Ralph Macchio Talks About Where His Film KARATE KID: LEGENDS Fits Into the Miyagi-Verse and COBRA KAI's Timeline

Ralph Macchio has had quite a comeback as his character Daniel LaRusso, who debuted in The Karate Kid over 40 years ago. The series Cobra Kai picked up Daniel and Johnny’s (William Zabka) lives decades later, and watched as they re-entered the world of karate, and turned from enemies to friends, or maybe frenemies, and back and forth again.

The show is hilarious and has so much heart, it’s the perfect reunion to tie up loose ends, and give the fans a proper sendoff after decades of fandom.

The final five episodes are set to be released in the coming months, and though that may be the final time we see some of the characters, the show’s creators have expressed that spinoffs are not out of the question.

While we wait to see how that pans out, we know we will be seeing Macchio’s Daniel carry on in the upcoming film, The Karate Kid: Legends, in which he will star opposite Jackie Chan.

In a recent interview with Variety, Macchio talked about the placement of the film within the Miyagi-verse, which includes Cobra Kai. Karate Kid: Legends will take place three years after the events of Cobra Kai.

Macchio said of the film:

“It was not a quick decision, because it was about protecting the Daniel LaRusso character, and finding where he would be at that point, and then protecting the whole legacy in the Miyagi-verse. Once we were able to line that up, for the ‘Cobra Kai’ story to lead into the new film — even though they’re separate ecosystems — it all made sense for me. Then, working with Jackie was just super exciting. I started this on the big screen. How cool is it to get it back to the big screen?”

As for what’s next, Macchio is keen on pursuing more directing and hopes to help Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg turn a Mr. Miyagi origins series into fruition. Plus, he wants to explore other characters beyond the Karate Kid universe.

Will The Karate Kid: Legends mark his final bow as Daniel? Macchio responded:

“I don’t want to overstay the welcome of a character that’s so beloved. But he’s aging like I am, so there could be other areas to explore as well. Never say never.”

Never say never indeed. Who knew we ever could have had a show as great as Cobra Kai? Who knows what the future holds for these great characters? I guess we will just have to wait and see.