NEED TO KNOW
Karl Urban stars as Mortal Kombat video game favorite Johnny Cage in the trailer for Mortal Kombat II, a sequel to 2021’s Mortal KombatThe movie stars The Boys actor Urban with returning cast membres Lewis Tan, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Jessica McNamee and Joe TaslimMortal Kombat II is in theaters Oct. 24
Karl Urban is ready to fight as Johnny Cage.
On Thursday, July 17, Warner Bros. debuted the first trailer for Mortal Kombat II, the action-packed sequel to 2021’s Mortal Kombat, directed by Simon McQuoid. Urban, 52, joins the franchise as fan-favorite character Johnny Cage.
In the first Mortal Kombat movie, Outworld sorcerer Shang Tsung (Chin Han) aims to eradicate Earth’s champions before the ultimate Mortal Kombat tournament between fighters from different realms.
After an epic battle between champions of Earthworld and Outerworld, MMA fighter Cole Young (played by Lewis Tan) — who learns he is a descendant of Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) — sets out for Hollywood to find a new recruit for Earthrealm. That ends up being the eccentric martial arts movie star, Johnny Cage.
Mortal Kombat 2 poster.
Warner Bros.
The trailer teases fights from the critical tournament, where if Earth’s fighters lose, the Outworld overlord Shao Kahn (played by Martyn Ford) will take over.
The sequel will see the return of Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson “Jax” Briggs, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, and Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero. A new cast member who will test their might in the video game franchise includes Adeline Rudolph (Hellboy: The Crooked Man, Resident Evil) as Kitana.
Ed Boon, Mortal Kombat co-creator and head of gaming developer NetherRealm Studios, spoke with Entertainment Weekly for a first look interview published in March, in which he teased what fans can expect from the epic sequel — including the never-ending tension between Scorpion and Sub-Zero.
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Karl Urban (right center) in Mortal Kombat 2.
Warner Bros.
“He’s certainly making appearances that are significant and necessary for the progress of other storylines,” Boon says of Sanada’s Hanzo Hasashi. “He plays a different role. He’s not part of the ‘Super Friends’ trying to defeat Shao Kahn, but his appearance is key and it is very essential for certain parts.”
As for Urban bringing Johnny Cage to life, Boon says, “His integration into the Mortal Kombat story and universe is a big part of what this movie explores. He’s a washed-up Hollywood guy thrown into this magical, ultra-violent thing. Karl, his depiction of Johnny Cage is different than our games in some ways. He’s adding his own flare to it, but I think it’ll feel fresh. There’s like a novelty factor in there.”
The Mortal Kombat movies are based on the ’90s video game series created by Boon and John Tobias, which has grown into a franchise that includes games, comics and an animated TV series.
Mortal Kombat II is in theaters Oct. 24.