Karl Urban has been a part of several huge franchises in his day. He played Judge Dredd in “Dredd.” He was front-and-center for five seasons of “The Boys.” Most recently, Urban starred as Johnny Cage in “Mortal Kombat II,” the latest entry in the big screen version of the beloved series of fighting video games. One of the movie’s funniest moments wasn’t just a self-referential look back at another point in his career; it was also improvised.
In an interview with Esquire in May, Urban touched on a moment in the movie in which he refers to Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) as Gandalf. As many fans may recall, Urban was also part of “The Lord of the Rings,” playing Eomer in the trilogy. This “Lord of the Rings” Easter egg in “Mortal Kombat II” made sense in an acknowledgment-of-the-real-world sort of way. But it came from Urban’s own brain, not the script. Here’s what he had to say about it:
“That was a series of improvisations I started doing, because I sort of thought, I’m gonna make Johnny Cage a fan of ‘Lord of the Rings.’ They gave me runway, and I went for it.”
In the movie, Urban plays a washed-up action movie star who is at a very low point in his career, with people loving what he used to do, not so much what he does now. In that universe, having Johnny Cage be a fan of “Lord of the Rings” isn’t far-fetched, but it does make the whole joke even more meta than it already is. It’s a small, fun moment that takes on a little more meaning for those who are more intimately familiar with Urban’s resume.
Mortal Kombat II let Karl Urban reference another one of his big worlds
“‘Lord of the Rings’ was probably, arguably, the most important milestone of my career,” Karl Urban added in the same interview. “If it wasn’t for Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, their kindness, generosity, and belief in me, I wouldn’t be here today. I learned so much working on that, and working with them and the likes of Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen.”
Indeed, Urban landing his role in “The Lord of the Rings” helped change the trajectory of his career. While his role wasn’t massive, the trilogy was a resounding success, which helped make bigger stars of just about everyone associated with it.
The sequel was directed by Simon McQuoid, who also directed 2021’s “Mortal Kombat.” Jeremy Slater (“Moon Knight”) penned the script. Evidently, they were happy enough to let Urban throw some improv into the mix. Warner Bros. delayed “Mortal Kombat II” to 2026, after previously setting an October 2025 release date, as they had a lot of confidence in the movie. The studio evidently liked what Urban did with it as well.
Unfortunately, “Mortal Kombat II” and its box office left the future of the franchise somewhat uncertain. The studio very clearly is hoping to make more movies, but the sequel made just $128 million worldwide on a reported $80 million budget. However, the first movie was a massive streaming/VOD success, which is why it got a sequel in the first place. Who knows? Maybe that will happen again, and the franchise can continue, giving Urban more opportunities to reference other parts of his own career whilst wearing Johnny Cage’s shoes.
“Mortal Kombat II” is in theaters now.
