Karl Urban Calls ‘Mortal Kombat II’ “The Most Challenging Role That I’ve Ever Undertaken”

Johnny Cage was absent from 2021’s Mortal Kombat, but the film’s final moments positioned the fan-favorite character for a major part in the sequel — and Karl Urban (“The Boys,” Dredd) intends to deliver in Mortal Kombat II.

“I asked for a heavy-action content movie, and for my sins, they gave me one,” Urban tells EW. “It was the most challenging role that I’ve ever undertaken in my career.”

He continues, “It’s the martial arts. The form and the style of martial arts is so specific, and the choreography, at times, is so definitive in its movement, and there’s a precision of execution for it to look good. It was a huge challenge.”

Mortal Kombat II presents Cage as a washed up Hollywood actor whoses recruited by Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) for Mortal Kombat, a tournament in which fighters from different dimensions battle to the death.

Raiden’s team of Earthrealm champions also includes Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Jax (Mehcad Brooks), and Cole Young (Lewis Tan).

“As part of my research, I went to karate tournaments and looked at the younger generation of martial artists coming through to see what it was like growing up in that environment, as I imagine Johnny Cage had done when he was a kid,” Urban says.

Mortal Kombat director Simon McQuoid returns to helm the sequel from a script by Jeremy Slater (“Moon Knight,” Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire).

The cast also includes Adeline Rudolph, Josh Lawson, Tati Gabrielle, Damon Herriman, Chin Han, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada.

Find out who’s left standing when Mortal Kombat II hits theaters on May 8, 2026 via Warner Bros.

Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn & Ludi Lin as Liu Kang in ‘Mortal Kombat II’

Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, & Josh Lawson as Kano in ‘Mortal Kombat II’

Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, & Mehcad Brooks as Jax in ‘Mortal Kombat II’