April Fools! Did we get you? We hope we got you. And... now that we have you, who do you think should play Johnny Cage?
The Matrix 4 star Keanu Reeves is in talks to star as Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 2. With Simon McQuoid's reboot set for release later this month, Cage's absence has been a point of contention for even the most ardent of fans, with McQuoid previously confirming that leaving him out represented a positive for the upcoming sequel. Given the casting, it seems Cage will now take center-stage.
Having seen its original early 2021 release date pushed back, Mortal Kombat is instead set to debut on HBO Max and in cinemas simultaneously, alongside Warner Bros. other 2021 movies. The delay has amped up excitement further, even with the first trailer withheld for a longer time than usual too, but so good was that hype-builder and the marketing since that it's arguably benefited Mortal Kombat to take longer getting the iconic franchise fighters to the screen. And now, that roster has been increased by at least one starry name.
Mortal Kombat producer Todd Garner revealed the news in an official statement set to ramp up excitement in the project considerably: "We have listened to fan outcry at Johnny Cage's absence from Mortal Kombat and I can assure you that the icon is very much a key part of our sequel plans."
In fact, Cage's involvement with the franchise will no longer begin with the sequel. Such was the reaction from fans to the character being left out of the reboot that New Line Cinema and Warner Bros hastily put together plans for a new post-credits teaser. While that came too soon for Reeves to be involved directly, producer James Wan and McQuoid have cooked up a way to ensure that the audience will be left with no doubt who and what they're seeing. Approached for comment, Wan was coy: "You can do an awful lot with a simple pair of sunglasses."
Johnny Cage's lack of involvement in Mortal Kombat makes sense, given that he is a huge character presence and the reboot is already focusing not only on the backstory of Scorpion but also on how it relates to Lewis Tan's still-mysterious Cole Young. Forcing another character like Cage in and expecting him to live up to his cool billing in a supporting role would have been a disservice and casting someone as perfect as Reeves for a supporting role would also have been distracting. Delaying the pay-off was the right move and now the post-credits can set him up the same way Deadpool teased Cable's appearance in the sequel.
Reeves is a proficient martial artist, having trained extensively for The Matrix initially and refining his skills with additional disciplines, most recently learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for John Wick. He might be something of a departure from the most recent games' versions of Cage, but he's got the belts and the bravado. This of course also wouldn't be the first time Reeves has been associated with the Mortal Kombat franchise or with co-creator Ed Boon's NetherRealm Studios. Back in 2019, Boon admitted that Reeves' Neo was almost added as an Injustice 2 DLC character, and the gaming legend also cited Neo and John Wick as two of his most wanted DLC characters for Mortal Kombat 11. In a way, Reeves' casting as Johnny Cage pays off Boon's desire to bring the actor into the Mortal Kombat universe. Responding to the news of Reeves' involvement in the movie, Boon released an official statement saying only "neat!"
Source: Todd Garner
