The 2021 Mortal Kombat movie (which was much better than it had any right to be) ended with a tease and a promise: the film’s main character Cole (Lewis Tan) says he’s going off to Hollywood. “What’s in Hollywood?” he’s asked. “Not what… who,” he says, before the camera pans to a poster for a movie starring Johnny Cage.
The implication, of course, is that Cole is heading to Hollywood to find the brash actor turned Mortal Kombat combatant who has been in the franchise from the very beginning. And now, with the film’s sequel slowly ramping up to production, that promise of the classic character entering the franchise is being fulfilled.
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And he’s likely to be played by Karl Urban. The star of Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, and The Boys is reportedly in final talks to play Cage, according to the Wrap. Director Simon McQuoid will once again helm the sequel, which is also expected to bring back most, if not all, of the surviving cast members. Which admittedly wasn’t as many as you expect. That first movie was brutal!
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Urban is not only a great fit for this franchise (or any franchise, really), but also the role of Cage specifically. Like the character, he’s a famous movie star who appears in about a billion franchises, and has the ability to be as suave and confident as anyone can be. Dial all that up to 11, throw in a few months of fight training, a big pair of sunglasses, and boom, Johnny Cage.
No word on when Mortal Kombat II will get in front of cameras or, more importantly, in theaters, especially with the writer’s strike. But whenever it does, at least it seems like one of the biggest roles is already locked and loaded.
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The 2021 Mortal Kombat is now on HBO Max—and if you haven’t seen it yet, give it a shot. It’s incredibly fun and gory, and is a worthy successor to the game and film series you remember growing up.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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