Karl Urban Brings Humor and Heat to Mortal Kombat’s Cage

Karl Urban is trading in his signature coat from The Boys for a pair of stylish sunglasses in the new Mortal Kombat II. The Lord of the Rings and Star Trek alum has been cast as Johnny Cage, the brash martial arts movie star and fan-favorite character from the long-running video game franchise. Mortal Kombat II is the sequel to Warner Bros.’ Mortal Kombat reboot from 2021, and the fourth live-action film in the series overall, counting the original from 1995.

The trailer arrives one day after Warner Bros. released a fake in-universe trailer for Uncaged Fury, a retro, 90s-style action film “starring” Johnny Cage. The spoof featured Cage discussing several other faux Cage movies with absurd titles, including Cool Hand Cage, Hard to Cage, and Rebel Without a Cage.

2025 also happens to be the 30th anniversary of the original live-action Mortal Kombat, which was a critical and commercial disappointment on release but has since become a cult favorite. In particular, Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa’s performance as the sorcerer Shang Tsung is still widely regarded as the gold standard. The 1997 follow-up, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, was a critical and commercial bomb, and Midway, the publisher of the games, went bankrupt shortly after.

When Warner Bros. acquired the rights to the series, the studio hired Simon McQuoid to direct a reboot, more than two decades after the first film. Lewis Tan played Cole Young in that film, an MMA fighter who finds himself caught up in the battle for Earthrealm. The movie received mixed reviews but was a commercial success and has been given the green light for a sequel, again with McQuoid on board as director. Cole Young at the end of the first film, is heading to Los Angeles to recruit his onscreen idol, Johnny Cage. That’s the setup for Mortal Kombat II.

In the official synopsis for Mortal Kombat II, it’s clear that the filmmakers are assuming the audience has already seen the first film. The champions, now including Cage, enter an all-out no rules fight to the death to prevent Shao Kahn from conquering Earthrealm. The synopsis says that the fate of the realm itself is at stake in the battle.

Multiple cast members are returning from the 2021 film, including Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han/Noob Saibot (aka Sub-Zero), Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Josh Lawson as Kano, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jax Briggs, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, and Max Huang as Kung Lao.

Additional cast members include Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Damon Herriman (the voice of Kabal from the previous film) 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 introduces us to Cage in the same way you would expect from a movie like this. He is being ogled by a fan at a dive bar. “I loved Citizen Cage as a kid,” the fan says. “They should do a reboot!” Cage snarls back at the fan, stating that “nobody wants that because no one likes 90s movies anymore.” The young man disappears, and Raiden and Sonya Blade enter the bar. “You have been chosen to fight,” Raiden says to Cage. “Chosen for what?” Cage asks. Sonya Blade then says the two are “messengers of the elders.”

The star rolls his eyes at their proclamations, clearly not convinced that they are what he thinks they are, and comments that they are his “personal noob squad” and a bit too into themselves. “What do you want from me?” Cage asks, but Raiden soon has him transported to an otherworldly ring for a “fighting tournament to the death.”

“F— that,” Cage spits at Raiden. “What, me? A nobody like me? Come on,” he asks sarcastically, “what does an MMA fighter have to do with any of this?” He complains that he has no magical powers and so could not possibly be useful in this fight to the death. “I’m just incredibly handsome,” Cage jokes before he changes his mind upon hearing the stakes. The fate of Earthrealm is at stake! He is then asked by Raiden not to let his opponents damage his face in the fight. From there, it’s exactly what fans of Mortal Kombat would expect to see: brutal, graphic violence; signature finishing moves; and dialogue of choice, including “Get over here!” from Scorpion.

The film appears to be walking the line between entertaining violence and a wink to the audience in acknowledging that this is both absurd and not new for the property. It should be right in the sweet spot to deliver on the promise to fans of the series. Whether or not the film has any broader mass market appeal remains to be seen, but it won’t be toning itself down in the slightest.

Mortal Kombat II is scheduled to arrive in theaters on October 24, 2025.