Video game movies have had a storied history in the film world, with countless failed adaptations hitting theaters over the years. But there has been an upswing on quality video game flicks, including 2021’s Mortal Kombat. A sequel is on the way, which should expand the growing franchise in an exciting way. And Mortal Kombat 2’s writer recently spoke about bringing fan favorite character Johnny Cage in for the sequel.
A number of narrative seeds were planted in the first Mortal Kombat movie, in hopes of a sequel eventually following. One of these came in the final moments of the film, where Lewis Tan’s Cole departed to recruit Johnny Cage to join Earthrealm’s forces. This delighted hardcore fans of Mortal Kombat, as the character was noticeably missing throughout that first movie. Screenwriter Jeremy Slater is writing the upcoming sequel, and opened up to ComicBook about bringing the iconic fighter to life. As he put it,
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.
Well, there you have it. Clearly the folks making Mortal Kombat 2 into a reality are psyched about the introduction of Johnny Cage. He’s an iconic piece of the iconography, dating back to the original 1992 video game. Although the big question is: who will be playing the cocky hero in the mysterious new movie?
Not much is known about Mortal Kombat 2, except that Jeremy Slater is set to write the upcoming follow-up flick. His previous credits include the ill-fated Fantastic Four movie and Netflix’s Death Note. But besides that tidbit of information Warner Bros. has been keeping its cards close to the chest. Fans are definitely curious to see if director Simon McQuoid would be back behind the camera; he expressed his interest while promoting the 2021 original.
The biggest question surrounding Mortal Kombat 2 is the movie’s cast, and which beloved video game characters will be included in the R-rated action. Sub-Zero actor Joe Taslim previously admitted that he signed a four-movie deal, which should open the door for he and other original actors to return for battles. But there are also a number of fighters who were noticeably absent throughout the movie like Kitana.
Of course, Johnny Cage’s introduction wasn’t the only sequel set-up that was done throughout the course of Mortal Kombat’s 110-minute runtime. Perhaps the most obvious is that the titular tournament hasn’t actually happened yet, as the battles in the movie were an illegal precursor. Sub-Zero’s “death” also seemingly set up his transition to the character known as Noob Saibot. Considering Joe Taslim’s aforementioned deal, it would make sense for him to return.
Mortal Kombat is currently streaming on HBO Max. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
