Mortal Kombat 2 writer confirms that Johnny Cage will appear in the sequel. Moon Knight showrunner Jeremy Slater is attached to pen the script to the reboot sequel, based on the popular video game created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. The revived Mortal Kombat franchise kicked off in 2021 from director Simon McQuoid and a cast that included Lewis Tan, Hiroyuki Sanada, Jessica McNamee, Joe Taslim, Josh Lawson, Mehcad Brooks, and Tadanobu Asano.
Mortal Kombat debuted in theaters and on HBO Max, pulling in $83 million at the box office, which was a strong showing considering the dual debut and effects of the pandemic. The sequel was announced earlier this year, with Slater saying that he and the filmmakers are taking the lessons learned from the first film and applying it to Mortal Kombat 2, including embracing the "weirdness" while delivering a film that "no one is expecting." The first Mortal Kombat brought in a host of popular characters from the game, including some created specifically for the film, but one of the most-noted missing from the roster was Johnny Cage.
In an interview with ComicBook, Slater says that Cage will appear in Mortal Kombat 2, but isn't sure how involved he'll be. Slater goes on to say that it would "feel strange" not to have Cage in the sequel, especially since the first film set up his appearance at the end. He says that he'd love to do "the definitive version" of Cage and bring him to life in live-action. Read Slater's full comments below:
"Johnny Cage is one of my favorite characters, and I think there's definitely a promise with the way the first movie ends of seeing Cole being like, 'Okay, my next stop is to go recruit Johnny.' So I think if he wasn't included in the sequel at all, it would feel very strange. It's still a little bit up in the air how much he will be included, it's one of the things we're currently working on. But yeah, I love Johnny and I would love to really do the definitive version, if possible, and really take everything that's fun about that character and bring that to live action."
Jonathan Carlton aka Johnny Cage is a Hollywood actor and martial artist in the Mortal Kombat universe, typically known for his showy arrogance and comedic quips. Cage is considered one of the more popular characters of the franchise, typically a key protagonist alongside his friends Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Jax, and Raiden. The character has appeared throughout the games, as well as in the first Mortal Kombat adaptation in 1995, played by actor Linden Ashby.
Fans have already started fan-casting Johnny Cage, with many thinking Ryan Reynolds would be best able to bring him to life in Mortal Kombat 2, seeing as he has both the physicality and comedic timing for such a role. However, there are a number of names that could potentially fill the role, and it's likely that many stars will be considered before a name rises to the top. Whoever nabs the role will have big shoes to fill, though, as fan expectation will be high for Johnny Cage's Mortal Kombat 2 appearance to be well in line with his video game persona, which has been so prominent since his first appearance in 1992.
Source: ComicBook.com