Karl Urban Says “Mortal Kombat II” Was 'the Most Challenging Project Physically That I've Ever Embarked On' (Exclusive)
Karl Urban Says “Mortal Kombat II” Was 'the Most Challenging Project Physically That I've Ever Embarked On' (Exclusive)
Nigel SmithWed, May 6, 2026 at 6:55 PM UTC
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Karl Urban in Mortal Kombat II
Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
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Karl Urban talks to PEOPLE about the "challenging" shoot for Mortal Kombat II
The Dredd actor plays the iconic video game character Johnny Cage in the anticipated sequel
Urban also reveals he's game to make a third film in the franchise
Karl Urban pushed himself to the limit for Mortal Kombat II.The acto —known for his action credentials in projects like the hit Prime Video series The Boys and 2012's Dredd — brings the iconic video game character Johnny Cage to life in the sequel to 2021's Mortal Kombat. It's a role Urban describes as the most physically demanding of his career.“Hands down, it was the most challenging project physically that I've ever embarked on,” the 53-year-old New Zealand actor tells PEOPLE.“I spent three to four months training, going right back to basics—movement, agility, speed drills,” he continues. “That was before I even started learning the specifics of the martial arts. The real reward comes when you're shooting a sequence with 20 or 25 moves in a row, captured in a single tracking shot, and you're able to remember and execute it. That's a good day at the office.”
Mortal Kombat II
Credit: Warner Bros.
In the first Mortal Kombat film, Outworld sorcerer Shang Tsung (Chin Han) seeks to eliminate Earth's champions ahead of the ultimate tournament between realms. After an epic battle between fighters from Earthrealm and Outworld, MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan) heads to Hollywood in search of a new recruit. Enter Johnny Cage — an eccentric martial arts movie star played by Urban.Cage gets a Hollywood-sized, action-packed introduction in the sequel, including a hilarious meta moment that places Urban, as Cage, inside a scene from one of the character's own films.
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Urban says he had “so much fun” filming the sequence.“For the longest time, I've wanted to shoot a movie within a movie,” he says. “[Quentin] Tarantino did it so well with [Leonardo] DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. This was a blast.”“As a story point, it's easy to see why Johnny Cage's career is in the tank, judging by his work in the movie-within-the-movie,” Urban adds with a laugh. “It was meant to be a fun, reverential piss-take of '90s action films.”
As for returning in a potential third installment, Urban says he's game.“I'd definitely be interested in reprising the role of Johnny Cage and working with that cast again,” he says. “One of the strengths of Mortal Kombat II is that it's an ensemble.”Mortal Kombat II punches its way into theaters Friday.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
