Mortal Kombat 2 film unearths finest watch but at Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage

Mortal Kombat 2 is set to hit theaters on the 24th of October, and we now have an exciting glimpse at the forthcoming sequel.

The most recent images provide our best look yet at The Boys star Karl Urban portraying Johnny Cage, along with Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, and Hiroyuki Sanada, who reprises his role as Scorpion.

Johnny’s “integration into the Mortal Kombat narrative and universe is a significant aspect of what this film delves into,” stated NetherRealm’s Ed Boon to EW. “He’s a faded Hollywood star thrust into this enchanting, extremely violent realm. Karl’s portrayal of Johnny Cage differs from our games in numerous ways.

“He’s injecting his unique style into it, but I believe it will feel fresh. There’s a novelty factor involved.”

Boon further mentioned that Johnny’s introduction in the film is “ridiculously funny,” highlighting that his arrival sparked “some of the biggest laughs” during the film’s early screenings.

The director of Mortal Kombat 2, Simon McQuoid, explained that the film team “sought a character that wasn’t purely absurd or comic book-like… It’s a character that could easily tip into being too light and trivial if we leaned excessively into that kind of cheese.”

The director believes Urban’s casting has “permitted that character to possess greater depth.”

In addition to Urban, Adeline Rudolph – known for her role in Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina – will portray Princess Kitana. Meanwhile, another Sabrina graduate Tati Gabrielle is set to be Kitana’s protector, Jade.

This isn’t Gabrielle’s first venture into the online game adaptation world. She also appeared as Jo Braddock in the 2022 Uncharted film adaptation, and has been cast in The Last of Us’ second season as Nora, “a military medic grappling with the burdens of her past.”

Alongside these new images, EW revealed that authentic film-inspired skins featuring characters like Urban’s Johnny, Rudolph’s Kitana, and Ford’s Shao Kahn will be available in Mortal Kombat 1 later this year.

Former Eurogamer editor Wesley Yin-Poole wasn’t particularly impressed with the original Mortal Kombat film released a few years back, describing it as “uninspired”.

“While there’s a hint of low-budget fun that prevents the Mortal Kombat movie from being a total catastrophe, it’s still lacking.”