Ralph Macchio reveals why they are making new Karate Kid film with Jackie Chan despite criticism

As the final episodes of Cobra Kai release on Netflix, focus will inevitably turn to the next instalment of the Karate Kid series.

Karate Kid: Legends, a follow up starring Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan along with a new ‘Karate Kid’, was announced in 2022 and is set to release later this year.

The film is reported to come years after the end of Cobra Kai, and is not a direct continuation, with a totally different creative team.

Cobra Kai saw Macchio and Billy Zabka return to the roles of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence together after 29 and 34 years respectively.

The new film, however, will not see Zabka return, but Macchio will be joined by a new ‘Karate Kid’, Ben Wang, who was found after a global casting search.

In an exclusive interview with Macchio for the final season of Cobra Kai we asked about the upcoming film, and his response to criticisms it has faced.

Macchio exclusively told the LADbible group: “Well, I think that, you know, it’s a continuation for Daniel LaRusso.

“It's years after the events [of Cobra Kai] and it's super exciting with Jackie Chan and this new kid Ben Wang and the entire cast.

“It's kind of... I describe it as it's another chapter or ecosystem in the grand universe, you know.”

Jackie Chan returns after starring in 2010’s The Karate Kid reboot alongside Jaden Smith.

Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio both appear in Karate Kid: Legends (Sony)

While his film focused on Kung Fu, Jackie Chan and Macchio’s characters will be teaming up to both mentor Ben Wang’s character, Li Fong.

He said of the upcoming film and criticism it had faced: “As long as I can make films that tell stories that have a positive influence and are based on those themes that we loved back in the day.

“In a world, that’s not always so positive, it's nice to be involved in those kinds of stories that inspire families and young people.”

The film is coming out May 30, 2025, but in the meantime while we wait, many will turn to Cobra Kai.

The show started off as a YouTube Red exclusive, a now defunct streaming service with minimal budgets, and has ended as one of Netflix’s biggest properties.

Season six released just yesterday and the show currently sits as the third most watched show on the streamer worldwide, and is the number one show in the UK.

Macchio appears in all six seasons of Cobra Kai as a co-lead with Zabka (Netflix)

Though fans were critical of the show’s final season being released in three parts, the final three episodes of the show all average more than 9.3/10 on IMDb at the time of writing.

One 10/10 review of the final episode called it a ‘perfect ending’, saying: “It couldn't have been better. Even if this final season exceeded its stay a little bit, I'd prefer this rather than anything else.

“Episodes 11 & 12 were great, while 13,14 & 15 were fantastic.

“The show runners did an incredible job with this series as a whole and more importantly, ending it properly without it overstaying its welcome.

“This series does so much justice to the Karate Kid films in ways I never thought possible.

“Cobra Kai never dies!”

Cobra Kai is available to stream now on Netflix worldwide.

Interview conducted by Gerrard Kaonga.