Mortal Kombat (2021)

[CyberCubed]

No, the rule of thumb is when you start a new movie franchise that could go on a number of years due to potential sequels, you cast actors who are relatively young (and by that I mean 25-35 or so) for most of the leads so they don't look ancient by the time we get 3-4+ movies if the franchise is successful.

Casting a guy who is pushing 50 for Johnny Cage just doesn't fit, especially if MK becomes a successful movie franchise. We don't want "60 year old man Cage" fighting alongside Sonya...who I don't know how old the actress is, but I can't imagine her being older than her early 30's.

EDIT: Looked her up and she was born in 1986...so she's around 33-34.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by MsMarvelDuckie

He's still fit as f**k for being 50! He's only 6 years older than me, and I'm still in good shape. Walk four miles a day and everything, don't ya know. Can do that, AND work a fast-paced, physically demanding job for 9 hours a day, on my feet. If I can do that, Ryan can still play Cage, or Deadpool, who whoever else the f**k he wants.

As a point of discussion - and you are right, he's in great shape - but I can never help but wonder what kind of shape I'd be in if I worked in that industry, regardless of age. People being paid to have meal planning and the financial resources to have your day spent on a workout regime so that you can go acquire more financial resources, etc.

But that's neither here nor there.

I guess another point on this is that, given this movies very C-Lister cast (not a knock, just the facts), Reynolds might be completely out of place in this movie and overshadow it completely. But even so, I don't see him as Johnny Cage - not awful fan casting by any means, but they need to stick to their casting levels already or the whole thing could be set askew. It's not like this began as a frat pack casting flick anyway...

[Andrew NDB]

He's 50 but doesn't look 50, and could easily pass for 30-35ish. I think age-wise he's about what you'd want if you want to sell the "washed up action movie star," like Van Damme was about 10 years ago. Washed up and aged out but still able to kick ass. And "washed up action movie star" really isn't a thing anymore in 2021 like it was back in 1995. There isn't, like, new "washed up action movie stars" today that are in their 20s anymore because Hollywood stopped making action movie stars a thing a long time ago. The "washed up action movie stars" are from bygone eras like the 1970s and 1980s and 1990s... these guys are all in their 60s and 70s now. Even casting a 50 year old as that archetype nowadays is pushing it.

Plus if the idea is to just cheaply pump one out every 1.5 years, Reynolds would be fine to keep around. Johnny Cage grows "old" in the games, anyway (by 11, he's got gray hair and an adult daughter). About the martial arts, I'm pretty sure between Blade 3, X-Men Origins, Deadpool 1 and 2 and probably other things, he's been sent to "martial arts camp" more times than a lot of actual martial artists out there. And I'd definitely want an actor in the role. Just look at the Rocky movies. Can anyone honestly say the "villains" from the point in time Stallone started only casting actual boxers (beginning with Rocky 5 and going onward) vs. beforehand when he was casting actors were more memorable or even helped the movies by going that route? 80% of the appeal of Cage is his ability to talk trash humorously.

And who says Cage even has to survive to make it into a lot of them, if they keep going?

[Leo656]

I do kind of agree with IMJ, though, that casting a "Big Name" guy like Ryan Reynolds as Johnny Cage would be rather distracting, considering that everyone else in the entire cast looks and acts like they got cribbed from some local theater group. Like I'm not exactly knocking them but the cast of this movie is pretty far from "A-List". Reynolds would stand out, like, a lot; maybe not in a good way, either.

He wouldn't be "bad" at it, I don't think, but it would definitely be a "One of these things is not like the others" type of situation. I think it would automatically turn the entire thing into a "Ryan Reynolds project" by default and he would possibly overpower the entire affair just on account of who he is. Not even necessarily his fault, or anything, just... look at what he'd be working with, y'know? At times it would come off like he was in a completely different movie than everyone else, just because they can't perform at his level and the disparity would be super noticeable.

He'd probably play it well, but I think he's a little too "big" for the scale and style of this project. If they have to go with a "name", he's probably the best possible choice, but part of me would really prefer to see them commit to what they've established and cast another semi-unknown, just to be consistent with the rest of the cast. An A-Lister slumming it with a bunch of nobodies would be super-weird. If they'd gone with a more established cast of actors from the beginning, then yeah, he'd fit right in there. As it is, I'm not sure he'd mesh well.

I guess it could work, if they went kinda "meta" with it. But then that might end up being a little too "cutesy" and "wink-wink", what with the "Big Name Star slumming it with a bunch of nobodies" thing. I'unno.

[Andrew NDB]

Nothing says they couldn't round out MK2's cast with at least a couple of other relative "names."

Like for Shao Kahn, maybe some Game of Thrones alumni (or god, you'll hate this but... Cena?). Jessica Henwick for Kitana. And so on. Not TOO expensive names but names within their reach if they get another 20-30 million to throw around, plus names that would make Reynolds stand out a little less from the others.

[Leo656]

I don't think it's even a question of money, just that mixing Good Actors with... less-good actors would make the entire thing feel very jarring and inconsistent, to the point where it might not even be worth it.

Like, let's just go ahead and say it plain, nobody in this movie is a "good" actor. But at least the entire cast is consistent in their "not-goodness". That helps the movie, in its own odd way. Everyone, for better or worse, is on the same level.

If they start adding "names", it might definitely get more eyes on the product but it will also shine a light on just how amateurish everyone else is, and you don't really wanna do that.

[Andrew NDB]

We can talk about what's a good idea or not a good idea or to what extent... but I think the intent so far from TPTB is to definitely to cast a Reynolds equivalent guy for the part. Period. Maybe they have a plan to balance the scales beyond that or maybe they don't, but that much seems fairly clear.

Plus it makes sense. As you and others admit... the movie we got is essentially Mortal Kombat 0. If it's successful or profitable... they can grow things how they might've initially with a proper Mortal Kombat 1 with the first true tournament and all.

[CyberCubed]

I'm pretty sure Johnny Cage and Kitana will be treated like major characters in the sequel, they're the only two "big" characters that were missing. Cage/Sonya and Liu Kang/Kitana along with Sub-zero will probably be the main plots with the tournament. No idea what they'll do with Cole, but he'll probably still be there.

Given we have Mileena we'll probably get the backstory between her and Kitana next time, illusions to Shao Khan, while the final will be Liu Kang or Sub-zero/Scorpion beating Shang Tsung.

Also get the feeling everyone who died will be revived in the next movie, like Kano and Goro especially. They're just going to say Shang Tsung restored their souls and their bodies so they can have fatalities over and over again but still keep the characters around.

[Coola Yagami]

I do see what you mean. Without other big name stars to balance him out, if you add Ryan Reynolds among all these noobs, it basically becomes a Ryan Reynolds movie. Like now he will be the main character, now he will save the day and make everyone look like chumps, and the movie is gonna more or less go by his sense of humor.

And that goes against the original complaint (which I hope these Hollywood idiots understand, because usually they misunderstand and miss the point completely). The point isn't that Johnny was supposed to be the main character. The point was that he's supposed to be there. Liu Kang is the main character, the hero, we should see his story with Johnny and Sonya as back up. Cole has no place anywhere in there.

In other words, it would be like replacing Sonya with some OC named Vanessa. Even if the roles were the same.... the complaint would still be 'where the **** is Sonya and who is this OC?'. And you can't say 'but but but Mortal Kombat HAS to have Sonya', well like it or not, Mortal Kombat also HAS to have Johnny Cage.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

I do see what you mean. Without other big name stars to balance him out, if you add Ryan Reynolds among all these noobs, it basically becomes a Ryan Reynolds movie. Like now he will be the main character, now he will save the day and make everyone look like chumps, and the movie is gonna more or less go by his sense of humor.

Without using the quote button I'm assuming you are talking about what I was saying above, but either way yeah. Nice way to encapsulate it.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Hmm. Good points regarding Ryan, I suppose, but at this point, they need SOMETHING to make people actually want to SEE a sequel. Just watched it myself (I'm sitting in the movie theater lobby rn) and- yeeeaaah they SHOULD have just gone with Cage to begin with. I mean, it'd make WAAAY more sense. Even the whole bloodline thing. He's a better fit, and they could have even still given him a family to protect, since even actors DO have those. The fights were really the only thing about this that were worth seeing it for. Not unexpected, but a little disappointing. (Also, what was Sonya even there for if she didn't have a mark? Why/HOW did she get involved to begin with?)

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by MsMarvelDuckie

(Also, what was Sonya even there for if she didn't have a mark? Why/HOW did she get involved to begin with?)

The same as always, she was tracking Kano and the Black Dragon. Although at some point she also apparently found out about the Tournament on her own, way before most everyone else. There's most likely a connection between both of those events.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Leo656

The same as always, she was tracking Kano and the Black Dragon. Although at some point she also apparently found out about the Tournament on her own, way before most everyone else. There's most likely a connection between both of those events.

Very true. If you remember, Sonya was never meant to be in the tournament. She was tracking Kano, captured and forced to take part.

[sdp]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

He's 50 but doesn't look 50, and could easily pass for 30-35ish.

[TigerClaw]

It seems like people want Ryan Reynolds to be Johnny Cage for the sequel. But the issue is, Can he fight? What made Johnny Cage great in the original, Was that the actor was a good fighter as well as be funny at the same time, So you need a good balance of someone who knows martial arts and can do the comedy.

Ryan Reynolds has no prior martial arts experience as far as I can remember.

The actor who played Kano is no martial artist, But is known for doing comedies mostly.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

It seems like people want Ryan Reynolds to be Johnny Cage for the sequel. But the issue is, Can he fight? What made Johnny Cage great in the original, Was that the actor was a good fighter as well as be funny at the same time, So you need a good balance of someone who knows martial arts and can do the comedy.

Ryan Reynolds has no prior martial arts experience as far as I can remember.

The actor who played Kano is no martial artist, But is known for doing comedies mostly.

Have you not seen the Deadpool movies?

[TigerClaw]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Have you not seen the Deadpool movies?

Of course, But you know most of the stuff are done by a stuntman in the suit?

[Cure]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Have you not seen the Deadpool movies?

You really think Ryan Reynolds is the one pulling off those moves? Come on, now.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by sdp

Welling? What a horrible idea.

[sdp]

the point is welling in season 1 was also way too old to be a 14 year old clark just how reynolds is a grandpa, he might've been a great choice 15 years ago, not now.