Posted in: Movies | Tagged: cobra kai, Daniel LaRusso, Johnny Lawrence, Mr. Miyagi, pat morita, Ralph Macchio, the karate kid, william zabka

Karate Kid: William Zabka Reveals Pat Morita's Pitch for 5th Film

William Zabka, who plays Johnny Lawrence in the first two The Karate Kid films and its sequel series Cobra Kai, revealed an idea pitched to him for a proposed fifth film in the franchise by none other than the late Pat Morita. Speaking with Collider, the actor said how Mortia, who played Noriyoshi Miyagi in the films, envisioned his own character's death only to find out his doctor is Johnny himself. "I had so many people that had ideas for Johnny Lawrence," Zabka said. "Actually, my favorite one was Pat Morita himself had an idea. He wasn't done with Miyagi yet, and this is in his last years. He called me he said, 'BZ BZ, I have a great idea for Karate Kid 5.' Miyagi's going to die, and he wanted him to have a proper Okinawan burial, but while he's sick, he saw Johnny Lawrence as being his doctor, and I thought that was interesting. That was probably the wildest idea I could've imagined, and coming from Pat Morita, it was awesome."

From The Karate Kid to Cobra Kai

Cobra Kai takes place over 30 years after the events of The Karate Kid (1984) and focuses primarily on the film's two main characters in Johnny and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). The movies primarily focused on the relationship between LaRusso and Miyagi, his sensei. The TV series shifts focus on the former prized student of Cobra Kai, who reopens the once-disgraced dojo in an effort to restore it to its former glory. The rivalry between Johnny and Daniel reignite with Cobra Kai's reopening and a series of misunderstandings among the two and their students. Initially, on YouTube Red (now YouTube Premium) for the first two seasons, Cobra Kai found a new permanent home on Netflix. The series not only marked the return of Macchio and Zabka in their most famous roles but also their The Karate Kid co-stars like Randee Heller and Martin Kove. With Netflix's announcement for season three for 2021, what other ghosts of Karate Kid's past will we see? Check out the interview with Zabka below.

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