2021's Mortal Kombat teased at the end that Johnny Cage was on the way, and it didn't take long for the internet to nominate a favorite to appear in the role. WWE superstar The Miz quickly rose through the ranks on social media as a popular choice for the gig and as such, began to campaign for it. Now that the film has finally confirmed the sequel will bring on Karl Urban, the wrestler, and occasional actor, took some time to share his feelings about not getting the part.
The Miz, who has a few movie acting credits to his name since becoming a full-time member of the WWE, spoke to ComicBook.com about missing out on the role of Johnny Cage. The Grand Slam Champion revealed his true feelings about not getting the job and how he reacted when he first saw the character was coming to Mortal Kombat 2:
This is the first time I've actually got asked this question. So I'll be honest, I really wanted to be Johnny Cage. When I saw the movie, the Mortal Kombat movie, I really liked it. I know there was a lot of... Some people critiqued it. I really enjoyed it, I loved it. I thought it was amazing. It just brought me back to my childhood. "I've always loved the character Johnny Cage, and when it wasn't in there, I was like, 'Oh, wow man, I can't believe they didn't put Johnny Cage in.' And then at the end, you're like, 'Oh man, he's coming in part two, episode two.' And then with my name, literally the next, when it came out, it was like a Friday, my name was trending with Johnny Cage. And I was like, 'Oh my God.' It wasn't a bunch of people. It was my name. And I was like, 'This is crazy.'
The encouragement from fans led to Miz campaigning for the role in interviews, and he even started training for the role. Of course, as a professional wrestler, it only helps to be in shape at all times, so it's not like he wouldn't have been working out in some way while waiting to hear about a potential audition.
Unfortunately, The Miz revealed that he never even received a call to audition for Johnny Cage. Instead, he found out, like the rest of the world, that Karl Urban snagged the gig, and continued his story by revealing how he felt about the casting:
And then I heard Karl Urban got it, and I was like, 'Wow.' And people were like, 'Are you mad? Are you angry?' And it's like, I never get mad or angry when someone else gets a part that I want. I am fully supportive of a person getting... I imagine they're going to work as hard as I will work to make sure that that character is honed in, locked in, and is the character that the audience wants and loves. And I think Karl Urban, I've watched him on The Boys, I think he's a terrific actor. I think he's going to do an amazing job as Johnny Cage, and you better believe I'm going to watch it.
Those who watch the WWE know The Miz's in-ring personality and how that response was about as far removed from it as someone can get. Frankly, I wouldn't have blamed him one bit if he wanted to step into character to shame and berate anyone under the sun who overlooked him for the role, similar to how he does to his opponents in the ring.
The Miz didn't do that, but rather took the high road while confirming he's a fan of The Boys and also likely someone with a Prime subscription. It's a shame he didn't get the part of Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 2 considering how well his wrestling persona folds into the fighting game character, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't also excited to see Karl Urban in the role.
Ed Boon recently shared a photo of Karl Urban with Johnny Cage's signature hairstyle and glasses, and he's looking the part. Whether or not he'll delicately walk the line of being a washed-up action movie actor looking to revive his career in an interdimensional fighting tournament remains to be seen. I'm used to seeing Urban as a badass, but Johnny Cage is a bit more than that. I don't doubt that Urban is up for the challenge, but I still would've liked to see how someone like Miz would've played it.
Mortal Kombat 2 is on the way, but we're still waiting on a release date. Check out the first installment with your Max subscription, but maybe keep a vomit bag handy if you're squeamish.
