Netflix Renews Xolo Maridueña’s “Cobra Kai” for Sixth & Final Season

Posted on January 21, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Xolo Maridueña has one karate fight left…

Netflix has renewed Cobra Kai, starring the 21-year-old Mexican, Cuban, and Ecuadorian American actor, for a sixth and final season.

The final run, which promises to be “the biggest and baddest” season of all, is set to begin production in late spring, according to Deadline.

The news was announced Friday in a letter to fans by series creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg.

In it, the trio shared a tribute to the world of The Karate Kid, a universe they loved so much as kids when they couldn’t have imagined they’d one day grow up to expand into a six-season series.

Not only did they bring the stories of underdog-turned-hero Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and misunderstood bully Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) to legions of OG fans, they also inspired a whole new generation.

Cobra Kai takes place more than 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, with the continuation of the inescapable conflict between Daniel and Johnny — but now their families also are involved. Had these two men grown up enough in the present day to make amends? Or even, dare fans dream, become friends?

The series welcomed a stacked list of new characters played by Maridueña, Courtney Henggeler, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Peyton List, Vanessa Rubio, Dallas Dupree Young, Alicia Hannah-Kim, and Gianni DeCenzo.

It also has featured the return of familiar faces from the movie franchise including Yuji Okumoto, Martin Kove, Thomas Ian Griffith, Elisabeth Shue, Sean Kanan, Robyn Lively and Tamlyn Tomita, among others.

One of the only faces missing is Hilary Swank, who portrayed Julie Pierce in 1994’s The Next Karate Kid. Heald, Hurwitz, and Schlossberg have remained mum on the possibility in various conversations with Deadline, as has Swank. It’s going to be the final battle — at least for now — and anything goes.

Cobra Kai is written and executive produced by Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg via their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment. Will Smith, James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett executive produce for Westbrook Entertainment along with Susan Ekins in association with Sony Pictures Television. Macchio and Zabka also serve as executive producers.

Christina Ochoa to Star in James Mark’s Deadly Combat Drama “Fight Another Day”

Posted on December 5, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Christina Ochoa will fight another day…

The 37-year-old Spanish actress will star opposite Jim Belushi in Canadian director and action specialist James Mark’s deadly combat drama Fight Another Day, as the production continues to shoot on location in the Greater Toronto Area, through to early 2023.

Ochoa and Belushi join previously cast members Martin Kove, Kevin Nash and Eric Johnson, as well as UFC legends Ken Shamrock and Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell.

Johnson (Fifty Shades Darker, Vikings) stars as tough cop Ryan Taylor, who is transported to a dystopian future, where he is forced to enter a deadly combat tournament in order to return to his past.

Belushi will play a low-level security guard with plans to retire when he decides to help Animal Kingdom star Ochoa’s character Isabell with her scheme to get Ryan back.

The project is produced by Bruno Marino at film and television company High Star Entertainment with Mark’s Kemodo Entertainment.

Marino said Ochoa was a “welcome addition to the cast” adding the role required someone “who could her own amidst a band of gladiators.”

This film marks the fourth producer/director collaboration between Marino and Kemodo’s respective companies High Star Entertainment and Kemodo Entertainment.

Netflix Renews Xolo Maridueña’s Karate Kid-Inspired Series “Cobra Kai” for Fifth Season

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Xolo Maridueña will live to fight another season…

Netflix has renewed Cobra Kai, starring the 20-year-old Mexican, Cuban and Ecuadorian American actor, for a fifth season.

The news, a nnounced ahead of the show’s fourth season premiere in December, comes as no surprise after the popular series earned four Emmy nominations in July including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy, Outstanding Stunt Performance and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy.

Production on the new season is expected to begin in Atlanta this fall.

The news Cobra Kai is a spin-off series connected to The Karate Kid franchise following the competitive world of martial arts in Southern California starring Ralph Macchio as the titular character Daniel LaRusso and William Zabka as his nemesis Johnny Lawrence. The Netflix project revisits both characters in present-day as they launch dojos of their own and mentor the next generation of karate kids, including Maridueña’s character Miguel Diaz.

Season 4 picks up after the events of the season 3 finale that saw Daniel and Johnny combine their dojos to take on the villainous John Kreese (Martin Kove) at the All Valley Tournament. The season is connected to The Karate Kid Part III and will see the return of Kreese’s equally evil best friend Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith).

The first three seasons of the series are available to stream via Netflix now.

Netflix to Release Season 3 of Xolo Mariduena’s “Cobra Kai” Series on New Year’s Day

Posted on December 26, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

The fate of Xolo Mariduena’s Cobra Kai character will be revealed one week earlier…

Netflix will launch the third season of the 19-year-old Mexican, Cuban and Ecuadorian actor’s series a week earlier than originally planned. It’s now set to release all episodes on January 1.

The day after the season streams, the cast of Cobra Kai will appear on The Netflix Afterparty to talk about the latest season of their martial arts series alongside hosts David Spade, Fortune Feimster and London Hughes.

Cobra Kai is the continuation series from the 1980 film franchise The Karate Kid, starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka in their respective reprised roles of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. Now adults, Daniel is searching for answers about his past while Johnny seeks redemption for things he did in his own past. The once-rivals now have to team up to save the dojo from John Kreese (Martin Kove), who has taken over as sensei with his infamous “no mercy” philosophy.

The third season also finds everyone reeling from the aftermath of the violent brawl between dojos, which left Miguel (Mariduena) in a coma. The stakes in its upcoming season have never been higher, with, as the streamer puts it, the soul of the Valley at stake, and the fate of every student and sensei hanging in the balance.

Cobra Kai also stars Courtney Henggeler, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni Decenzo and Peyton List. Yuji Okumoto and Tamlyn Tomita will also appear.

The show is written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg via their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment.

Although Netflix previously dropped the first two seasons of Cobra Kai on their platform, that was a second-run stream after the series originated on YouTube Premium. Now, with its third season and beyond (the show has already been renewed for Season 4), it is a Netflix original.

Netflix Renews Xolo Maridueña’s “Cobra Kai” Series for Fourth Season

Posted on October 3, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Xolo Maridueña will fight another day…

Following the launch of Cobra Kai‘s first two seasons on Netflix, the streamer has renewed the series, starring the 19-year-old Mexican, Cuban & Ecuadorian American actor, for a fourth season.

The pickup for the series continuation of the iconic The Karate Kid film franchise from Sony Pictures Television, comes ahead of the premiere of Season 3, which has been set for January 8, 2021.

Along with exclusive rights to Season 3 of Cobra Kai, Netflix’s deal with Sony Pictures Television gave it access on a non-exclusive basis to the first two seasons of the show for fans to catch up. Seasons 1 and 2 of the Karate Kid sequel series, featuring the film’s original stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, premiered on Netflix in late August and have been topping streaming ratings charts since.

Cobra Kai started as a YouTube original and was a massive breakout hit, topping 55 million YouTube views for Episode 1, while also earning praise from critics. On the heels of a record-setting Season 2 premiere of Cobra Kai, YouTube in April 2019 ordered a third season. Through all the changes at the platform over the past year, YouTube had remained committed to airing the completed third season but notified its Sony Pictures Television partners that they wouldn’t be commissioning a fourth season. Looking to secure a future for the show beyond Season 3, Sony Pictures Television asked permission to shop the upcoming season to an outlet that, in success, could order additional episodes. That strategy has paid off with the Season 4 order by Netflix.

Cobra Kai takes place 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, where a now successful Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) struggles to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of Mr. Miyagi, and must face his previous adversary, down-and-out Johnny Lawrence ( Zabka), who seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo. Martin Kove stars as sensei John Kreese.

Cobra Kai is written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg via their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment. Macchio and Zabka serve as co-executive producers.

Netflix Releases Sneak Peek at Season 3 of Xolo Maridueña’s “Cobra Kai”

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Xolo Maridueña is kickin’ things up…

Netflix has released the first look at the upcoming third season of Cobra Kai, starring the 19-year-old Mexican, Cuban & Ecuadorian American actor, head of the August 28 premiere for seasons 1 and 2 on the streamer.

Netflix announced that the third season will launch in 2021 and released new footage from season 3 near the end of the trailer, following a recap of highlights from seasons 1 and 2.

The Karate Kidsequel series, starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, takes place 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, where a now successful Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) struggles to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of Mr. Miyagi, and must face his previous adversary, down-and-out Johnny Lawrence (Zabka), who seeks redemption by reopening the infamous Cobra Kai karate dojo. Martin Kove stars as sensei John Kreese.

In addition to Maridueña, who portrays Miguel Diaz, Macchio, Zabka and Kove, Cobra Kai also stars Courtney Henggeler, Tanner Buchanan, Mary Mouser, Jacob Bertrand, Gianni Decenzo, Vanessa Rubio and Peyton List.

Cobra Kai is written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg via their Counterbalance Entertainment production company.

Xolo Mariduena’s “Karate Kid” Sequel Series “Cobra Kai” Looking for a New Home

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Xolo Mariduena will be heading to a new home…

YouTube’s flagship scripted series Cobra Kai, starring the 18-year-old Cuban, Mexican and Ecuadorian American actor, will be heading to a new streaming platform for its upcoming third season.

YouTube is in the process of releasing Season 3 of the popular show to producing studio Sony Pictures Television amid a move away from premium original scripted programming.

Sony Television is shoppingCobra Kaito other outlets, with all major streamers expressing interest, including Netflix and Hulu, who lead the short list of contenders for the Karate Kid sequel series, according to Deadline.com.

The new outlet will have access on a non-exclusive basis to the first two seasons of the show for fans to catch up. That has been part of the negotiation with YouTube, which had ownership in and exclusive global rights to the first two seasons under the original license agreement with Sony Television.

The freshman season of Cobra Kai was a massive breakout hit, topping 55 million YouTube views for Episode 1 and ranking as the sixth-most Google-searched TV show in 2018.

Season 2 picked up following the shocking cliffhanger featuring the return of John Kreese (Martin Kove). When a new rivalry between opposing dojos is born in the aftermath of Cobra Kai’s controversial win at the All Valley Championships, Daniel (Ralph Macchio) realizes his next countermove is to open his own karate training school called Miyagi-Do, in honor of his mentor Mr. Miyagi.

Cobra Kai is written and executive produced by Josh Heald, and Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. Together, the trio conceived the new Karate Kid storyline that picks up decades after the original film.

Heald, Hurwitz and Schlossberg showrun the series and direct the bulk of the episodes.

In addition to Macchio and Mariduena, who portrays Miguel Diaz, the series also stars William Zabka, Courtney Henggeler, Tanner Buchanan and Jacob Bertrand.

Marco Rodriguez to Star in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Posted on July 11, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a Hollywoodscreen moment for Marco Rodriguez…

The 65-year-old Latino actor is among the just-added cast members of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Along with Rodriguez, who starred in 1981’s Zoot Suit, the new additions include

Spencer Garrett, Martin Kove, James Remar, Brenda Vaccaro, Nichole Galicia, Mike Moh, Craig Stark, Ramon Franco and Raul Cardona.

They play a variety of characters alongside stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Burt Reynolds, Kurt Russell,Timothy Olyphant, Damian Lewis, Dakota Fanning, Scoot McNairyand Al Pacino.

Once Upon a Time takes place in Los Angeles in 1969, at the height of hippie Hollywood. The two lead characters are Rick Dalton (DiCaprio), former star of a Western TV series, and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt). Both are struggling to make it in a Hollywood they don’t recognize anymore. But Rick has a very famous next-door neighbor: Sharon Tate (Robbie).

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is produced by David Heyman, Tarantino and Shannon McIntosh.

Sony Pictureswill release the film on August 9, 2019.

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