The Karate Kid returns to theaters with preview of Cobra Kai
Mercy is for the weak, but April 25 is for a double screening of The Karate Kid and upcoming YouTube series Cobra Kai.
- Patrick's play The Cowboy is included in the Best American Short Plays 2011-12 anthology. He co-wrote and starred in the short film Baden Krunk that won the Best Wisconsin Short Film award at the Milwaukee Short Film Festival.
Your latest injection of '80s nostalgia? The new YouTube Red series Cobra Kai. Based on The Karate Kid, it picks up with Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Cobra Kai baddie Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) 34 years later.
Trailers and teasers for the series look promising. They show a now-adult LaRusso and Lawrence dealing with the consequences of their 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament fight. Both Macchio and Zabka return to their iconic roles, but the show also introduces a slew of young new characters including Sam and Robbie -- the daughters of LaRusso and Lawrence respectively.
As part of the promo for the new series, original Karate Kid film will be back in theaters for one night, along with the first two episodes of Cobra Kai. The double-billing takes place at 700 theaters across the US on Wednesday April 25 at 7 p.m. local time. Check here to find a theater near you.
The original film The Karate Kid is a defining pop-culture staple. It's an underdog story about Daniel and his mom moving from New Jersey to Reseda, California. Daniel is bullied by members of the Cobra Kai dojo after he gets between Johnny and his ex-girlfriend Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue).
Daniel befriends a handyman named Mr. Miyagi (Pat Mortia) who teaches "Daniel-san" how to defend himself. The movie is filled with quotable lines like "wax on, wax off," "mercy is for the weak" and "sweep the leg." The soundtrack includes songs from Survivor, Gang of Four and the Joe Esposito song You're The Best. Mortia's performance as Miyagi even got him an Oscar nomination.
There have been four follow-up films to the original Karate Kid, including a 1994 one starring Hilary Swank and a 2010 remake with Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith and Taraji P. Henson. The new Cobra Kai series will premiere on YouTube Red starting May 2.
