Ralph Macchio is not done with Daniel LaRusso yet as he returns in this year’s Karate Kid: Legends alongside Jackie Chan. The actor finally had his arc completed in Netflix’s Cobra Kai along with William Zabka’s Johnny Lawrence. The show reunited many of the iconic characters from the ‘80s The Karate Kid franchise and gave them an arc.
While the reboot of The Karate Kid may have worked out, Macchio’s wishlist for another of his classic’s reboot may not be as easy as Cobra Kai. The actor mentioned that he was having conversations with writers for a reboot of My Cousin Vinny, which starred Joe Pesci and Marissa Tomei, who also won the Oscar for the role.
Ralph Macchio’s wish for a My Cousin Vinny reboot might be tough to pull off now
Before Cobra Kai, no one could have imagined a redemption story for Johnny Lawrence the way the show envisioned it. The cherry on top was bringing back Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso and other characters like John Kreese and Terry Silver. The show did great for six seasons and ended only recently.
While actor Pat Morita, who played the iconic Mr. Miyagi in the original films, passed away in 2005, the character made brief appearances through archival footage in Cobra Kai. However, Macchio’s wish for a My Cousin Vinny reboot might not be as simple as that. Cobra Kai was more about Johnny and Daniel than about Mr. Miyagi.
Hence, Mr. Miyagi’s mere presence was enough to pay tribute to him. However, a sequel or a reboot of My Cousin Vinny cannot work without the titular Vinny Gambini, played by Joe Pesci, who, as of now, has retired from acting. He only came back for The Irishman and Day of the Fight.
Macchio mentioned that he has been having conversations on how the 82-year-old Pesci could make it in the reboot (via People),
Yeah, I’ve had conversations with other writers about that. Yeah, that one’s a beloved piece. It’s about finding the smart angle in…He could FaceTime it in here.
‘FaceTiming’ Joe Pesci is probably not the best way to honor the character whose name is in the title. However, a Cobra Kai or 2010’s The Karate Kid with Jackie Chan-style reboot could work in its favor. It is still a tough line to tread.
A My Cousin Vinny sequel was written, but was dropped because of Marisa Tomei
Jonathan Lynn’s My Cousin Vinny is a classic comedy from the ‘90s, which featured a young Ralph Macchio as a college student who is arrested and seeks the help of his cousin, who is a newly passed lawyer. Joe Pesci played the titular Vinny Gambini, and his wife, Mona Lisa Vito, was played by Marisa Tomei, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
The film was a huge success, earning $64 million against a $11 million budget (via LA Times). While such successes usually warrant a sequel immediately, My Cousin Vinny never became a franchise. However, the idea was definitely considered and there was even a script written by producer and screenwriter Dale Launer.
However, the sequel was reportedly shelved because Marisa Tomei dropped out of the film after winning the Oscar, and the studio did not want to recast her character. Launer said (via Abnormaluse),
Yeah, what happened is that when I was writing it, Marisa was nominated for an Oscar, which she won. And she dropped out of the sequel. And then the studio wouldn’t replace her, they wanted to rewrite her character. They can’t rewrite her character. It’s easier to replace her…So then they had another writer come in and write another draft because I wouldn’t do it. And they gave that…page one rewrite…to Joe Pesci, who stopped talking to the studio.
Launer mentioned that he found the script terrible, but the studio liked it. However, because Joe Pesci stopped talking to the studio, the sequel never got ahead.
My Cousin Vinny is available to stream on Hulu.
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