Posted in: Cobra Kai, Netflix, TV | Tagged: cobra kai, exclusive, hayden schlossberg, interview, Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, netflix

Cobra Kai Showrunners Look Back on Series; Tease Final Season, Future

Cobra Kai showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg spoke with us about the final season, the franchise's future, and more.

To say that Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg have exceeded all expectations of The Karate Kid franchise and then some would be an understatement. Entering their sixth and final season, separated into three parts, the Netflix series sees the former Cobra Kai and Eagle Fang Karate students absorbed into Miyagi-Do Karate dojo as the schools blend their styles in preparation for the Sekai Taikai, the world karate tournament. From bringing back the original star of the franchise, Ralph Macchio, and returning to play his rival and share equal billing, William Zabka, Cobra Kai is not only chock full of nostalgia, but it also created a new generation of stars. Heald, Hurwitz, and Schlossberg spoke to Bleeding Cool about where they're at beyond the Netflix series for spinoffs if they're coordinating with Karate Kid 5 director Jonathan Entwistle and writer Rob Lieber, any regrets they couldn't pull off if it's a story or actor they wanted, seeing the young cast grow up, and their future.

Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg on the Future Beyond 'Cobra Kai'

Bleeding Cool: How will the final season factor for spinoffs? Could you give us any idea who might be the focus and if there would be sequels or prequels?

Heald: [laughs] That is a loaded question. When we've been writing toward the finale for six seasons now, we've had all that in our heads the whole time because we don't want the party to end. We want to bring this show to a conclusion and not feel like we are cutting off the show at the end, where you would end a season with a cliffhanger that's meant to continue. It's been extremely rewarding to write to a conclusion for many storylines.

That conclusion for a lot of characters leaves a lot of meat on the bones, so we would be lying if we didn't say we are considering what more you can do in this universe with a lot of different characters from a lot of various angles, ranging from present-day storylines that continue the story, shifting focus to out of time, storylines that take place many years ago. There are lots of characters that feel worthy of that treatment. We are keeping that in our brains. We are discussing that with various studio and network partners, we have. We're focused on bringing this mothership for a great landing.

Did you coordinate with [director] Jonathan Entwistle or [writer] Rob Lieber about what happens to Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso in the new 'Karate Kid' film?

Hurwitz: They're telling their own story there. We communicated with them, but more as supporters and friends of the court. We don't know a lot of the specifics of what's going on in that movie. We saw an early draft of it and gave some general thoughts. I know that their story takes place after ours. They're aware of where things end with Daniel in our story, and it's their story to tell what's going on with Daniel LaRusso down the road. We haven't been intimately involved in that process, but like other fans in the world who love Daniel LaRusso and this franchise, we're eagerly anticipating what's to come.

Was there anyone you were trying to get for 'Cobra Kai' you didn't get the entire run, or someone you wanted to do more time with you had from the 'Karate Kid' franchise?

Schlossberg: Yeah. [All laugh]

Any names that come to mind?

Schlossberg: The reality is we…I'm joking around. We were lucky to get a lot of yeses from all the actors we wanted to bring into the show. Sometimes, you're not able to make it happen. We view that part of the process of making movies or television, unforeseen things will always come up when you adjust, and we go with the philosophy that everything happens for a reason. We were lucky to get Johnny and Daniel [actors William Zabka and Ralph Macchio] on board. We didn't know that Thomas Ian Griffith, Yuji Okamoto, and Tamlyn Tomita would necessarily want to or be able to come back because of whatever's going on in their lives, but we had stories to tell. For the most part, we've been lucky we've been able to tell those stories.

Heald: There are moments like in season two with Chad McQueen we couldn't work out when we were telling the story of the original Cobra Kai gang getting back together. The dates and the situation didn't work out, unfortunately, and we wrote to that with every page turn that brings you something new and different to work with. We're happy with all the ways it has worked out.

What was it like seeing the young cast grow as actors since season one, like Xolo [Maridueña], Mary [Mouser], Jacob [Bertrand], Peyton [List], Griffin [Santopietro], Tanner [Buchanan], or anyone else I might have left out?

Hurwitz That's one of the greatest joys of making the series. We cast a number of performers when they were 15, sometimes as in the case of Griffin, who's like 10 or 11 at that point when we cast him. We saw many of them grow up on our show, in front of the camera and behind the camera. It's been amazing watching them all develop into fine young adults. When I think about those early seasons for some of them, this was their first big thing. Luckily, they had great role models in our legacy cast with Ralph Macchio and Billy Zabka, both were welcoming, supportive, and loving towards this young cast.

We did our best to always be there for them and help them along the way. To see Xolo star as Blue Beetle and watch him carry a superhero film was rewarding and exciting for us, knowing what an amazing young man he is. It's deserving, and we're so proud of him. For all our young cast members, watching them grow on the show and be challenged more and more. Peyton List, for example, when you're watching season six of the series, to think of the things she's doing on the show this year. Before [Cobra Kai], she did a lot of work on amazing work on Disney playing a particular kind of character. She entered this show as something different that the world didn't see her as, and she crushed it from the beginning. To see the growth of [Tori] over the course of seasons has been amazing. It's one of the great joys of making the show is seeing this young cast blossom.

Regrets about dropping any story or arc you wish you could explore?

Schlossberg: Yeah. Yes. [all laugh] But to continue, the truth is it's funny because I answer it the same way the previous question; there are always curveballs that get thrown, but at the end of the day, we view it as like everything happens for a reason. There have been times; whether it's practical reasons or something didn't work out the way that we wanted it to, you end up looking at it and doing your best job with it. Ultimately, it feels like you know exactly what you want or something beyond what you want. We've been happy with all the stories and everything we've done. There were moments every season we were putting on the show when we were worried it would fall apart or one thing didn't go the way we wanted it to and throw the whole show off course. That little bit of neuroticism mixed with crazy bravado and confidence we get each season finished. Everything turned out how we liked it.

Your work on season six is unlike anything before since it's being released in multiple parts and coordinating with the release of Sony's next film in the franchise, not to mention the strikes. What do you feel is the biggest challenge in executing filming season six, and how does it compare to previous seasons?

Heald: This is our biggest season yet. We've said that before, and it's been true. Every season has ratcheted up the action, the number of characters we're writing to, the locations, and the ambition. This is the biggest season yet in terms of its 15 episodes. It's 150 percent as large as our next biggest season. We are telling the story and trying to deliver upon the promise of what a world karate tournament is that brings a lot of logistics into where you hold that international karate tournament. How do you show that internationally with the amount of action, dojos, teams, and spectacle that that would require? How do you conclude all the, not only series regulars, but also guest stars and recurring characters, the audience cares so much about in a way that doesn't feel like it's a series of and then…and then…and then.

It's a symphony we've been playing for a long time, and we've been in various movements from seasons that end tragically to triumphantly. This one took a lot of careful planning, and it was a dance that we worked in concert with the performers, stunt performers, studio, and the network to write specifically to make it a three-part event. We approached it like three seasons, and we're looking at three seasons that are five episodes long. Some episodes are longer than others, but each episode should stand on its merit.

We're not just hitting the pause button, checking our watch, looking at the calendar, and waiting for it to come back. You want to tell a complete story that sets up the excitement to come, then builds, and builds again. It was the same, but different, and took every ounce of everything we had to make it happen.

Now that you're still developing that world and universe, were there other IPs you think about revisiting and giving a similar treatment that you have with 'The Karate Kid' franchise as you with 'Cobra Kai?'

Hurwitz: We think about all sorts of IPs out there; some are realistic to go for, and others are impossible. We all love 'Back to the Future,' but we also know the team behind the franchise has no interest in continuing the story in that way. That feels like something that's not realistic if they ever change their mind. "Hey, we're here raising our hands for it." We're in discussions about different things. We have some stories up our sleeve we're working on right now. Continuing this universe, and as we said earlier as we were writing the conclusion of this season, we're thinking about having satisfying conclusions within this world but moving beyond in the Miyagi verse. We'll see where the future takes us, but we have plenty of storytelling to go.

Part one of Cobra Kai, which also stars Courtney Henggeler, Martin Kove, Gianni DeCenzo, Vanessa Rubio, Dallas Dupree Young, Joe Seo, Alicia Hannah-Kim, and Sean Kanan, premieres July 18th, with part two on November 28th, and part three in 2025, on Netflix.

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