Fans are not feeling the casting of Karl Urban as Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat. Despite having a solid actor portraying the role of the cocky, self-centered Hollywood actor and martial artist, reactions have been mixed, to say the least.
Urban needs no introduction. He's a bonafide star with quite the range. Although perhaps fans now know him more as the chaotic, foul-mouthed, intense William "Billy" Butcher from The Boys.
One of the teaser posters showcases Cage as the classic all-American action hero. Big explosions, bikes zooming past them, and Johnny at the forefront wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket.
It does manage to capture the essence of the character. Yet, fans are not entirely sold on Urban as the main guy to give Johnny Cage a runback in his second appearance in a major Hollywood Mortal Kombat adaptation.
Some are rather polite about it, a rare instance of amicable opinionated X (formerly Twitter) users, with one saying: "I appreciate Urban, but the casting is not accurate."
Plenty asked for different actors to take on the role. A vast majority vouch for current WWE Superstar Michael "The Miz" Mizanin, who has essentially portrayed a character similar to Johnny Cage for the past 15 years.
Another great shout by fans is Top Gun Maverick's Glen Powell. He has the looks and the charisma you need for Cage, not to mention he's significantly younger than Urban (52), at 36 years of age.
Regardless, Mortal Kombat is still open to the idea of an older, more bruised-up Johnny Cage, even if it comes at the expense of the character's longevity in the franchise.
The Mortal Kombat 2 movie is still a few months away. Barring any potential delays, it will hit theaters this upcoming October 24. A proper trailer is yet to drop as well.
If you're interested in more Mortal Kombat goodness, check out recent news about DLC for MK1 seemingly not being cancelled.