“Tears In My Eyes”: Cobra Kai Creator Shares Emotional First Reaction To Series Finale After Seeing Early Cut
Summary
The future ofCobra Kaihas gotten a hopeful update from one of its young stars. The show, which began its life on YouTube Red before moving to Netflix, is a sequel in theKarate Kidfranchise featuring legacy characters, including Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), along with a crop of new young karate trainees.Cobra Kaiseason 6, which has been split into three parts comprising five episodes each, with the first having premiered on July 18, is set to be the final season of the popular streaming show.
Screen Ranthad the opportunity to sit down for an interview with Jacob Bertrand, who plays Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz, to discussCobra Kaiseason 6. During the conversation, the actor shared his thoughts on the possibility of the show continuing past the final season. He said it “could be really fun” and thathe would be interested if “the young cast is into it,“including Xolo Maridueña, Gianni DeCenzo, and Peyton List, who play Miguel Diaz, Demetri Alexopoulos, and Tory Nichols, respectively. He suggested that the show might follow them to college. Read his full quote below:
Yeah, I would love to do a Cobra Kai in college type thing. I think it’d be really fun no matter who the story is centered around. Even to just have a little guest star role where Hawk comes and visits Miguel, wherever he is, or Sam, wherever she is, or Tory if she gets into college. I think that stuff could be really fun. I’m down to do it if Xolo, Gianni, Peyton, if the young cast is into it. I just love filming with my friends, so I’d be dumb to not take that opportunity.
The Cobra Kai College Spinoff Could Be A Perfect Continuation
The Karate Kid Universe Might Need A Show Exactly Like Bertrand’s IDea
Because of the show’s popularity, it is perhaps surprising thatCobra Kaiseason 7 is not in the cards. However,the legacy sequel reins are being taken up more or less immediatelyby theupcomingKarate Kidmovie, which will return the franchise to the feature-length realm and see Daniel LaRusso meet Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han from the 2010 reboot for the first time. However, no other legacy characters are currently set to appear in the cast and the movie’s setting transplants LaRusso fromCobra Kai’s Los Angeles to the East Coast, largely disconnecting it from any other franchise ties.
Jennifer-Lyn Christie
TBA
The movie project, combined with the busy schedules of the show’s creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg - who created the since-cancelled Netflix seriesObliteratedbefore starting work on season 6 - would seem to be what is precluding theKarate Kidsequel show from continuing in its current format. However,this college-set spinoff could be the perfect way to keep the spirit of the Netflix show aliveon the streaming platform without jeopardizing the success of the new movie.
Obliteratedwas an action-comedy series following a special forces team trying to save the world while intoxicated, featuring an ensemble cast that included Nick Zano and Shelley Hennig.
Now that the series has had six seasons worth of time to establish the young cast, they have become legacy characters in their own right andmay have the ability to lead a show in the iconic franchise on their own. While they became main characters in their own right,Cobra Kaiwas still primarily centered on the relationship between Daniel and Johnny. Removing Daniel from the picture in order to put him in the upcoming movie could irreparably damage the show’s current iteration, but an entirely new spinoff with an updated premise could very well survive without him.
The Cobra Kai Spinoff Needs To Get Its Cast Together Now
Assembling Its Young Actors Will Be The Show’s Biggest Hurdle
The main hurdle to putting together the college spinoff would be the continued availability of the young up-and-coming stars in theCobra Kaicast. In addition to Bertrand, Maridueña, List, and DeCenzo, other major young actors in the cast that could appear in the possible spinoff include Tanner Buchanan, who plays Robby Keene, and Mary Mouser, who plays Samantha LaRusso. However, it would be in Netflix’s best interest to begin contracting these stars as soon as possible, becausemany of the rising stars in the show’s ensemble cast have found major roles outside of theKarate Kiduniverse.
Xolo Maridueña led the DC superhero movieBlue Beetle…
Many members of theCobra Kaicast have begun to explore roles in features, with Tanner Buchanan starring in titles includingHe’s All ThatandHow to Date Billy Walsh,while Xolo Maridueña led the DC superhero movieBlue Beetle. While there is no indication that he will reprise this role, as the movie ended up being the lowest-grossing installment in the interconnected universe, Maridueña is also set to appear in the upcoming moviesThe Smurfs MovieandKilling Castro. Additionally,Peyton List has found another successful streaming seriesin Paramount+‘sSchool Spirits, in which she stars opposite Milo Manheim.
Because of this, the cast may scatter in different directions too quickly after the end of the show to reunite for a spinoff unless it comes together more or less immediately. For aCobra Kaicollege spinoff to work properly,it would most likely need to premiere by 2026so it could pick up immediately after the events of season 6 part 3. Otherwise, the momentum may be lost or the actors may have aged out by the time the show is able to come together.
Cobra Kaiseason 6 part 2 premieres on Netflix on November 15 while season 6 part 3 premieres on an unspecified date in 2025.
Cobra Kai
Cast
Cobra Kai is a sequel series continuing the narrative of the Karate Kid saga, set 30 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. It focuses on Johnny Lawrence seeking redemption by reopening the Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso, who strives to maintain balance in his life.
