The new Karate Kid movie, starring Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, was set to have a release date coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the original 1984 movie in June 2024. However, the strikes of 2023 moved this release date to December 13, 2024. Now, the latest upsetting update suggests that the movie will not be released during its 40th anniversary year at all. The new date of release for the movie is May 30, 2025.
The change in dates has triggered a backward domino effect as Sony pushed the date of release of Kraven the Hunter to Karate Kid‘s original date of December 13 this year. This makes the Aaron Taylor-Johnson film one of the only R-rated films during the Christmas holidays this year.
Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio’s The Karate Kid Misses Anniversary Year Release Date
The first Karate Kid movie was released in June 1984 and spawned three sequels, one remake, and a Netflix series. After 40 years of its release, the franchise is still going strong with the final season of Cobra Kai and a new Karate Kid movie in the works. The new Karate Kid movie would unite Ralph Macchio from the original movies with Jackie Chan‘s character from the 2010 movie.
The highly anticipated film was planned for a June 2024 release, the month when the franchise celebrates its 40th anniversary. Unfortunately, the film had to be delayed from this date to December 13, 2024, due to the strikes. While fans still found the film coinciding with the 40th anniversary year as worthy of celebration, they are in for a disappointment as it has now been delayed until 2025.
According to Deadline, Sony pushed the release date of the Karate Kid reboot to May 30, 2025. Many believe that the delay of the film resulted from the delay in production of the final season of Cobra Kai. The new film would follow the journey of Macchio’s character after the sixth & final season of the beloved Netflix series.
The production of the new film began on April 5, 2024, with Sony sharing the pics from the set of the film on X. Ben Wang will play the role of the new young karate fighter Li Fong in the film. The film will be helmed by Jonathan Entwistle (in his feature directorial debut) and written by Rob Lieber.
Karate Kid‘s Delay Could Still Be A Good Thing For Cobra Kai Fans
The five-month delay in releasing Karate Kid could allow Cobra Kai season 6 to finish its production and air on Netflix. It is expected that the finale season will play a significant role in setting up the next film. The stakes in the storyline have gone out of proportion for a comedy-drama series. The season 5 finale saw John Kreese break out of prison after faking his death to execute his revenge plan.
Speculations have arisen that the LaRusso family would move away from the Valley at the end of the final season. It is entirely possible that Daniel moves to his old childhood home in New Jersey, where he would potentially encounter Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han. It remains to be seen whether the film establishes some sort of connection between Chan’s character and Mr. Miyagi from the original films.
All 5 seasons of Cobra Kai are now available for streaming on Netflix. The first three Karate Kid movies are available on Starz. The Next Karate Kid and The Karate Kid (2010) are now available for streaming on Hulu.
