I recently wrote thatI don’t think Karl Urban is a great pick for Johnny Cagein Mortal Kombat 2, and I got a few angry comments that boiled down to ‘nuh uh’. Whatever you think aboutthe casting, though, it’s hard to deny that it’s been divisive.
Plenty of fans think he’d have made a better Kano, while others simply aren’t sold on the idea of an older, washed-up Cage only just having his first tournament. “They’re legit rushing to do midlife crisis Johnny from MK11, and even his voice doesn’t really fit him,” one commenter wrote. So, if they were in charge, who would they have cast? This fan has theperfectanswer.
I love Karl Urban but he’s not Johnny Cage—u/gumigum702.
u/KarateKid84Fan suggested on r/MortalKombatthat Glen Powell of Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters fame (also set to star in The Running Man later this year) should’ve taken centre stage in the new film; “How this guy didn’t get cast as Johnny Cage is beyond me.” He has the charisma, could easily sell the confidence, and as a rising star himself, already embodies the ‘hot new thing in Hollywood’ archetype that Cage revels in.
“Holy Crap That Douchey Smile Is Perfect”
Whether Powell would even want the role is another question entirely. Not to mention how busy he has been in several high-profile films over the last couple of years. Fan casts don’t always translate for that reason. “What gives you the impression that Glen Powell was an option?” u/ThouBear8 said. “Has he EVER expressed interest in playing Johnny Cage?”
That being said, he’s far from the only fancast;WWE wrestler Michael “The Miz” Mizanin has been a popular pick for the roleever since the first film, and he even said that he was “heartbroken” not to land the part. Like Urban, he’s a little on the older side at 44 years old, but he’s much closer in age to Sonya. “Guy already plays him,” u/K7Sniper said of his WWE character. “I’m honestly shocked The Miz didn’t get it,” u/Last_Chocolate added.
48-year-old Justin Hartley (Green Arrow in Smallville) was also suggested by u/MxxnSpirit47, and he’s the spitting image of Johnny Cage in the games.
Even Ryan Reynolds was thrown around by a few fans, though I’m a lot less sold on that idea than I am Glenn Powell. Let’s face it: we’d just be watching Deadpool in sunglasses instead of red spandex.
We’ll just have to see how Urban fares as JC when the movie releases in theatres on October 24 later this year. Hopefully, I—and many others—are left eating our words, and Urban knocks it out of the park.
