Tag Archives: The Karate Kid

Netflix Renews Xolo Maridueña’s “Cobra Kai” for Sixth & Final Season

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Xolo Maridueña has one karate fight left…

Netflix has renewed Cobra Kai, starring the 21-year-old Mexican, Cuban, and Ecuadorian American actor, for a sixth and final season.

Xolo MaridueñaThe final run, which promises to be “the biggest and baddest” season of all, is set to begin production in late spring, according to Deadline.

The news was announced Friday in a letter to fans by series creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg.

In it, the trio shared a tribute to the world of The Karate Kid, a universe they loved so much as kids when they couldn’t have imagined they’d one day grow up to expand into a six-season series.

Not only did they bring the stories of underdog-turned-hero Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and misunderstood bully Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) to legions of OG fans, they also inspired a whole new generation.

Cobra Kai takes place more than 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, with the continuation of the inescapable conflict between Daniel and Johnny — but now their families also are involved. Had these two men grown up enough in the present day to make amends? Or even, dare fans dream, become friends?

The series welcomed a stacked list of new characters played by Maridueña, Courtney Henggeler, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Peyton List, Vanessa Rubio, Dallas Dupree Young, Alicia Hannah-Kim, and Gianni DeCenzo.

It also has featured the return of familiar faces from the movie franchise including Yuji Okumoto, Martin Kove, Thomas Ian Griffith, Elisabeth Shue, Sean Kanan, Robyn Lively and Tamlyn Tomita, among others.

One of the only faces missing is Hilary Swank, who portrayed Julie Pierce in 1994’s The Next Karate Kid. Heald, Hurwitz, and Schlossberg have remained mum on the possibility in various conversations with Deadline, as has Swank. It’s going to be the final battle — at least for now — and anything goes.

Cobra Kai is written and executive produced by Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg via their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment. Will Smith, James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett executive produce for Westbrook Entertainment along with Susan Ekins in association with Sony Pictures Television. Macchio and Zabka also serve as executive producers.

Netflix Renews Xolo Maridueña’s Karate Kid-Inspired Series “Cobra Kai” for Fifth Season

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Xolo Maridueña will live to fight another season…

Netflix has renewed Cobra Kai, starring the 20-year-old Mexican, Cuban and Ecuadorian American actor, for a fifth season.

Xolo Maridueno

The news, announced ahead of the show’s fourth season premiere in December, comes as no surprise after the popular series earned four Emmy nominations in July including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy, Outstanding Stunt Performance and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy.

Production on the new season is expected to begin in Atlanta this fall.

The news Cobra Kai is a spin-off series connected to The Karate Kid franchise following the competitive world of martial arts in Southern California starring Ralph Macchio as the titular character Daniel LaRusso and William Zabka as his nemesis Johnny Lawrence. The Netflix project revisits both characters in present-day as they launch dojos of their own and mentor the next generation of karate kids, including Maridueña’s character Miguel Diaz.

Season 4 picks up after the events of the season 3 finale that saw Daniel and Johnny combine their dojos to take on the villainous John Kreese (Martin Kove) at the All Valley Tournament. The season is connected to The Karate Kid Part III and will see the return of Kreese’s equally evil best friend Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith).

The first three seasons of the series are available to stream via Netflix now.

Netflix to Release Season 3 of Xolo Mariduena’s “Cobra Kai” Series on New Year’s Day

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The fate of Xolo Mariduena’s Cobra Kai character will be revealed one week earlier…

Netflix will launch the third season of the 19-year-old Mexican, Cuban and Ecuadorian actor’s series a week earlier than originally planned. It’s now set to release all episodes on January 1.

Xolo Maridueno

The day after the season streams, the cast of Cobra Kai will appear on The Netflix Afterparty to talk about the latest season of their martial arts series alongside hosts David Spade, Fortune Feimster and London Hughes.

Cobra Kai is the continuation series from the 1980 film franchise The Karate Kid, starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka in their respective reprised roles of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. Now adults, Daniel is searching for answers about his past while Johnny seeks redemption for things he did in his own past. The once-rivals now have to team up to save the dojo from John Kreese (Martin Kove), who has taken over as sensei with his infamous “no mercy” philosophy.

The third season also finds everyone reeling from the aftermath of the violent brawl between dojos, which left Miguel (Mariduena) in a coma. The stakes in its upcoming season have never been higher, with, as the streamer puts it, the soul of the Valley at stake, and the fate of every student and sensei hanging in the balance.

Cobra Kai also stars Courtney Henggeler, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni Decenzo and Peyton List. Yuji Okumoto and Tamlyn Tomita will also appear.

The show is written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg via their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment.

Although Netflix previously dropped the first two seasons of Cobra Kai on their platform, that was a second-run stream after the series originated on YouTube Premium. Now, with its third season and beyond (the show has already been renewed for Season 4), it is a Netflix original.

Xolo Maridueña Signs with United Talent Agency (UTA)

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Xolo Maridueña has new representation…

The 19-year-old Mexican, Cuban and Ecuadorian American actor, who portrays Miguel Diaz on The Karate Kid sequel series Cobrai Kai, has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA).

Xolo Maridueña

The news comes as Maridueña is set to star in season three of the karate drama, which has moved from YouTube to Netflix. The series, in which he plays Diaz, the top student at the Cobra Kai Dojo, recently debuted its first two seasons on Netflix following the shift and will launch the third season in January.

On Parenthood, which aired for six seasons on NBC between 2010 and 2015, he played Victor Graham, the adopted son of Erika Christensen’s Julia Braverman-Graham and Sam Jaeger’s Joel Graham.

His other television credits include guest roles on Major Crimes, Twin Peaks, Rush Hour and Mack and Moxy. 

In film, he featured in Dealin’ with Idiots, directed and starring Jeff Garlin alongside Gina Gershon and Kerry Kenney and has also performed on stage in Light in the Darkness and Little Red. 

Netflix Renews Xolo Maridueña’s “Cobra Kai” Series for Fourth Season

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Xolo Maridueña will fight another day…

Following the launch of Cobra Kai‘s first two seasons on Netflix, the streamer has renewed the series, starring the 19-year-old Mexican, Cuban & Ecuadorian American actor, for a fourth season.

Xolo Maridueno

The pickup for the series continuation of the iconic The Karate Kid film franchise from Sony Pictures Television, comes ahead of the premiere of Season 3, which has been set for January 8, 2021.

Along with exclusive rights to Season 3 of Cobra Kai, Netflix’s deal with Sony Pictures Television gave it access on a non-exclusive basis to the first two seasons of the show for fans to catch up. Seasons 1 and 2 of the Karate Kid sequel series, featuring the film’s original stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, premiered on Netflix in late August and have been topping streaming ratings charts since.

Cobra Kai started as a YouTube original and was a massive breakout hit, topping 55 million YouTube views for Episode 1, while also earning praise from critics. On the heels of a record-setting Season 2 premiere of Cobra Kai, YouTube in April 2019 ordered a third season. Through all the changes at the platform over the past year, YouTube had remained committed to airing the completed third season but notified its Sony Pictures Television partners that they wouldn’t be commissioning a fourth season. Looking to secure a future for the show beyond Season 3, Sony Pictures Television asked permission to shop the upcoming season to an outlet that, in success, could order additional episodes. That strategy has paid off with the Season 4 order by Netflix.

Cobra Kai takes place 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, where a now successful Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) struggles to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of Mr. Miyagi, and must face his previous adversary, down-and-out Johnny Lawrence ( Zabka), who seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo. Martin Kove stars as sensei John Kreese.

Cobra Kai is written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg via their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment. Macchio and Zabka serve as co-executive producers.