A new behind-the-scenes photo of Johnny Cage actor Karl Urban shows the Mortal Kombat 2 star posing with the original video game’s co-creator. Following on from 2021’s Mortal Kombat reboot directed by Simon McQuoid, Urban joined the cast of the sequel as the brash Hollywood action star-turned-Earthrealm champion alongside other series newcomers Tati Gabrielle, Adeline Rudolph, Martyn Ford, and Ana Thu Nguyen. Principal photography officially got underway in June, but has now likely been delayed due to the recently announced SAG-AFTRA actors strike.
Taking to Twitter, Mortal Kombat video game co-creator Ed Boon shared a photo of himself and Urban on the sequel’s Australian set.
Taken and posted prior to the official announcement of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the image features Urban wearing his character’s trademark sunglasses and carefully coiffed hair. The latest behind-the-scenes image also follows on from the film’s producer, Todd Garner, recently teasing one of Mortal Kombat 2’s set pieces in his own Twitter post.
What Impact Will Urban’s Johnny Cage Have On Mortal Kombat 2?
While 2021’s Mortal Kombat reboot sought to honor the legacy of the video games that inspired it, the decision to leave out Johnny Cage was considered disappointing by many. Though the end of the 2021 film does make an allusion to his character, suggesting that Lewis Tan’s Cole Young was setting out to enlist his help against the growing threat of Outworld, those familiar with the history of the games considered his omission an insult to their origins.
Originally slated to be a video game adaptation of the Jean-Claude Van Damme action film Bloodsport, when Midway Games failed to secure the necessary licensing, Boon and his co-creator John Tobias decided to retool their plans and instead created Johnny Cage as a spoof of the famous Hollywood martial artist. Not only would Cage go on to become one of the original seven fighters in the 1992 Mortal Kombat game, but for a time he was the only character featured in early test prototypes.
The initial announcement of Urban’s casting in Mortal Kombat 2 served as a considerable salve for viewers who took issue with his exclusion from the first film, and his presence is currently one of the most exciting aspects of the project. Moreover, it will be interesting to see how Urban’s take on the character fits in with Tan’s own protagonist, which many considered to be a Johnny Cage substitute. With any luck, studios may negotiate a swift resolution to the ongoing strike action and allow Urban and his co-stars to return to work on Mortal Kombat 2.
Source: Ed Boon/Twitter
