A newKarate Kidmovie is in the works, courtesy of Sony Pictures. The studio has officially announced the franchise’s return to theaters by dating a new installment of the series, simply dubbedKarate Kid, for June 16, 2025. PerDeadline, the announcement comes along with several other release date announcements, such as Sony’s superhero moviesKraven the Hunter(Jun 07, 2025) andMadame Web(Jun 28, 2025).
No information has been revealed about the newKarate Kidmovie, so it’s currently unclear who will be appearing in the film or what the plot might be. It’s possible that it will be an extension of the originalKarate Kiduniverse, which consisted of four movies along with the sequel seriesCobra Kai. Some of theCobra Kaicast members have teased that the show could be soon fleshed out into more of a cinematic universe, and this new film could be a part of those plans coming to life.
“The thing that’s been created, there’s kind of this Karate Kid Cinematic Universe now whereCobra Kaiis, you know, at the center of that and when that day does come in for a landing, there areother areas to draw from,” Ralph Macchio recently told Comicbook.com. “I mean, whether it’s … Is there a Miyagi origin story? Is there aCobra Kaiprequel beforeThe Karate Kid? Is there spin-offs with some of the young cast of these characters? Who knows? But we’re not done as long as we’re given the opportunity to really bring it in. As long as it evolves organically, these guys that write the show really have their finger on the pulse of that.”
Macchio’s co-starWilliam Zabka also told the outlet, “There’s an endgame [forCobra Kai]. Everything’s pointing to a place on the map for sure. It’s a matter of how many [seasons] we’re gonna get to do that, but there’s definitely an endgame. We’re gonna end the series, and then I think we’re gonna do a trilogy of films.”
Related:The Best Moments from the Karate Kid Franchise, Ranked
Cobra Kai Brought New Life to The Karate Kid
Certainly, the success ofCobra Kaimust have played a big role in Sony bringingThe Karate Kidback to theaters with a new film. The series, which serves as a follow-up to the original trilogy andThe Next Karate Kid, features a mix of legacy characters along with newcomers to the story. It seems to be exactly what fans wanted as the show has been very popular for years. At this point, Sony must be hoping that interest will carry over into high ticket sales for the franchise’s return to the big screen.
“That’s what we love most about the franchise: anybody watching our show sees how many characters are entering in and there’s part of us that never wants to stop,” co-creator Jon Hurwitz recently told Total Film, teasing spinoffs to come. “We do have a place where it’s all going, but that doesn’t mean the world has to stop there. We have lots of ideas of continuing [the universe] and keeping theKarate Kidvibes going through other stories and other shows and different formats for that.”
