We interview the great Ralph Macchio, William Zabka and the creators of Cobra Kai on the lasting legacy of The Karate Kid.
It’s hard to believe, but The Karate Kid franchise is over forty years old. Despite this fact, the franchise seems to be stronger than ever, with a new movie in the saga, Karate Kid: Legends, due out in 2025. But, before that, the series which kick-started the franchise’s return to the zeitgeist, Cobra Kai, is starting to wrap up its run on Netflix with a super-sized sixth season. The second part of the three-part season made its debut Friday (read our review here), as Sensei Daniel (Ralph Macchio), Johnny (William Zabka) and students of Miyagi-Do head to the Sekai Taikai in Barcelona to take on their arch-enemies, the students of Cobra Kai, and their sensei Kreese.
Recently, we had the chance to sit down with Ralph Macchio and William Zabka to discuss the amazing legacy the franchise has left behind and why it’s endured for over four decades. We also dig into how the show specializes in humanizing its villains and how Johnny has become just as iconic as Daniel in his own way. We also chat with the series creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg about their end game in wrapping up the show’s run, and how this season is inspired by some of the classic eighties fight movies like Bloodsport and Best of the Best. We also dig into how the show’s fight choreography has gotten better than ever.
LL Cool J wants to come back for sequels to the 1999 shark thriller Deep Blue Sea and the 1999 crime thriller In Too Deep
2024 marks the 25th anniversary of the release of the Renny Harlin shark thriller Deep Blue Sea (watch it HERE) – and all these years later, one of the film’s stars is still waiting to have a rematch with the genetically engineered mako sharks at the heart of the story. That actor is LL Cool J, whose character Sherman “Preacher” Dudley was originally supposed to die in the movie (and LL Cool J has said that he nearly died for real during filming), but Harlin decided Preacher should be one of the few people to make it all the way to the end credits, which then had an LL Cool J song playing over them.
Directed by Harlin from a screenplay by Duncan Kennedy, Donna Powers, and Wayne Powers, Deep Blue Sea has the following synopsis: On an island research facility, Dr. Susan McAlester is harvesting the brain tissue of DNA-altered sharks as a possible cure for Alzheimer’s disease. When the facility’s backers send an executive to investigate the experiments, a routine procedure goes awry and a shark starts attacking the researchers. Now, with sharks outnumbering their human captors, McAlester and her team must figure out a way to stop them from escaping to the ocean and breeding.
LL Cool J was joined in the cast by Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Jacqueline McKenzie, Michael Rapaport, Stellan Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson, and Aida Turturro.
Speaking with The Standard, LL Cool J said, “Deep Blue Sea could be a lot of fun to revise, you know to do a new Deep Blue Sea. Also, In Too Deep could be fun to do a sequel.“
Another 1999 release, In Too Deep was a crime thriller directed by Michael Rymer. It told the story of undercover cop Jeffrey Cole (Omar Epps), who’s out to take down a criminal kingpin named Dwayne Gittens and nicknamed God (that was LL Cool J’s character).
In Too Deep has never gotten a sequel, but Deep Blue Sea has received two direct-to-video sequels over the years.
Would you like to see LL Cool J come back for a new Deep Blue Sea sequel and/or a sequel to In Too Deep? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Squid Game comes to Netflix’s mobile app with Squid Game: Unleashed, a competitive multiplayer race that mutilates money-hungry contestants.
Do you have what it takes to survive the challenges of Squid Game? You’re about to find out when Netflix launched Squid Game: Unleashed, a violent party royale mobile game based on the sensational Korean thriller. Squid Game: Unleashed launches on the Netflix app on December 17, and pre-registration is open! In addition to unveiling the Squid Game: Unleashed release date, Netflix shared a bloody and goofy trailer for the competitive multiplayer mayhem.
In Squid Game: Unleashed, players create cartoonish avatars to compete for 45.6 billion Korean won by completing a series of life-threatening challenges to be the last contestant standing. In the Squid Game: Unleashed trailer, players dodge pig-shaped wrecking balls, play a game of dodgeball while avoiding buzzsaw blades, traverse an M.C. Escher-like maze, play an elaborate game of Frogger with a speeding bus, and more! Players can win prizes as they progress through the game, changing the look of their avatar to reflect their personality and game standings.
Attention players, Squid Game: Unleashed is coming December 17th. Pre-register NOW on the App Store and Google Play to unlock an exclusive skin at launch. The games are about to begin… Pre-register here: pic.twitter.com/WiT0lUKaCU
Concerning gameplay, Squid Game: Unleashed is a Frankenstein’s monster of titles like Fall Guys, Wreckfest, and Gang Beasts, all with ragdoll physics.
Here’s the official synopsis for Squid Game: Unleashed courtest of Netflix:
“Three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 gave up going to the States and comes back with a new resolution in his mind. Gi-hun once again dives into the mysterious survival game, starting another life-or-death game with new participants gathered to win the prize of 45.6 billion won.”
How long do you think you would last in a real Squid Game competition? Are you familiar with playing games on the Netflix app? The games division of the app started slow but has grown by leaps and bounds with games like The Almost Gone, Oxenfree, Reigns, Infernax, Link Twin, and more. Adding Squid Game: Unleashed to the mix can only boost the app’s popularity, especially since the game launches nine days before the premiere of Squid Game: Season 2.
You can pre-register for Squid Game: Unleashed to become one of the first players to put their skills to the test in the fight for survival and money.
About the Author
Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He’s also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You’ll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.
Nicholas Braun, Stephanie Koenig, Debby Ryan, Mekki Leeper, and Cory Michael Smith have been cast in Jody Hill’s thriller Famous
Early this year, it was announced that Zac Efron (The Iron Claw) had signed on to star in the A24 thriller Famous for director Jody Hill, and it was revealed that he’ll be playing dual roles in the film, which is based on a novel by Blake Crouch. Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton) has since joined the cast, and now that production is underway in Los Angeles, a press release confirms that Nicholas Braun (Succession), Stephanie Koenig (Lessons in Chemistry), Debby Ryan (Insatiable), Mekki Leeper (Jury Duty), and Cory Michael Smith (Saturday Night) also have roles in the film.
Scripted by Chad Hodge, who created the short-lived, Crouch-inspired TV series Wayward Pines back in 2015, Famous has the following synopsis: Lance Dunkquist has one asset that’s about to change his life – he has the face of a movie star. And not just any movie star – Lance is the spitting image of a Hollywood icon, James Jansen. Lance is about to travel to Los Angeles to make his dream come true. Lance is going to be famous, no matter what it takes… The film aims to be a “provocative and highly entertaining Los Angeles-set thriller that explores the dark side of celebrity, and the lengths people will go to attain it.”
Efron is playing both overzealous fan Lance Dunkquist and Hollywood heartthrob James Jansen.
Copies of Crouch’s novel can be purchased at THIS LINK. It has the following description: “My name is Lancelot Blue Dunkquist, and the best thing about me is, when you doll me up right, I look just like the movie star, James Jansen.” Meet Lance. 38-years-old. Works a meaningless job. Still lives above his parents’ garage. By all accounts, a world-class loser. Except for one glaring exception… He has a million-dollar face. Lance has been mistaken twenty-eight times for the Oscar-winning movie star, James Jansen, and for the last 10 years, he’s saved his money, studied Jansen’s films, his moves, his idiosyncrasies, even the way he speaks. Now, after an unceremonious termination from his job, Lance has decided that the time has come to go after his dream. From New York’s ridiculous avant-garde, off-off Broadway scene, to the surreal glitter of Los Angeles, follow Lance on his madcap journey of self-abandonment to become his likeness. Part comedy, part human tragedy, and part suspense, the world through the eyes of Lancelot Blue Dunkquist is like none you’ve ever seen.
Mr. Robot creator / Leave the World Behind director Sam Esmail is producing Famous with Chad Hamilton for Esmail Corp. The company’s Nick Krishnamurthy serves as executive producer. Jody Hill’s previous directing credits include The Foot Fist Way, Observe and Report, The Legacy of a Whitetail DeerHunter, and episodes of Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals, The Righteous Gemstones, and Peacemaker.
Are you interested in Famous? What do you think of Nicholas Braun, Stephanie Koenig, Debby Ryan, Mekki Leeper, and Cory Michael Smith joining Zac Efron and Phoebe Dynevor in the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Denzel Washington says he has agreed to come back for two more Equalizer movies – so we’re getting The Equalizer 4 and The Equalizer 5
When The Equalizer 3 was released last year, it was promoted as being the final chapter in the film franchise – even though director Antoine Fuqua let it be known that he was interested in going back and telling the origin story of Robert McCall, the ex-Marine and DIA officer played by Denzel Washington in the trilogy. There’s no word on whether or not one them will actually end up being an origin story, but Washington has now revealed that he has agreed to come back for both The Equalizer 4 and The Equalizer 5!
Washington dropped the news during an interview with Esquire, saying, “I told them I would do another Equalizer, and we’re doing four and five. More people are happy about that – people love those daggone Equalizers. But I’ve come to realize that the Equalizer films are for me, too, because they’re for the people. They want me to go get the bad guys. ‘We can’t get them, so you go get them.’ And I say, Okay, I’ll get them! Just wait right there. I’ll be right back!“
The Equalizer film franchise is based on the spy thriller television series that originally ran on CBS from 1985 to 1989. On the show, the retired intelligence agent McCall was played by Edward Woodward. Concurrent to the Denzel Washington movies, CBS has been airing a new version of The Equalizer that stars Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall, “a divorced single mother and former CIA operative who acts as a street vigilante for justice.”
The original series was created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim. All three of the Equalizer movies starring Denzel Washington have been directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Richard Wenk. Washington didn’t tell Esquire whether or not Fuqua and Wenk will also be back for The Equalizer 4 and The Equalizer 5, but it’s likely that they’ll at least be consulted.
Are you glad to hear that Denzel Washington is on board to come back for two more Equalizer sequels? Share your thoughts on this news, and let us know what you’d like to see in The Equalizer 4 and The Equalizer 5, by leaving a comment below.
About the Author
Cody is a news editor and film critic, focused on the horror arm of JoBlo.com, and writes scripts for videos that are released through the JoBlo Originals and JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channels. In his spare time, he’s a globe-trotting digital nomad, runs a personal blog called Life Between Frames, and writes novels and screenplays.
Tewfik Jallab and Ritu Arya uncover a complicated web of lies and must team-up to win the day in Hulu’s Paris Has Fallen trailer.
After making three successful and action-packed films in the Has Fallen franchise (Olympus Has Fallen, London Has Fallen, Angel Has Fallen), the political conspiracy thriller series is shaking things up by bringing the fight to the small screen. The latest installment of the Has Fallen franchise, Paris Has Fallen, is a TV series coming to Hulu, starring franchise newcomers Tewfik Jallab (The Marches, Paradise Beach, Le convoi) and Ritu Arya (The Umbrella Academy, Polite Society, Red Notice). Hulu debuted a Paris Has Fallen trailer on Tuesday, giving action fans something to look forward to before Thanksgiving madness finds the entertainment industry hitting the snooze button for a few days.
Here’s the official synopsis for Paris Has Fallen courtesy of Hulu:
“When a terrorist group led by the villainous Jacob Pearce (Sean Harris) attacks a high-profile embassy reception, with the French Minister of Defence as their target, protection officer Vincent (Tewfik Jallab) finds himself working with street-smart MI6 operative Zara (Ritu Arya) to save the day. But when events take an increasingly dark turn, Vincent and Zara soon realize that the plan extends far beyond just one politician. With suspicions that one of their colleagues in the security services is feeding information to Pearce, Vincent and Zara soon come to rely on each other more than either would have ever imagined. Increasingly isolated and with Pearce always one step ahead, can this unlikely pair stop Paris from falling to a man hell-bent on vengeance?”
The series, adapted from the Has Fallen movie franchise, was written by Howard Overman and produced by Julian Murphy and Johnny Caps for URBAN MYTH FILMS. Oded Ruskin, alongside Hans Herbots, is the lead director of Paris Has Fallen.
Today’s Paris Has Fallen trailer teases the 8-episode series, coming to Hulu on December 6, 2024. In the trailer, Tewfik Jallab and Ritu Arya let their action chops out of the bag for a fast-paced thriller fueled by double-crosses, political subterfuge, and vengeance served cold. We’ve seen Ritu Arya f**k s**t up in The Umbrella Academy, and we can’t wait to see her do her thing alongside Tewfik Jallab, who looks to fill the shoes left behind by the Has Fallen movie franchise lead Gerard Butler.
What do you think about Hulu’s Paris Has Fallen trailer? Let us know in the comments section below.
About the Author
Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He’s also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You’ll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.
Hiccup and Toothless, the Night Fury, become fast friends in the first live-action teaser trailer for How to Train Your Dragon.
I’m not crying. You’re crying! Dreamworks is turning the waterworks to full-blast today with the first teaser trailer for the studio’s live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon. The preview gives us a front-row seat for the first meeting between Mason Thames‘ Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and Toothless, the elusive and adorable Night Fury dragon. The highly-anticipated film soars into theaters on June 13, 2025, turning up the summer heat with dragon fire!
In How to Train Your Dragon, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III discovers dragons aren’t as terrifying as the stories would have him believe. Hiccup is an outsider, so people will likely brush his opinions aside. Still, when he proves to them that dragons are misunderstood and potentially friendly, he ushers in a new era where Vikings and dragons work together to build a shared society.
Today’s How to Train Your Dragon teaser trailer depicts the story beats leading up to Hiccup and Toothless’ fateful meeting. In the preview, Hiccup experiences pressure to honor his father by becoming the Viking horde’s next dragon slayer, but Hiccup doesn’t have the stomach to do the deed. He discovers that not only are dragons friendly, but joining forces with them will give his people the upper hand in any battle. Hiccup must convince his father and his people that the generations-old myth about dragons being their enemy is false. Good luck, Hiccup. You’re going to need it.
How to Train Your Dragon franchise director Dean DeBlois (Lio & Stitch, Micronauts) shot Dreamworks’ live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon from his script. Mason Thames (The Black Phone) plays Hiccup, while Gerard Butler plays the Viking leader Stoick. Julian Dennison plays Fishlegs, Gabriel Howell plays Snotlout, Harry Trevaldwyn pays Tuffnut, Bronwyn James plays Ruffnut, Nico Parker plays Astrid, Nick Frost plays Gobbler, and Ruth Codd plays Phelgma.
Today’s How to Train Your Dragon teaser trailer has the live-action version of the classic book series and animated film franchise looking amazing. Mason Thames appears to have nailed Hiccup’s timid and kind-hearted nature, while Toothless resembles a one-to-one version of his animated counterpart. While I’m unsure how much we need a live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon, it’s great to see such care taken with the property.
What do you think about Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon teaser trailer? Let us know in the comments section below.
About the Author
Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He’s also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You’ll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.
While it’s certainly designed with fans of the Broadway play in mind, Wicked goes down pretty easy for non-fans as well.
PLOT: The origin story of the so-called Wicked Witch of the West. While the citizens of Oz are celebrating her death, Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande) remembers how the two started out as friends while they were roommates at Shiz University and learning their magical craft.
REVIEW: First – I must make a confession: I’ve never seen Wicked on stage. Heck, not being a particular enthusiast of Broadway musicals, I would be hard-pressed to name one song from the popular soundtrack, or even really explain anything beyond the fact that it’s supposed to be a deconstruction of The Wizard of Oz. Yet, the play is a full-on phenomenon, with the movie (the first of two) set to become a blockbuster when it comes out later this week. While some may raise eyebrows at the fact and say that JoBlo should have had a fan watch the movie instead, I’d wager that a huge chunk of our readership hasn’t seen the play either and is more interested in whether Wicked stands on its own as a film. While I’ll admit that there were a handful of moments where I felt I was missing some kind of in-joke for fans of the play, overall, I had a pretty good time with Jon M. Chu’s Wicked – Part I.
Certainly, it’s one of the better modern versions of The Wizard of Oz, far more entertaining than Sam Raimi’s largely forgottenOz: The Great and Powerful. Chu seems to have a knack for movie musicals, and with Universal clearly pumping a pretty penny into it, it feels like the kind of big, broad fantasy epic that should be able to crossover beyond its core audience of Broadway enthusiasts.
Cynthia Erivo is terrific as Elphaba, our future Wicked Witch of the West, who’s an outcast in her family due to her green skin. She’s sent to Shiz to keep an eye on her paraplegic sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), the future Wicked Witch of the East, only for her superior magical skills to earn her a scholarship. She winds up as roommates with Ariana Grande’s Glinda, the school’s most popular student, and while they initially despise each other, their friendship blossoms over time.
Both Erivo and Grande seem ideally cast, with the former expertly evoking both Elphaba’s anguish at constantly being judged and her deep sense of empathy. Grande, a pop superstar, is quite funny as the prissy Glinda, but she also imbues her with a surprising amount of depth, making the two of them a pretty potent pairing.
While some may raise their eyebrows at the fact that all of the students at Shiz University seem to be in their mid-to-late thirties, Chu’s done an excellent job making Wicked almost feel like Harry Potter for adults. The production design is superb, and the heightened fantasy vibe works.
Some may take issue with the fact that the Broadway show is being stretched out into two three-hour movies. While yes, the pace does occasionally drag, I appreciated the fact that some of the supporting characters get fleshed out more than they would have been otherwise. One of them is Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero, a handsome prince who initially comes off as vacuous but turns out to have some depth as he starts to fall for Elphaba rather than his more obvious love interest, Glinda. Yet, there are long musical numbers which likely could have been axed in favour of making Wicked one truly great three-hour movie as opposed to two films that are merely “good.”
Given all the hype, viewers may be surprised to see how small of a role Jeff Goldblum has once he’s finally introduced as Oz. Still, if you read the play’s synopsis, all of the really crazy Wizard of Ozstuff, including the introduction of Dorothy, and the surprising identity of The Tin Man and The Scarecrow, all will happen in Part II. As such, Part I includes a lot of setup, but Chu’s sense of pace is spot on, and while it’s a little too long, it’s never dull.
Here’s the thing – Wicked is made with a specific audience in mind, and I wager many of us JoBlo folks aren’t among them. Even still, readers who find themselves watching the movie at behest of someone in their lives may find Wicked goes down a lot easier than they’re expecting. I had a surprisingly good time watching it, and I’m totally on-board to watch Part II when it hits theaters next year.
A short promo has revealed that Yellowjackets season 3 is set to premiere on Showtime in February of 2025!
While fans of the Showtime series Yellowjackets (read our review of season 2 HERE) patiently wait to see the bonus episode that’s going to air sometime between the second and third seasons, a short promo has just dropped online to reveal that Yellowjackets season 3 is set to premiere on February 14th! You can check out the promo in the embed above.
Yellowjackets is described as “equal parts survival epic, horror story, and coming-of-age drama.” The story centers on a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. The series will chronicle their descent from a complicated but thriving team to warring, cannibalistic clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later, proving that the past is never really past and what began out in the wilderness is far from over.
Created, written, executive produced by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the series stars Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell, Sammi Hanratty, Sophie Thatcher, Steven Krueger, Amy Okuda, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Courtney Eaton, and Liv Hewson. New cast additions in Yellowjackets season 2 included Elijah Wood (the Lord of the Rings trilogy), Lauren Ambrose (Servant), Simone Kessell (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Nicole Maines (Supergirl), François Arnaud (The Borgias), Nia Sondaya (Truth Be Told), and guest star Jason Ritter (Freddy vs. Jason). Lyle and Nickerson serve as showrunners with Jonathan Lisco.
We’ve previously heard that Yellowjackets season 3 will be adding characters played by Community‘s Joel McHale and two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry and Million Dollar Baby). McHale has a guest star role, while Swank will have a recurring role. We’ve heard “she’ll make her first appearance in the latter stages of the season.”
I’m all caught up on Yellowjackets, and while I thought season 2 was a step down from its predecessor, I’m eagerly looking forward to season 3. Are you a Yellowjackets fan, and will you be tuning in when season 3 has its premiere in February? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Jack Black leads Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, and others on a wild adventure in Jared Hess’s A Minecraft Movie trailer
Jared Hess’s A Minecraft Movie wants to invite you into a world of imagination and ingenuity, and Jack Black is your guide! Warner Bros. Pictures debuted the latest trailer for A Minecraft Movie on Tuesday, giving fans of the elaborate exploration and action-oriented franchise a reason to tunnel their way to theaters on April 4, 2025. Audiences concerned about the live-action adaptation’s overall look can rest easy knowing director Jared Hess and his team have taken great care in recreating the world of Minecraft for this unprecedented presentation, and a lot more than Creepers await those who buy the ticket and take the ride.
Here’s the official synopsis for A Minecraft Movie courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures:
“Welcome to the world of Minecraft, where creativity doesn’t just help you craft, it’s essential to one’s survival! Four misfits—Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Momoa), Henry (Hansen), Natalie (Myers) and Dawn (Brooks)—find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Black). Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.”
In WB’s A Minecraft Movie trailer, Jack Black plays Steve, a minor whose dreams of tunneling his way to a new world come true unexpectedly. When a group of outsiders – Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, and Sebastian Eugene Hansen find their way to the mysterious land, they quickly discover they’re the only thing standing between a world of wonders and those aiming to rule it with an iron grip. The trailer highlights the film’s practical sets and effects, playful character chemistry, and Minecraft-specific building methods. Regarding authenticity, A Minecraft Movie is taking great strides to appeal to longtime fans of the franchise.
What do you think about Jared Hess’s A Minecraft Movie trailer? Let us know in the comments section below.
About the Author
Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He’s also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You’ll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.
