Who would have thought what started as a YouTube-scripted series back in 2018 would be a beast of its own today? We are obviously talking about Cobra Kai. The story takes place 30 years after the memorable 1984 All Valley Karate Championship from The Karate Kid. With the recent premiere of its fifth season on Netflix, The Karate Kid Extended Universe (KKEU) is all the rage right now. The series is so loved that we can now see why the Fresh Prince, Will Smith himself, didn’t want to miss an opportunity to be associated with it.

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You read that right. The on-screen and award-winning King Richard has a major involvement with Cobra Kai. Are you wondering about his role and how it all happened? Let us give you the 411.

Will Smith is an executive producer for Cobra Kai

The Karate Kid franchise is an absolute cult classic from the 80s that is cherished even today. In fact, nostalgia is a big point of attraction for Cobra Kai, apart from its tight storytelling, snappy dialogues, and beautifully choreographed martial arts fight sequences. Having said that, more than a decade ago, in 2010, Will Smith’s son, Jaden, was part of The Karate Kid reboot.

The film stars Jaden Smith and the martial arts icon Jackie Chan. Despite the film’s commercial success, no further developments in the form of a sequel ever materialized. And Will Smith’s production company, Overbrook Entertainment, still owns the rights to The Karate Kid franchise. So Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg, the makers of Cobra Kai, had to approach Smith when they decided to make the show.

Looks like that’s when Will Smith grabbed the opportunity with both hands and took on the role as an executive producer. In 2019, he even posted a picture of a massive mural of Cobra Kai. This was to express his delight when the show was renewed for a 3rd season.

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Someday we might even see a Will Smith cameo in the Netflix series, perhaps with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. Do you think that’s possible? Let us know in the comments. In the meantime, you should definitely watch Cobra Kai now streaming on Netflix.