Recommended Video
Building on 30 years of fan expectations is not easy. But the Mortal Kombat II crew faced it head on with maximum effort and energy.
Mortal Kombat II is one of the most anticipated movies of 2026 and for its star-studded cast, those expectations were not something they took lightly.
As the sequel to the 2021 blockbuster, Mortal Kombat II promised to bring everything that the fans wanted. That includes the brash, action movie star Johnny Cage played by Karl Urban. Johnny has been a fan favorite since his very first appearance in 1992. As the face of Earthrealm’s defenders, Karl knew that a lot was going to be asked from him to bring this iconic character to life.
“[Mortal Kombat II] was hands down the most challenging physical undertaking that I’ve ever embarked on,” said Urban. “The skillset required was an exponential learning curve that I have never encountered. And I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t feel a bit terrified stepping into a movie with established martial artists.”
Despite the other roles he’s known for, Karl has never taken any martial arts training. Yet that didn’t stop him and the rest of the crew from throwing themselves head first into the challenge.
“We didn’t waste a minute. I remember landing in Brisbane and being sent straight into a stunt rehearsal session. I still had my bags!”
Adeline Rudolph, who plays the deadly warrior princess Kitana, mirrored Karl’s sentiments. “Executing the choreography was difficult. I wanted to honor the influences in Kitana’s fighting style like kung fu, tai chi, wushu. I wanted to also incorporate an emotional element to the fighting, so I hope I pulled it off.”
“Part of getting into character is knowing your fighting style, your fighting vocabulary,” added Mehcad Brooks who plays the cybernetically enhanced Jax. “There’s definitely an overlap so it’s important to find both.”
Overcoming the Pressure
Part of the challenge of playing an iconic character is living up to what fans expect from said character. Karl Urban experienced this first hand from a source that was rather close to home.
“When I told my sons, who actually play the games and was my introduction to the world of Mortal Kombat, that I was cast as Johny Cage they looked at me and said ‘ooh… big fanbase. Don’t f*** it up!’ So right from the get go, from my own family, I was already feeling the pressure!”
“It’s a double-edged sword,” said Josh Lawson who plays the ever-aggravating Kano. “You want to work with something that’s got a built in fanbase. But with a fanbase, there’s an expectation for you to deliver on what they love, on what’s important to them.
But I think that was always at the forefront of everyone’s minds. The conversation was always ‘is this what they want? Is this correct? Is this what they’re expecting?’”
“I think all of us understood the need to get this right,” conclued Urban. “This was a film made by fans, for fans. All of the cast felt the responsibility of that. We spent a significant amount of time and energy to the training and we’re supremely delighted with the end result.”
Banner image from Warner Bros. Philippines.