Why isn’t Ralph Macchio from Cobra Kai coming back for the next Karate Kid?

At this point, it seems as if when any chapter of “The Karate Kid” series is teased, it can’t be without swan-kicking pro, Ralph Macchio. The original Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso, is back alongside his old nemesis Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) in “Cobra Kai,” and together they’ve helped the show become a hit. As successful as the movies, if not more so. But when the series was still a trilogy, what prevented Macchio from returning for The Next Karate Kid, where he was instead replaced by Hilary Swank?

Macchio confirmed almost It wasn’t a case of him declining the offer – he simply never got the call. Fortunately, he had no animosity towards his fellow star. Pat Morita, who played the brilliant Mr. Miyagi. “I heard they were making the movie. There was a period of time, for no particular reason, where Pat Morita and I probably didn’t have much contact. It had nothing to do with anything… it’s all I have for him. Pat Morita has the utmost love and respect ” It has not been made clear why Macchio was not invited back to participate in “The Next Karate Kid”, although it was speculated that it was a result of the franchise changing:

“I know (director) John G. Avildsen didn’t make the movie, and I know Robert Mark Kamen didn’t write the movie. So the original creators weren’t involved (…) My assumption was (there was) an idea from the studio to follow up, and they had Pat sign off on this “The idea.”

According to Macchio, he didn’t have any tension with anyone — whether it was his former partner, Pat Morita, or his replacement, Hilary Swank — because there simply wasn’t a need to.

It happens from time to time: studios squeeze the last dregs of a franchise, with or without the original star. Macchio didn’t mind, but still, it was understandably strange for the poster for a decade-long franchise to see someone else hopping on one leg for a change:

“It was weird for me. I never talked to Pat about it after that. Again, for no apparent reason. It wasn’t like they came to me and said, ‘Oh no, I’ll do it.’ Never do another one of these. None of that happened, I think it was probably a decision by the studio and the producer at that point, let’s take this in this direction, let’s find another way to go.

As for the star who replaced him, Macchio says their real-life encounters didn’t lead to a fight: “I met Hilary Swank once or twice and we just smiled inside about the whole thing.”

However, the question many “Cobra Kai” fans are asking is whether we’ll see Swank and Macchio share the screen together. With a third of the final season still available on Netflix, there is only hope for it to continue, as the show’s creators have not hinted at any major appearances coming.

Considering that almost every notable character from “The Karate Kid” franchise who has graced both sides of the carpet has appeared in “Cobra Kai,” Hilary Swank’s Julie Pearce is one of the biggest characters to remain absent from her universe. Run for six seasons. Fans have spoken about her absence, and Macchio himself has admitted as much A cameo from Hilary Swank makes sense.

The creators of “Cobra Kai” have heard the speculation, but have remained tight-lipped on whether she will actually join Saikai Taikai. Appearance or not, though, we’ll apparently get some sort of reference eventually. talking to CBR In November 2024, executive producer Josh Heald responded to questions regarding Jolie’s place in the “Cobra Kai” universe:

“We’ll eventually say something about whether or not she’s in the series, and how great she is, or why she’s not. But we don’t want to spoil anything by getting into the dance about anything, because we can’t talk about any old characters returning and what their involvement is until that happens.” “That’s really it, or so we can catch a glimpse of it.”

We can only hope that in the future of Miyagi’s poetry, we find some room for the next “Karate Kid.” There’s plenty for everyone to put on and take off, after all.