New Karate Kid movie is finally righting a 35-year-old franchise mistake that even Cobra Kai couldn’t do

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New Karate Kid movie is finally righting a 35-year-old franchise mistake that even Cobra Kai couldn’t do

Karate Kid: Legends is set to be the sixth feature film in the long-running martial arts franchise, and the upcoming film will fix a problem that has plagued a cast member for decades. Karate Kid: Legends‘connection with Cobra Kai It’s not yet clear, but it appears the sequel will be largely separate from the events of the Netflix spinoff – despite taking place in the same continuity. However, what is confirmed is that Karate Kid: Legends‘release date falls on May 30, 2025.

All five Karate Kid The films already released do not all have the same quality. The franchise’s fictional universe also gained a new canonical entry last year, when the 2010 Jackie Chan film Karate Kid the remake was integrated into the main timeline. The decision, although unusual, caused almost no problems. In fact, it has the incredible benefit of bringing Chan back to play Mr. Han again for the first time in 15 years. Interestingly, Chan’s return to the film franchise is still arguably less important than it is for his co-star.

Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso deserves a better sequel than Karate Kid 2 and Karate Kid 3

Karate Kid: Legends gives Macchio the chance to finally be part of a second good Karate Kid movie

There’s no denying the brilliance of Ralph Macchio’s 1984 start of the franchise, but none of the Karate Kid sequels have already reached the same level of excellence. 1986 The Karate Kid Part II drastically changed the formulaand it just didn’t work. While Macchio’s third Karate Kid The film – which was already the last – recovered some of the magic of the 1984 effort, but in a somewhat disguised way, by trying to recreate the same story.

Karate Kid Franchise Release Schedule

Movie/TV Show

Year

Rotten Tomatoes score

The Karate Kid

1984

90%

The Karate Kid Part II

1986

47%

The Karate Kid Part III

1989

15%

The Next Karate Kid[*]

1994

7%

The Karate Kid[*]

2010

66%

Cobra Kai

2018-2025

92%

Karate Kid: Legends

2025

To be confirmed

Not starring Ralph Macchio[*]

Macchio was never part of the reason the sequels failedand he was always one of the brightest sparks of failed productions. So it’s great that he’ll have the chance to reprise his most famous big-screen role in 2025, and alongside another legend, Jackie Chan. It also makes up for the fact that Macchio was replaced by Hilary Swank in 1994 The Next Karate Kid and restores him to his rightful place among the cast.

Cobra Kai Invented The Karate Kid Sequels, But LaRusso Deserves Another Film

A Spinoff TV Show Isn’t the Same as Another Karate Kid Movie Starring Ralph Macchio

Cobra Kai allowed Ralph Macchio to play Daniel LaRusso again for the first time in almost 30 years. The spinoff show hit the ground running and was immediately superior to Macchio’s Karate Kid movie sequels in every sense. While the project served as a brilliant form of redemption for the actor, Macchio still owes a feature-length sequel that lives up to the reputation of the film that started it all. Hopefully, Karate Kid: Legends It’s that same movie.

There is also the fact that although Cobra Kai continues Daniel’s story, Macchio’s character is not the focus of the series. Cobra KaiThe already huge cast is often augmented by guest stars that appeared in the original trilogy, and sometimes remain for a long time. Thus, it becomes impossible for Daniel to receive much attention, which presumably will not be the case in Karate: Child Legends due to the smaller number of main characters.

Karate Kid: Legends (2025) is a sequel to Cobra Kai and The Karate Kid directed by Jonathan Entwistle. The film finds Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan reprising their roles, continuing the martial arts legacy of mentorship and rivalry in a new era of challenge and apprenticeship.

Director

Jonathan Entwistle

Release date

May 30, 2025

Cast

Ralph Macchio, Jackie Chan, Ben Wang, Ming-Na Wen, Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, Aramis Knight, Wyatt Oleff

Character(s)

Daniel LaRusso, Sr.

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