A return of Mortal Kombat to the big screen came with the shock absence of Johnny Cage, but a new report claims the sequel is entering final talks to fill the coveted role of the moviestar turned martial arts hero. Read on for details:
Everyone from Ryan Reynolds, to WWE wrestler Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, and Kickboxer star Alain Moussi have discussed the role that was teased at the end of the 2021 film, but producer Todd Garner has confirmed the legitimacy of recently reported rumors that Karl Urban has entered final talks to don the $500 dollar sunglasses. He did so with a simple "yes", responding to a fan posting the article on Twitter.
Known for disappearing into his chameleonic performances, the Kiwi actor currently stars as punkish Billy Butcher in Amazon's streaming comic book adaptation, The Boys. He's previously featured as McCoy in the JJ Abrams directed Star Trek reboot, as Skurge the Executioner in Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok, Russian assassin Kirill in The Bourne Supremacy, and the starring hero of video game adaptation Doom.
Fans bristled at the disappearance of one of Mortal Kombat's iconic original characters, described as too similar to Kano for the 2021 cinematic reboot. The omission turned Cage into one of the most talked about characters in the series, expected to headline the next Mortal Kombat Legends animated featured: Cage Match.
Traditionally comic relief with legitimate martial arts chops; Cage matured into a lead protagonist when a timeline without most major heroes led him to join the Special Forces ranks for Mortal Kombat X, leading the defeat of Shinnok before daughter Cassie Cage inherited the role.
The cinematic adaptation has so far gone its own way, eschewing beloved established video game canon to tell a story built around original creation Cole Young (Lewis Tan), and the struggle against Shang Tsung (Chin Han)'s attempts to prevent the prophesied hero competing in the next Mortal Kombat tournament.
Simon McQuoid will return to direct the sequel, with new writer Jeremy Slater plotting to embrace MK's weird universe for the sequel. Rumors suggest the script will feature Shao Kahn, Kitana and Outworld, raising questions about whether or not we'll even see the iconic tournament in this big screen adaptation.
[Related: Review: Mortal Kombat Hacks Into Franchise Reboot]
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