The Karate Kid franchise is coming back to theaters. How or with whom, exactly, we don’t yet know. Sony Pictures just sent out a press release detailing some new additions and changes to its release schedule and right at the top was the following: “Karate Kid (Columbia Pictures) – June 7, 2024" followed by the phrase “The return of the original Karate Kid franchise.” That’s almost 40 years to the day that the first film was released.
When io9 followed up with Sony, the company refused to give more information than that. But considering the massive, massive success of Netflix’s Cobra Kai, you have to assume this film is some kind of continuation/conclusion of that show, right? Is this where Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Julie Pierce (Hilary Swank) finally combine all of their Mr. Miyagi knowledge? Was a movie the only way to lure Swank back into the fold? We have so many questions and, for now, exactly zero answers. But the use of the word “original” makes it fairly clear this will not have anything to do with the Jackie Chan/Jaden Smith remake. It’s of note there was another report earlier this summer about a new Karate Kid film with similar DNA to the original, but that was reportedly unrelated to the rest of the franchise. io9 also contacted a representative for the Cobra Kai creators and will update this post if or when we hear back.
Then, a day after this news broke, Cobra Kai co-creator Jon Hurwitz addressed the film on Twitter and, well, I guess blow up all that speculation above. “The guys and I would love to make Karate Kid and Cobra Kai movies and hope to someday,” he tweeted. “But this one isn’t from us or focused on the Cobra Kai cast. Don’t know much about it, but wish it well.”
So is this movie not a continuation of the original franchise? What the heck is this movie? We don’t know. What we do know about Sony’s upcoming schedule however, is that two upcoming Spider-Man Universe movies, Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web, have both been moved. Kraven the Hunter, originally scheduled for release January 13, 2023, will now be October 6, 2023. And Madame Web, originally scheduled on that October 6, 2023 date, will be out February 16, 2024. Additionally, an Untitled Sony/Marvel Universe originally scheduled for release June 7, 2024, was moved back to July 12, 2024.
There were a few other changes too. You’re going to have to wait longer for Garfield, for example. But we still can’t get over that somehow, The Karate Kid franchise is coming back to the big screen.
This article was updated at 6:15 p.m. September 16 to add in the report from Murphy’s Multiverse and our attempt to reach the Cobra Kai showrunners’ team.
It was updated again at 6:15 p.m. September 17 with Hurwitz’s comment.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.