Karl Urban's Johnny Cage Arrives In The First Trailer For Mortal Kombat 2

30 years ago, New Line Cinema and director Paul W.S. Anderson launched an unlikely film franchise with their adaptation of the Midway fighting video game "Mortal Kombat." Critics scoffed at the notion of making a feature-length movie out of source material in which the objective is for players to knock the snot out of each other until one falls prey to a gruesome "fatality." Even the game's creators were skeptical. But gamers who'd rejected 1993's "Super Mario Bros." and 1994's "Street Fighter" turned out in droves to see beloved characters like Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade do their fatal thing. 

After the first film grossed $122 million worldwide on a $20 million budget, the "Mortal Kombat" cinematic universe was positioned for expansion. Then, New Line committed a self-fatality by foisting 1997's putrid "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation" on its just-acquired fanbase. Suddenly, interest in a third movie cratered, and the film series was mothballed for more than two decades.

When New Line finally got around to exploiting the brand's film potential again in 2021, it did so with the impressive pedigree of horror maestro James Wan on board as producer. Simon McQuoid's serviceably silly "Mortal Kombat" even managed to perform surprisingly well in theaters amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. /Film's Chris Evangelista was one of many critics left unimpressed by the film, but if ever there were a critic-proof franchise, it's this one. Still, with Wan in the fold, there's a sense that the rebooted "Mortal Kombat" movie series could be more than just a mindless string of solid box office successes. Is this asking too much?

With the arrival of the first "Mortal Kombat II" trailer, it's possible that we might have a glimmer of an answer. Whether or not McQuoid can top his previous feature quality-wise, one thing's for certain: this sequel is going to boast 100% more Johnny Cage. For more on that, check out the trailer above.

A cocky combatant with the slick sunglasses and even slicker hair, Johnny Cage's absence from McQuoid's first film was notable. In a 2021 interview with Variety, the director explained that he was worried the character would have sucked up too much oxygen and overwhelmed the entire movie. Fortunately, fans were satisfied with a Cage-free "Mortal Kombat" flick (the film received a B+ Cinemascore), and are now getting the deluxe Johnny-Cage-as-movie-star treatment with none other than Karl Urban in the role.

Another reason to be upbeat about "Mortal Kombat II" is that the screenplay was written by Jeremy Slater, the talented genre scribe responsible for Fox's hugely underrated "The Exorcist" series and Marvel Studios' "Moon Knight." He might be too respectable for a "Mortal Kombat" sequel, but everyone's entitled to let 'er rip on occasion.

"Mortal Kombat II" will spin kick its way into theaters on October 24, 2025.