Ralph Macchio ‘amazed’ by 40 years of 'Karate Kid' magic ahead of new movie

Ralph Macchio is in awe of The Karate Kid franchise.

In an interview with People, the actor, who played Daniel LaRusso in the first three movies as well as Cobra Kai, reflected on the Karate Kid world since the release of the first movie four decades ago in 1984.

"It never ceases to amaze me, the embrace of this universe and this franchise," Macchio said ahead of the untitled movie.

The forthcoming movie, starring Jackie Chan and Ben Wang alongside Macchio, is slated to hit theaters just months after the third and final installment of the spin off TV show.

"I went straight from Cobra Kai—basically the wrap party, saying goodbye to everyone for the moment—to Montreal and jumped in and shot a couple of weeks straight," the 62-year-old actor explained he filmed the two projects back-to-back.

Though he kept the plot details of the new Karate Kid film under wraps, he reflected on the essence of the 2025 film.

"To me, this was just about carrying the honesty and truth of Daniel LaRusso and what Miyagi, his mentor [played by the late Pat Morita in the original movies], meant to him and paying it forward," Macchio added.

Additionally, Jaden Smith, who first appeared in the 2010 movie alongside Chan, will also be featured in the new movie with new casting, including Joshua Jackson, Ming-Na Wen, and Sadie Stanley.

The first part of Cobra Kai's final season is streaming now on Netflix, second part debuts on November 15, and the finale will drop in 2025.