As one of the first game's iconic fighters Johnny Cage had an integral role in the 1995 big screen adaptation, but don't look for him in the latgest Mortal Kombat feature film. The klassic kombatant has been conspicuous by absence, and producer Todd Garner has explained why. Read on:
CBR reports that the brash and arrogant moviestar character was sidelined to avoid a clash with similar personality traits exhibited by the film's version of Kano. Todd Garner explained the thinking during a round table.interview.
The reason we held back on Johnny Cage is because he's a very egotistical guy, he's a scoundrel, he's funny, he's bigger-than-life...and so is Kano. So are we going to have two guys competing and trying to [be funnier or more egotistical] or do you hold Johnny Cage because, God willing, we're able to do another one?
The two characters successfully coinhabited the big screen in the much-loved 1995 feature film, which featured Kano in his role as a primary antagonist. As seen in the red band trailer and explained in the director's breakdown, Kano will provide comic relief, apparently spending more time with the heroes of Earthrealm.
Garner also further elaborated on previous statements about the removal of Rain from the script.
Rain and Reptile? They both cloak and you don't want two cloaking guys; first of all, it's expensive and, second, they do the same thing. You unwind it that way, with people we can see later. There are also characters with such complicated backstories with other characters, you want to give them more service.
Rain is an Edenian demi-god best known for his power to control water. The character recently made his DLC return in Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate. The character does not traditionally share Reptile's ability to "cloak" himself from sight, but has been known to teleport through water puddles -- an effects intensive concept.
Mortal Kombat will be officially released theatrically on April 16th with same day streaming on HBO Max. Download the MKO App via App Store and Google Play to subscribe to the calendar countdown! Find and discuss more stories in the Media & Merchandise forum!
