Cobra Kai

[Cataphract]

There will be a sequel series featuring the original actors kicking some more legs.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/karate-kid-youtube-series-ralph-macchio-william-zabka-offer-details-1026965

[GeneChing]

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) (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/karate-kid-tv-sequel-starring-ralph-macchio-william-zabka-a-go-at-youtube-red-1014453)

http://cdn5.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2017/06/karate_kid_1984_21_-_h_2017.jpg
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.

[GeneChing]

‘Karate Kid’ Sequel Series With Ralph Macchio, William Zabka Greenlit at YouTube Red (http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/karate-kid-sequel-series-youtube-red-ralph-macchio-william-zabka-1202515772/)
Joe Otterson
TV Reporter
@JoeOtterson

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/ralph-macchio-william-zabka.jpg?w=670&h=377&crop=1
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 (https://www.youtube.com/red) for this. It's another $9.99 a month now, and I'm trying to cut back on my streaming fees. :(

[GeneChing]

There's an embedded vid behind the link.


Karate Kid sequel series: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka reunite in BTS photo (http://ew.com/tv/2017/10/24/karate-kid-sequel-series-ralph-macchio-william-zabka-reunion-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.

https://ewedit.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/lsjeieieinvk.jpg
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.

https://ewedit.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/mary-mouser-and-courtney-henggeler.jpg?w=2700
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.

https://ewedit.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/gettyimages-685601306.jpg?w=2700
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.

https://ewedit.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/gettyimages-697043306.jpg?w=2700
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.

https://ewedit.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/gettyimages-845136850-1.jpg?w=2700
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.

[GeneChing]

A little late to the boat on this but I'm posting this anyways.


Extras sought for Karate Kid spinoff show in Marietta (http://www.mdjonline.com/cobb_business_journal/extras-sought-for-karate-kid-spinoff-show-in-marietta/article_2f13f66e-d963-11e7-9e9d-97a259138901.html)
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.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLtYmhj-0Kg

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZdlDXHYgxk

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIaVdlcDRA0

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCwwxNbtK6Y

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imFANh8ecG8

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'.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rB36UGoP4Y

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIV3xNz8NoM

[GeneChing]

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 (https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/05/youtubes-karate-kid-sequel-cobra-kai-shouldnt-work-yet-it-does/)
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.

https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/cobra-kai-william-zabka.jpg

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:

[David Jamieson]

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...

[GeneChing]

SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT


‘Cobra Kai’: Martin Kove Becomes Series Regular For Season 2 Of YouTube Show (http://deadline.com/2018/05/cobra-kai-martin-kove-series-regular-season-2-youtube-red-show-1202397797/)
by Nellie Andreeva •

http://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/img_8495.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C1120px%2C751px&resize=446%2C299
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.

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/cobra-kai.jpg?w=328&h=169
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:

[GeneChing]

IN THEATERS MAR 31, APR 2
The Karate Kid 35th Anniversary (https://www.fathomevents.com/events/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.

https://fesapusewebsite.blob.core.windows.net/fathom/76ce27b249bc12455178e0db50dcf5ed.jpg

This event will also include a custom introduction from Ralph Macchio and William Zabka and a Cobra Kai Season 2 Sneak Peek.

THREADS
The Karate Kid (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48261-The-Karate-Kid)
Cobra Kai, Karate Kid sequel (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai-Karate-Kid-sequel)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3RqajyxUco

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGDUtgHn5_s

[GeneChing]

APRIL 23, 2019 12:44PM ET
Ralph Macchio on ‘Cobra Kai’ and the Legend of ‘The Karate Kid’ (https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-features/ralph-macchio-interview-cobra-kai-season-2-karate-kid-825860/)
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

https://www.rollingstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ralph-macchio-cobra-kai.jpg?crop=900:600&width=1910
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

[GeneChing]

https://www.rollingstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cobra-kai-ralph-zabka.jpg?w=722
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.

[GeneChing]

Sweet! I've been wanting to watch more of this. Changing the title from 'Cobra Kai, Karate Kid YouTube Red series' to just 'Cobra Kai'.


YouTube renews Cobra Kai for season 3, makes all shows free (https://ew.com/tv/2019/05/02/cobra-kai-season-3-renewed/)
By Kristen Baldwin May 02, 2019 at 07:45 PM EDT

Cobra Kai
TYPE TV Show
GENRE Comedy, Action
NETWORK YouTube

If you still haven’t checked out Cobra Kai — YouTube’s surprisingly wonderful Karate Kid sequel series — pretty soon you’ll have no excuses left. The streaming service announced Thursday that not only will the half-hour martial arts dramedy be back for a third season in 2020, it will no longer require a paid subscription to watch.

https://ewedit.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/cobra-kai-season-2-cob_202-20181004-gd_0035_rgb.jpg
GUY D'ALEMA/SONY

Beginning this fall, all YouTube original programming will be available for free — with ads, of course. Season 2 of Cobra Kai will begin streaming for free starting Sept. 11, with one episode dropping each week. Season 1, however, will only be free for two weeks, from Aug. 29 to Sept. 11.

YouTube announced several other series and specials during its presentation, including the Untitled Top Secret Justin Bieber Project to debut in 2020 — “YouTube is where Justin got his start, rose to fame and continues to serve a legion of fans all over the world,” the streamer said in a statement — and a second season of the exercise-themed unscripted comedy Kevin Hart: What the Fit. Also on the docket: the Untitled Paris Hilton Documentary, in which the celebrity socialite will “open up about trying to make peace with her past while contending with the excitement and challenges of her current global endeavors.”

[GeneChing]

...I'm still crushing on Ali. Any guy (and even a few gals) in my gen who saw Karate Kid when it came out is with me, I'm sure.


'Cobra Kai' Star Ralph Macchio Opens up on Possibility of 'Karate Kid' Actress Elisabeth Shue's Return (https://popculture.com/streaming/2019/06/05/cobra-kai-ralph-macchio-elisabeth-shue-karate-kid-possible-return-season-3/?fbclid=IwAR1Cox7HfonCpKt9IUzDoSyYuptW6RsLdgeBSXga oaUBC2LY0U2mVpsnI3Y)
By TANIA HUSSAIN - June 5, 2019 08:26 pm EDT

https://external-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=AQB1WPZylOGzLJ2Z&w=540&h=282&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.popculture.com%2F2019%2F06 %2Fralph-macchio-elisabeth-shue-cobra-kai-20062458-640x320.jpeg&cfs=1&upscale=1&fallback=news_d_placeholder_publisher&_nc_eui2=AeFZWK1Q__jxJxk_Fc96OXUMMRtKwmKhHPEpswpiE OUEEju_wa8IeJPgzMofkIKYKB34pcyrcW2y2R6dXYHnXRcSzfQ kT7YRvBBAc4eVMomAcQ&_nc_hash=AQDhqO2H6wmgmLID

Cobra Kai has not only charmed audiences with its inimitable revival of the beloved ‘80s classic The Karate Kid, but the spinoff series has captured the attention of fans all over for its explosive cliffhangers every season — and this past May’s was no different.

Following the events from the Season 2 finale, which left fans on the edge of their seats and teased the likely return of Elisabeth Shue’s character from the 1984 film, Cobra Kai and Karate Kid star, Ralph Macchio opened up to PopCulture.com exclusively about the possibility of seeing Ali Mills reappear in the franchise.


“No one will confirm or deny that, but they certainly approached [her] and have questioned it,” Macchio, who plays Daniel LaRusso in the iconic franchise, told PopCulture.com. “We know that she really enjoyed the show and sees the quality of the show. So yeah, I think the door is open for something there.”

In the final moments of the Season 2 episode, “No Mercy,” fans will recall how the jaw-dropping episode teased Ali’s probable return when Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) threw his cellphone away, with cameras capturing one last shot showing a friend request from Ali Mills Schwarber — the ex-girlfriend of both Daniel (Macchio) and Johnny.

While the showrunners admitted in past interviews that they would like to leave it with a question mark for fans of a workable return, the 57-year-old actor is optimistic — especially since the show has done so well compared to other revivals and reboots in recent years.

“This one really is smart,” Macchio said, adding how he is unsure though how a return from Ali will come about, whether it translates to a phone call, a story arc, a whole season or even just an episode. “Nothing’s locked or confirmed. But as far as the writer’s room, it’s just opened. There’s a lot of cleaning up to do after that cliffhanger and what happened.”

The cliffhanger Macchio is talking about not only disturbed fans among social media who were in awe during those final moments of the season, but left a major character’s life in balance that the New York native believes will permeate throughout Season 3.

“There’s a lot of devastation in the end that has to be sifted through, and all these characters have a journey ahead of them,” Macchio said. “And that’s the whole point. We want to keep this going for many seasons. And to tie it all up [with like, Elisabeth], to get Ross and Rachel together right now — then the show’s over. You have to be careful.”

The show has been most clever in both its execution and writing since its debut on YouTube as an original series in 2018, proving itself to be a winner among the revival renaissance hitting the realm of television programming in recent years. Pleasantly blending ‘80s nostalgia and well-written characters, Macchio is incredibly proud of the series and knew it was something special when he was first approached by showrunners, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald to be part of it.

“I come off a lot more intelligent than I probably am,” Macchio laughed, adding how he had a feeling it would take off with audiences. “Because when something works out this well, well that’s why I waited… I knew that this was the only one. I certainly did wait a very long time.”

With Cobra Kai officially returning for Season 3 in 2020 thanks to its growing success and viewership, YouTube is putting its weight on the fruitful series in hopes to catapult it toward even greater heights through a newly inked deal with Enterprise — a partnership Macchio is eager about since he gets to be playful with his co-star and friend, Zabka.

“Once we got all the elements together, we really wanted to make the ad about William Zabka and Ralph Macchio going into Enterprise, having good intentions of renting a vehicle, just like friendly,” Macchio said of the ad campaign, which is his first starring spot with Zabka ever. “As soon as they look at the cars [though], they each have to get one that’s better than the other [and] it sort of morphs into the ‘Johnny Lawrence and Danny LaRusso’ rivalry, even though it stars the Macchio and Zabka friendship.”

Macchio adds how the partnership feels like a “nice marriage” for the show and company, considering his on-screen character Daniel owns an auto group.

“The fact that Danny LaRusso’s livelihood besides martial arts is in auto dealerships that he has with his wife, and that he runs, it was a nice tie-in to do that,” Macchio adds. “It was a lot of fun and fun to shoot too.”

But just because Macchio is part of the campaign, doesn’t mean the star has had a chance to test drive his dream car just yet.

“Yeah, that’s next,” Macchio laughed. “I definitely have to test drive the dream car!”

Cobra Kai and its first two seasons are currently streaming on YouTube.


Photo credit: Getty Images / Columbia Pictures

[GeneChing]

...and now Johnny?


'Cobra Kai' Star William Zabka Addresses Rumors of 'Karate Kid' Actress Elisabeth Shue's Return (https://popculture.com/streaming/2019/06/07/cobra-kai-william-zabka-elisabeth-shue-karate-kid-return-season-3-rumors/)
By TANIA HUSSAIN - June 7, 2019 03:30 pm EDT

After a season finale that left fans stunned and disturbed with an array of questions, Cobra Kai star William Zabka is addressing rumors of his former Karate Kid co-star’s possible return.

Zabka, best known for playing Johnny Lawrence in the iconic martial arts franchise, chatted with PopCulture.com about those final moments of Cobra Kai’s Season 2 finale that has fans wondering if Elisabeth Shue’s character, Ali Mills is officially back.

“Yeah, there’s no secret that there’s talk about it,” Zabka laughed. “I believe she’s been approached and hopefully there could be a couple spots with her where she’s kind of open to the possibility, and that’s as much as I know.”

Shue’s character Ali might not have returned to YouTube’s successful Karate Kid spinoff in 2018, but she has appeared in several flashbacks. During an episode in Season 1, Daniel (Ralph Macchio) reveals to Johnny that their former girlfriend is now married and living in Denver as a pediatric surgeon. Still thinking about her from time to time, Johnny mentions her periodically throughout Season 2, even disclosing the 35-year-old question of why the two broke up in the first place as noted in the 1984 movie.

However, the biggest shock to fans appeared during this past May’s season 2 finale when a distraught Johnny threw his cellphone away, only for the last shot of the episode showing Ali Mills had sent him a friend request on Facebook.

“I’m rooting for Ali with Johnny,” Zabka tells PopCulture.com. “She’s been a huge part of Johnny, she’s a big part of The Karate Kid, [Elisabeth’s] a wonderful actress, and she’d be a great addition to the show, so I’m rooting for it, but I’m in the dark at this moment.”

While Johnny and Daniel have their highs and lows in terms of mending their relationship, Zabka admits if Ali came back into the equation on Cobra Kai, things would definitely take a turn for the two characters.

“I imagine Ali would step in and turn around some things that we would not expect,” Zabka said, adding how she would be more than just an object between Johnny and Daniel. “I think she’s going to come in with some guts and turn it on a tad. But you know, Daniel’s married now. If he were single, it might be a little different.”

Zabka admits if Shue returns as Ali in Season 3, there might also be a little tension brewing between Daniel and his wife. However, if it does indeed go that way, there’s a lot more going on than fans have witnessed throughout the first two seasons.

“If it works for him, then [Daniel’s] got some deeper things to work through because he has a lovely family that Johnny wouldn’t mind having,” Zabka laughed. “But you know, he’s kind of got it all right now, so if his ex-girlfriend from high school steps in and confuses him, then that’ll be fun to watch.”

Zabka adds that as far as he is concerned with his character, “Ali is the one that got away.”

“No one has ever filled that part of his heart again,” he said. “So it would be really exciting to see what happens when the two come together. But again, I think it’s going to be something, if it happens, that is completely unexpected and you could never predict it… but wonderful.”

The 53-year-old actor admits that his character has been “through a lot,” joking, “just give him one trophy and let him breathe.” However, he adds that Johnny has had a rough go from since the end of The Karate Kid.

“But he’s got a heart of gold, he’s trying to make it all work, but he’s downloaded everything he is from some people that weren’t the best influences,” Zabka said of his character, adding how Johnny is now on the path to redemption. “You couldn’t ask for a better part to act regardless if it’s a continuation of Karate Kid or not. It’s just a fantastic viewpoint, and it’s super fun to play.”

Zabka adds that the love from fans for Cobra Kai is something he is incredibly humbled by, adding that the “response has been amazing.”

“I’ll do it as long as they’re loving it,” Zabka said.

Good news for fans of the YouTube series: Cobra Kai recently got picked up for Season 3, and will return to the streaming service with new episodes in 2020.

All episodes of Cobra Kai are currently streaming on YouTube.

Photo credit: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images/Columbia Pictures

[GeneChing]

There's a vid. Ironic about Will Smith given the remake.


JUNE 21, 2019 10:15am PT by Aaron Couch, Patrick Shanley
Ralph Macchio on 'Karate Kid' at 35 and the Film Role He Beat Will Smith For (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/karate-kid-star-ralph-macchio-reveals-he-beat-will-smith-a-role-1220191)

The star also reveals the joke he made about an 'Outsiders' co-star that led to the film's well-known poster.
For Ralph Macchio, things have a way of coming full circle.

In the early '90s he found himself reading for a role in My Cousin Vinny. Director Jonathan Lynn liked him for the part, but the studio didn't, seeing him simply as "that guy from The Karate Kid."

It turns out that among those up for the role of Bill Gambini was Will Smith, still a few years away from becoming the biggest movie star in the world with 1996's Independence Day.

"Ben Stiller and Will Smith, that's who the studio wanted. Even though he's written as Vinny's cousin, they said, 'We'll figure that out later," Macchio says in this week's episode of Heat Vision Breakdown. "Will actually came in to read, and we read together for My Cousin Vinny at one point."

The part of Bill Gambini, cousin to Joe Pesci's Vinny, ultimately went to Macchio.

Macchio is now celebrating the 35th anniversary of The Karate Kid, the 1984 hit that spawned sequels, the ongoing YouTube series Cobra Kai and a 2010 remake ... starring Will Smith's son, Jaden. The elder Smith spoke to Macchio ahead of that film.

"He called me once they decided to make a remake of The Karate Kid in 2010. My opening line was, 'The last time I saw you was when we auditioned for My Cousin Vinny,'" says Macchio. "'That's the first and last time I got the part and you didn't.' We had fun."

Looking back at Karate Kid, Macchio still treasures the time he spent with Pat Morita, who played his onscreen mentor Mr. Miyagi. In 2005, Macchio was asked to give Morita's eulogy.

"I was nervous about what to say, so I didn't do a lot of prep outside of speaking from my heart and knowing how rare it is have that sort of piece of magic," says Macchio of their collaborations. "I always call my relationship with him and those performances a bit of soulful magic. ... There's one line I had in my head that I wanted to end with when I spoke of him and what he meant of me. 'Forever my sensei.' It came to me on the plane out to Vegas, which is where the services were, ... and I'm proud of it."

In addition to Karate Kid, Macchio was part of another iconic '80s film: Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders, which featured stars such as Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon and Diane Lane. It also boasts a well-remembered poster, showing its leading men cracking up.

Macchio notes he was responsible for those laughs by taking a crack at one of his co-stars. The gang was taking group shots, and there was a table of food meant for the cast.

"One of the production guys behind the cameras said 'all the food over here is for the talent.' He was telling the crew guys," says Macchio. "Leif Garrett was walking by and I said, 'Remember, Leif, he said that's just for the talent!' It got this big laugh. … We laugh about it to this day. Everybody cracked up and there's this picture."

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/2017/03/the_outsiders_-_h_-_1983.jpgt
The Outsiders

Cobra Kai season two is available now on YouTube, with a third season gearing up. Watch Macchio's full interview at the top of the post.




AARON COUCH
aaron.couch@thr.com
AaronCouch

PATRICK SHANLEY
patrick.shanley@THR.com
@pshanley88



THREADS
The Karate Kid (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48261-The-Karate-Kid)
Cobra Kai, Karate Kid sequel (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai-Karate-Kid-sequel)

[GeneChing]

I was planning on attending this panel at SDCC but I didn't make it. I can't remember what distracted me away from it now. There was so much to do at SDCC. It's really an overwhelming event. :o


‘Cobra Kai’ Cast Talks Season 3 At Comic-Con (https://etcanada.com/news/476163/cobra-kai-cast-talks-season-3-at-comic-con/)
By BRENT FURDYK. 18 Jul 2019 11:37 PM

https://shawetcanada.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/gettyimages-1162874121.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&w=670&h=447&crop=1&zoom=2
William Zabka and Ralph Macchio - Amy Sussman/Getty Images — Getty Images

The cast and producers of YouTube’s “Cobra Kai” appeared at Comic-Con on Thursday, and kicked off the opening day of the annual nerd-fest by spilling some news about the upcoming third season of the “Karate Kid” spinoff.

Stars William Zabka (Johnny Lawrence) and Ralph Macchio (Daniel Russo, a.k.a. “Daniel-san”) were on hand for the “Cobra Kai” session, with showrunner Josh Heald revealing the third season will see Macchio’s character return to Japan.

“Season three is a lot how to move forward and in that construct we also find the Cobra Kai and Miyagi Do sides of our journey moving inwardly,” he told the crowd (via IndieWire).

“We dig a little into the origin of both Miyagi Do and Cobra Kai,” he added, “and in that journey we will see Daniel LaRusso return to Okinawa.”

Also participating in the panel was Martin Kove (Sensei Kreese), who is hopeful his character will be able to redeem himself after ousting Johnny as head of the Cobra Kai dojo.

“Coming up soon, I think there’s a lot of redemption,” said Kove. “I think there should be. But if there isn’t, I think that’ll be a really good dance.”

While “Cobra Kai” currently airs on YouTube’s paid subscription service, YouTube Premium, the first two seasons will soon be available to watch for free; Season 1 episodes will all be released for free on Aug. 29, while Season 2 episodes will be released, one episode per week, starting Sept. 11.

[GeneChing]

https://www.syfy.com/sites/syfy/files/styles/2280x1280/public/2019/08/cobrakai_still2_2.jpg
Credit: YouTube Premium

EMMY CONTENDER: THE REAL MARTIAL ARTS AND STUNTS BEHIND COBRA KAI'S BIGGEST BRAWL Contributed by (https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/emmy-contender-the-real-martial-arts-and-stunts-behind-cobra-kais-biggest-brawl)
Jennifer Vineyard
Aug 26, 2019

Welcome to Emmy Contenders 2019. This month, SYFY WIRE is speaking to a long list of actors, artists, and artisans whose work earned them Emmy nominations this year. Today we speak with Hiro Koda and Jahnel Curfman, the Emmy-nominated stunt coordinators for YouTube's Cobra Kai.

It's rare for a simple school fight to morph into an all-out brawl, but that's what happened in the season finale of YouTube Premium's Cobra Kai. First Tory took a swing at Samantha. Then Robby gave Tory a shove in response. And then Miguel — understandably confused about what was going on — took a running leap at Robby. And that was all it took. When Hawk shouted out, "It is on!" all the Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai teens were swept up in a school-wide melee — demonstrating that even a little martial-arts knowledge can be a dangerous thing in the hands of immature kids.

Making sure that all the complicated action in this episode worked — without anyone getting killed, preferably — was the job of stunt coordinators Hiro Koda and Jahnel Curfman. SYFY WIRE asked the husband-and-wife team about their methods for creating maximum action, and they explained all.


https://vimeo.com/355838118

You have a young cast with variable levels of martial arts proficiency. Xolo Maridueña, who plays Miguel, had minimal experience. Taylor Buchanan, who plays Robby, came in with a bit of taekwondo training. Jacob Bertrand, who plays Hawk, has a purple belt in karate. How does that affect how you plan a fight?

Curfman: Yeah. You know, we got to do a little bit more in Season 2, because at this point, all the kids have been taking and training in karate, even if most of the cast had little to no training coming into it. So it's actually been a natural progression of their skill and talent improving. At the beginning of the story, they had just started karate in real-life training, and their characters were just starting karate, so it's been nice that the training has paralleled the story in that sense.

Apparently, part of your method is that you shoot the fight choreography on a Steadicam and do previz for big sequences, as a way to work out the stunts and then show the actual Steadicam operator how to shoot them? How did that start? And how unique is that?

Koda: We shoot our own projects, and I do previz for especially big sequences like that fight. It's like a blueprint for when we go to shoot on the day. Back in the early 2000s, I interviewed for a job on the TV show Birds of Prey, which only lasted one season. They gave me a script, I picked one of the fights, I shot a previz with some friends, and I brought that into my job interview, which was back before previz was even a thing. The director on the pilot, Brian Robbins, later told me, "You're new to the business, your resume wasn't as good as some of the other people who came in here, but what got you the job was that previz. You shot the fight and it was like, 'This kid's got something new.'" It wasn't something they had seen before.

Now I feel like I'm one of the pioneers of creating previz for stunt coordinators, although it's becoming more of the norm. There are more people demanding them because they are very helpful and useful for the director. He can then make his notes and say, "This is what I liked. I don't like this. Get rid of this. Put this in," like that. Some people just shoot the sequence in wide shots, but I tend to shoot and edit it together so it looks more like the final sequence, and so you can get the feeling of what it's going to be like. And if there are any visual effects that need to be put into it, sometimes I do some visual effects on my own as well. Instead of saying, "Well, here's where this monster comes in," I will put something in there so they can kind of see it and understand.

https://www.syfy.com/sites/syfy/files/styles/2200xauto/public/cobrakai_pic.jpg
Credit: YouTube Premium

So what's the process when you have a fight like this one? You had a total of four days, which is a big-time crunch.

Koda: Four days, but really three-and-a-half days, because they had a half-day of acting stuff too. What we pride ourselves on is really keeping the story flowing, and really trying to tell the story through action.

Curfman: We knew this one was going to be chaotic. We knew it was going to be very passionate. It was going to feel like a big prison brawl. Getting started is the hardest part. We start with the script, we break it down, we look at the characters who are fighting each other, and who has a different background or a different fighting style, and we start to get into it. The script is a map, but it's up to us to sort of fill in the ballet of choreography.

Koda: On Cobra Kai, they let us take the reins and run with it. When you're having a massive fight like this, it's not just dealing with what's happening in the foreground of what we're actually shooting. We always had to remember what was happening in the background, because all the kids were fighting.

Curfman: Sometimes the script will be specific with fight beats, and say, "He does a flying sidekick." But most of the time, it's not specific. It's just "Demetri and Hawk exchange blows, and Demetri gets the upper hand." So we know that Demetri needs to come up with some move to take Hawk out. Something else we think about when we're doing the choreography is what moves those characters would, or wouldn't, do. Would Daniel do this move? Is this something Johnny wouldn't do? It's those little details that help tell the story and help it make sense.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaXoQJx3jYs

Let's talk about the one-er. That's about 85 seconds in one take.

Koda: When I was designing the shot, we built the skeleton for the fight, and we wanted it to play out for as long as it could until it kind of fell apart. There were moments where I was like, "Um, we can't have the cast do this. This is too dangerous. Let's figure out the best way to do a Texas switch."

Can you explain a Texas switch? And how many of them did you use in this fight sequence?

Koda: Basically, a Texas switch is when the actor is doing a scene, and as soon as they get to the point where action needs to happen, and they need to change out, rather than cutting, they pause and a stunt double quickly comes in and takes their spot. In older films, you can kind of see it when say, maybe a guy falls, and it's a body double, and then the actor stands up. That's a classic Texas switch.

Curfman: We had three quick Texas switches.

Koda: In the big one-er, that was 98 percent cast. Most of it was happening in-camera, so we didn't have to cut. It was just for camera moves when someone got knocked down, when we'd switch in the doubles to take the bigger falls. But it never looked like there was any cut, and the action continued all the way through. The whole point is to be clever so nobody can. Peyton List, who plays Tori, was switched out, and Jahnel doubled for Peyton. She did two of the Texas switches in there for Peyton, because she does a couple of big falls. She gets thrown to the floor, and the camera spins around Samantha, and as it comes back around, Peyton stands up in the shot after the throw.

Then when Miguel gets thrown against the locker, there was a quick Texas switch in there. And so we did that in the midst of Miguel and Robby fighting at the start of their fight. They're fighting, fighting, fighting, in the locker area, and Robby gets kicked back from Miguel, and the camera kind of goes with Robby and stays with him, so it loses Miguel for a second. That's the moment the first Texas switch happened. We pull back, and there's a bit of a fight that throws Miguel into a locker, and he hits the ground, and then we're off of that and into Tori and Samantha fighting. Miguel then switches back. Someone with an eagle eye might be able to spot all of this!

According to the previous story, Season 1 is free access this Thursday, although I thought I read somewhere that the date got pushed back.

[GeneChing]

Robert Garrison, Who Played Tommy in 'Karate Kid,' Dies at 59 (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/robert-garrison-who-played-tommy-karate-kid-dies-59-1243914)
11:02 AM PDT 9/27/2019 by Ryan Parker

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2019/09/one_time_use_only___karate_kid___rob_garrison___sh utterstock_-_getty___inset___h_2019.jpg
Shutterstock; Getty Images
'Karate Kid' (Inset: Rob Garrison)

The actor appeared in the film 'Iron Eagle' and in a number of TV shows, including the classics 'Coach,' 'MacGyver' and 'Columbo.'
Robert Garrison, best known for his work in Karate Kid, has died, his rep, Rick Henriques, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 59.

"It is a huge loss to the Karate Kid and Cobra Kai family," Henriques said. "He was a great guy and a great actor." No cause of death was disclosed.

Garrison played Tommy, the wicked Cobra Kai member who delighted in Daniel (Ralph Macchio) being punished both in and out of the ring. Tommy has the memorable line of "Get him a bodybag!" which he yells while laughing maniacally during the climax of the film.

He reprised the role of Tommy in Karate Kid: Part II (1986) and Cobra Kai (2019).

Garrison appeared in the film Iron Eagle and in a number of TV shows, including the classics Coach, MacGyver and Columbo.

Garrison is survived by his brother, Patrick, and sister-in-law, Linda.

THREADS
Karate Kid (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48261-The-Karate-Kid)
Karate Kid 2 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57707-The-Karate-Kid-II)
Cobra Kai (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szhCZtPw6xU

THREADS
Cobra Kai (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai)
Funny MA commercials (vid) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?39259-Funny-MA-commercials-(vid))

[GeneChing]

'Cobra Kai' (https://www.backstage.com/casting/cobra-kai-343059/)
CATEGORY:TV & VIDEO: SCRIPTED TV & VIDEOTAGS:PAID NON UNION EXPIRES:February 23, 2020 4:00 PM

Company
YouTube Red, Central Casting Georgia
Josh Heald, exec. prod.

Production Description
Casting for the YouTube Red series "Cobra Kai," starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka. Project description: "Set thirty years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, the series focuses on Johnny Lawrence reopening the Cobra Kai dojo, which causes his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso to be reignited."

Roles
Mustached Tank Top Guy (Background / Extra): Male, 18-50
must have mustache, hairy chest, and fit, no visible tattoos.
Ethnicity: White / European Descent
Required Media: Headshot/Photo
Join to See More
Rehearsal and Production Dates & Locations
Filming February 24 in Fairburn, GA.

Compensation & Union Contract Details
Pays $94/10 hours.

Key Details
Seeking talent from:
Atlanta, GA
Hope someone here applies. You know how to get it.

NO MERCY

[GeneChing]

Cobra Kai to Leave YouTube, Season 3 Coming on New Streaming Service (https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/cobra-kai-season-3-leave-youtube-new-streaming-service/)
By Aaron Perine - May 28, 2020 05:28 pm EDT

Cobra Kai is set to leave YouTube and release Season 3 on another streaming service. Deadline reports that the YouTube flagship series will be pulling up stakes ahead of next season. The Google-owned platform used Cobra Kai as a priority in the early days of their YouTube premium initiative, but things have changed. Now, Sony Pictures TV will be at the reins again as a couple of suitors have emerged for the legacy program, with Netflix and Hulu showing strong interest in Cobra Kai. One of the shows that drew a lot of people into the YouTube premium service, it will be interesting to see what the company comes up with to fill that hole in their programming with more combatants entering the streaming fray.
If that weren’t strange enough, whoever gets the rights to Season 3 of Cobra Kai will also have access to the first two seasons of the show on a non-exclusive basis. That means that fans can easily catch up on everything that’s been going on before diving in for the new season. YouTube had negotiated ownership and exclusive global rights to the first two seasons in the original license agreement with Sony Television. People began to wonder what would happen to Cobra Kai as far back as 2018. YouTube’s big gamble on shifting to a subscription model didn’t exactly light the world on fire and despite shows like Cobra Kai, it never gained mass adoption.
When the Google-owned entity decided to shift back to an advertising-based model instead of subscriptions, something had to give. The sheer fact of the matter is, unscripted shows just have less cost associated with them. In a proof of this kind of thinking, every one of the originals that aired on YouTube since the switch has been canceled except Cobra Kai and Liza on Demand. Liza Koshy’s show will remain on, as it has been renewed for additional seasons, but the Karate Kid spin-off will be finding a new home, wherever that may be. Season 2’s Cobra Kai premiere set records for YouTube. However, the company didn’t really see a path forward to renewing it for Season 4.
Sony Television had to do what was best for the show and look for a partner that would allow them to keep the show going. Negotiations are ongoing, but YouTube will not release the series until a new partner has been found. Luckily for the people behind Cobra Kai, the demand for their show is actually quite high. With so many streaming services looking for an edge, a show with a built-in fanbase and already having a season in the can is like gold. The only question remaining is which platform will win the bid.

I lost track of this show. Anyone see it through?

[GeneChing]

Cobra Kai Season 3 Release Date Teased for 2021 with Preview Footage (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-3-release-date-netflix/)
Netflix-bound Karate Kid sequel series Cobra Kai reveals a 2021 release window with the first teaser footage.
By Joseph Baxter
|
August 26, 2020

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/cobra-kai-season-3-ralph-macchio-netflix.jpg?resize=768%2C432
Photo: Netflix

Cobra Kai Season 3 is officially set to premiere on Netflix in 2021.

The series—a contemporary-set sequel to the 1980s cinematic splendor of The Karate Kid franchise—has enjoyed the status of an acclaimed cult favorite scripted standout on streaming service YouTube Premium before it exited the content-shrunken platform this past May, only to be snapped up by Netflix in June. Now, Cobra Kai is heralding the Netflix premiere of Seasons 1 and 2 this Friday with a trailer that serves the dual purpose of providing a quick synopsis of the two existing seasons and revealing the heretofore mysterious plans for Season 3. Thus, we now know that Cobra Kai Season 3 will hit Netflix in 2021 on a date to be revealed.

As you can see, the trailer (seen just below,) ups the ante for viewers by concluding with the very first teaser footage from Cobra Kai’s long-awaited third season. The scene in question, brief as it may be, proves to be a powerful preview, confirming a notion that was teased over a year ago, namely that Daniel (Ralph Macchio) will return to Okinawa, the southern Japanese prefecture setting of 1986 sequel movie The Karate Kid Part II, which is excellent news for fans of that notably-lauded entry in the film franchise.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLpyi-oVoIY&feature=emb_logo

Indeed, contrasting with initial peaceful seaside imagery from Okinawa, the clip shows Daniel in what’s presumably the Miyagi family dojo getting judo-tossed by an unnamed, black-gi-sporting character, who comes within inches of impaling Daniel with his sai. Yet, what makes the scene so poignant to the show’s plot is the depicted scuffle’s context-setting voiceover, in which a perturbed and incredulous Daniel is heard angrily stating that “Mr. Miyagi treated me like a son. He wouldn’t keep any secrets from me,” after which a mysterious voice ominously answers, “Are you sure about that?” Consequently, one might want to wait before belting out a nostalgic line or two from Peter Cetera’s movie soundtrack hit, “Glory of Love,” since this visit will clearly reveal some startling, potentially disillusioning secrets to Daniel about his late sensei.

Now, fans are left to theorize about the nature of said secret, which we can presume centers on something that directly affects Daniel. Indeed, speculation is already proliferating, pointing to the possibility that Daniel may have unwittingly sired a child with his love interest from Part II, village girl Kumiko; a secret that Miyagi might have kept from Daniel, who’s now married with two children. Moreover, when one gives the Zapruder film treatment to some of the footage, it vaguely shows Daniel’s opponent to be an Asian man who could either be the wayward love child in question OR Yuji Okumoto as Chozen, Daniel’s belligerent main rival from Part II, with whom he shares a legacy in the annals of Miyagi-Do Karate.

Pertinently, the role of Kumiko was played in Part II by Tamlyn Tomita, an Okinawa-native actress, for whom the 1986 film served as her onscreen debut. Her involvement with Cobra Kai in Season 3 has long been the subject of speculation, and has not been confirmed. Yet, the possibility seems strong, with Tomita fielding several prominent TV roles these days, most recently as the villainous Commodore Oh on CBS All Access’s Star Trek: Picard. It makes sense that the actress would want to reprise the role that put her on the map, notably with Season 3 having filmed in home country Okinawa, as opposed to Part II, which mostly substituted Oahu, Hawaii for the setting.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see the dramatic trajectory for Cobra Kai Season 3, especially after Season 2 ended in such a dark place for both Macchio’s Daniel and William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence, the latter of whom saw his dojo dreams collapse, and his beloved student, Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) left seriously injured after a fight with biological son Robby Keane (Tanner Buchanan), who seems to be going down a dark path. The possibilities are certainly exciting.

In the meantime, you can acquaint yourself (or re-watch) Cobra Kai Seasons 1 and 2 when the series makes its Netflix arrival on Friday, August 28.

I should really catch up with this show...

[GeneChing]

Read my latest feature for Den of Geek: Cobra Kai and the Legacy of The Karate Kid (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-and-the-legacy-of-the-karate-kid/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cobra-kai-ralph-macchio-william-zabka-youtube.jpg?resize=768%2C432

THREADS
Karate Kid (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48261-The-Karate-Kid)
Karate Kid 2 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57707-The-Karate-Kid-II)
Cobra Kai (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QURu5v3sU2k

[GeneChing]

Read my latest feature for Den of Geek: The Real Martial Arts Behind Cobra Kai and The Karate Kid (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-real-martial-arts-behind-cobra-kai-and-the-karate-kid/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/cobra-kai-william-zabka-ralph-macchio-sony-pictures-television.jpg?resize=768%2C432

THREADS
Karate Kid (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48261-The-Karate-Kid)
Karate Kid 2 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57707-The-Karate-Kid-II)
Cobra Kai (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai)

[GeneChing]

My latest feature for Den of Geek: The Real History of Cobra Kai (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-real-history-of-cobra-kai/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/cobra-kai-season-2.jpg?resize=768%2C432

Thanks to our veteran forum member Gian for his help with this one.

threads
Cobra-Kai (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai)
Passing-of-Master-Steven-Abbate (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?47765-Passing-of-Master-Steven-Abbate)

[GeneChing]

OCTOBER 02, 2020 10:00am PT by Lesley Goldberg

'Cobra Kai' Gets Early Season 4 Renewal at Netflix (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cobra-kai-gets-early-season-4-renewal-at-netflix)

https://static.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2020/06/cobra_kai-season-2-publicity_still-h_2019-928x523.jpg
YouTube

The streamer acquired the already completed third season from YouTube in June and will debut new episodes in January.
Strike first, strike hard, no mercy!

Netflix is wasting no time in welcoming YouTube import Cobra Kai to the family, handing out an early season four renewal to the Karate Kid sequel.

The third season of the former YouTube original from Sony TV will launch as a Netflix original on Jan. 8. The first two seasons of the series starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka arrived Aug. 28 after the show moved to the streaming giant in June after YouTube officially bailed on scripted originals.

Cobra Kai landed at Netflix after YouTube informed studio Sony TV that it had no plans to pursue a fourth season amid its shift to unscripted fare. When the indie studio then shopped the series, it again drew interest from Disney-owned Hulu. Other outlets were said to have kicked the tires on the series as such "gently used" programming has become a go-to for broadcast, cable and streaming outlets alike given the uncertainty stemming from the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Sony also sold the first two seasons of Spectrum's L.A.'s Finest to Fox, which slotted the Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba drama on its fall schedule, for example.)

Since arriving on Netflix, Cobra Kai — like Lifetime import You, among others — has become a breakout hit for the streamer. While the company does not release traditional viewership data, a Nielsen report this week ranked the Karate Kid offshoot at the top of its streaming ranks for the show's first full week of measurement (Aug. 31-Sept. 6) with more than 2 billion minutes watched.

Cobra Kai launched strong out of the gate on YouTube. The streamer said the pilot had already surpassed 20 million views less than a week since its launch, prompting a speedy season-two renewal. It's also worth noting that when Cobra Kai was originally taken out with both Macchio and Zabka attached, Netflix and Hulu, among others, were among the bidders.

The show ultimately landed at YouTube Red as part of Susanne Daniels' efforts to age up the platform's demographic from 18-34 to the more advertiser-coveted 18-49 set. Cobra Kai was the latest series to get new life at Netflix, joining Lucifer, Longmire, Designated Survivor and The Killing, among others.

Cobra Kai, which sees Macchio and Zabka reprise their beloved roles as Daniel and Johnny, respectively, is created by exec producers Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg.

Here's the season three trailer:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkadyuliPSs&feature=emb_logo

Cobra Kai Never Dies!

[GeneChing]

Check out my latest video for Den of Geek: The REAL Martial Arts Behind COBRA KAI and The KARATE KID Explained. Den of Geek made a video version of my recent feature: The Real Martial Arts Behind Cobra Kai and The Karate Kid (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-real-martial-arts-behind-cobra-kai-and-the-karate-kid/).


https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7wjc99

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjAJhmqKPEU

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vICglbnA8IQ&feature=emb_logo

[GeneChing]

Read my latest feature for Den of Geek: Cobra Kai Season 3: What to Expect (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-3-what-to-expect/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Cobra-Kai-Season-3-What-to-Expect.jpg?resize=768%2C432

I was tasked to cover season 3 by Den of Geek, so there are more features on the way. :cool:

[GeneChing]

Read my latest feature for Den of Geek: Cobra Kai: How the Show Tackles Bullying in Season 3 (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-3-bullying/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Cobra-Kai-Season-3-Bullies-1.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

Cobra Kai Season 3: Breaking Down the Karate Kid Part II Easter Eggs

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Cobra-Kai-Season-3-Okinawa.jpg?resize=768%2C432 (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-3-karate-kid-part-2-easter-eggs/)

Cobra Kai: Inside That Surprising Season 3 Cameo

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Cobra-Kai-Season-3-Cameo.jpg?resize=768%2C432 (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-3-cameo/)

Cobra Kai: How the Show’s Martial Arts Level Up in Season 3

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Cobra-Kai-Season-3-Martial-Arts.jpg?resize=768%2C432 (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-3-martial-arts/)

[GeneChing]

My latest feature for Den of Geek: Cobra Kai Season 4: What to Expect (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-4-what-to-expect/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Cobra-Kai-Season-4-What-to-Expect.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

My latest feature for Den of Geek: Cobra Kai Season 3: What Happened to Aisha and Stingray? (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-3-aisha-and-stingray/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Cobra-Kai-Season-3-Aisha.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0i1y4kUPAA

This vid is based on my article above (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai&p=1320057#post1320057).

[GeneChing]

My latest feature for Den of Geek: Cobra Kai Season 3: Does Young Kreese Redeem Cobra Kai’s Founding Sensei? (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-3-young-kreese-jesse-kove/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Cobra-Kai-Season-3-Kreese.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

My latest feature for Den of Geek: Cobra Kai and the Debate Around Cultural Appropriation (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-cultural-appropriation-debate/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Cobra-Kai-Whitewashing-Cultural-Appropriation.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

Local Kung Fu Training Group Has Strange Connections to Netflix’ Cobra Kai (https://northfortynews.com/category/columns/local-kung-fu-training-group-has-strange-connections-to-netflix-cobra-kai/)
February 2, 2021 Steven Bonifazi

https://northfortynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-29-at-11.50.55-AM-490x381.png
Grandmaster Steven G. Abbate. Photo courtesy of Tracey Buchanan.
By Tracey Buchanan

Kung Fu Master James C. Likens never thought twice about his GrandMaster’s legacy until he began noticing strange coincidences watching Netflix’s Cobra Kai with his three youngest daughters.

“Everyone loves the Karate Kid,” said Master Likens, a seventh-degree black belt. “So when we heard about Cobra Kai, we thought it would be fun to watch, being a Kung fu family and all.”

That’s when the strangeness started. “I knew there was an actual Cobra Kai Karate dojo out of Chicago because it was run by one of my Grandmaster’s top students,” said Master Likens. “His name was Steve Abbate, and he was a decorated Vietnam veteran, Marine Force Recon, and the recipient of the Silver Star,” Master Likens said. “He was known for his “no mercy” philosophy and for being particularly brutal on his students, just like the Cobra Kai Master John Kreese in the series,” said Master Likens.

Master Likens got a few opportunities to train under Master Abbate at his Grandmaster John Tsai’s seminars, and Abbate actually signed Likens’ Master Certificate, which hangs on his dojo wall. “When Abbate taught, it was never conceptual,” said Master Likens. “I have video of him from a seminar demonstrating techniques, and he went through about 4 or 5 students in one demonstration,” Master Likens said.

But the uncanny connections don’t end there, as Master Likens’ legacy in his hometown of Indianapolis is one of shared spirit with Abbate’s teachings.

“When I was training students in Indy, I was very concerned with giving them skills that would serve them in an actual street fight,” said Master Likens. Most of my inner circle students were law enforcement like myself, and they needed to be prepared for the average 4 fights a week,” Master Likens said.

But as Master Likens points out, it’s actually the untrained officer that ends up using excessive force out of fear. As a police officer, he was known for his fairness in the street, and neither he nor any of the officers he trained ever went to internal affairs for civil rights violations or excessive force.

“That’s the true meaning of being a peacekeeper, having the confidence to end a fight before it starts because your wits are about you,” said Master Likens. “If you’re afraid, you overreact, but if you’re confident in your ability to handle a fight, that calmness allows for compassion,” Master Likens said.

As a result of this philosophy, several members of the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office train under Master Likens to this day.

“Only a trained warrior can choose to be truly peaceful, for indeed it’s all about having a choice. If you have the ability to fight, you can truly choose peace; that is a stance that means something,” said Master Likens. “Training gives you self confidence that ends violence before it begins, and therein is the paradox and meaning behind the Cobra Kai philosophy,” Master Likens said.

Master Likens has taught a hard/soft martial arts philosophy for over 30 years, with two large dojos and one underground fight club during the ’90s in Indianapolis, IN. He has trained MMA champions for the legendary Integrated Fighting gym, which has had several UFC contracts over the years. He also taught defensive tactics at the Indianapolis Police Academy and even did a stint teaching Criminal Justice at Front Range Community College’s Fort Collins Campus.

“After years of training, I strongly recommend a hard/soft style martial art. That’s truly the way to go,” said Master Likens, “It’s that balance that gives you the capacity for peaceful resolution,” Master Likens said.

Master Likens currently teaches a tiny closed-door Kung Fu group but would like to open a dojo large enough to train multiple classes and age groups.

“Bag rounds and cardio kickboxing will certainly get you in shape, but those skills are no good in a fight,” said Master Likens. “I’d like to have a place big enough to do that and the funding to make it happen,” Master Likens said. “If you know a guy, let me know,” said Master Likens with a laugh.

James C Likens was also a Larimer County Ranger for a number of years and recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal during the High Park Fire as well as a Sheriff’s Letter of Commendation for his lifesaving role in putting out an arson fire in the Deer Park neighborhood west of Horsetooth Reservoir.

“I’ve spent 10 years in the Fort Collins area training students, and I finally have the black belts I need to start passing on the lineage,” said Master Likens. “There are some amazingly talented Senseis in other martial arts disciplines here in Fort Collins, and I’d love to give them space to do their thing as well,” Master Likens said. “The American Shaolin Temple has always been in the Midwest and the West Coast, but I say the Front Range is the future of American martial arts,” said Master Likens.

For more information regarding Steven G. Abbat and Cobra Kai, visit: https://www.denofgeek.com/culture/the-real-history-of-cobra-kai/

Cool that they cited my article.

threads
Cobra-Kai (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai)
Passing-of-Master-Steven-Abbate (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?47765-Passing-of-Master-Steven-Abbate)

[GeneChing]

My latest interview for Den of Geek: More Than Miyagi Director On Honoring Pat Morita (https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/more-than-miyagi-pat-morita-documentary/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/More-Than-Miyagi-Pat-Morita-Documentary.jpg?resize=768%2C432

Threads
More-Than-Miyagi (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71966-More-Than-Miyagi)
Cobra-Kai (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai)
The-Karate-Kid (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48261-The-Karate-Kid)

[GeneChing]

Feb 26, 2021 12:00pm PT
‘Cobra Kai’ Promotes Vanessa Rubio, Peyton List to Series Regulars for Season 4, Show Adds Two to Cast (https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/cobra-kai-season-4-vanessa-rubio-peyton-list-1234916341/)

By Joe Otterson

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Vanessa-Rubio-Peyton-List.jpg?resize=681,383
“Cobra Kai” has promoted both Vanessa Rubio and Peyton List to series regular status ahead of Season 4 on Netflix.

Rubio has been with the show since Season 1 in the role of Carmen Diaz, the mother of Johnny Lawrence’s star pupil, Miguel. List joined the show in Season 2 as Tory Nichols, a tough-as-nails member of Cobra Kai.

In addition, both Dallas Dupree Young and Oona O’Brien have joined Season 4. Young will recur as Kenny, a bullied new kid in school who turns to karate as a way to defend himself. O’Brien will recur as Devon, a potential new karate student who is relentlessly competitive, a quick study, and equally quick-tempered when she’s provoked.

Rubio’s past credits include the Netflix shows “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” “Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings,” and “Master of None.” In film, she has appeared in “How to Be Single,” “The Hudson Tribes,” and “The Girl in Trouble.”

She is repped by Buchwald, JWS Entertainment, and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.

List is known for her role in the Disney series “Jessie” and the spinoff “Bunk’d.” Other credits include “Happy Together,” “Light as a Feather,” and the Adam Sandler Netflix film “Hubie Halloween.”

She is repped by CAA and Gang Tyre.

Young previously starred in Nickelodeon’s “Cousins For Life” and has held roles on Showtime’s “Shameless,” NBC’s “The Good Place,” ABC’s “Mixed-ish,” and Freeform’s “The Fosters” among others.

He is repped by Osbrink Talent Agency, Treadwell Entertainment Group, and Myman Greenspan.

O’Brien was one of 11 young actors selected by Nickelodeon to study at the renowned Second City Training Center in Chicago in 2019. She previously performed in theatrical productions of “Annie” and “School of Rock.”
I enjoyed chatting with Peyton List for the Season 3 press junket.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCCr5Pqgg3Q

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIxKKv8q5W0

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8eRMQtjCBE

[GeneChing]

Renewed!!!

‘Cobra Kai’ Renewed For Season 5 At Netflix Ahead Of Season 4 Premiere (https://deadline.com/2021/08/cobra-kai-renewed-season-5-netflix-1234823289/)
By Rosy Cordero
Senior TV Reporter
@SocialRosy

August 27, 2021 9:22am
https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/COB_20191030-CB_00846R.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1
Ralph Maccchio, left, and William Zabka in ‘Cobra Kai’
Netflix
Netflix has renewed Cobra Kai for season 5 ahead of its fourth season premiere in Dec. Production on the new season is set to begin in Atlanta this fall.

The news comes as no surprise after the popular series earned four Emmy nominations in July including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy, Outstanding Stunt Performance, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy.

Cobra Kai is a spin-off series connected to The Karate Kid franchise following the competitive world of martial arts in Southern California starring Ralph Macchio as the titular character Daniel LaRusso and William Zabka as his nemesis Johnny Lawrence. The Netflix project revisits both characters in present-day as they launch dojos of their own and mentor the next generation of karate kids.

Season 4 picks up after the events of the season 3 finale that saw Daniel and Johnny combine their dojos to take on the villainous John Kreese (Martin Kove) at the All Valley Tournament. The season is connected to The Karate Kid Part III and will see the return of Kreese’s equally evil best friend Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith).

Produced by Sony Pictures Television, Cobra Kai is written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg via their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment. Will Smith, James Lassiter, and Caleeb Pinkett executive produce for Westbrook Entertainment along with Susan Ekins. Macchio and Zabka also serve as executive producers.

The first three seasons of the series are available to stream via Netflix now.

[highlypotion]

Yey! another one that is worth waiting for.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfQ3EQl_W98

[GeneChing]

My latest feature for Den of Geek: Cobra Kai Season 4: Can Daniel and Johnny Make Amends? (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-4-can-daniel-and-johnny-make-amends/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Cobra-Kai-Season-4-Teaser.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

‘Cobra Kai’ Creators Re-Up Overall Deal With Sony Pictures TV For Their Counterbalance Entertainment, Set Comedy ‘The Prince’ With Writer Zora Bikangaga (https://deadline.com/2021/09/cobra-kai-creators-jon-hurwitz-hayden-schlossberg-and-josh-heald-re-up-overall-deal-sony-pictures-tv-counterbalance-entertainment-the-prince-with-zora-bikangaga-1234829276/)

By Nellie Andreeva
Co-Editor-in-Chief, TV

@DeadlineNellie

September 9, 2021 9:00am
https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/CounterbalanceHeadshot-1-1-1.jpeg?crop=0px%2C387px%2C3600px%2C2018px&resize=681%2C383
(L-R) Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg
Counterbalance Entertainment
EXCLUSIVE: Cobra Kai creators, executive producers and showrunners Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald have signed a big new four-year overall deal with the studio behind the hit Karate Kid sequel series, Sony Pictures Television.

When the trio signed their first overall deal with Sony Pictures TV in early 2019 and launched their Counterbalance Entertainment production company, Cobra Kai had just been renewed for a third season by YouTube. Since then, Sony TV successfully moved the series to Netflix where it has become a global hit, topping viewership charts and earning Season 4 and Season 5 renewals, along with landing four 2021 Emmy nominations for Season 3, including Outstanding Comedy Series.

Now, ahead of the Primetime Emmy Awards this month and Cobra Kai’s Season 4 premiere in December, Sony Pictures TV has stepped up with an early renewal of Counterbalance’s three-year overall deal for four more years.

Under the new pact, Hurwitz, Schlossberg and Heald, along with Counterbalance Head of Development Dina Hillier, will continue to develop comedy, drama and unscripted TV projects for the studio. That includes exploring expanding the Cobra Kai and Karate Kid universe with spinoffs and other offshoots, something Hurwitz, Schlossberg and Heald have spoken about, pointing to the way another Sony TV series, Breaking Bad, has successfully branched out with prequel series Better Call Saul and sequel movie El Camino.

https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/WYP_41-1.jpg?w=785
Zora Bikangaga
Courtesy photo
Additionally, Counterbalance is In early development on half-hour coming-of-age comedy The Prince, written/executive produced by Zora Bikangaga (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, The First Lady). Inspired by Bikangaga’s real life, The Prince is described as Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night meets Coming To America set on a college campus in the early-2000s. The half-hour comedy centers on Temba Mutoro, a gregarious international student from Uganda who we eventually discover is a Black American freshman faking an accent inspired by his immigrant father and Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem. Sam Laybourne is executive producer and showrunner; Mo Marable is set to executive produce and direct.

“Jon, Hayden and Josh are among the most imaginative and ingenious writers and producers in the business,” said Jeff Frost, President of Sony Pictures Television Studios. “When they first pitched us their idea for Cobra Kai, we knew they were on to something incredibly special and that this team would be an amazing addition to the Sony family. We are so thrilled with their development slate and are elated that we will be continuing our partnership with them in the Sony dojo for many years to come.”

Previously announced Counterbalance projects in development include limited series on the NCAA, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, and animated series Prince Wawa, which has been set up at Fox.

“Arriving at Sony four years ago with only a knapsack full of karate dreams, we are overwhelmed and invigorated by the ongoing creative partnership we’ve experienced,” said Hurwitz, Schlossberg and Heald. “Jeff Frost, Jason Clodfelter, and their entire team have shown us great trust in re-envisioning a beloved IP, as well as providing the freedom to develop unique projects with fresh perspectives. In Phase Two of Counterbalance Entertainment’s evolution, we look forward to expanding into new genres, deepening our franchise development, and churning out the most badass content on television.”

This summer Counterbalance Entertainment released the praised road-trip comedy Plan B for Hulu. The company will also produce a feature film adaption of History Channel’s series Ancient Aliens with Legendary, with Heald set to direct.

Before teaming up for Cobra Kai, Hurwitz & Schlossberg as well as Heald created successful feature comedy franchises. Hurwitz and Schlossberg are behind the Harold & Kumar buddy comedy franchise for New Line and Heald originated Hot Tub Time Machine for MGM. Additional credits include the popular American Pie followup, American Reunion, written and directed by Hurwitz and Schlossberg, who also produced the 2018 comedy Blockers for Universal.

Prior to joining Counterbalance Entertainment, Hillier served as VP and Co-Head Live-Action Series at Disney Channel, as well as VP of Comedy at Paramount Television. She began her career at Sony Pictures Television where she developed and oversaw cult comedies Community and Happy Endings.

Bikangaga is currently co-producer on Showtime’s I Love This For You. He is repped by APA and Principal Entertainment. Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg are repped for TV by CAA. Heald’s attorney is Howard Abramson of Behr Abramson Levy. Hurwitz and Schlossberg’s attorney is Adam Kaller of Hansen Jacobson Teller.

I've seen the screeners for Season 4 for some more work I'm doing for Den of Geek. I'm under NDA but I will say that S4 keeps up the pace. Loving this show.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3uX4uwrAaY

[GeneChing]

Cobra Kai Has Plans for The Next Karate Kid (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-the-next-karate-kid/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Cobra-Kai-The-Next-Karate-Kid.jpg?resize=768%2C432




Cobra Kai Season 4: Inside The Return of Terry Silver (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-4-terry-silver/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Cobra-Kai-Season-4-Terry-Silver.jpg?resize=768%2C432




Cobra Kai Season 4: The Best Karate Kid and Martial Arts Easter Eggs (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-4-karate-kid-martial-arts-easter-eggs/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Cobra-Kai-Season-4-Easter-Eggs.jpg?resize=768%2C432




Cobra Kai Season 4 Ending Explained (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-4-ending-explained/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Cobra-Kai-Season-4-Ending-Explained.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

Where Cobra Kai Fails the Martial Art

https://ymaa.com/sites/default/files/images/article/articles-20220103-where-cobra-kai-fails-the-martial-art.jpg (https://ymaa.com/articles/2022/01/where-cobra-kai-fails-the-martial-art)

threads
Cobra-Kai (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai)
Karate (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?10141-Karate)

[GeneChing]

PEYTON LIST & JACOB BERTRAND
'COBRA KAI' STARS ARE DATING ... (https://www.tmz.com/2022/03/23/cobra-kai-stars-peyton-list-jacob-bertrand-dating/)
The Rumors Were True!!!

EXCLUSIVE
3/23/2022 10:00 AM PT

Peyton List and Jacob Bertrand are officially a couple -- TMZ got visual and verbal confirmation -- and neither's worried about the potential consequences of dating a coworker.

We got the "Cobra Kai" stars traveling together Tuesday at LAX, finally confirming their long-rumored relationship ... with Jacob joking we caught them red-handed.

Jacob tells our photog they've actually been seeing each other quietly for some time ... and they don't sound the least bit worried about their romance interfering with the show.

https://imagez.tmz.com/image/c7/o/2022/03/22/c75fa29d41214c5ba7288606230810ff.jpg
TMZ.com
As Jacob put it, this is trial by fire ... but since he's been on the Netflix show longer than his girlfriend, he's not worried about being the one written off the show if things ever go south with Peyton.

He was pretty clearly joking.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okiOX9FpLXU

And, get this ... Jacob tells us he and Peyton actually go way back. Watch the clip, he gives us the origin story of how they met way back in their teens.

They seem like a pretty fun couple, and Peyton tells us why she could kick her boyfriend's butt if they ever put their karate skills to the test.

Love Tory...with a Y

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrmx6gc0a8I

[GeneChing]

Read my latest featurette for Den of Geek: Is Cobra Kai Season 5 The Penultimate Season? (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-5-trailer-all-valley-championship/)

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Cobra-Kai-Season-5.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[heavens000]

The film looks very funny, I already want to see it. I hope that there is a copy of it on the torrent and in dubbing or at least with subtitles. Good movies are now rarely released. The last time I downloaded a new blockbuster via pirate bay (https://thepirateproxybay.com/), it turned out to be empty and uninteresting. I think the people who made the film with pure enthusiasm turned out something good in comparison to commercial films.

[GeneChing]

‘Cobra Kai’: Alicia Hannah-Kim To Star As South Korean Sensei In Season 5; Dallas Dupree Young Upgraded To Series Regular (https://deadline.com/2022/05/cobra-kai-cast-alicia-hannah-kim-season-5-dallas-dupree-young-series-regular-1235031668/)
By Rosy Cordero
Senior TV Reporter
@SocialRosy

May 24, 2022 1:00pm
https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Alicia-Hannah-Kim-Dallas-Dupree-Young.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1
Alicia Hannah-Kim, Dallas Dupree Young
Courtesy of Sebastian Roché; Chris Evan
EXCLUSIVE: Cobra Kai has cast Alicia Hannah-Kim for Season 5 of the hit Netflix series as the formidable South Korean sensei Kim Da-Eun who factors into Terry Silver’s (Thomas Ian Griffith) plans for accelerating Cobra Kai’s expansion. Dallas Dupree Young, who joined the show last season as Kenny Payne, has been upgraded to a series regular.

Working with Silver can only mean one thing: Kim is fighting for the dark side. After getting John Kreese (Martin Kove) out of the way and rigging the results of the All Valley Tournament in Season 4, Silver will stop at nothing to win.

Miyagi-Do dojo may be out for the count but Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) has enlisted the help of his former nemesis Chozen (Yuji Okumoto) to take down Silver and bring back civility and safety to the kids of the Valley. As the OG Karate Kid, there’s no doubt he will give Silver a run for his money.

Cobra Kai is written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg via their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment. Will Smith, James Lassiter, and Caleeb Pinkett executive produce for Westbrook Entertainment along with Susan Ekins in association with Sony Pictures Television. Macchio and William Zabka also serve as executive producers.

Hannah-Kim most recently recurred on the HBO Max series Minx in the role of Wendy Mah. Other TV credits include Freeform’s Alone Together, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, and the Starz series Crash.

She is repped by Elevate Entertainment and Performer’s Management.

Young is best known for his leading role in Nickelodeon’s Cousins For Life in the role of Stuart. He also appeared in Freeform’s The Fosters, ABC’s Mixed-ish, and Freeform’s Good Trouble.

He is repped by Osbrink Talent Agency and Treadwell Entertainment.
Interesting. I've been hoping for Mike Barnes...

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUR9PYwlNaA

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi8yO67j77k

[GeneChing]

Why Terry Silver’s Betrayal Changes Everything for Cobra Kai Season 5

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Cobra-Kai-Terry-Silver.jpg?resize=768%2C432 (https://geneching.wordpress.com/2022/09/08/why-terry-silvers-betrayal-changes-everything-for-cobra-kai-season-5-my-latest-feature-for-den-of-geek/)

[GeneChing]

Read Who is Cobra Kai’s Biggest Bully? (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/who-is-cobra-kais-biggest-bully/) ~ my latest feature for Den of Geek

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/CobraKai_Season5053117R.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

Read How Many Karate Kid Characters Are Left for Cobra Kai to Introduce? (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/how-many-karate-kid-characters-are-left-for-cobra-kai/) ~ My Latest Feature for Den of Geek

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/COB_Unit_01786R.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

Read Cobra Kai Season 5 Ending Explained And What To Expect From Season 6 (https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cobra-kai-season-5-ending-explained-and-what-to-expect-from-season-6/) ~ my latest feature for Den of Geek

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Cobra-Kai-Season-6.jpg?resize=768%2C432

[GeneChing]

Read Will the New Karate Kid Movie Be in the Cobra Kai Timeline? (https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/will-the-new-karate-kid-movie-be-in-the-cobra-kai-timeline/) ~ My Latest Feature for Den of Geek

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/CobraKai_Season5_Episode10_00_37_41_12R.jpg?resize =768%2C432

The-Karate-Kid-2024 (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72381-The-Karate-Kid-2024)
Cobra-Kai (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVYAh0MQtiI

[GeneChing]

Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han and Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso Will Appear in New ‘Karate Kid’ Film (https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/the-karate-kid-jackie-chan-ralph-macchio-1234890639/)
The movie is set for release in December 2024 and a global casting search is underway for the title character

BY LARISHA PAUL

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

https://www.rollingstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Jackie-Chan-Ralph-Macchio.jpg?w=1581&h=1054&crop=1
Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio DANIELE VENTURELLI/GETTY IMAGES/THE RED SEA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL; BRYAN BEDDER/GETTY IMAGES/PARAMOUNT PICTURES

A GLOBAL CASTING search is underway for the lead role in the forthcoming Karate Kid film — but the cast list has two essential roles already covered. Set for release in December 2024, the Sony Pictures film will find Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio returning to the franchise.

Macchio appeared in the original Karate Kid film, released in 1984, in the role of 15-year-old Daniel LaRusso. He subsequently starred in the 1986 and 1989 sequels before reprising his role in the action comedy-drama series Cobra Kai in 2018.

Chan made his debut in the Karate Kid universe in the 2010 remake. He appeared as Mr. Han in the film, which also starred a young Jaden Smith and Taraji P. Henson. The role was based on the original character of Mr. Miyagi, who was portrayed by Pat Morita in Macchio’s Karate Kid.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MR1HPas-VA

Macchio and Chan made the announcement in a casting promotion on Tuesday, sharing that their coming together for the film is “big news,” but their search for the next Karate Kid is even bigger. According to Hollywood Reporter, the film will center around a teenager from China as he finds his footing on the East Coast. Rob Lieber helmed the script, and Jonathan Entwistle will direct.

“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,” Macchio told Rolling Stone in 2020. “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.”

I specifically asked the Cobra Kai showrunners about Jackie and they said that Mr. Han was not part of the canon. :mad:

The-Karate-Kid (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48261-The-Karate-Kid)
Cobra-Kai (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai)

[GeneChing]

'Our Cobra Kai Experience Came In Handy’: Obliterated's Creators Have A Lot Of Experience With Action, But Also Had To 'Unlearn' A Bit For Their New Netflix Series (https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/cobra-kai-experience-came-handy-003318347.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall)
Riley Utley
Tue, November 28, 2023 at 4:33 PM PST·3 min read

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/6ng9ejUdT_e0_JKw1vvz6g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xMzUwO2NmPXdlYn A-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cinemablend_388/212d32fc61c4e4662d21020fa06d7bc9
A screenshot of C. Thomas Howell giving a thumbs up in Obliterated and Xolo Maridueña smiling in Cobra Kai.

Other than the creators being the same, Hayden Schlossberg, Jon Hurwitz and Josh Heald’s new show Obliterated couldn’t be more different from their hit series Cobra Kai. However, one thing these two shows do have in common is their intense and incredible action sequences. So, when CinemaBlend traveled to Las Vegas to speak with the co-creators of the aforementioned shows, we had to ask about their experience filming action on both, and it was revealed that while their experience on the Karate Kid spin-off “came in handy,” they also had to “unlearn” what they knew to make their latest series.

While we’ve been seeing the cast of Cobra Kai do incredible martial arts for five seasons, when Obliterated premieres on the 2023 TV schedule, we’ll get to see a special ops team attempt to disarm a nuclear bomb using their military training. Both groups are highly trained in combat, and when Schlossberg and his collaborators started working on their latest project, having the experience from their martial arts show really paid off. During our interview about Obliterated, Hayden Schlossberg said:


Definitely, there's a lot of, any hand-to-hand fighting our Cobra Kai experience came in handy. There's a lot of big action with explosions and shooting, and that for us was different with Obliterated than Cobra Kai. But you know, every now and then we'll have our characters just go at it and we know what it's like to stage those for Cobra Kai.

However, while all this was super helpful, especially when it came to shooting Obliterated’s hand-to-hand combat, the team also had to “unlearn” some of their action expertise. That’s because, unlike in Cobra Kai – which is a family-friendly show – Obliterated’s cast is totally, for lack of a better term, obliterated when they’re trying to take down the enemy. That means all the stunts are a lot sloppier, sillier and R-rated. With that in mind, Schlossberg told me:


The difference here is with Cobra Kai everything is martial arts, it's meant to feel crisp and clean, and our characters in Obliterated are wasted. So, you know, the fighting has to be a little messier and sloppier so you have to unlearn a little bit of what we know from Cobra Kai to do the action in Obliterated.

He makes such a great point. When you tune into Season 1 of Obliterated, you are going to get action that is totally different from Cobra Kai on so many levels. Yes, the hand-to-hand combat is comparable in some ways, but this show is not about kids and martial arts. It’s about a special ops military team who is highly trained, but also very drunk, high, and hungry. The weapons are different, the tactics are different, and the state of mind is very different in a super fun way.

So, while we know what to expect action-wise for the upcoming sixth season of Cobra Kai, when it comes to Obliterated, you’re guaranteed stunts at the same level of excellence, but it will 100% be very different. If you want to compare the action of both shows, you can stream both Cobra Kai (which is one of Netflix’s best series) and Obliterated (which premieres on November 30) with a Netflix subscription.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MNfBHFhnNs

Cobra-Kai (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70392-Cobra-Kai)
Obliterated (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72646-Obliterated)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XU6IqzMjYE