Mortal Kombat is among the hottest online game franchises on the planet, and whereas the early Nineteen Nineties weren’t a very good interval for online game film diversifications, 1995’s Mortal Kombat from future Resident Evil director Paul W.S. Anderson is seen as a cult basic. Extra just lately, followers had been hyped for the Warner Bros. 2021 live-action R-rated reimaging of the franchise. Mortal Kombat was launched concurrently in theaters and on Max day and date as a part of Warner Bros. 2021 launch schedule. Audiences had been actually excited as Mortal Kombat had the largest premiere of any movie launched that yr on the platform.
Mortal Kombat appeared to be extra trustworthy to the video games, together with latest developments from a few of the trendy video games. It featured loads of fan-favorite characters, from Raiden to Soniya Blade in addition to Scorpion and Sub-Zero. But notably, one well-known character from the franchise was not current: Johnny Cage. Johnny Cage was launched all the best way again within the first Mortal Kombat sport as an motion film star with a martial arts coaching background. He was not current for the primary movie on this rebooted movie sequence, however the film does characteristic a distinguished tease of him for the sequel. Right here is why Johnny Cage was not in 2021’s Mortal Kombat.
The Filmmakers Opted For a New Authentic Character
Taking the position of the “on a regular basis” hero in Mortal Kombat was an unique character, Cole Younger (Lewis Tan). Launched as an MMA fighter, Cole Younger appears to suit the position of Johnny Blaze within the Mortal Kombat franchise, but in addition as an unique character, the filmmakers had been in a position to tie him in with the broader mythology, making him the descendant of the character Scorpion (Hiroyuka Sanada).
This was a part of the choice to not embody Johnny Cage within the first movie. As reported by Screenrant again in 2021, throughout a roundtable interview, producer Todd Garner mentioned the method of choosing characters for the movie and received to why Johnny Cage was not included. Given the martial arts movies Mortal Kombat as a franchise naturally pulls from, there was a want on the filmmaker’s half to place actors of Asian descent front-and-center for the film. Garner mentioned:
“When you consider Mortal Kombat, should you simply take into consideration just like the patina of the film, it has a really Asian really feel to it. And I early on felt uncomfortable having a white male lead form of lead that cost within the first film. It simply felt Hollywood-ish to me, which is bizarre as a result of he is an actor, which additionally was bizarre. After which it is in all probability my bias of the way it simply feels bizarre if I am making an attempt to do – and I used to be – one thing totally different and numerous and true.”
Eager to diversify the solid was a part of the rationale. However not the one motive. That includes an unique character additionally allowed the filmmakers extra leeway to have Cole Younger make selections when it comes to the story that they might not do with extra beloved fan-favorite characters. Whereas one would possibly say they might have had the characters of Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) or Kung Lao (Max Haung) tackle the position of Cole Younger within the movie, followers seemingly would have been simply as mad if main modifications had been made to their character as they might have been if it was Johnny Cage within the position making those self same selections. As an unique character, the filmmakers allowed them to be extra free with Cole than with a beloved franchise favourite like Johnny Cage.
Johnny Cage Made For a Good Sequel Tease
One other massive motive for not together with Johnny Cage was all of the items the primary movie needed to arrange. Mortal Kombat not solely must set up the foundations of the franchisefor a wider viewers but in addition introduces the origin story for a lot of well-liked characters, together with Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Sonya Blade, and Jax. Even beloved franchise mainstays like Goro, Reptile, and Meleena are current, although their roles are primarily as henchmen meant to be dispatched. With all of this, there was loads for Mortal Kombat to introduce, and it seemingly would have accomplished the character of Johnny Cage a disservice to have him be one other supporting character in an already-packed film. In that very same roundtable, Todd Garner defined:
“He has a really massive persona, proper? He wants his personal house. It’s extremely laborious to simply throw him in a film, like I mentioned, with Kano. So, taking him out was very simple not just for the film, however for the sequel. I need to make a sequel, and I’ve now received Johnny Cage, which hasn’t been used within the first one…It is tremendous simple to convey him in an enormous, bombastic, enjoyable approach within the second. And he deserves that as a personality.”
Mortal Kombat 2 is already filming. These are a few of the storylines and characters from the video games that will make nice additions to the movie.
With Mortal Kombat having laid the groundwork, the sequel Mortal Kombat 2 can no longer solely introduce Johnny Cage but in addition make him a serious a part of the film, giving him extra display time because the different mainstays have already been established.
Karl City Will Play Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 2
2021’s Mortal Kombat was extra than simply an adaptation of the online game as, like most big-budget IP-driven movies, it was the primary of what’s meant to be a long-running franchise. These films typically characteristic a tease at a future movie or the looks of a future character, a method to get audiences excited for a sequel. For Mortal Kombat, this featured Cole Younger going off to recruit one of many chosen champions for the upcoming Mortal Kombat event, and that fighter is, in fact, Johnny Cage, teased on a poster.
In contrast to different franchise teases of well-liked characters that went nowhere, like teasing Tommy Jarvis/The Inexperienced Ranger in 2017’s Energy Rangers, the Johnny Cage tease will repay. Regardless of opening through the early months of theaters opening again up through the COVID-19 pandemic, Mortal Kombat nonetheless managed to make $42.3 million domestically and $84.4 million worldwide in opposition to a finances of $55 million. As well as, it was additionally an enormous hit on HBO Max, being the most streamed movie on the service that yr, even beating out Godzilla vs. Kong, The Suicide Squad, and Dune.
As we gear up for the discharge of the Mortal Kombat 2, we have a look again at a few of the iconic film characters who’ve appeared within the sport sequence.
Warner Bros. gave a sequel a greenlight in January 2022 titled Mortal Kombat 2. Whereas skilled wrestler Mike “The Miz” Mizanin overtly expressed curiosity in taking part in Johnny Cage within the sequel, even getting approval from franchise creator Ed Boon, the position went to Karl City. Karl City is a beloved actor, notably in style movies, having performed Leonard “Bones” McCoy within the latest Star Trek movies, Éomer within the second and third installments of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and might at present be seen taking part in Billy Butcher on the hit Prime Authentic sequence, The Boys.
Filming for Mortal Kombat 2 passed off between June and September 2023. Regardless of being completed, Warner Bros. Discovery has not set a launch date for the film. Whereas many had been hoping it will be a part of the studio’s 2024 slate, making a three-year hole between the discharge of the primary movie and the sequel, it now appears seemingly the film will hit theaters in 2025.
