Across six seasons, Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg successfully brought back a surprising number of Karate Kid alumni, but one major name remained absent: Hilary Swank
Swank starred in The Next Karate Kid as Julie Pierce, Mr. Miyagi’s latest pupil. Although the film isn’t anyone’s favourite installment of the franchise, fans were still eager to see Swank return. While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Heald said they reached out to Swank’s representatives as they were preparing the sixth and final season.
“We did reach out in the very early days before the season to see if there was a path [for her to appear],” Heald said. “We had an inkling of an idea about how she could come into this story and not have to commit to 10 episodes or something. It was going to feel like it could be a one- or two-episode arc, similar to what we did with Elisabeth Shue, where you can bring Ali back in at a pivotal moment and affect an important relationship.“
Unfortunately, the team never got to pitch Swank on the idea as she respectfully passed on the meeting. “On her end, it was very respectful, but we never got that opportunity to sit down and pour our heart out the way that we typically do when we bring back characters from the legacy,” Heald explained. “She was just in a place where she wasn’t looking to do that. She had had babies. I think she was in production on something at the time, and it was a respectful pass on even the idea of a meeting. She didn’t want us to go through the trouble of flying out to her and putting our heart on the sleeve because it just wasn’t something she was ready to do at that moment.“
The Miyagi-verse may continue, as the creators have been considering more spinoffs of the series, including a prequel series centered on Mr. Miyagi. However, nothing is official.
Unfortunately, the recently released Karate Kid: Legends didn’t quite live up to Cobra Kai. Our own Chris Bumbray said the movie lacked the energy of the Netflix series. “All of this is too bad because Wang is a likeable lead, and his chemistry with Chan is terrific,” he wrote.”This is cookie-cutter stuff, and it’s a major disappointment because—as much as people slam it now—the Jaden Smith-led Karate Kid had some heft and heart. This has none, with it just another throwaway movie destined for a quick turnaround to streaming. The franchise deserves a lot better.” You can check out the rest of his review right here.
Entertainment Weekly
