Cobra Kai brought back the stars of The Karate Kid, including Elisabeth Shue, and season 4 even reintroduced Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) from Karate Kid III. So Hilary Swank, who played Julie Pierce in 1994’s The Next Karate Kid, is the last big name on the table. In a panel at Deadlines Contenders Television Panel, co-creator Hayden Schlossberg teased Swank’s possible return. At least there’s no other show that could cast her as Julie Pierce.
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“Anything is possible,” said Schlossberg. “I always say if you’re a fan of The Next Karate Kid and want to see Julie Pierce who played Hilary Swank, we’re the show to watch to see if that happens. Season 5 is due out. It’s in the can. Everything is possible. Julie Pierce is one of the toys in the toy box, so we’ll see.”
Toys in the toy box was the main theme of the Cobra Kai panel. Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz dubbed the Karate Kid characters action figures they used to play with, and Cobra Kai is in the process of watching them play with their toys as adults.
“It’s a surreal delight to be able to bring this character from Karate Kid Part III, Terry Silver, back into modern day storytelling,” said Schlossberg. “He’s just a complete Bond villain in Karate Kid III. In our series, we can send him on an arc and make it where he starts out as this guy who says, ‘I’m out of this karate game.’ He’s being dragged in by the devil John Kreese, but be careful what you wish for because by the end of the season, the knife turns when it comes to taking over everything.
Cobra Kai Sensei Kreese (Martin Kove) was another character that Cobra Kai needed to explore further.
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“To be able to take that character and bring him back as you kind of knew him and start peeling that onion and showing his backstory of casting a young John Kreese, you see, wait Hold on, this guy didn’t always start from here,” said co-creator Hurwitz. “When you do a serial series, do you face the challenge of having to explain why John Kreese is just plain bad? What motivated him to try to teach some children? He has a worldview and the worldview is shaped by his experience.”
Ralph Macchio returned as Daniel LaRusso, continuing the teachings of the late Mr. Miyagi. Macchio, also executive producer, said he relies on Hurwitz, Schlossberg and Josh Heald to see the bigger picture of Cobra Kai.
“For this chapter to go in a different direction is honestly not always what I expect,” Macchio said. “Sometimes there’s a back and forth, but at the end of the day these guys get to see the whole picture, and I’m often very protective of one part of the character. The resulting creative collaboration has strengthened and deepened this character.”
Seasons 1-4 will stream on Netflix. Season 5 wrapped filming in December.
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