Netflix’s martial-arts saga Cobra Kai wrapped filming on its sixth and final season in February, but its creators have only now confirmed that they tried—and failed—to secure a cameo from two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank, who played Julie Pierce in 1994’s The Next Karate Kid. Showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg told reporters they reached out before scripting began, hoping to fold Pierce into a brief “one- or two-episode arc” that would mirror Elisabeth Shue’s earlier return as Ali Mills.
Heald later explained that Swank’s representatives “respectfully passed” on even taking a meeting, a response the trio admitted was “a little disappointing”. Swank’s decision was driven partly by the recent birth of her twins and overlapping work on Showtime’s Yellowjackets, leaving her unable to commit to the Vancouver-based shoot.
Absent the cameo, the 15-episode send-off will still unspool in trilogy fashion: Part 1 streams July 18, Part 2 follows on November 15, and the final five episodes arrive February 13 2025, completing what Netflix bills as a “three-part event”. Teaser footage released this month previews the Sekai Taikai world tournament as the backdrop for the show’s last battles and farewells.
Fans on the r/CobraKai subreddit have lamented the missing Pierce appearance, with some launching petition drives urging a spin-off that would pair Swank’s character with Daniel LaRusso’s students. Their hopes now pivot to Sony’s upcoming feature Karate Kid: Legends, which producers have said will knit together the broader “Miyagi-verse” and could offer Swank another doorway back into the franchise.
Heald insists the door “remains wide open” if Swank’s schedule clears and additional Cobra Kai offshoots move forward, stressing that Julie Pierce “is a big part of the Miyagi-verse and deserves to be explored”. For now, her absence stands as one of the few loose threads in a property that has reunited nearly every other Karate Kid alum across its six-season run.