It sounds like the upcoming Mortal Kombat sequel has found its Johnny Cage.
The wildly popular character from the classic video game franchise is set to be portrayed in Mortal Kombat 2 by The Boys star Karl Urban, who’s currently in “final talks” about taking on the role, per a report from The Wrap. The character being featured in the sequel was widely expected, particularly given the final moments of director Simon McQuoid’s 2021 film.
A source close to the situation confirmed to Complex on Friday that Urban was in final discussions about the part.
Complex has reached out to reps for Urban and New Line Cinema for comment. This story may be updated.
We first learned that a sequel was being put in motion in January of last year, with Jeremy Slater (The Umbrella Academy, Death Note) set to pen the script. At the time, a director was not reported as having been attached to the sequel. More recent updates, however, have confirmed that McQuoid will be back in the director’s chair. McQuoid himself has also confirmed his return.
The character of Johnny Cage—first introduced as part of the lineup featured in the original Mortal Kombat game back in 1992—was previously played by Linden Ashby in the 1995 film adaptation. In its 1997 sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, the character was played by Chris Conrad.
Complex recently ranked the best movies inspired by video games, 2021’s Mortal Kombat included. See the full feature here.
