'The Karate Kid' Is Coming Back With A New Series, And Daniel-san Will Be In It

The Karate Kid was one of the movies that defined 80s and 90s teen action movies. It introduced the world to Daniel-san and his wise old teacher, Mr. Miyagi, who taught him to stand up to bullies and defend the weak through karate.

The original movie was a massive success, making back over ten times its budget at the box office. People loved it so much that it went on to spawn two direct sequels, a side-sequel called The Next Karate Kid, and even a remake in 2010 starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan!

While the late Pat Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi, had an established career when starting the series, it did launch the career of Daniel-san himself, Ralph Macchio. He played the character in all three movies, and would go on to have sporadic roles throughout the years, most notably a recurring role on TV's Ugly Betty.

While Macchio's always spoken fondly of his time as Daniel, it never really seemed like the franchise was going to end up anywhere as the years went on, especially considering the fact that the 2010 remake didn't do well financially.

Well it looks like that might change, because Macchio just announced that he'll be returning to the franchise in a new Youtube Red series!

Click to the next page for full info on the new return to the world of The Karate Kid.

Both Macchio and William Zabka, who played Daniel's bully Johnny Lawrence in the original movie, are slated to return for Cobra Kai, a 10-episode series on Youtube Red!

The series will take place 30 years after the third movie, and focus where both characters have ended up in their adulthood. Johnny is down on his luck and decides to re-open the Cobra Kai gym he was so dedicated to, while Danny is struggling without the guidance of Mr. Miyagi.

The show is being scripted by Hot Tub Time Machine writer Josh Heald, along with Harold & Kumar writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, who will direct most of the episodes.

The three gave a public statement about the project, saying;

“Like everyone who grew up in the 1980s, the three of us are enormous fans of The Karate Kid. ‘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.”

What do you think? Are you excited for the return of Daniel and Johnny? Let us know in the Facebook comments!