In many ways his success as The Karate Kid has stereotyped Ralph Macchio in Hollywood's mind, but now it seems that he has embraced his legacy by agreeing to star in a TV series version for YouTube Red.
They're describing the show as follows: "Thirty years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, a down-and-out Johnny Lawrence (William 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 show is about two men addressing past demons and present frustrations the only way they know how: through karate.”
While that all sounds fairly interesting, what is surprising is that the show will be presented in a half-hour format and is being produced by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (American Reunion, Harold & Kumar) and Josh Heald (Hot Tub Time Machine). Additionally, it's being produced by Sony's comedy division.
Oh, wait a second. Maybe they caught this summer's big-screen spoof of Baywatch and thought that was the way to go....Ooh, that may not end so well.
On the big screen, the franchise began under the guidance of John G. Avildsen, who brought the Rocky formula to the world of karate. Avildsen directed The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part II (1986), and The Karate Kid Part III (1989). By the time the fourth film, The Next Karate Kid, came around in 1994, Avildsen was gone and so was Macchio. In his place was Hilary Swank, who was trained by Pat Morita's Mr. Myagi. Most recently there was the 2010 remake of the original, which starred Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. There had been talk of a sequel, but so far nothing has materialized.
The Karate Kid will initially consist of ten half-hour episodes.