It's quite easy to forget that Ralph Macchio was the original Karate Kid. Considering the reboot and the Cobra Kai series, it's easy to gloss over the fact that this amazing franchise originally started with the man who now heads-up the dojo named after the original mentor Mr. Miyagi. But after 40 years of playing Daniel LaRusso, 2025 will see Cobra Kai end and Karate Kid: Legends arrive and basically begin a new era for the franchise, so will this mean that Macchio will retire from his most famous role?
While he hasn't made an announcement and confirmed anything yet, Macchio did make a few transparent statements to Variety as of late, including that he'd like to help Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg continue expanding the franchise, even with the rumoured Mr. Miyagi origin film, all while also further exploring the realm of directing too. But this doesn't mean that he'd done with being on-camera altogether.
Macchio stated: "I don't want to overstay the welcome of a character that's so beloved. But he's aging like I am, so there could be other areas to explore as well. Never say never."
No doubt there will be ways created for Macchio to have appearances in future Karate Kid projects, especially since he is now arguably the most notorious positive mentor figure in the franchise, alongside William Zabka's Johnny Lawrence and Jackie Chan's Mr. Han.