The Boys Star Karl Urban Is In Final Talks To Play Johnny Cage In Mortal Kombat 2
There are a few nerdy actors whose attachments to geeky properties suddenly make them much more exciting because fans know that the person involved will care as much as they do. Karl Urban ("The Boys") is one such actor because he loves comic books, video games, and all of the other geeky things that make us happy. I mean, this is the man who refused to move his mouth from a painful-looking grimace or remove his helmet for "Dredd," so he clearly cares. Now it looks like Urban is going to be attached to another big geeky franchise, as he is reportedly in final talks to play Johnny Cage in the upcoming "Mortal Kombat 2," according to The Wrap. There hasn't been too much news about the sequel to the 2021 video game movie that received mixed reviews (you can read ours here) but felt like it could go in an interesting direction with follow-up entries. Urban attached as fan-favorite character Cage is a pretty big deal.
The first film's director, Simon McQuoid, will return for the sequel, directing a script by Jeremy Slater, who penned episodes of "Moon Knight" and "The Umbrella Academy." While the 2021 film didn't quite live up to the celluloid insanity of Paul W.S. Anderson's 1995 adaptation of the "Fatality"-full franchise, it was clear that the folks behind it had a lot of love for the source material, and Urban could be the key to making this whole reboot work.
Heeeeere's Johnny
The 2021 "Mortal Kombat" adaptation was a bit messy, but it had a whole lot of potential that could be made into something truly fantastic with someone like Urban playing one of the most famous characters this side of Sub-Zero. The (re)introduction of Cage to the silver screen was teased in a post-credits scene of the 2021 film, so he has to show up, right? Not only that, but screenwriter Slater promised that Cage will appear in "Mortal Kombat 2," so he's clearly already a part of the plan and it was just a matter of finding the right guy to play him.
Johnny Cage is a charismatic but slightly aggravating movie star and martial arts expert in the "Mortal Kombat" universe. He first appeared in the first "Mortal Kombat" arcade game all the way back in 1992, performing signature moves like shooting green orbs at his enemies. He's good-looking in a Ken doll kind of way, though going for an older, slightly more grizzled Cage is an interesting take that could make the character a bit more compelling than a magically-imbued Tom Cruise by way of Steven Seagal.
An older Cage is also potentially a way to introduce his daughter, Cassie Cage, into the equation. As Johnny aged in the video game's timeline, he handed things off to his daughter, who inherited his ability to manipulate that funky green energy and defend Earthrealm. Currently, there is no release date for "Mortal Kombat 2," so stay tuned to /Film for updates!