The Future of Daniel LaRusso: What Lies Ahead After Cobra Kai

The Intersection of Cobra Kai and the New Karate Kid Movie

Cobra Kai is ending with season 6, and whatever happens to Daniel LaRusso during the show’s finale could create some tricky challenges for the new Karate Kid film. Although it was easy to predict that the Karate Kid saga would continue after Cobra Kai, the announcement of a 2024 Karate Kid movie starring Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan was surprising. The project is combining the saga’s original films and the 2010 remake into the same canon, with an opening casting call for the “new karate kid” currently taking place.

Robby, Miguel, Daniel, and Johnny in Cobra Kai

The Cobra Kai creators are not involved with the new Karate Kid, with series co-creator Jon Hurwitz commenting (via Twitter) 'We are not officially involved in the new Karate Kid movie in any way, but we are friends of the court who hope it kicks ass! Love that guy Ralph Macchio!' With Cobra Kai season 6 currently in production, how these massive projects will intersect if at all, has yet to be revealed. For now, the only known connection between the projects is the character of Daniel LaRusso.

Collage of closeups of Jackie Chan as Mr Han smiling in The Karate Kid (2010) and Ralph Macchie as Daniel LaRusso ready to train in Cobra Kai

The Impact of Cobra Kai on the New Karate Kid Movie

Will The New Karate Kid Movie Acknowledge Daniel’s Cobra Kai Ending? Assuming the new Karate Kid will take place after Cobra Kai season 6, the film will have to acknowledge or at least not contradict the events of the show’s final season. Otherwise, it would feel like Daniel’s cinematic return and the Daniel LaRusso audiences have been following on TV since Cobra Kai season 1 are different characters. It is still very soon to say whether the untitled Karate Kid movie will tie into Cobra Kai in any way or form, but the fact that the Cobra Kai creators are not involved with the film raises some “canon” concerns. Karate Kid’s 2024 film can be great regardless of whether it ties directly into Cobra Kai. That said, ignoring Daniel’s character development from the show, especially whatever happens in the upcoming final season, would be a mistake. For example, if Daniel, Johnny, and Chozen move forward with their combined dojo, it would be strange if LaRusso were to act like he doesn’t have any students during the new movie. Likewise, if Daniel recruits a new generation of students in season 6, not acknowledging them in the 2024 movie would be odd. Therefore, 2024’s Karate Kid is in a difficult situation.

How The New Karate Kid Movie Will Tie Into Cobra Kai Could Make Or Break It. The Karate Kid movie franchise was bound to continue past Cobra Kai, which is not a bad thing. Cobra Kai ending after six seasons with a planned finale rather than an abrupt cancellation is great news, and it allows the series to properly conclude the stories of all the characters. However, it cannot be denied that Cobra Kai’s pop culture impact changed the Karate Kid saga forever, which is why the upcoming movie has a tricky challenge to overcome. It should not be just 'Cobra Kai: The Movie,' yet it should also not pretend that Cobra Kai never happened.

The Future of Daniel LaRusso in the New Karate Kid Movie

Which Cobra Kai actors other than Ralph Macchio, if any, will be in 2024’s Karate Kid remains to be seen. Cobra Kai introduced an extensive set of characters tied to Daniel, from his wife and children to his new students, and any of them would make a good addition to the movie. The Karate Kid franchise is no stranger to retcons or writing characters off, but hopefully, the new film will be a new chapter in Daniel’s life and not a reset for the character. Either way, the story will likely focus on a new “karate kid.”

Watch Cobra Kai on Netflix