The “Karate Kid” is now a middle-aged man, and he’s still battling the bully from that 1984 classic.
“Cobra Kai” reunites Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and the villainous Johnny (William Zabka) from the smash film that sparked three sequels and a successful reboot with Jackie Chan. The now-grown men are set to square off again but in unpredictable ways. For starters, Johnny’s re-opened dojo is helping teens dealing with bullies.
That’s new.
The YouTube Red series, set to debut later this year, certainly has our interest. Almost anything ’80s related does these days. What about other classic ’80s movies? Aren’t there other Reagan-era duos we’d love to see again?
Ferris Bueller and Principal Rooney
Matthew Broderick’s irrepressible hero won their first match, no questions asked. What happened next? Can you imagine a grown-up Ferris dealing with Principal Rooney once more — over young Ferris Jr.?
There’s one big problem, though. Actor Jeffrey Jones, who memorably played Principal Rooney, is a sex offender off-screen following a no contest plea involving him snapping sexual pictures of an underage boy. He hasn’t had an acting gig since 2014 and only three in total since 2007.
Dutch and the Predator
The 1987 action classic “Predator” spawned a sequel, a reboot and now an upcoming film featuring Olivia Munn and Jacob Tremblay. What about Ah-nold? The erstwhile Governator cemented his action icon status with the original film but hasn’t rejoined the franchise since.
Why not an older, wiser but still surly Dutch taking on the Predator one last time? One of the creatures killed all his old comrades. That anger hasn’t diminished with time, and a grizzled Schwarzenegger wants more vengeance than he got the first time.
Jeff Spicoli and Mr. Hand
Sean Penn’s gnarly breakthrough in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” ignited an Oscar-winning career. Why not reteam him with Mr. Hand, the crusty teacher who tried every trick in the scholastic book to tame the high-strung student? Actor Ray Walston has passed on, but plenty of senior actors would love to take over as Spicoli’s enduring nemesis.
Picture Spicoli, now grown, trying to upgrade his home but running into his neighbor’s objections. It’s Mr. Hand again, once more standing in between Spicoli and suburban happiness.
Charlie and Raymond Babbitt (“Rain Man”)
Is he still an excellent driver? The Oscar-winning film “Rain Man” ended on a somber note. The self-serving Charlie (Tom Cruise) gave up custody of his mentally challenged older brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). What happened next?
Decades later, has Charlie grown as a person? Can Raymond still fire off TV one-liners? More importantly, has the awkward brotherly bond between the two deepened over time?
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