Karate Kid franchise sequel is making its way to the dojo in 2024

Prepare to relearn the power of balance, for Sony Pictures has announced that a new Karate Kid film is currently in the works. The untitled project is dated for June 7, 2024, and will mark the return of the franchise’s first offering since a 2010 reboot starring Jaden Smith.

No details have been revealed just yet, so it’s unclear who will be appearing in the movie or what the plot entails. It’s likely that it’ll be an extension of the original Karate Kid universe, with some of the cast members from Cobra Kai, the follow-up series to the original trilogy, teasing that the show could soon grow into a cinematic universe. This upcoming project thus presents an opportunity to explore more untold stories in the franchise.

"The thing that’s been created, there’s kind of this Karate Kid Cinematic Universe now where Cobra Kai is, you know, at the centre of that and when that day does come in for a landing, there are other areas to draw from," series star Ralph Macchio recently told Comicbook.com.

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"I mean, whether it’s…is there a Miyagi origin story? Is there a Cobra Kai prequel before The Karate Kid? Is there spin-offs with some of the young cast of these characters? Who knows? But we’re not done as long as we’re given the opportunity to really bring it in. As long as it evolves organically, these guys that write the show really have their finger on the pulse of that."

There’s a high chance that the smashing success of Cobra Kai has prompted the revival of the martial arts classic. The Netflix show is, after all, still going strong after five seasons, as it continues to win fans over with a mix of new faces and legacy characters. In all likelihood, Sony is hoping to ride on its success and replicate that on the silver screen.

Released in 1984, The Karate Kid tells the story of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), a teenager taught karate by Mr Miyagi (Noriyuki Morita) to help defend himself and compete in a tournament against his bullies, one of whom is Jonny Lawrence (William Zabka), the ex-boyfriend of his love interest Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue). The flick then went on to spawn two more direct sequels, starting with The Karate Kid II in 1986.