The karate kid franchise star Ralph Macchio hopes to see a prequel in which Mr. Miyagi takes center stage. Macchio plays Daniel LaRusso in the acclaimed franchise, a teen who struggles with bullying and learns to defend himself against a mysterious mentor, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). Over the course of the film, Daniel and Mr. Miyagi more about each other and they create a heartwarming bond, while doing plenty of karate training. The karate kid spawned two sequels, and a fourth film was later released without Macchio, which also featured Mr. Miyagi was seen. Currently, Macchio has reprised his role in popular Netflix series in recent years Cobra Kai, which has just concluded its fifth season.
Macchio has spoken out over the years about Morita’s lasting impact on the ’80s blockbuster franchise, saying that Mr. Miyagi, including a tragic past with his service in World War II and the Japanese internment camps in the US, increased the franchise. Sadly Morita passed away in 2005, but his legacy is an ongoing line of Cobra Kai, with Daniel’s character repeatedly finding guidance in the principles of his late mentor and even opening a dojo in his honor. Likewise, Macchio speaks in glowing terms about Morita’s influence on both himself and the larger franchise, and has revealed that he hopes the character’s story is explored further.
In an exclusive interview with screen frenzy about his new memoirs, Waxing on: The Karate Kid And MeMacchio reveals that another karate kid spin-off he hopes to see in the future is a prequel around Mr. miyagi. Although viewers learned the big picture of the character’s past in the karate kid, most of mr. Miyagi’s life is still shrouded in mystery. Check out what he has to say below:
“Whether it’s up front, or on the edge, or just involved in some way — because I was with these characters from the start — I’d love to be included in [a spin-off]. And there are those discussions going on, although it’s not a solidified idea or production right now.
“But it seems to me that it’s just… How can we not investigate the backstory and origin of Mr. Miyagi? And what happened? What brought him to that place; working in that apartment in Reseda? What was his life like? for that? I think that would be fascinating.”
What is Mr. Miyagi’s backstory?
The karate kid trilogy revealed that Mr. Miyagi spent his childhood in Okinawa, where he learned karate from his father before his family moved to California, where he met his wife. Mr. Miyagi then enlisted in World War II and even won the Medal of Honor before returning to find that his wife and unborn child had died in the Japanese-American camp in which they were interned. However, there is a gap in Mr. Miyagi’s story from his wartime service to when Daniel finally met him when he was working as a handyman, which would provide fertile ground for a potential karate kid prequel to cover. It is known that Mr. Miyagi collected several classic cars during that time and that he quit karate for many years before Daniel inspired him to go back to it.
mr. Miyagi seems to have lived an isolated and quiet life until Daniel helped him reconnect with others, but there was a reason he withdrew, and a possible prequel could explore that. Whether it’s set in wartime as a WWII drama, predating in Okinawa, or much later, during his time before he became a handyman in Reseda, it’s guaranteed to be a compelling story. While Macchio won’t say whether he sees the prequel spinoff as a movie or series, it seems more likely that a series will be made as prequel shows are on the rise with projects such as The Winchesters and You better call Saul. As a Mr Miyagi karate kid spin-off is eventually green-lit, it’s clear that Macchio would love to be part of the production.
