The first Karate Kid movie was released in June 1984, and 40 years later the franchise is still going strong with the Cobra Kai series on Netflix and the film, Karate Kid: Legends, coming soon. The original movies followed Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) as he trained in karate and overcame those bullying him. Another Karate Kid movie in 2010 saw Jaden Smith play a similar character, though he studied kung fu instead of karate. Now, after over a decade, a new Karate Kid movie is releasing in 2025.

Sony has announced Karate Kid: Legends is on the way, though it’s still not clear how it will tie into the existing movies. Sony promises a “return to the original Karate Kid franchise” with the new Karate Kid movie, although there is also some sense that it will be a soft reboot. This is somewhat unsurprising too, since the direct story of the original Karate Kid...