Ralph Macchio talks about the ridiculous KARATE KID spin-off and sequel he has heard over the years

Ralph Macchio is a household name like hers once again ‘Trilogy of films from the 1980s The child of karate has been successfully translated into the fantastic series Cobra Kai. The series follows his character Daniel LaRusso, who is now the owner of a car dealership and has a happy family and life. He reunites with his old high school nemesis, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), who was less successful as an adult, and both of their lives take off in a wild direction as karate resumes their lives.

The show is so beautiful and its writers are fans of the franchise, so they know what we want to see. It was a big hit with people who loved the movies, as well as with a new generation connecting with the younger cast. The stars certainly lined up with this series, but Macchio says he has heard every speech under the sun for the past few decades, and most of them were pretty ridiculous.

In his recently released memoir, Waxing: Me and the karate guythe actor says:

Now, in the early days – let’s say, in the late 90’s when I started hearing ideas – I was pretty much at a point where I wasn’t willing to listen. This was a time in my career where I was actively trying to separate myself from typecasting. However, as time went on I slowly opened one ear at a time and tried to be flexible enough to at least listen to them. I must admit that on most occasions it was difficult to get through the first few sentences.

Miyagi dies tragically and returns as a ghost to guide you.

You have a child who is a bully and you need to be the Miyagi for your problem child. . . who also has a drug problem.

Ali is pregnant with Johnny’s baby and you can’t take care even though you are now married to Kumiko.

These are just a few that stick in my mind. The best part is that they were completely serious and came from the perspective of trying to help. It was less of “I have a great idea” and more of “I want to have you back.”

He also fondly remembers a very unusual, but very fun idea to think about:

Then there was one of my favorites. It was delivered by a screenwriter to both John Avildsen and myself at a lunch with two studio executives. This was everything and everything that is both fantastic and terrible about Hollywood. I think we were having lunch to discuss a separate film project that was never made. This was after Hilary Swank’s version, The next karate guy, had come and gone. I remember the enthusiasm with which the writer gave his “lift step” to John, me and the executives of the studio. John had directed both of them Rocky And The child of karate, so that it lent itself to the conceptual idea of ​​the writer. It was basically a version of this:

What if Rocky Balboa had a son and Daniel-san had a son and they were both dicks and you, Ralph and Stallone, would reunite between New Jersey and Philadelphia to join a Miyagi / Mickey style of fighting training. People would go crazy!

A pregnant break. It seemed to last ten minutes, although it was probably only four seconds. Suspended animation. How to process it and respond? The most vivid image in my mind is the slant of the two studio executives, as if they were trying to make sense. John and I shared a puzzled look at the concept of this crossover idea. My mind raced to collect visions of Stallone and me running through the slums of Newark. Then John burst into laughter, simply replying that it wouldn’t work and it was a forced idea. I think he said diplomatically that he wasn’t interested in combining those two franchises or those characters. Clearly this was before DC Comics and Marvel changed the landscape of the superhero movie world. What did we know? But for that moment it was both intriguing and hilarious. Executives also agreed it wouldn’t work; however, they could not disguise their disappointment at the failure of a great idea. As if a prize fish were being rolled up and just when it got to the side of the boat, the line snapped. It was a classic Hollywood show moment that I will never forget.

It would be pretty wild to have Stallone’s Rocky Balboa in Miyagi’s verse! People surely would have turned up to watch it, but I’m glad we resisted Cobra Kai, because it is only the best. It’s what the original fans and actors of the franchise deserve.

What do you think? Would you have liked to see Daniel and Rocky team up?

via: EW