Karl Urban Channels ’90s Action Star Vibes in Mortal Kombat II

Karl Urban is leaving his signature coat from The Boys behind to don some designer shades in Mortal Kombat II. The Lord of the Rings and Star Trek alum has signed on to portray the martial arts movie star Johnny Cage in the action sequel to Warner Bros.’ 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot. Mortal Kombat II is the fourth live-action movie in the long-running franchise, following the original film’s 1995 release.

Warner Bros. released the trailer one day after premiering a fake in-universe trailer for a cheesy ’90s action movie, Uncaged Fury, starring none other than Johnny Cage himself. The fake trailer was loaded with knowing nods to Cage’s other in-universe filmographies, like Cool Hand Cage, Hard to Cage, and Rebel Without a Cage.

Mortal Kombat II will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first live-action film, which was panned by critics upon release but was a box office success, quickly gathering a cult following in the years since. Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa’s performance as the sorcerer Shang Tsung remains the gold standard among many fans of the character to this day. Its theatrical sequel, 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, is far less beloved, critically or commercially, with the game’s publisher Midway quickly filing for bankruptcy following its release.

Two decades later, Warner Bros. acquired the rights and chose Simon McQuoid to helm the reboot. The 2021 film saw the introduction of MMA fighter Cole Young, played by Lewis Tan, and his recruitment into the decades-spanning war for Earthrealm. The film had a mixed critical reception but fared well with audiences to secure a sequel, which McQuoid will also direct. Lewis Tan will return as Cole Young, with events picking up from the original film’s ending: Cole and his allies head to Los Angeles to find the action star Johnny Cage, whom the main game added to the roster of fighters in the sequel.

The official synopsis doesn’t give much away, considering Mortal Kombat II is set to be a sequel to a film that audiences will have seen just a year prior. The champions are joined by Cage to fight in an all-inclusive, no-holds-barred battle to end Shao Kahn’s invasion of Earthrealm. The battle for Earthrealm is at stake, as the Mortal Kombat championship is no longer just a question of honor for the champions.

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

The film will also have new fighters, including Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Damon Herriman, who provided the voice for Kabal in the previous film, in the role of 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 gives us a self-aware, pitch-perfect introduction to Cage, Mortal Kombat’s original superstar character. He’s in a shabby bar and recognized by a fan, to whom he’s the Citizen Cage of his childhood. The fan hopes he will get a reboot in his career, but Johnny is quick to let him know that “nobody wants that,” because Johnny’s style of movies died out in the ’90s.

Lord Raiden and Sonya Blade interrupt the conversation, telling Cage, “You have been chosen to fight.” While he initially thinks they’re fans or actors from his show, he quickly becomes less convinced as they whisk him off to another dimension to an otherworldly fighting arena for what’s described as a “fighting tournament to the death.” He’s no fan of being there: “F— that.”

The blonde actor protests that he’s got no magical abilities either, so he can’t compete on the same level as the others, telling Raiden, “I’m just incredibly handsome.” He changes his mind when Raiden insists his skills will be “exceptional” to their cause, with the weight of Earthrealm hanging in the balance. Johnny Cage does throw a condition on his participation: “Don’t break my f—ing face.”

The rest of the trailer is exactly what Mortal Kombat fans will expect: flashy, stylized bloodbaths, brutal finishing moves, and classic dialogue that diehards will immediately recognize, like Scorpion’s famous “Get over here!”

The film is likely to be everything fans want, both for its bloody action and irreverent humor. It will be released in theaters on October 24, 2025.