Cobra Kai never dies and neither does the past because the show’s creators are well aware of a certain Karate Kid graduate they might want to bring over in the future to Netflix, two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank.
Swank starred in 1994’s The Next Karate Kid as Julie Pierce, the franchise’s first female protagonist, although one who definitely did not enjoy the same success Ralph Macchio did in the first couple of films under Mr. Miyagi's mentorship. Nevertheless, despite being universally panned by critics and being an outright commercial failure, The Next Karate Kid was Swank's biggest role in the early days of her career, partly due to her performance in the movie.
Considering the stellar trajectory she’s had, it’s no wonder Cobra Kai co-creator Hayden Schlossberg would like Swank to reprise her part. However, for now, he's quite coy about revealing if she’s indeed been added to season five’s cast. In a special panel for Deadline, Schlossberg insisted Cobra Kai is the show to watch to see if that happens, simply remarking, "Anything is possible. Julie Pierce is one of the toys in the toy chest, so we’ll see."
The question follows the showrunners’ very logic, as so far Cobra Kai has taken a trip to Karate Kid 2’' Okinawa, thus bringing back Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita) and Chozen (Yuji Okumoto). Afterward, Cobra Kai season 4 was all about Terry Silver's (Thomas Ian Griffith) comeback. Of course, the biggest obstacle in continuing this trend would probably be convincing an actor of Swank’s caliber to pick up her karate lesson once more.
While Swank is a somewhat selective actor, there’s an odd chance she still holds The Next Karate Kid close to her heart and can be persuaded by the same nostalgia that has made Cobra Kai such a hit for Netflix. If not the already filmed season 5, which still has to deal with the fallout from Silver’s villainous schemes, then season 6 could indeed be the one as Cobra Kai is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon and the writers have made plans for many more seasons.
The series’ production values have consistently grown since the show left YouTube for Netflix and there’s already an impressive number of fighters in the Cobra Kai cast. Swank is no stranger to fighting of course, as her crowning acting work came with Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby so maybe there’s an even bigger chance of this happening than one might initially think.
Cobra Kai seasons 1-2 are now available on Netflix.
Source: Deadline