entertainment / Wednesday, 27-Aug-2025

Mortal Kombat 2 CinemaCon Footage Highlights Karl Urban As "Johnny F***ing Cage"

New Mortal Kombat 2 footage debuts at CinemaCon. The upcoming sequel features Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, and Mehcad Brooks as Jax. Mortal Kombat 2's story will include a tournament, which is heavily anticipated after not being featured in the 2021 adaptation of the popular video game franchise. The sequel is scheduled to debut in theaters on October 24.

During the Warner Bros. CinemaCon panel, where ScreenRant was in attendance, a sizzle reel showed the main actors and their characters, including Urban saying, "I am Johnny f***ing Cage" and "It's showtime." New Line Cinema President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Brener added that for Mortal Kombat 2, audiences should "expect amazing fights, epic battles and a few fatalities.”

What This Means For Mortal Kombat 2

It Shouldn't Be Too Long Before The First Trailer Is Released

With the first images of the characters recently released, and new footage being included at CinemaCon, it may not be long before the first Mortal Kombat 2 trailer debuts. From The Lord of the Rings to Star Trek, Urban has played a pivotal role in many franchises, and has gained even more attention in recent years for his portrayal of Billy Butcher in Prime Video's The Boys. The focus on Urban in the CinemaCon footage is a clear sign of how Cage will be one of the sequel's main selling points.

Related
All 16 Mortal Kombat 2021 Characters, Ranked Weakest To Strongest

Mortal Kombat's 2021 reboot had a lot of characters, but only one can claim to be the strongest out of a cast of beasts, ninjas, and martial artists.

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After the lackluster reception to the 2021 movie, there are many things that need to happen in Mortal Kombat 2 in order to create a better future for the franchise. Casting Urban as Cage is already a step in the right direction. Another compelling aspect of the upcoming movie is its high stakes, which Brener emphasizes in his comments about there being multiple fatalities due to the "amazing fights" and "epic battles" that will be showcased.

Our Take On Mortal Kombat 2's CinemaCon Footage

It Will Be Better Than The 2021 Movie

Lewis Tan as Cole Young fighting Goro in Mortal Kombat
Lewis Tan as Cole Young fighting Goro in Mortal Kombat

After all the things that made no sense about Mortal Kombat in 2021, I am optimistic that the next movie will do the video game franchise more justice. The early images and descriptions of footage are tantalizing, and offer the potential for the sequel to be a vast improvement. At the very least, Mortal Kombat 2 will feature a tournament. The absence of a tournament was arguably the most disappointing part of the prior movie, but it seems like this mistake has been rectified, and will result in an action-packed and superior sequel.

Source: Warner Bros. CinemaCon panel

Mortal Kombat II - Poster
Mortal Kombat II
Release Date
October 24, 2025
Runtime
116 Minutes
Director
Simon McQuoid
Writers
Jeremy Slater
Producers
E. Bennett Walsh, Toby Emmerich, Todd Garner, James Wan

Cast

See All
  • Headshot Of Karl Urban In The Premiere Of Thor Ragnarok
    Johnny Cage
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Adeline Rudolph
    Kitana
  • Headshot Of Jessica McNamee
    Jessica McNamee
    Sonya Blade
  • Headshot Of Josh Lawson
    Josh Lawson
    Revenant Kano

Prequel(s)
Mortal Kombat
Franchise(s)
Mortal Kombat

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