As the Mortal Kombat reboot continues to dominate the online discourse, the box office and the HBO Max viewership charts, there’s been a flurry of chatter surrounding the sequel already. While Warner Bros. have yet to officially give it the green light, it’s virtually a foregone conclusion at this point, as the $55 million martial arts actioner will be firmly in the black by the end of this week.
The final shot of the movie made it clear that Johnny Cage is being set up for a major role in Mortal Kombat 2, and the infuriating sequel bait will hopefully be worth it in the end. Casting the role is key, though, and several names are being floated around by fans already, some of which are a whole lot more likely than others.
Ryan Reynolds has been touted as one potential candidate, which by all accounts definitely isn’t going to happen, while WWE wrestler The Miz threw his hat into the ring and gained support from Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon. However, one of the movie’s cast members has now put forward an interesting proposition, after Kano actor Josh Lawson named James Marsden as his preferred Johnny Cage.
“Look, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The one person I kept thinking about, and he’s a buddy of mine, James Marsden. I just, I dunno, he’s got a Johnny Cage vibe to me. Maybe I’m wrong, but yeah, something about it. He’s got that Hollywood look, you know, and I think he could, I think he could pull it off.”
Marsden is actually a pretty inspired choice, even if Lawson’s being biased towards his friend. The X-Men and Westworld star is the sort of recognizable name that could add a decent dose of star power to the ensemble without breaking the bank budget-wise, and he’s definitely got the looks and charm down pat to play Johnny Cage.
He’s no stranger to video game adaptations, either, given that he’s currently shooting Sonic the Hedgehog 2, so it’s definitely an option the Mortal Kombat sequel should consider looking into.
