saw the first free episodes too. :rolleyes:
I fell for it too
I watched the first two episodes and didn’t subscribe to red. But, I thought the two episodes I did watch were well done and I enjoyed them.
I hear you on the streaming services thing. Man…
Spoiler alert
[SIZE=7]SPOILER ALERT[/SIZE]
[SIZE=7]SPOILER ALERT[/SIZE]
[SIZE=7]SPOILER ALERT[/SIZE]
‘Cobra Kai’: Martin Kove Becomes Series Regular For Season 2 Of YouTube Show
by Nellie Andreeva •
Bryan David Hall
Following Martin Kove’s appearance in the Season 1 finale of Cobra Kai, the Karate Kid alum is joining the cast of YouTube Red’s Karate Kid followup as a series regular for its recently ordered second season. He will continue to reprise his villainous Karate Kid character of John Kreese.
In the critically praised dramedy Cobra Kai, from Sony Pictures Television and Overbrook Entertainment, Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprise their roles from the Karate Kid film franchise. The epic adversaries return to the dojo, thirty years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. A down-and-out Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo, reigniting his rivalry with a now successful Daniel LaRusso (Macchio), who has been struggling to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi.
YouTube Red
In the last scene of Season 1 finale, Kove’s Kreese returned to visit his former student Johnny Lawrence (Zabka), setting up a cliffhanger. The duo’s previous onscreen meeting was in the opening scene of The Karate Kid Part II, in which Kreese was choking out Johnny after he lost to Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) in the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament.
In addition to Macchio and Zabka, Kove also joins returning Cobra Kai series regulars Xolo Mariduena as Miguel Diaz Tanner Buchanan as Robby Keene, Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso and Courtney Henggeler as Amanda LaRusso.
Cobra Kai has been a hugely popular hit for YouTube. Since its debut on May 4, the first episode has generated over 20 million views. Season 2 is set to debut in 2019.
Kove is repped by Gary Ousdahl of Advanced Management.
******. I wish I hadn’t read this. :mad:
The Karate Kid 35th Anniversary
IN THEATERS MAR 31, APR 2
The Karate Kid 35th Anniversary
Practice your wax on, wax off for a special 35th anniversary showing, of the Karate Kid! Ralph Macchio stars as Daniel, a teenager whose growing pains are made that much more difficult by his arrival in a new town where he must start from scratch and make new friends. He quickly becomes the target of the Cobras, a menacing gang of karate students, who are less than pleased when he strikes up a relationship with Ali (Elisabeth Shue), the Cobra leader’s ex-girlfriend. Eager to fight back and impress his new girlfriend, he begs his handyman, Miyagi (Pat Morita), a martial arts master, to teach him karate. Under Miyagi’s wise tutelage, Daniel developed not only the physical skills but also the maturity, faith and self-confidence to compete despite tremendous odds as he encounters the fight of his life in the exciting finale.
This event will also include a custom introduction from Ralph Macchio and William Zabka and a Cobra Kai Season 2 Sneak Peek.
First Look Cobra Kai Season 2 | Official Teaser
What type of Cobra would you rather be? | Cobra Kai
Rolling Stone interview
APRIL 23, 2019 12:44PM ET
Ralph Macchio on ‘Cobra Kai’ and the Legend of ‘The Karate Kid’
The actor talks about reprising his most famous role, his crazed Eighties superfans and the movie’s alternate title that almost was
By BRIAN HIATT
Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso in YouTube Premium’s ‘Cobra Kai.’
Guy D’Alema/YouTube/Sony Pictures Television
“It’s a karate soap opera,” says Ralph Macchio, accurately describing Cobra Kai, the YouTube premium show that revives the Karate Kid universe, with a few twists. Middle-aged Daniel LaRusso is a dad and a car-dealership owner who’s also doing his best to become a Miyagi-style sensei to a new generation of would-be crane-kickers. With a second season debuting April 24th, Macchio discussed the show, the original movie, dealing with Eighties fame, the glories of Crossroads and more.
Seeing a recreation of Mr. Miyagi’s house on the show was unexpectedly moving. What was that like for you?
Well, the house they used in the original Karate Kid film was sold and torn down — and then they had to build it on the back lot of what was Columbia Pictures for parts two and three, and it changed a little bit. Now we shoot exteriors in Los Angeles, but a lot of the stuff is shot in Atlanta, so we had to figure out how to pull that off. That was part of the early discussion: I said, “OK, so how do we disguise it not being exactly the house, because it’s not.” Hey, it’s 30 years. Anything could have happened to it!
Mark Hamill told me about being emotionally overwhelmed when he walked back onto the Millennium Falcon after three decades.
I was the same. Because Pat Morita is no longer with us, nor is director John Avildsen and the producer Jerry Weintraub. But more so because the first day I worked on the Miyagi set, in the backyard, it was a scene with Robby, us painting the fence side by side, going opposite directions. We rehearsed the scene, and I just, “Wow, this is where the magic all happened.” It was emotional because some of my friends that I made that movie with are no longer here. And also, from the get-go when they pitched this idea, I needed to have those moments, the legacy of what Miyagi brought to Danny LaRusso’s life. It’s important that it was peppered throughout the Cobra Kai series, and they assured me of that. Because I remember shooting those scenes in the movie more than getting my ass kicked. Because those are just like, “Is this over yet?”
Then on the flip side, on the personal side, it’s me as someone who is not 18 anymore, or 16 anymore, or 25 or 35 or 45 anymore, saying, “Wow.” It was just a realization of how much time has gone by. Not that deep, dark place like, “Oh my God, I’m old now,” which is true if you’re my kids, but it’s the nostalgia of life. Most of the time that I’m talking to, say, someone like you or someone on the street for maybe the first time, the conversation is funneled into a small section of time in my life, which is not the norm. So Cobra Kai is just going back to that same section of time, which is now 34-plus years ago. It’s kind of wonderful and beautiful, and on the flip side it’s like, wow, that is a long time ago.
It’s hard to convey to young people just how famous you were in the Eighties. What was your experience of it like?
I guess it was overwhelming at times. I always kept one foot in and one foot out of Hollywood. I lived in the ’burbs of Long Island, not far from where I live now. When I wasn’t working, that’s where I would go. I had attention there — it was like the map of the only star’s home. I was the only guy. It was me and two hockey players. Going to a mall on a Saturday probably wasn’t something I was apt to do. The most difficult was when I was on Broadway in a play with Robert De Niro and Burt Young, and The Karate Kid 2 had just come out. I was at the Longacre theater, and then just up the street the movie was playing, so when I would come out to the street, that was like… I’m not saying the Beatles at Shea Stadium, but it was crazy.
I watched your first audition for Karate Kid, and your naturalism is incredible. I also saw someone said you came off as obnoxious.
That was probably the writer, Robert [Mark Kamen]. Obnoxious is the wrong word. You could have said maybe a little cocky. I don’t know if you’d describe me as obnoxious, but hey, listen, sometimes I’m in it. I can’t step back and look.
Were you, at that point, very confident in your abilities?
Yeah. I think I had an aura of confidence. Where it came from, I have no idea.
When you went into The Outsiders, were you confident?
I was confident I wanted that particular part, and I didn’t want to read for another part. I just wanted that. But Coppola wanted everybody to read for a different role. I said, “I just want this part.” I had the balls to say that. I knew who Francis Ford Coppola was; I knew who I was in the room with. So it’s interesting. I probably would say that now, too. That’s just the essence of me. I read that book. I connected to The Outsiders when I was 12 years old, and when they were doing the movie I had to be in it, and I had to play that part. That doesn’t happen often and may never happen again. I did have, and probably still do have, a little defiance and cockiness, and that’s bled into LaRusso and that makes him entertaining. A guy who has such knowledge about balance and inner peace and all those Miyagi-isms and philosophies, but when the wrong guy rubs him, he goes to his childhood ways — that makes him entertaining.
So when they first brought the Karate Kid script to you, do you remember your first reaction?
I didn’t like the title. A lot of people didn’t like the title. They kept trying to change it.
Was there a leading candidate?
The Moment of Truth, which was the end-credit song, was what it was called in France and other countries where martial arts weren’t big. The Moment of Truth is kind of a lame, forgettable title. But with Karate Kid, Jerry Weintraub said, “You know, it’s a great title because it’s a terrible title.” I said, “Yeah, but if the thing’s ever a hit, I’m probably going to have to carry this for the rest of my life.” And here we are.
How about the script itself?
I thought the script was corny at times. The Miyagi character, there was a little bit of humor, but they wanted to cast Toshiro Mifune. But he didn’t speak English! The human Yoda that was Pat Morita was perfect. They didn’t want Pat Morita at first. Jerry Weintraub and the studio said no way: “No Arnold from Happy Days. Not going to happen!” John Avildsen just said, “You have to watch this tape.” And now the footage of Pat’s first reading and mine, you can see it on YouTube, and Avildsen cut that together. That was his first reading and my first reading, and what’s most intriguing about that footage, it was just me and John Avildsen. He had a big video camera. There was a line of guys out in the hallway of his apartment; one after the other, he just brought them in. When I watched that, and I watched myself listening to him, a little nervous — as my wife would say, “You keep touching your nose.” I was nervous. But when I read the scene, that’s LaRusso.
continued next post
Continued from previous post
William Zabka and Ralph Macchio on the set of ‘Cobra Kai.’ Photo credit: YouTube/Sony Pictures Television
Were you doing an East Coast accent or was that just your accent?
That was just me. I amped it up because I knew in reading the script [Daniel] didn’t back down. I just thought of a couple of kids in my junior high and high school that had that kind of won’t-leave-well-enough-alone quality or knee-jerk kind of cockiness.
It turns out that a Long Island accent and New Jersey accent aren’t much different.
It’s the same. We’re just a couple of rivers away.
Once, Springsteen said, introducing Billy Joel, they were once one landmass.
That is right. That’s a good point.
The thing about returning to The Karate Kid now is, you only had this one shot. That must have added extra pressure to make it right.
I think the difference this time, one: timing. It just felt to me like two years from when I said yes might have been too late. But more so, Jon [Hurwitz], Josh [Heald], and Hayden [Schlossberg], our three creators, are super Karate Kid fanboys. They know so much more about those movies than I did. It informed their childhoods, so they feel like they have the Holy Grail. They are treating it with such respect, yet they come from Harold & Kumar and Hot Tub Time Machine, so they know how to write comedy for right now. It felt like these guys can marry today’s teen dialogue with yesterday’s nostalgia and make it feel all fresh. But jumping in, I didn’t know how cold that water was, how deep it was. Billy Zabka, the same way. It was tough.
It was already your most famous role, and this is making it even more so. What about that aspect?
Is it going to typecast me further? I didn’t think of that as much. Daniel’s a different human being. He’s 35 years older. It’s the same universe, but a different world. The tone is a little bit different even though there’s the goosebumps and all that stuff that The Karate Kid had. Certainly there are some people that will probably say, “Oh, he’s playing that role again.” And that’s fine. I try to balance it with shows like The Deuce and whatever else is in the on-deck circle now.
Did you actually go back and watch the movies before you did this?
I watched the first one. I watched it, but it didn’t inform how I approached it more than it connected me to certain things. I’m on point, just taking it a little bit to the left. One of the interesting things with viewing the Karate Kid film is you’re following that kid. The camera’s on his shoulder, and you’re living every frame through Danny LaRusso. When I showed the film to my kids, say 15 years ago, all of a sudden I viewed that film from the perspective of Mr. Miyagi because I was looking at this kid that would not listen, and he was less interesting to me than Miyagi was. So I gained a new perspective on the same — and it is something we’re bringing.
By the way, I don’t know if you know how big a deal Crossroads was to guitar players in the Eighties.
Hey, man, I’m talking to Rolling Stone!
Yeah, exactly. I guess you learned enough guitar to be able to master the finger movements?
Yeah. I mastered the look of where they should be, but getting that sound? That ain’t happening. I still have that Telecaster, though. That’s a cool guitar. I’ve had musicians make crazy offers for the guitar. And I have the ’47 Ford convertible from The Karate Kid, which is in this show now.
You can neither really play guitar nor do karate?
Not to that expertise level. I have a couple of confrontations in Season Two, and there’s one or two really pretty good kicks that are all me.
What sticks in your memory from filming Crossroads?
Shooting the battle, the duel at the end, the first time, with the crowd in there. The assistant director pumping everybody up, this is the guy you’re rooting for and this is the devil, and us shooting it with five cameras straight through. It was the dream rock-star moment for me. And then in real life I couldn’t get “Mary Had a Little Lamb” out of the **** thing!
Finally, after rewatching My Cousin Vinny, I have to say it’s easy to underestimate what you had to do in that movie amongst the flashier comedic performances.
We had to care for those two kids. Oh, the funny stuff wouldn’t have been half as funny. It wouldn’t have had any gravity to it, any weight to it. That movie gets funnier every time. The thing with My Cousin Vinny is that every setup pays off beautifully, better than you had hoped. And when you know it’s coming, it’s even better. I call it the late-for-dinner movie. If it’s on, you’re gonna be late for dinner, because you just can’t stop. One more scene, one more scene.
The I-shot-the-clerk bit is so fantastic.
We actually had to go back and redo that because we got notes from 20th Century Fox: “We need it to be a statement, but sound like a question.” We went, “I shot the clerk. I shot the clerk. I shot the clerk.” We’re doing take after take, and I don’t know which one. It’s probably the first one we used. It had to be a question and a statement. It’s like a dessert wax. I don’t know. “I shot the clerk? I shot the clerk.” They were concerned it was too much of a question. I said, it is a comedy. You know, it’s great to be a part of that, The Outsiders, and as you mentioned, Crossroads and Karate Kid. In that small window of time, it’s a couple of films that still stand the test of time and still play. That doesn’t happen too often, so I consider myself fortunate.
Nice interview. Rolling Stone still brings it.