Cobra Kai is finished, and while The Karate Kid spinoff managed to pull a bunch of legacy stars into the series, there was one that evaded them the entire run. Despite requests to see Hilary Swank reprise her role as Julie Pierce, you can't see her in any episode of the series now available with a Netflix subscription. Now, a showrunner on the project has explained why they weren't able to get her, and also got my hopes up that we may see her character again someday.
Josh Heald spoke to EW about Cobra Kai being unable to secure The Next Karate Kid star for an appearance. He and the other showrunners ( Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg) told CinemaBlend in 2020 they had spoken about having Hilary Swank join the show. Now, we have a little more context as to what their plan was, and how they tried to bring her in for the final season:
We did reach out in the very early days before the season to see if there was a path [for her to appear]. We had an inkling of an idea about how she could come into this story and not have to commit to 10 episodes or something. It was going to feel like it could be a one- or two-episode arc, similar to what we did with Elisabeth Shue, where you can bring Ali back in at a pivotal moment and affect an important relationship.
Of course, Hilary Swank confirmed ahead of the final season that she wouldn't be appearing, and while we saw a satisfying end to Johnny and Kreese's story, there was no Julie Pierce storyline to tie in. It's a bummer we never got that, but it's good to hear the showrunners made an honest attempt to make it happen.
Josh Heald was also quick to say that while the actress turned their pitch down, it wasn't a snub of any kind. In the end, it really just came down to timing, and with so much on her plate, she wasn't even able to take a meeting with the team:
On her end, it was very respectful, but we never got that opportunity to sit down and pour our heart out the way that we typically do when we bring back characters from the legacy. She was just in a place where she wasn't looking to do that. She had had babies. I think she was in production on something at the time, and it was a respectful pass on even the idea of a meeting. She didn't want us to go through the trouble of flying out to her and putting our heart on the sleeve because it just wasn't something she was ready to do at that moment.
What is interesting about this story is that following the conclusion of Cobra Kai Season 5, Hilary Swank claimed that the show never contacted her. Perhaps there was some miscommunication, and the news of this attempt to get her never reached the actress, or the interview happened before the phone call.
The big takeaway here, especially if you were a fan of Karate Kid: Legends and other attempts to keep the franchise going post-Cobra Kai, is that Josh Heald hasn't given up on the idea of working with Hilary Swank. If there is a story to what's going on with Julie Pierce these days, he and the rest of the co-showrunners would like to tell it:
It's a big piece of the Miyagi-verse that's still out there. For us, it was a little disappointing because we like getting everybody, but at the same time, we didn't sacrifice any huge story that we had fully developed. It's more fruit on the vine for if we can revisit this universe going forward.
Nothing would thrill me more than a chance to see The Next Karate Kid star back in action as Julie Pierce in an upcoming Netflix series. I also think there's still an appetite for these stories, even though there might not have been before Cobra Kai.
Right now, it doesn't seem there are any immediate plans for a follow-up series or spinoff to Cobra Kai. That said, it was well-loved by many, and one might wonder if fans would be upset about seeing a new series centered around Hilary Swank's character if other actors from the previous series aren't involved. Perhaps there is a pitch out there that brings her into the story, while still bringing back characters we love?
For now, we'll just have to cross our fingers that someone has a pitch for another series in The Karate Kid universe, and that Hilary Swank is in the mix. In the meantime, maybe I'll give Cobra Kai another watch, especially with some spare time during the down months of Summer television.
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