‘The Blair Witch Project’ – Oliver Park Reportedly Directing New Installment for Lionsgate
A sequel to the Mortal Kombat movie from 2021 is on the way, and The Wrap reports tonight that Karl Urban (“The Boys”) is in final talks to join the cast as Johnny Cage.
The Wrap reminds, “Johnny Cage was introduced in the first Mortal Kombat arcade game in 1992. Johnny Cage is depicted as an action movie star with an extensive martial arts background. He is often characterized as a swashbuckling, Hollywood fighting movie star who places great importance on his image and consistently behaves in a cool manner.”
The star of Amazon’s hit series “The Boys,” Karl Urban turns 50 years old next month, so this particular take on the classic Mortal Kombat character is sure to be different than expected. Many fans had been lobbying for WWE superstar The Miz to play Cage in the upcoming sequel, but Urban’s casting will bring a whole new facet to the character. Perhaps this time around Cage is an aged former actor star who’s hungry to recapture his glory days? A grizzled, perhaps even bearded Johnny Cage? That could be an interesting take. Stay tuned for more.
Simon McQuoid is reportedly back to direct Mortal Kombat 2. Previously reported, Jeremy Slater (“The Exorcist”, “Moon Knight”) is writing the upcoming sequel.
New Line’s first Mortal Kombat movie had a post-credits tease of Johnny Cage making an appearance in the sequel, and we can also expect the actual tournament to begin this time.
Produced by James Wan, Mortal Kombat pulled in $83.6 million worldwide at the box office beginning on April 23, 2021, right around the time that pandemic vaccines were finally being offered up for the first time. The gory video game adaptation was also watched by 3.8 million households during that weekend, making it a big success for HBO Max.
In 2021’s Mortal Kombat, ”MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?”
The international cast included Lewis Tan (“Deadpool 2,” Netflix’s “Wu Assassins”) as Cole Young; Jessica McNamee (“The Meg”) as Sonya Blade; Josh Lawson (“Bombshell”) as Kano; Tadanobu Asano (“Midway”) as Lord Raiden; Mehcad Brooks (TV’s “Supergirl”) as Jackson “Jax” Bridges; Ludi Lin (“Aquaman”) as Liu Kang; with Chin Han (“Skyscraper”) as Shang Tsung; Joe Taslim (“Star Trek Beyond”) as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero; and Hiroyuki Sanada (“Ringu”) as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion. Also featured are Max Huang as Kung Lao; Sisi Stringer as Mileena; Matilda Kimber as Emily Young; and Laura Brent as Allison Young.
