Using AI to depict a deceased person’s likeness continues to be a topic of discussion, unfortunately. There are actors like the still-living (thankfully) Robert Downey, Jr. who say they absolutely do not give studios permission to resurrect or continue their careers via AI cameos. Then, there are other cases where it is being done to serve a narrative purpose, which is terrible or needed, depending on whom you ask. The latest news is that Cobra Kai season six part two used AI to bring back Mr. Miyagi, the famous The Karate Kid character. (Thank you SlashFilm for bringing this to our attention!)
As fans of the film know, Pat Morita passed away in 2005 and since then his character has only existed spiritually. Now, AI has made it possible for Mr. Miyagi to appear in Cobra Kai. Here’s what Cobra Kai co-creator Josh Heald had to say about why this was necessary:
“For so many seasons, we’ve told a Miyagi story that was focused on the absence of Mr. Miyagi. This season, we’re digging into a little bit more of the looming presence of new information, new ideas or a new glimpse into a part of Mr. Miyagi’s life that the series has never focused on. That Daniel has never been aware of. So by digging more into that and getting more and more in Daniel’s head with his kind of tortured idea of, ‘What didn’t he know?’ … does that affect and infect his opinion of Mr. Miyagi?”
Interesting. It is not clear what Morita’s family nor former cast members feel about this. But Netflix and the show’s creatives said they depicted his likeness in the most respectful way possible. There’s one final part to this story so we will have to see its conclusion in 2025.
