The Mortal Kombat franchise has held a special place in fans’ hearts for over 30 years. There are numerous reasons why the franchise has made it so long, and one of the biggest ones is the characters. Whether it’s Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Raiden, Sonya Blade, Milenna, etc., people have resonated with these characters. So when it comes to live-action movies, they want to see them represented well. The modern reboot of the franchise that came out in 2021 did a decent job of having the characters shown off, but some were missing. But for the sequel, one of them might be played by Karl Urban.
This comes from The Wrap, which notes that Urban is in “final talks” to play the one and only Johnny Cage. At the end of the 2021 film, the new character Cole Young noted that he was heading to Hollywood to see someone. When he did, there was a poster on the wall for a Johnny Cage movie, though the man himself wasn’t fully shown.
It makes sense that they need Cage, among others, because the first movie set up the new incarnation of the universe, and the heroes were severely outnumbered in key scenes, including some of their own betraying them. The second film is set to focus on the tournament, and thus Earth Realm will need as many protectors as possible, with Cage being one of the fan favorites.
What makes bringing Karl Urban into the role so interesting is that he’s no stranger to action roles. He’s been Judge Dredd, and he’s been Eomer in Lord of the Rings, and, of course, he’s been Billy Butcher in The Boys. So he’s proven that he’s up for a scrap on screen.
What will be interesting to see is how they depict Cage in the film. The game version has Johnny Cage as a Hollywood star who is “so good at martial arts” that it almost looks like he’s a fake. Or, as one game had him note, “People think it’s some sort of special effect. I AM the special effect.”
Plus, the 2021 movie had it known that each fighter has a special ability they can unlock. Cage does have some special powers in the game that makes him a perfect fighter against beings like Elder Gods, so whether that comes into play will be interesting.
Either way, if Urban is in the role, this will add some serious star power to the sequel, which is allegedly filming this Summer.
