'Cobra Kai' News: Trailer Released for YouTube Red's 'The Karate Kid' Continuation Series Starring Ralph Macchio, William Zabka
The first trailer for "Cobra Kai," the upcoming follow-up series to "The Karate Kid" films, has been released.
Set thirty years after the events that took place in the original 1984 film, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) restarts the Cobra Kai karate dojo where he trained. The reopening of the dojo reignites his old rivalry with Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). While Daniel is now successful, the lack of guidance from his mentor, Mr. Miyagi, has resulted in his difficulty to keep the balance in his life.
It can be recalled that the original film saw Daniel and Johnny going head to head at the All Valley Karate Tournament. Thanks to Mr. Miyagi's unconventional teachings, Daniel was able to win the competition against his opponent.
Now, years later, Johnny is questioned by Daniel about his decision to reopen the Cobra Kai karate dojo. The trailer features the Cobra Kai's infamous motto, "Strike first, strike hard, no mercy." Johnny also teaches his students to be aggressive, similar to how his own mentor, John Kreese, taught him.
"You may know the moves," Daniel says, "but none of that matters unless you have balance."
The trailer also teases Daniel and Johnny's never-ending rivalry, with the former confronting the latter at the Cobra Kai karate dojo.
"Johnny, you and I, this, we aren't done," he says.
More than anything else, though, the show revolves around the two enemies using karate as a way to confront some of their past issues and current dissatisfactions.
"Cobra Kai" will consist of 10 episodes, each spanning 30 minutes. The series is set to premiere on YouTube Red sometime this year.
"The minute I heard about this project, I knew we had to have it," YouTube's Global Head of Original Content Susanne Daniels said in August last year (via Deadline). "'The Karate Kid' became an instant classic in the 1980s, and it still resonates with audiences around the world and on YouTube today."
An official release date has yet to be announced.