A parallel universe in which Clint Eastwood filmed the teen sports film Karate Kid isn’t as far away as you might think. The Western legend was already in discussion as a director and had read the script when he declined for a rather personal (and petty) reason, leaving the work to his colleague John G. Avildsen.
The reason in question: His son Kyle Eastwood was in discussion for the Karate Kid lead role of Daniel-san, but didn’t get the role.
Clint Eastwood turned down work on Karate Kid because his son didn’t get the lead role
Several young men auditioned for the Karate Kid lead role of Daniel LaRusso – including Robert Downey Jr., Charlie Sheen and Kyle Eastwood. When the part finally went to Ralph Macchio, Eastwood Sr. took his cowboy hat, because his participation was said to have been linked to the casting of his son. According to SlashFilm, this version of events was revealed in Eastwood’s ex-partner Sondra Locke’s memoir, the hilariously titled The Good, the Bad, and the Very Ugly.
Clint Eastwood is said to have been so upset with Columbia Pictures that he… Coca-Cola banned from his films forever. The studio had just been bought by the Limo company at the time, which is why many of their films at the time were full of product placement.
Eastwood Junior, who had made a name for himself as a jazz musician, experienced the events a little differently. In 2007, speaking to the Guardian, he claimed that his father had initially rejected the directing job, and only then told him about the interesting role.
One thing is certain, however: if Kyle Eastwood had gotten the lead role in the Karate Kid, both the film series and the current Netflix series Cobra Kai would look very different.
The Karate Kid franchise is still going strong – and it’s still going strong
After four films in the 80s and 90s, Karate Kid continued as a series called Cobra Kai, which is currently in its 6th and final season. Part 3 including the series finale will be posted online on February 13, 2025. But the future of the series is also taken care of.
On May 29, 2025, the film Karate Kid: Legends will follow – in quick succession, so to speak – in which Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan work together as a sensei duo to train a new Karate Kid. Clint Eastwood is, unsurprisingly, not involved here either.