“Like everyone who grew up in the 1980s, the three of us are enormous fans of The Karate Kid ,” Heald, Hurwitz, and Schlossberg said in a joint statement. “Cobra Kai will be a true continuation of the original films — packed with comedy, heart, and thrilling fight scenes. We can’t wait to reignite the LaRusso-Lawrence rivalry, and we’re thankful to our partners at YouTube Red, Sony Pictures Television, and Overbrook for their shared enthusiasm in making our dream project a reality.”
“If The Karate Kid was Daniel’s story, Cobra Kai is equal parts Daniel and Johnny’s story,” Susanne Daniels, YouTube’s Global Head of Original Content, told THR. “Also because this is a series and not a movie, we really wanted to reimagine how the story was told. Changing the name made sense as part of that.”