Will the upcoming Karate Kid movie be in the same universe as Cobra Kai? Explained

With the new Karate Kid movie on the way, fans of the series are wondering where the film places in regards to the extremely popular series Cobra Kai. The final season of Cobra Kai is set to wrap up the epic saga in three distinct mini-seasons.

Part 1 (5 episodes) premiered on July 18, 2024. Part 2 (5 episodes) will premiere on November 28, 2024, while Part 3 (The Finale Event – 5 episodes) is scheduled for release in February 2025. The creators have advised viewers to enjoy each batch of episodes in 5-episode chunks rather than waiting for all 15 episodes to come out at once.

Slated for release in 2025, this new Karate Kid film has some fans musing over whether it will be part of the same universe as the series or strike its own different path. The showrunner, Josh Heald stated that he’s not personally involved in the Karate Kid movie and it will not be in the same universe as Cobra Kai.

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Cobra Kai and Karate Kid connection

Cobra Kai has revived the Karate Kid franchise and created a full universe that continued narrating the story of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence decades after their original showdown. The series has received critical acclaim for capturing the nostalgic feeling, well-developed characters, and new storylines that link to the old and newer generations of fans.

With the success of the series, it is expected people would want to know how this new Karate Kid movie is going to continue or break off this established universe.

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Insights from the showrunner and new Karate Kid movie details

Josh Heald was a showrunner on Cobra Kai and shed some light on this topic. Heald spoke to Screenrant in July 2024 and clarified that the new Karate Kid movie is underway, but it's not under Cobra Kai's wing. He said,

"The guys and I are not personally involved in the movie. That's a Sony feature, we kind of exist in this universe, so as we are wrapping our series, Ralph is actually going to go off to participate and film that movie."

He further added,

"But our series doesn't set up the movie, the movie kind of exists in its own piece of its own universe with Jackie Chan's character, and Ralph's character, and the various other characters in that story."

It is already known that the new movie is going to star Jackie Chan in a reprising role as Mr. Han from the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid, which starred Jaden Smith. This version of Karate Kid has been considered quite detached from the original 1984 film and the Cobra Kai series, which further solidifies the fact that the new movie will be going down a different chain of continuity.

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Potential Crossovers and Character Appearances

Despite the separation in continuity, there is still the chance for crossovers or character appearances. Given the timeless appeal of The Karate Kid franchise, it is rather obvious that fans are always on the lookout for easter eggs or interconnectivity between the different installments.

The Karate Kid (2010) image via Columbia productions

While a new movie may not be set in the same universe as the series, creative storytelling could still allow for cameo appearances or nods to the series. That said, no official announcements have been made about these sorts of crossovers.

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While a new Karate Kid movie is in the works, it looks like it is in another universe than the series. Fans might want crossovers or some kind of connection with Cobra Kai, but according to the information provided, the new movie will be standalone. On the other hand, Cobra Kai does this with new stories for its fanbase, building on the same legacy that the new movie The Karate Kid is based on.

Cobra Kai season 6 part 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.