Netflix had made the first three “Karate Kid” movies available this past summer, priming people for the streaming service debut last Friday of “Cobra Kai,” a continuation of the story that originally debuted two years ago on YouTube Premium.
YouTube decided to get out of the scripted world and Netflix scooped up “Cobra Kai.” Since the first two seasons debuted on Netflix, “Cobra Kai” has catapulted up to No. 1 on the service’s trending top 10.
The show, set in California but largely shot in metro Atlanta, was critically acclaimed, but YouTube’s premium paid service did not have the broad audience Netflix has.
YouTube had already produced season 3, which Netflix will release sometime in 2021.
The creators of “Cobra Kai” are hoping the Netflix exposure will enable them to expand the brand, perhaps with spinoffs. “I think if we’re fortunate to go forward more, we’re going to continue to do what we do, which is write economically and have big visions and rely on our production partners to help us bring those visions to fruition,” Josh Heald told The Wrap. “But I can say we always want to grow the show bigger and, with the amount of characters we now have in this universe, it naturally has expanded well beyond the scope of where it started back in Season 1.”
The series began with a renewed rivalry between “Karate Kid” hero Daniel LaRusso and arch-enemy Johnny Lawrence more than 30 years after their showdown at the All-Valley Karate Tournament. There’s also a new generation including Miguel, a bullied kid Johnny takes under his wing; Johnny’s estranged son, Robby, who learns karate from Daniel; and Daniel’s daughter, Sam, who takes a shine to Robby.
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Credit: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Credit: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
1380/WAOK-AM mid-morning host Rashad Richey has joined the board of directors for Piedmont Hospital.
“Throughout his career, Dr. Richey has demonstrated a commitment to helping people live their best possible lives,” said Robert Miller, M.D., Chairman of Piedmont Atlanta’s Board of Directors. “His work is a natural fit with Piedmont’s promise to make a positive difference in every life we touch. We are excited to welcome him to the Board and look forward to the work we’ll do together.”
Richey is juggling law school with his duties at WAOK. He also provides political analysis for sister station V-103, CBS46 and MSNBC.
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who now spends a great deal of time in metro Atlanta thanks to an array of films and TV shows he shoots locally, announced Wednesday he has been battling COVID-19 the past two-plus weeks but is no longer contagious.
He had previously said he had plans to re-start production of his Netflix film “Red Notice,” also starring Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds, later this month at Atlanta Metro Studios in Union City.
Johnson last year purchased a $9 million home in Powder Springs.
The actor does not say where he caught the virus but said close family friends likely gave it to him. His wife and two young daughters also tested positive. He said he and his family are doing well.
In recent years, he has shot parts of multiple films in the state including “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” “Central Intelligence” and “Rampage.” He also produced season two of the NBC reality show “Titan Games” earlier this year at Atlanta Metro Studios.
His “Jumanji” colleague Kevin Hart also recently revealed he had coronavirus back in March when Hart was working in Atlanta. In February and early March, Hart was spending several nights at Laughing Skull Lounge prepping a new stand-up comedy show.
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