Washington [US], June 29: As Cobra Kai nears its final bow with Season 6, the creators revealed they made efforts to bring back Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank, who played Julie Pierce in 1994’s The Next Karate Kid — but the reunion didn’t materialize.
Series co-creator Josh Heald told Deadline that Swank was approached early during development of the final season. The team had a small but meaningful storyline planned that wouldn’t have required a major commitment.
“We reached out to see if there was a path,” Heald said. “We had a soft idea for how she could come in without having to commit to 10 episodes.”
Despite the thoughtful approach, Swank politely declined. According to Heald, she wasn’t ready to revisit her role at the time.
“She didn’t want us flying out and putting our hearts on the sleeve, because it just wasn’t something she was ready to do,” he added.
While the final season will go on without Julie Pierce, Heald confirmed that her character is still considered a “big piece of the Miyagi-verse” and left the door open for a future return.
Throughout Cobra Kai’s run, several legacy characters from the Karate Kid franchise have made appearances — including Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, and even Jackie Chan’s Mr. Han from the 2010 reboot.
The show’s creators remain hopeful that Julie Pierce may return in a future Karate Kid spinoff or film. As Heald put it:
“We’ll see what the future holds.”