Does the next ‘Karate Kid’ movie have a release date?

Cobra Kai continues to win over a new generation of fans on Netflix, building legitimate buzz for a new film in The Karate Kid’s classic series. Sony first announced the next installment a couple of years ago, and the IP hasn’t seen a theatrical release since 2010.

That reboot was a little divisive, though it featured Jackie Chan and some impressive martial arts, if not traditional karate. Now, rumors surrounding the plot of the next Karate Kid film hint at something more surprising. Both Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, who played the protagonist of the original film, will unite for the next movie.

Although little is known about the plot, that pairing is more than enough to spark curiosity among fans. When Sony announced the new Karate Kid movie, there were plans to release the film on June 7, 2024. So, many audiences are patiently wondering when it’ll finally arrive.

Is there a release date for Sony’s new Karate Kid movie?

According to a recent report by Variety, the next Karate Kid film featuring the return of both Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio will release on May 30, 2025. This marks yet another delay for the film, which originally planned to release in June 2024.

As of November 2023, Sony was aiming to release the anticipated movie on Dec. 13, 2024. So, it’s unclear if the production is having issues, and it could potentially end up getting delayed again in the future.

Is the new Karate Kid movie connected to Cobra Kai?

Sony has not officially confirmed that the next Karate Kid film is directly connected to Cobra Kai. According to a Deadline report from 2022, Cobra Kai co-creator Jon Hurwitz explained that they were not involved with the new project.

Rumors about the setting of the upcoming movie also implied that the characters in Cobra Kai couldn’t logically be introduced. However, since Sony just pushed the next Karate Kid movie to 2025, it’s possible that the filmmakers are adding some creative changes.

Cobra Kai still has one final season coming up, and Variety reported last February that the series began filming again. The sixth and final season plans to release sometime in 2024. This suggests that the next Karate Kid movie could release soon after Cobra Kai wraps up its series finale.

If so, that would present an opportunity to connect the lore from Cobra Kai with the new Karate Kid movie. For now, Cobra Kai’s sixth season still doesn’t have a concrete release date for 2024.

If Sony plans to connect the universes, then the movie’s release date could rely entirely on Cobra Kai’s production schedule. Any delays to Cobra Kai would likely push the movie to keep continuity intact for general audiences.