The Miz Discusses Why He Didn’t Get Johnny Cage’s Role In “Mortal Kombat 2,” Praising Karl Urban As An Actor
The Miz speaks out about not being cast as Johnny Cage in the forthcoming Mortal Kombat film.
Fans were teased about the appearance of Johnny Cage, one of the Mortal Kombat franchise’s most recognizable characters, near the conclusion of the 2021 film. By the time Warner Brothers Discovery approved the original movie’s sequel in 2022, many fans had already been calling for The Miz to be cast as Johnny Cage.
Karl Urban was cast in the role of Cage, according to a number of reports that emerged in May 2023. Many wrestling fans were disappointed by the announcement since they had been hoping Miz would land the part.
Miz remembers watching the original Mortal Kombat film in 2021 and finding it to be fairly enjoyable in a recent interview with Comic Book Nation.
“I’ll be honest, I really wanted to be Johnny Cage. When I saw the Mortal Kombat movie, I really liked it. I know there [some people that] critiqued it, I really enjoyed it. I loved it, I thought it was amazing. It brought me back to my childhood, I’ve always loved the character Johnny Cage and when he wasn’t in there, I was like ‘Oh, wow. I can’t believe they didn’t put Johnny Cage in there.’ Then at the end, [it was teased] that he was coming in part two.”
The Miz on wanting to be cast as Johnny Cage
Then, Miz discussed how Johnny Cage and his name were trending on social media and how he had phoned his agency to show interest in playing the role.
“With my name… When it came out, it was a Friday and 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.’ I remember calling my agent and going, ‘Dude, I want this. I don’t know what I have to do. Call whoever you have to call, I want this bad.'”
The Miz on the social media response to him possibly play the role
Even though he was unhappy that he didn’t receive the part, Miz said, he believes that Karl Urban would be fantastic as Johnny Cage. Miz added that he will ultimately find a way to land roles in motion pictures that he wants to be in and that he believes are important.
“I’ll even say I put out a campaign, I went out on every interview and every time someone asked me about this, I would say that I want to be Johnny Cage. I never got an audition, which is fine you know. Maybe they just didn’t see me as the character and then I heard Karl Urban got it and people were like [asking me] if I was mad or angry, and 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 character is honed in, locked in, and the character that the audience loves. 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. Am I heartbroken that I’m not going to be Johnny Cage? Yes, of course, but that’s the story of life, you take your bumps and bruises. This is Hollywood, this is acting. There’s one part, there’s millions of people that want that part and I didn’t get it. By the way, this happens all the time. So you take your lumps and someday, someway, somehow, I will start getting into the movies that I feel like I want to get into and start doing characters that I think are meaningful and that could make me into what Cena, Batista, & The Rock have all done.”
The Miz on Karl Urban being cast
The former WWE Champion then noted that his current emphasis is still on WWE to conclude the conversation.
“My goal right now is to be the best WWE superstar that I can be, and I’ve been having a blast with this wave of new crop of youth that WWE has, and to be honest, our shows have all been sold out. WWE is so hot right now, Cody Rhodes has been doing an amazing job, and Seth Rollins as our two top baby faces. Whenever they come out, the crowd is electric. It reminds me of Austin and Rock back in the Attitude Era. You go to a WWE live event, it’s sold out. Every single time a person’s music hits, it’s like an interruption. It’s so much fun. I’m having a blast right now with that.”
The Miz on his current goals
‘Mortal Kombat 2’ began filming on June 22, 2023, but was put on hold in July as a result of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Due to inadequate pay and unfavorable working conditions, SAG and AFTRA members are presently on strike.
Draymond Green, an NBA standout, would be a fantastic wrestler, according to Miz. Fans may go here to discover more.
Follow Mark T Cyrus at @_MarkCyrus on Twitter
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