Warner Bros. Unleashes New Mortal Kombat II with Urban as Cage

Karl Urban is trading in the Butcher’s boiler suit he donned in The Boys for a pair of designer sunglasses in the Mortal Kombat video game franchise’s upcoming sequel, Mortal Kombat II. The Lord of the Rings and Star Trek alum is set to play cocky martial arts movie star Johnny Cage, the forever-needling powerhouse hero of a long-running video game series. Mortal Kombat II will follow Warner Bros.’ 2021 reboot of the franchise and will be the fourth live-action Mortal Kombat film since the original’s theatrical release in 1995.

The timing of the trailer’s release is something of a clever viral marketing stunt. It arrived one day after Warner Bros. released a fake in-universe trailer for Uncaged Fury, a schlocky ’90s action flick “starring” Johnny Cage. The spoof trailer playfully name-dropped the protagonist’s other notional filmographies, including such underwhelming entries as Cool Hand Cage, Hard to Cage, and Rebel Without a Cage.

2025 will also see the live-action adaptation reach its 30th anniversary. While the original Mortal Kombat was a disaster with critics when it released in 1995, it still managed to be a box office success and has grown in stature since to become a cult classic. Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa’s depiction of sorcerer Shang Tsung remains the one many fans still revere to this day. 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was a critical and commercial bomb and did much to hasten Midway’s bankruptcy filing that would shutter the game publisher not long after the film’s release.

After Midway, Warner Bros. later bought the rights to the intellectual property and enlisted Simon McQuoid to helm a reboot more than 20 years after the franchise’s first live-action feature. That 2021 reboot introduced Lewis Tan’s Cole Young, an MMA fighter caught in the middle of an extraterrestrial struggle for Earthrealm, the mortal world. While the reboot’s reception was middling, the film performed well enough with audiences to earn the go-ahead for a sequel, again with McQuoid returning to direct. The first film wrapped with Cole on his way to Los Angeles to find and recruit the one person who could help him: Johnny Cage.

Familiar Favorites and New Blood Make a Return in Mortal Kombat II

The official synopsis for Mortal Kombat II takes for granted that viewers will have seen the first film. The champion warriors, now joined by Cage, will once again have to square off in an all-out, no-holds-barred brawl to prevent Shao Kahn from successfully invading and conquering Earthrealm. At stake is the continued existence of the realm itself.

Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Joe Taslim, Tadanobu Asano, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Chin Han, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Max Huang will all return from the first film to play their characters: Cole Young, Sonya Blade, Bi-Han/Noob Saibot (aka Sub-Zero), Lord Raiden, Kano, Liu Kang, Jax Briggs, Shang Tsung, Scorpion, and Kung Lao respectively.

The new cast members joining the franchise for Mortal Kombat II include Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Damon Herriman, who previously provided the voice for the 2021 film’s Kabal character, as Quan Chi, Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn, CJ Bloomfield as Baraka, Desmond Chiam as King Jerrod, and Ana Thu Nguyen as Queen Sindel.

The trailer takes a sardonic, almost self-aware route to introducing Cage. In the opening scene, a fan in a dive bar sees and recognizes Cage, telling the star, “I loved Citizen Cage as a kid,” before suggesting that “They should do a reboot!” Cage’s bitterness at his fall from grace is palpable, as he retorts that nobody wants a reboot of his character because “That’s dead” and “Nobody makes those kinds of movies anymore. The ’90s killed ’em.”

Lord Raiden and Sonya Blade arrive just in time to interject to Cage that “You have been chosen to fight.” While he initially believes he’s just dealing with a pair of overly enthusiastic fans, the two pull out crystals to send him to an otherworldly fighting pit and deliver the ultimatum: “Participate or perish. This is a fighting tournament to the death.” Cage’s reaction to being forced to fight for his life and participate in this tournament? “F— that.”

He then says he’s not got the supernatural powers of the other combatants and that “I’m just incredibly handsome” before he reverses course and warms to the idea when he discovers that the fate of the entire Earthrealm is at risk, albeit not before asking that they “Please don’t mangle my mug.” From there, it’s the same stuff Mortal Kombat fans the world over are dying for: over-the-top, violent combat, character-specific finishing moves, and expected catchphrases, including Scorpion’s infamous “Get over here!”

The inclusion of tonal, self-aware moments should appeal to long-term fans who’ve been with the franchise from the beginning. The self-aware humor that’s such a clear throughline in the trailer is also a wise inclusion for the film, considering how polarizing recent live-action superhero productions have been. It will prove to be a truly accessible blockbuster; however, it remains to be seen. But there is one thing to consider: It isn’t afraid to lean into how absurd and violent the whole affair will be.

Mortal Kombat II will be in theaters on October 24, 2025.