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For his next move, Cobra Kai star and OG Karate Kid Ralph Macchio wants to explore Mr. Miyagi’s origins
Original Karate Kid Ralph Macchio waxes lyrically on about plans for Mr. Miyagi origin story
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Cobra Kai isn't over just yet (as of this writing), but as any great fighter would attest to, you've got to be thinking about your next move. That's certainly the case for the Karate Kid himself, Ralph Macchio, who will return as his character Daniel LaRusso in the 2025 movie Karate Kid: Legends. But even beyond the wrap-up of Cobra Kai and his newest big screen venture, Macchio is looking ahead to the future of the franchise. Or rather, he's looking into its past: according to Macchio, his next hopes for the Karate Kid story is to explore the origins of Mr. Miyagi.
The story comes out of a profile on Macchio recently done by Variety. Toward the end of the piece, Variety reports that the actor "is keen on pursuing more directing," and would like to reteam with Cobra Kai directors/producers/co-creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg. Their first efforts, the article intones, would be the Mr. Miyagi origin story, which the article calls a "series" yet to come to fruition.
It's a move that makes a lot of sense for a franchise that spawned out of the original 1984 Karate Kid and its subsequent sequels. Sure, LaRusso may have been the titular character, but Mr. Miyagi was arguably even more of a series mainstay, appearing in 1994's The Next Karate Kid without LaRusso. And though Mr. Miyagi actor Pat Morita passed away in 2005, his influence is still very much felt in the currently-running Cobra Kai.
For Macchio, there's doubtless a personal reason to continue writing more Miyago stories. Recently, the My Cousin Vinny actor receieved a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and, appropriately, it was right next to Morita's.
"That’s just perfectly wonderful at this point in my life," Macchio told Variety. "It’s only fitting I will be Miyagi-adjacent till the end of time, and I couldn’t be prouder and more honored to have that kind of placement. I remember [Morita] saying having a star on the Walk of Fame was probably the biggest highlight of his career, coming from humble beginnings. So I’ll get to channel a little bit of the love that he still sprinkles on this ‘Karate Kid’ universe."
It's a love we all feel, Mr. Macchio, and we hope it only continues.
The final part of Cobra Kai, season 6, part 3, streams on Netflix February 15, 2025. Karate Kid: Legends kicks its way into US theaters May 30.
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