Cobra Kai was a hit for YouTube Red when its first two seasons debuted on its platform but it has turned into a massive phenomenon after making the move to Netflix last weekend. It's already the streamer's most popular TV show and that bodes well for when its third season premieres on the platform next year. With success comes more plans so it should be no surprise that plans are currently being discussed to create a whole shared universe of spin-offs from THE KARATE KID series.
According to series creators Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg, ideas for potential spin-offs are already being drawn up and considered:
"We have put thought into spin-off ideas. We just love The Karate Kid universe, love all the characters from back in the day and we love the characters we've created. It's hard for me to give you an exact answer to this, but what I can say is that we have a list of at least five different scenarios that we would pursue, that we could consider."
Cobra Kai seems to be the perfect mix of nostalgia for fans of THE KARATE KID and a fresh new story that has won over new fans. There is room to bring in older and familiar faces while also letting the newbies run their own series. Hurwitz went on to tease the direction some of these spin-offs could go:
"Some of them are untraditional. Some of them are unlike any kind of spin-off you've ever seen before. But, every time we're writing episodes of the show, we're falling in love with the characters that we're creating and examining characters from the past. Within the world of Cobra Kai, there are certain things that you can explore and certain things that don't fit into that particular box, but there may be opportunities down the road to break out one of these characters and get to know them better or to explore different times in characters' lives."
So are you saying Hilary Swank of THE NEXT KARATE KID could return in a spin-off series? Maybe some multi-verse business that brings in Jaden Smith from THE KARATE KID reboot? All jokes aside, I never thought of THE KARATE KID having its own universe but so far the creators have been on a creative high with what they have started with Cobra Kai so if they have some fresh ideas, I say explore them.
Cobra Kai is set 34 years after the first film and re-examines the narrative from Daniel's rival, Johhny Lawrence's point of view. Lawrence is now a struggling alcoholic but he decides to reopen the Cobra Kai karate dojo which leads to the rekindling of his old rivalry with Daniel LaRusso. The show sees the return of both Ralph Macchio as Daniel and William Zabka as Johnny while the show also stars Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Maridueña, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni Decenzo, Vanessa Rubio, Peyton List, and Martin Kove.
Do YOU want to see Cobra Kai get a spin-off? Who from the past would YOU want to see explored?