See Chris Pratt As Johnny Cage In Mortal Kombat

An artist on Twitter has imagined what Guardians of the Galaxy's Chris Pratt would look like as Johnny Cage in the new Mortal Kombat reboot.

By Ross Bonaime | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

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When the trailer for the new Mortal Kombat debuted, plenty of the franchise’s iconic characters were front and center. Kano, Sonya Blade, Liu Kang, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Raiden all made appearances, but the only character from the original game that didn’t make an appearance was Johnny Cage. Since Cage was a major part of both previous Mortal Kombat movies, it seemed unusual that Cage wouldn’t be a part of this reboot. Now, artist @BossLogic on Twitter has envisioned what Johnny Cage could look like in the Mortal Kombat movie, as played by Chris Pratt. 

Chris Pratt as Johnny Cage is sort of exactly what you’d expect: flashy jacket, metal chain, tattoo, and of course, sunglasses. The design of the accouterments on Chris Pratt does have an animated look, as though these added elements are clearly drawn on top of Pratt, but it’s an interesting visualization of what Pratt could look like as the character.

In an interview with Collider, producer Todd Garner said that while Johnny Cage isn’t in this Mortal Kombat film, Cage does exist in this Mortal Kombat universe. This could mean that Cage could appear in a future film if this first movie is a success, but it does seem like the darker nature of Mortal Kombat wouldn’t quite fit Cage anyways. Even though Chris Pratt in such a gory film would make a major impression in this franchise, it doesn’t seem like this new series is focusing on big names to bring these video game characters to life.

Yet even though the majority of the characters from the original Mortal Kombat are appearing in this new reboot, it looks as though the film won’t necessarily focus on the story of that first game. The cast also includes characters like Kung Lao, Mileena, Kabal, and Nitara, all of which make appearances in later games. However, there are still dozens of characters within this world that can still be utilized in future installments, but Johnny Cage is still likely the most popular character that fans would likely want to see appear in this series. If this image shows us anything, it’s that Chris Pratt would be an intriguing choice for the character.

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But Chris Pratt already has enough franchises on his plate, most of which play up the actor’s family-friendly style. However, Pratt will executive produce and star in The Tomorrow War, a military science fiction film coming out on July 23, 2021. In addition to The Tomorrow War, next year looks to be a major year for Pratt, as he will star in Jurassic World: Dominion, and his Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy will be appearing in Thor: Love and Thunder.

This Mortal Kombat reboot has been in the works for years now, and with this grittier and more game-accurate take to this world, it doesn’t seem like Johnny Cage would fit in just yet – especially if he was played by Chris Pratt. But if Mortal Kombat takes off, maybe we will see Cage join the battle in a future installment. The Johnny Cage and Chris Pratt-free Mortal Kombat comes out April 16, 2021, on HBO Max and in theaters.