In the final season of Netflix show Cobra Kai, Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) mentor from the Karate Kid films, Mr Miyagi, was brought back to life using AI.
Speaking to Variety after the hit drama’s conclusion, creators Jon Hurwitz and Josh Heald discussed how it was possible to bring back the character, despite the actor who played him, Pat Morita, dying in 2005. In the show, Miyagi appears to his student in dream sequences, giving advice and training.
For the movements, a body double was used. “That was actually Don Lee, our fight choreographer” Hurwitz revealed. “He’s built similarly to Pat Morita. He’s a little bit thinner than Pat was, so he had to put a pillow up his shirt”.
He confirmed that Macchio was excited to share one last scene with his co-star. “Ralph loved the idea of he and Pat sharing screen time together again with the new technologies that we have” he said. “Miyagi comes to him and they fight alongside one another and he gives some final words of wisdom that help Daniel move on”.
I wasn’t ready for CGI Miyagi last time.
But Goddamn it, I was ready this time. pic.twitter.com/Y1gwob4ZKj— Rogue Variable (@Adino111) February 13, 2025
While films such as Gladiator and the recent Lord Of The Rings animation have brought deceased actors back through old footage, this rendering of Morita was completely digital. “There’s no archival footage in there” confirmed Heald. “We shot Don, the fight and the entrance practically. So that existed in camera. There’s a VFX company that has a deepfake technology”.
He continued: “You apply an AI filter that uses archival audio from Pat Morita to get that voice dialled as close as possible. At the end of the day, you’re not actually recreating a person. We’re paying homage to a hero, and you’re trying to get as close as possible, while the audience knows that obviously he’s not really there.”
The finale of Cobra Kai was met with positive reviews, with critics not entirely convinced by the cameo but ultimately saying “Mr. Miyagi himself would be proud”.
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