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New Movie Trailer: Meet Mortal Kombat cast & videogame characters UPDATE: Part 2 coming Karl Urban is Johnny Cage!!

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Exclusive: 'Mortal Kombat' star goes behind Scorpion's vengeful origins

See an exclusive new look at Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion in the new 'Mortal Kombat.'
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'The birth of Scorpion': Mortal Kombat star goes behind iconic character's vengeful origins

See a new exclusive image from the R-rated film ahead of the trailer debut.
By Nick Romano
February 18, 2021 at 09:00 AM EST




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Two words sent the cast and crew of Mortal Kombat into a frenzy.
The reaction came as a surprise to Hiroyuki Sanada, the lauded Japanese actor of stage and screen, known for roles like The Fool in a U.K. production of King Lear, the "Immortal" in Kirito No Séngyo, the titular Twilight Samurai, and parts in The Wolverine and HBO's Westworld. "I never played a [Mortal Kombat] game before," he admits to EW while taking a break from his latest cinematic venture, the star-studded Bullet Train. But for his role as Scorpion, an iconic fighter from this mythos, perhaps the most iconic, he "researched the character and his history" for some added perspective.
Even then, he was unprepared for the impact a seemingly fleeting turn of phrase would have on his colleagues. "He has two famous words, a punchline or something, that I really enjoyed," Sanada says. Those would be "Come here!" the phrase Scorpion often shouts across the Mortal Kombat games as his piercing whip launches and hooks onto an opponent. Sometimes he substitutes "Get over here!"

"When I performed that signature move with the words in the rehearsal on set for the first time, I had a great reaction from the cast and crew," Sanada recalls. "They said, 'Yeah! I've waited for this moment.' Then I realized how popular this move is."
CREDIT: WARNER BROS. PICTURES
The first trailer for Mortal Kombat, directed by Simon McQuoid, drops later today, at which time fans will be able to see Sanada, a skilled martial artist, in action as Scorpion. But until then, EW can reveal an exclusive still image of the man once known as Hanzo Hasashi before transforming into a vicious spirit of vengeance. "This was my first time playing a famous game character," the actor says. "Everyone knows his weapons and style. So, I felt a lot of pressure."
The film is, in part, about "the birth of Scorpion," McQuoid says. The opening sequence goes back to feudal Japan where Hanzo is set upon by Bi-Han (Joe Taslim) in what is the latest move between two warring clans. It's at that moment Hanzo crafts his signature weapon: he takes the kunai blade his wife uses to tend the garden, fashions it to the tip of a whip, and unleashes hell. Sanada may not be as versed in gamer-speak, but, as someone who's been training in physical movement since he was 13 years old — martial arts, dance, singing, stunts — he strove to make the opening sequence feel authentic to Japanese culture.

"I discussed the fighting style with the choreographer and the stunt team and just jumped into rehearsal," he says. "I tried to create an original style. Since Hanzo Hasashi is a character of Japanese descent, I tried to make authentic movements."
It won't be centuries later in the timeline of the film, in the present day, until Hanzo re-emerges, this time with supernatural powers as the fully realized Scorpion from the games — and with him comes another varied fighting style to the character we first meet in the film's opening minutes. Sanada saw the transformation as "a very tasty role for an actor: family man changed to fighting machine." He likes to think of Mortal Kombat as a whole as "a family drama with excitingly brutal fighting." It was this mix between drama and action, two of his long-time loves, that sold Sanada on the part. "Each fight has a reason with the emotion," he says. "The audience can understand why he's fighting, what he's thinking during the fight."
To be clear, the needs of Mortal Kombat weren't as physically demanding for Sanada as his film roles in the '80s. (Samurai Reincarnation, Legend of the Eight Samurai, Sure Death Revenge, etc.) He said as much. "But this is more demanding than any movie I shot in the last 15 years," he adds. "I think."
Mortal Kombat will premiere in theaters through Warner Bros. Pictures and stream for 31 days on HBO Max starting April 16.
Quotes from Hiroyuki Sanada have been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Cool but I'ma need that theme song to drop during a fight.

If I ever find myself in a fight to the death I wanna bow to my opponent with the same music that's playing at 0.17 :lol:

 
‘Mortal Kombat’ Red Band Trailer Breaks Viewership Records
By Anthony D'Alessandro
Anthony D'Alessandro
Editorial Director/Box Office Editor

EXCLUSIVE: The viewership for New Line’s red band trailer of Mortal Kombat has clocked 116M views in its first week, becoming the biggest red band trailer of all-time, besting the 4-day mark of Logan and Deadpool 2 and continuing to do so.

The trailer for the Simon McQuoid directed feature trended in 52 total markets on YouTube and 28 total markets on Twitter, registering a 98% Positive-to-Neutral social sentiment rating.

Separately, RelishMix tells us that the viral reposting rate for Mortal Kombat is a very high 47:1 ratio.

The trailer received high praise from fans across Reddit and video gaming news sites such as GameSpot and NintendoWire, some who’ve been quite skeptical about video game adaptations. GameSpot beamed, “It’s loaded with the kind of blood, gore, and crazy superhuman abilities fans of the video game series have come to expect… It’s also packed with a bunch of iconic characters from the franchise, giving them each time to shine (and mutilate their opponents)… Our first look at Jax’s cybernetic arms is pretty impressive.”



The latest trailer for Mortal Kombat even caught the attention of Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter:



Mortal Kombat was launched by Midway in 1992. The game focuses on several characters of various intentions who enter a martial arts tournament with worldly consequences. The logline for the latest New Line movie: MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan) seeks out Earth’s greatest champions in order to stand against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe.

There were two Mortal Kombat movies in 1995 and a sequel in 1997 which combined grossed $173.4M WW. The first movie opened to No. 1 with a strong 3-day at the time of $23.2M stateside.

This latest iteration of Mortal Kombat debuts in theaters and on HBO Max on April 16.

Back in 2017, the first trailer for New Line’s It smashed then global 24-hour traffic records with 197M views, blowing past the previous record set by Universal’s The Fate of the Furious (139M).
Below are fan reactions to the trailer:

 
playahaitian said:
‘Mortal Kombat’ Red Band Trailer Breaks Viewership Records
By Anthony D'Alessandro
Anthony D'Alessandro
Editorial Director/Box Office Editor

EXCLUSIVE: The viewership for New Line’s red band trailer of Mortal Kombat has clocked 116M views in its first week, becoming the biggest red band trailer of all-time, besting the 4-day mark of Logan and Deadpool 2 and continuing to do so.

The trailer for the Simon McQuoid directed feature trended in 52 total markets on YouTube and 28 total markets on Twitter, registering a 98% Positive-to-Neutral social sentiment rating.

Separately, RelishMix tells us that the viral reposting rate for Mortal Kombat is a very high 47:1 ratio.

The trailer received high praise from fans across Reddit and video gaming news sites such as GameSpot and NintendoWire, some who’ve been quite skeptical about video game adaptations. GameSpot beamed, “It’s loaded with the kind of blood, gore, and crazy superhuman abilities fans of the video game series have come to expect… It’s also packed with a bunch of iconic characters from the franchise, giving them each time to shine (and mutilate their opponents)… Our first look at Jax’s cybernetic arms is pretty impressive.”



The latest trailer for Mortal Kombat even caught the attention of Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter:



Mortal Kombat was launched by Midway in 1992. The game focuses on several characters of various intentions who enter a martial arts tournament with worldly consequences. The logline for the latest New Line movie: MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan) seeks out Earth’s greatest champions in order to stand against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe.

There were two Mortal Kombat movies in 1995 and a sequel in 1997 which combined grossed $173.4M WW. The first movie opened to No. 1 with a strong 3-day at the time of $23.2M stateside.

This latest iteration of Mortal Kombat debuts in theaters and on HBO Max on April 16.

Back in 2017, the first trailer for New Line’s It smashed then global 24-hour traffic records with 197M views, blowing past the previous record set by Universal’s The Fate of the Furious (139M).
Below are fan reactions to the trailer:

Click to expand...



On a side note:
I need to hear a better "Get over here", from Scorpion
The one from the movie trailer preview was just.....meh
This one right here is way better.....

 
ew.com

Man of action: 'Mortal Kombat' star Lewis Tan enters a new arena with his meatiest role yet

Having made a career out of action-oriented roles, Lewis Tan discusses now stepping into a leading-man part with 'Mortal Kombat.'
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Man of action: Mortal Kombat star Lewis Tan enters a new arena with his meatiest role yet

Having made a career out of action-oriented roles, the Into the Badlands and Wu Assassins star is now elevating to leading man.
By Nick Romano
March 29, 2021 at 10:00 AM EDT

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Sitting cross-legged on a rehearsal mat for the new Mortal Kombat movie, Lewis Tan felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. He played on this kind of mat as a kid while his father, martial-artist Philip Tan, worked on Hollywood sets as a fight choreographer and second-unit director. Tim Burton's Batman films with Michael Keaton. Demolition Man with Sylvester Stallone. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with Harrison Ford. "I grew up on these films [and] around these guys," Tan says.

By the age of 15, Tan had begun training with Chad Stahelski, the stunt performer who'd later become a director on the John Wick movies. Later, that tutelage would blossom into professional work as Stahelski and his partner, filmmaker David Leitch, worked with Tan on the stunts in Deadpool 2. (The actor appeared in the role of Shatterstar.) "This is where I began my understanding of the film industry," Tan recalls. "I was just learning martial arts, training, and acting, doing plays. That's my history."

After assembling a career in the action genre, from suave sword-wielder Gaius Chau in AMC's Into the Badlands to co-headlining Netflix's Wu Assassins with martial-arts megastar Iko Uwais, Tan is now stepping up as the lead of a major feature at Warner Bros .— the studio that coincidentally helped launch his father's career — in Simon McQuoid's Mortal Kombat (in theaters and on HBO Max April 16).
"It's really a full circle moment for me and my family," Tan says.

As Cole Young, a washed-up MMA brawler who becomes the target of Outworld emperor Shang Tsung (Skyscraper's Chin Han), Tan felt it was "imperative" to perform the action scenes himself, rather than rely on a stunt double. That's what his idols did, including his dad and Uwais.
"One hundred percent of these fights in this movie is me. One hundred percent," he says. "It's imperative that, especially with an action movie, that the actor who is doing the [action] is actually performing. Just like dancing, you can tell a story."


Tan pulled from multiple fighting styles to tell that story, ranging from Muay Thai and jiujitsu to MMA and UFC fighting. He notes how he previously trained with ex-UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and channeled moves from mixed martial-artist Jorge Masvidal into his Mortal Kombat performance. One scene, where we meet Cole in a cage match, sees Tan mimicking a move from a famous fight where Masvidal "knocked out Ben Askren in three seconds and set the whole MMA community on fire."

"I'm a legit martial artist who respects that world," Tan says.

This training brought a level of "authenticity" that became crucial for the film's action, even if the grueling demands of Mortal Kombat nearly wiped Tan out. "Sometimes you wake up and your body just can't move," he recounts of the filming in Australia in late 2019. "You feel like you [can't] even walk to the car to get to set. You have to perform at the highest level possible — and you have to do that for three-and-a-half months while traveling in these amazingly beautiful locations." But, he adds, "there was no way that I wasn't going to do it."

The bigger pressure for Tan was introducing Cole as a brand-new character to the franchise, knowing how ferociously overprotective fans can be with their favorite IPs. It's the first Mortal Kombat film since the widely derided 1997 entry Annihilation.

"You don't want to f--- it up because it's so iconic," he says. "You want to bring something new to the table that people haven't seen before, but at the same time really respect and pay homage to these legendary worlds that were already created."

Just as important: He's also a Mortal Kombat fan — and one who got in trouble with his mom for playing the always-gruesome video games as a kid. In those days, he played as Liu Kang before gravitating to Smoke. "Now, the new game" — Mortal Kombat 11 — "I play with Kung Lao," he says. (Stuntman Max Huang plays Kung Lao in the new movie.) "I'm getting pretty good at it. So, get ready."

If there's one thing Tan understands, in terms of both the games and his own career, it's the importance of legacy.
 
Mortal Kombat star Mehcad Brooks on getting to know Jax and looking back on James Olsen

“I think that this is the greatest video game adaptation of all time, and I'm saying that as a fan," says the Mortal Kombat star.
By Alamin Yohannes
April 22, 2021 at 08:30 AM EDT

image



Mehcad Brooks has always loved Mortal Kombat.
Staying up all night playing the games as a kid with his brothers is a memory Brooks looks back on fondly. "I've been living with this game my whole life," he shares. So, it's fitting he would go on to land the role of Jax in the new Mortal Kombat film. Armed with his powerful metal arms, Major Jackson "Jax" Briggs is a warrior dedicated to protecting the Earth realm. As Cole Young's (Lewis Tan) confidant, Jax, who has the same mysterious mark on his body as Cole, is the entry point into the imaginative world of Mortal Kombat for him and the viewers.
Jax made his first franchise appearance in the 1993 video game Mortal Kombat II and often seen working with his partner Sonya Blade. His signature metallic arms became part of his character in Mortal Kombat 3. Gregory McKinney, Carl Weathers, and Michael Jai White are some of the actors to voice or play Jax before Brooks.
Brooks is excited for fans to see this version of Jax. As shown in the trailer, Sub-Zero is the one who takes Jax's arms, and Brooks shares we will get to see Major Briggs' life before and after his encounter with Sub-Zero. The monster-hunting major's journey taps into a bigger question about unforeseen challenges from Brooks' perspective. Jax's body goes through something significant, but it doesn't affect his heart. "It's a wonderful metaphor for everybody who's been through something physically challenging or unforeseen," he explains.

Speaking of challenges, Brooks called preparing for the role "the hardest thing" he's ever done for a project. Going to the gym most days, sometimes twice a day, and the constant fight choreography was grueling as he gained 45 pounds of muscle. The work to become Jax wasn't only physical. "I took him to therapy," Brooks explains. He kept a journal as Jax where he explored how Jax makes choices, how much of a monster he becomes to defeat these creatures, and where he is on the journey of forgiving himself. To supplement his training, he studied footage of boxers, including Joe Fraizer and Mike Tyson. "It's the most difficult thing I've ever done, but also the most fun thing I've ever done. And, when you can blend those two things, I think you're on the right path," he adds.
A piece of information he wasn't given is the jaw pain that comes from chewing all that food while bulking up. "No one, nobody tells you that," he jokes.
CREDIT: WARNER BROS. PICTURES
Another part of Jax's story we'll see in Mortal Kombat is his dynamic with Sonya Blade. "You'll see the love and respect that Jax and Sonya have for each other in [Mortal Kombat]," Brooks says, pointing to a moment in the film where Sonya is by his side when Jax wakes up from a coma with temporary arms. As Jax works himself back into fighting shape, she stands by him, then he will be "a literal" rock for her later in the film. "I look forward to that relationship expanding within the universe," he adds.

As a fan of the franchise for most of his life, Brooks says fans are in for a great time. "I'm a fan, and I'm please beyond what my expectations were, and I was there," he explains. Praising director Simon McQuoid's work, Brooks is impressed by the humanity in the film and how the cinematic bar was raised by its director, who he believes is simply the right person for the job.
"I really believe Simon McQuoid raised Mortal Kombat to the fans feel like the characters deserve, and feel like world deserves," Brooks shares, "Simon McQuoid raised that cinematic level so high." He compares the film to Stars Wars and The Hunger Games. And while he remains tight-lipped about the highly anticipated inclusion of fatalities, Brooks shares that you will recognize some of the fatal signature moves if you have played the games.
Video game enthusiasts may be watching and waiting to see how this Mortal Kombat unfurls onscreen, but Brooks notes the film's already a winner on one important front. "We need more diverse coming-of-age stories. We need more diverse heroes," Brooks says, and the Mortal Kombat cast is a prime example of that. He hopes people can see themselves in him, Lewis Tan, Sis Stringer, Ludi Lin, and the reboot's cast. "As long as Hollywood can lead in creative avenues for diverse heroes, I think that can affect the conversation in America itself," he explains.
"Hollywood has helped America launder its bigotry," Brooks states. When referencing exotification and otherization of characters from marginalized communities and the number of times characters representing marginalized people end up being caricatures, Brooks sees there's work to be done.
CREDIT: EMILY ASSIRAN
The impact of diversifying heroes is something Brooks saw firsthand on Supergirl. When he was cast as James Olsen, Brooks broke barriers. First, he was cast as the character who is white in DC Comics, then his version of the character Jack Kirby created in 1940 became the superhero, Guardian. Looking back on the experience, Brooks remembers how supportive people were and recalls when fans of the show or comics sent him death threats. "There was something kind of eye-opening about that, but also there was something really bold and restorative about how Warner Bros. handled it," he explains.
"If you were to create Jimmy Olsen in 2010, he might be Asian, Black, or Latino because we know we know that we're much more alike than we are different, so I really enjoyed that part of it," he adds.
Brooks makes it clear that he had a great time on Supergirl before he decided to exit. "I had a wonderful job on Supergirl, and it was just time for me to go," he says. (As for if the character will make a final-season appearance, he teases, "anything's possible.") To make room for his own voice, Brooks' James left National City to develop his own projects and other creative endeavors. One of those goals was to be an action star, Brooks saw room for himself in the space, and with Mortal Kombat, he is making it happen.
"I just want to say, in closing, I think that this is the greatest video game adaptation of all time, and I'm saying that as a fan."
Mortal Kombat hits theaters and HBO Max on Friday.
 
ew.com

'The Boys' star Karl Urban will play Johnny Cage in 'Mortal Kombat 2'

Break out the shades: 'The Boys' star Karl Urban is joining 'Mortal Kombat 2' as fan-favorite actor and martial artist Johnny Cage.
ew.com ew.com

The Boys star Karl Urban will play fan-favorite Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 2​


The Butcher of The Boys is joining another bloody slugfest.

By Nick RomanoMay 05, 2023 at 12:52 PM EDT

image


y
The Mortal Kombat sequel has found its Johnny Cage, a popular character from the video games who was teased at the end of the first movie.
The Boys star Karl Urban, who plays Billy Butcher on the bloody R-rated superhero satire series, is in final negotiations to take the role, EW has learned. The Wrap was the first to report the news.
Karl Urban in 'The Boys'; Johnny Cage in 'Mortal Kombat 11'

Karl Urban in 'The Boys'; Johnny Cage in 'Mortal Kombat 11'

| CREDIT: PANAGIOTIS PANTAZIDIS/AMAZON STUDIOS; WARNER BROS. GAMES
Mortal Kombat, released in 2021, didn't depict the titular supernatural fighting tournament between worlds, but the lightning god Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) tasked Cole Young (Lewis Tan) with finding more warriors to prepare for the return of Shang Tsung (Chin Han) and his forces.

When Cole returns to the gym in the film's final moments, he notes that he's heading to Hollywood. The camera pans to the left to show a poster for Citizen Cage, a fictional movie starring the actor Johnny Cage.
Johnny is a B-list celebrity in the world of Mortal Kombat with a string of direct-to-VHS martial arts action movies. His finishing moves in the games often involve a camera crew, and some of his cutscenes feature him interacting with his own action figure.
The majority of the main stars from 2021's Mortal Kombat, including Tan as Cole and Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, are expected to return. Filmmaker Simon McQuoid will again step behind the camera for Mortal Kombat 2, with a screenplay written by Jeremy Slater.
Urban recently wrapped production on The Boys season 4, which will likely premiere on Amazon in 2024. The actor shared a photo of him standing next to the show's latest addition, The Walking Dead's Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Urban is also known for playing Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, and Éomer in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films.
 
playahaitian said:
ew.com

'The Boys' star Karl Urban will play Johnny Cage in 'Mortal Kombat 2'

Break out the shades: 'The Boys' star Karl Urban is joining 'Mortal Kombat 2' as fan-favorite actor and martial artist Johnny Cage.
ew.com ew.com

The Boys star Karl Urban will play fan-favorite Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 2​


The Butcher of The Boys is joining another bloody slugfest.

By Nick RomanoMay 05, 2023 at 12:52 PM EDT

image


y
The Mortal Kombat sequel has found its Johnny Cage, a popular character from the video games who was teased at the end of the first movie.
The Boys star Karl Urban, who plays Billy Butcher on the bloody R-rated superhero satire series, is in final negotiations to take the role, EW has learned. The Wrap was the first to report the news.
Karl Urban in 'The Boys'; Johnny Cage in 'Mortal Kombat 11''The Boys'; Johnny Cage in 'Mortal Kombat 11'

Karl Urban in 'The Boys'; Johnny Cage in 'Mortal Kombat 11'

| CREDIT: PANAGIOTIS PANTAZIDIS/AMAZON STUDIOS; WARNER BROS. GAMES
Mortal Kombat, released in 2021, didn't depict the titular supernatural fighting tournament between worlds, but the lightning god Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) tasked Cole Young (Lewis Tan) with finding more warriors to prepare for the return of Shang Tsung (Chin Han) and his forces.

When Cole returns to the gym in the film's final moments, he notes that he's heading to Hollywood. The camera pans to the left to show a poster for Citizen Cage, a fictional movie starring the actor Johnny Cage.
Johnny is a B-list celebrity in the world of Mortal Kombat with a string of direct-to-VHS martial arts action movies. His finishing moves in the games often involve a camera crew, and some of his cutscenes feature him interacting with his own action figure.
The majority of the main stars from 2021's Mortal Kombat, including Tan as Cole and Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, are expected to return. Filmmaker Simon McQuoid will again step behind the camera for Mortal Kombat 2, with a screenplay written by Jeremy Slater.
Urban recently wrapped production on The Boys season 4, which will likely premiere on Amazon in 2024. The actor shared a photo of him standing next to the show's latest addition, The Walking Dead's Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Urban is also known for playing Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, and Éomer in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films.
Click to expand...
The Miz got robbed..

playahaitian said:
Urban is also known for playing Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, and Éomer in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films.
Click to expand...
They left out one role
fdb379f1a0c34416229db0de470fad8e.jpg
 
ew.com

'Mortal Kombat 2' first look reveals Johnny Cage, Kitana, and Shao Kahn (exclusive)

Our 'Mortal Kombat 2' exclusive first look reveals Johnny Cage, Kitana, Shao Kahn, and Scorpion's return. 'What I realized was go bigger, go bolder, don't hold back,' director Simon McQuoid tells EW.
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Here's Johnny! Mortal Kombat 2 exclusive first look reveals Karl Urban's Johnny Cage, plus Kitana and Shao Kahn​

Urban, Adeline Rudolph, and Martyn Ford are ready to "FIGHT!" alongside returning cast members.
By
Nick Romano

Published on March 17, 2025 11:00AM EDT
7Comments

(L-R) Ludi Lin as “Liu Kang”, Mehcad Brooks as “Jackson ‘Jax’ Briggs”, Jessica McNamee as “Sonya Blade”, and Karl Urban as “Johnny Cage” in New Line Cinema’s “Mortal Kombat 2,”

(L-R): Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, and Karl Urban as Johnny Cage in 'Mortal Kombat 2'.Credit:
Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
The ending of 2021's Mortal Kombat signaled where the franchise would go next: Hollywood. After a bloodbath between the champions of Earthrealm and Outworld, former MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan), a descendant of Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), set out for Los Angeles to find a new recruit to aid in the battle ahead — Johnny Cage.

A prominent and eccentric character from the video games, as well as past movie adaptations, Johnny was only teased in that first film through a poster for his Citizen Cage flick. But now, The Boys star Karl Urban officially takes his place alongside other Earthrealm champions in Entertainment Weekly's exclusive first look at the sequel, Mortal Kombat 2, coming to theaters and IMAX locations on Oct. 24.

"You finally get to see Johnny Cage," Ed Boon, Mortal Kombat co-creator and head of gaming developer NetherRealm Studios, tells EW. "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."

Just like Tan's Cole in the first Mortal Kombat, Boon says Johnny serves as the audience's lens into this new story. He calls the character's introduction "ridiculously hilarious," having incited "some of the biggest laughs" from the early screenings of Mortal Kombat 2. But director Simon McQuoid felt it was a balancing act to strike that tone. "We wanted a character that wasn't just completely silly, comic book...It's a character that could instantly go there and become too light and throwaway if we were to lean too much into the kind of cheese," McQuoid remarks. "The casting of Karl Urban for that role allowed that character to have more depth."

Adeline Rudolph as “Kitana” in New Line Cinema’s “Mortal Kombat 2,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

Adeline Rudolph as Kitana in 'Mortal Kombat 2'.
Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
Man of action: Mortal Kombat star Lewis Tan enters a new arena with his meatiest role yet

Johnny isn't the only new character on the scene, either. Joining Mortal Kombat veterans like Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson "Jax" Briggs, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, and Sanada (fresh off his Shōgun Emmy wins) as Scorpion, EW can also reveal Adeline Rudolph (Hellboy: The Crooked Man, Netflix's Resident Evil series) as fan-favorite (emphasis on "fan") Kitana, as well as Martyn Ford (House of David, Those About to Die) as Outworld overlord Shao Kahn.

As an added treat for gamers, new movie-accurate skins of these characters, including Urban's Johnny, Rudolph's Kitana, and Ford's Shao Kahn, are coming to the Mortal Kombat 1 video game later this year.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

In the movie, these figures are all here for the main event, the one fans have been waiting to see realized on screen. The first film saw the Outworld sorcerer Shang Tsung (Chin Han) and his forces attempt to wipe out Earth's champions before the big Mortal Kombat tournament between fighters from different realms. That tournament is now officially here in the sequel, and the stakes couldn't be higher. If Earthrealm loses its 10th consecutive tournament against Outworld, then Shao Kahn will invade Earth and take over.

Martyn Ford as “Shao Kahn” in New Line Cinema’s “Mortal Kombat 2,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn as 'Mortal Kombat 2'.
Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
The Boys star Karl Urban will play fan-favorite Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 2

"They keep score throughout the movie," Boon reveals of the tournament. "There's a visual representation of who is winning.... It's not just a tournament for the sake of a tournament. There are huge consequences, so you really are keeping score. And there are a lot of twists in it that keep you on your toes."

Speaking of twists...On the cast list confirmed for Mortal Kombat 2, which also includes Damon Herriman (Better Man) as Netherrealm demon Quan Chi, are the returning Josh Lawson and Max Huang, even though their characters, Kano and Kung Lao, died in the previous movie. "I can say Josh Lawson doesn't play Kano's twin," Boon teases. He points to existing Mortal Kombat lore from the video games that make it possible for such a comeback. "We've killed a number of characters who are in Mortal Kombat 1 and our latest games," he says. "So we deal with spirits and the NetherRealm and things like that. There are ways to bring dead characters back."

The ages-long beef between Scorpion and Sub-Zero also refuses to die in Mortal Kombat 2, though it won't be as central to the narrative. "He's certainly making appearances that are significant and necessary for the progress of other storylines," Boon prefaces 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."

Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion in New Line Cinema’s “Mortal Kombat 2,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion in 'Mortal Kombat 2'.
Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
Terminator 2 star Robert Patrick returns to T-1000 role after 33 years for Mortal Kombat 1 game

All these facets relate to the clear goals McQuoid had coming into the making of the sequel. For one, the team wanted to increase the number of female characters. So alongside McNamee's Sonya Blade and Rudolph's Kitana, there's also Tati Gabrielle (The Last of Us season 2) as Jade, Ana Thu Nguyen (NCIS: Sydney) as Queen Sindel, and some undisclosed "other" characters who will make appearances, the filmmaker says. McQuoid and screenwriter Jeremy Slater also worked to "maximize everything" with Mortal Kombat 2 — "just build on where we were and then make it significantly more intense, bigger in scale, bigger in variation, bigger across the board really as a cinematic experience."

Some of that involves the story itself; McQuoid confirms, "We go to lots of different realms, so that in itself gives the film a very distinct and varied visual approach." Some of it also involves IMAX, which McQuoid says allowed them to "be bolder and swing harder." The team took advantage of the big-screen format to offer audiences a unique experience when they watch Mortal Kombat 2 in IMAX, namely changing aspect ratios to enhance certain sequences.

"What I realized was go bigger, go bolder, don't hold back, and really feed off the history of Mortal Kombat more," McQuoid adds. "Just let it rip, and that's what we've done."
 
The looks dumb. Had they kept the first film of the remake more grounded (like the OG game and movie), they could have done the fantasy stuff in the sequel. The dude with literal Plot Armor was corny in the first film. I never even finished it. I might not even tune into this. They "minus whale" have gotten Jean Claude Van Damme to play Johnny Cage in this, he's only ten years older than Karl Urban.
 
EPDC said:
The looks dumb. Had they kept the first film of the remake more grounded (like the OG game and movie), they could have done the fantasy stuff in the sequel. The dude with literal Plot Armor was corny in the first film. I never even finished it. I might not even tune into this. They "minus whale" have gotten Jean Claude Van Damme to play Johnny Cage in this, he's only ten years older than Karl Urban.
Click to expand...
Great minds! :lol: I'll wait for this shit to come on TNT
 

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