With a simultaneous release on HBO Max and in movie theaters, Mortal Kombat gives video game fans a fun - and bloodthirsty - adventure. The movie acts as a crash course for what the tournament at the heart of the games is. It also sets up plenty of teases and references to other characters for a potential sequel. Whether or not the movie will receive a sequel is still up in the air right now despite some actors signing contracts for multiple movies. Fan reaction will likely determine if a sequel earns a green light.
One tease that should end up paid off in a potential sequel though is the appearance of Johnny Cage. The final moments of the movie see Lewis Tan's Cole off to Los Angeles in his search for more fighters. His departure includes a movie poster for actor Johnny Cage's latest venture without showing what the character will actually look like. That leaves fans to speculate about who will play the character until a sequel or casting is announced.
Scott Adkins
While Johnny Cage's fatalities in the games rely more on showmanship than martial arts skill, that doesn't have to be true of a movie sequel. Even with actors who aren't as well known cast in Mortal Kombat, they do have one thing in common: existing experience as fighters. All of the cast members are actually proficient - and in some cases expert - martial artists.
Scott Adkins would fit right in. An accomplished stunt performer and actor, he's easily one of the most underrated performers in Hollywood. He's been in high-profile pieces like Ip Man and Doctor Strange. Though Adkins has never played a character like Johnny Cage before, someone who might be a little past their prime but can't give up the limelight, he would certainly knock the fight scenes out of the park. He also already has the stamp of approval of at least one cast member. Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero) told Adkins recently he'd like to see the latter join the movies as Johnny Cage.
Simu Liu
Advertisements have featured Ryan Reynolds channeling Johnny Cage, but there's no hard and fast rule that the character needs to be played by a Caucasian actor. Simu Liu would be a welcome addition to the cast. Marvel fans will know that Liu already has a high profile role on the way. He's the titular character for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Shang-Chi And The Legend of The Ten Rings. That's the first MCU project that will rely heavily on a martial arts showcase for its fight scenes.
Liu doesn't just have a lock on fight scenes (he's also a stunt performer in his own right). He's also got some great comedic timing. Before his massive MCU role, Liu had a lot of sitcoms on his resume. He would make for a fun take on Johnny Cage.
James Marsden
No stranger to genre projects, James Marsden is probably best known to an entire generation of superhero fans as Cyclops. His time with the X-Men might be over, but Marsden has also been in dramas like Westworld, musicals like Hairspray, video game adaptations like Sonic The Hedgehog, and acted in a slew of romantic comedies. Pick any genre, and he's probably performed in it. That versatility would make him a great possibility for playing an actor, even if he might not have the same level of fighting prowess of some of these other options.
Like Scott Adkins, Marsden also has cast members in his corner. While Adkins might be Taslim's pick for the part, Josh Lawson (Kano) likes Marsden for it. Lawson thinks he's, "got the Johnny Cage vibe."
Jason David Frank
If fans want to see an action star who can still pack a punch decades after the role that made him famous, Jason David Frank is the perfect match. The comparisons to Johnny Cage write themselves.
Frank became a household name in the '90s thanks to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Kids everywhere wanted to be just like him. While he's done plenty of work since then, he's remained loyal to the franchise that gave him his start. Frank appears in eight different Power Rangers series - starring in four of them. He's also appeared in every Power Rangers movie made so far. Frank is also a professional mixed martial artist, having studied several different varieties of martial arts over the years, even founding his own martial arts company. If any actor could understand playing a role like Johnny Cage, it's Frank.
Dwayne Johnson
One aspect that some fans might not be focused on when it comes to Johnny Cage is that he has to be believable as a family man as well as a star who loves the limelight. Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade's daughter Cassie becomes a big part of the game franchise, and there's one actor who fits in just as well in action movies as he does family films: Dwayne Johnson.
It's pretty easy to picture Johnson's version of Johnny Cage teaching Cassie some nearly impossible moves. Also pretty easy to see? Johnson's version of the character signing leaving signed photos for the losers in a match against him. He would bring a level of charm to the role that would be tough to beat. Of course, he might be a bit too busy with his Black Adam role and several sequels to existing projects on the way.