Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan Are Looking for the 'Next Karate Kid'

It has been almost 40 years since the first Karate Kid movie came out, and the long-running martial arts franchise is still going strong. After several sequels, a spinoff, and a 2010 remake, Ralph Macchio and William Zabka returned in Cobra Kai, a TV series which caught up with both characters in middle age.

The fusion of '80s nostalgia, high-octane fight sequences and a dynamic new cast of younger characters made Cobra Kai a hit, and a sixth season is due to start production now that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are over. This final installment in the saga of warring dojos in the Valley will wrap up its ongoing, highly serialized storyline, and just in time seeing as series star Xolo Maridueña's career is taking off (he just led DC's Blue Beetle).

But that won't be the end of the road for Daniel LaRusso. Macchio is returning for yet another Karate Kid movie. He's joined by Jackie Chan, who starred as the Miyagi-esque Mr. Han opposite Jaden Smith in the 2010 remake. This new movie will bring together the two disparate strands of the franchise—the original Karate Kid movies were set in the U.S. and Japan, while Chan's version took place in Beijing—and function as a fresh starting point for more stories, with a brand new youngster taking on the titular role.

"We're looking for [the] next Karate Kid," says Chan in a new video with Macchio, announcing the start of a "global search" for the star of the new movie.

"The new Karate Kid will have to do it all," says Macchio. "I'm excited!"

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