The trajectory of Cobra Kai mirrors the kind of story that the original Karate Kid movie told. The series started as an underdog on YouTube before getting scooped up by Netflix and becoming one of the streamer’s standouts for six seasons. Should its winning streak continue with a spin-off, then? During an interview with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, the series’ trio of showrunners Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald spoke about this possibility.
During the interview, Heald explained to Collider what kind of plans they’ve been cooking up with Netflix and Sony about expanding the Cobra Kai universe. The co-showrunner also teased some pretty wild spin-off ideas including those set in the distant past. He explained:
“There’s a lot that we’re thinking about. There’s not a lot we can talk about yet, but I can say, you know us, we love this franchise. We never stop talking about this franchise. We talk about contemporary spin-offs, we talk about spin-offs that take place 80 or 90 years ago, and we continue to look to the future and the fandom and our partners at Sony and Netflix to help us determine when we can begin to talk about some of that stuff.”
There’s Still More ‘Cobra Kai’ and ‘Karate Kid’ To Come
While we wait for more news on a Cobra Kai spin-off, Karate Kid fans still have a lot to look forward to. For the final season, the trio of showrunners and Netflix decided to have a bigger episode count and split them up into three blocks of five episodes — the first of which debuts this month. Part 2 is slated to drop on November 28 and Part 3 is due out in 2025, but has yet to get a specific date. Additionally, a new Karate Kid movie is already in the works with Ralph Macchio returning as Daniel LaRusso, so the Cobra Kai and Karate Kid shared universe is far from over.
Aside from Macchio, the Cobra Kai cast also features William Zabka (The Karate Kid), Martin Kove (The Karate Kid Part III), Courtney Henggeler (The Boys in the Boat), Mary Mouser (Room 104), Tanner Buchanan (Designated Survivor), Dallas Dupree Young (9-1-1), Gianni DeCenzo (Coop and Cami Ask The World), Peyton List (School Spirits), Vanessa Rubio (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Jacob Bertrand (Batwheels) and Xolo Maridueña (Blue Beetle).
Netflix releases Part 1 of the final season of Cobra Kai on July 18. Check out the full conversation with Heald in the player above, and with Macchio on YouTube below.
