Getty "Cobra Kai" stars Ralph Macchio, Martin Kove, and William Zabka pose together at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con.
“Cobra Kai” season 4 will be available to stream on Netflix on December 31, 2021. Limited information has been made public about the upcoming season. However, during a recent panel at the 2021 Planet Comicon Kansas City, Martin Kove, who plays John Kreese, shared that he attempted to rewrite a moment from the show’s fourth season with the help of his co-star, William “Billy” Zabka, who famously portrays Johnny Lawrence.
Martin Kove Discussed ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 4
While on a Planet Comicon Kansas City panel in August 2021, a fan asked Martin Kove and William “Billy” Zabka if they “tend to stick very strictly to what is written in the script” while filming “Cobra Kai.” Kove revealed that he has “always rewritten lines in movies and things.”
“Only recently I stopped doing that and I did it because I guess it was easier to learn if I changed a word here and there,” shared Kove.
The 75-year-old actor then shared that “Billy and [he] had a problem with a scene just right before the end of season 4.” He explained that they “rewrote the scene over the weekend [and] sent it to the writers.” However, their requested changes were not made to the script.
“The writers, you know, they gave us credit — ‘Yes, it’s good, you’re writing is good but let’s just keep it the same’ and both of us had a problem with the scene and it was coming out of episode 10 and you know, season 4, and I had the hardest time and ultimately it worked, I guess,” said Kove.
He then asserted that the show’s writing staff are “really good” and will occasionally make adjustments based on an actor’s suggestion.
“Whenever we do have a problem, we can take it to them and sometimes they’ll say, ‘Okay do it your way’ and you’ll change a word, here or there but by and large their writing is good, which is why everyone likes the show,” said Kove.
Zabka then shared his thoughts about changing lines on “Cobra Kai.”
“Our job is, first of all, you’re an actor, so your character isn’t saying things you would say it. So you might read a line and say ‘Ah it would be better to say it this way, it comes off my tongue better this way. It’s the same meaning but I want to do it this way.’ But that’s the default, that’s actually a cop out,” explained the 55-year-old.
He shared that he does give suggestions to the writers about his character’s overall storyline.
“For me, it’s not a word, it’s more of an idea and how that idea connects to — ‘I don’t think Johnny would do this, which I think Johnny — that’s too much.’ Then we’ll re-do the whole thing but as far as the words go it’s pretty much important at least to get it nailed the way it was written and then play with it. As far as improvising, once you’re in the pocket, you’re nailing it, then they’re like, ‘Just go with it,'” stated the actor.
William Zabka Spoke About How the Creators of ‘Cobra Kai’ Pitched Him the Show
During a May 2021 interview with Gold Derby, William “Billy” Zabka discussed how the creators of “Cobra Kai,” Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, approached him with the series. They explained that the show could still be enjoyable for those who are not familiar with the “Karate Kid” film franchise.
“They pitched it to me in a way that, ‘Listen if Karate Kid didn’t exist the show could still work. And we could call it Bad Sensei and this is about a guy who is trying to work his old stuff out,’ and when they explained it that way I instantly understood what they were going for because ‘Karate Kid’ is 35 years ago so and there’s a lot of life that happened in-between that. So we’re not picking up a sequel right after that. We’re not copying anything. We’ve managed to create a show that’s brand new and relevant today with the backstory being something everyone already has an emotional connection to,” said the actor.
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