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After weeks of anticipation, the 2021 live-action reboot of the Mortal Kombat franchise has finally arrived on HBO Max amid extensive fanfare.
According to initial reviews, helmed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan, the gory martial-arts fantasy film seems to be following the staple trend often associated with video game movies, i.e., to be trashed by critics and loved by fans.
Replete with tons of Easter eggs and references to Midway's original series of games, the film is being hailed as an action-packed extravaganza that shows a glimmer of promise amidst a raging bloodbath of guts and glory.
With Hiroyuki Sanada's Scorpion and Joe Taslim's Sub-Zero leading the cast, they receive ample support from the likes of Lewis Tan's Cole Young, Mehcad Brooks' Jax, and Jessica McNamee's Sonya Blade.
In terms of pure comic relief is Josh Lawson's Kano, who has so far been deemed a surprise package by several fans.
But there is one conspicuous absence amid the all-star line-up of fighters in the film, none other than cocky Hollywood star Johnny Cage.
What will come as a major source of excitement for fans is the ending of the film, which paves the way for his introduction as Cole departs for Los Angeles searching for the elusive superstar.
With Cage almost a certainty for Mortal Kombat 2, fans seem to have already zeroed in on the ideal casting: none other than WWE superstar Mike "The Miz" Mizanin.
Mortal Kombat sequel: Twitter reacts to The Miz as Johnny Cage in upcoming Mortal Kombat 2
Charismatic, egocentric, and narcissistic, The Miz seems to exhibit each of Cage's characteristics with gleeful abandon.
The 40-year old WWE superstar also seems to possess the acting chops required to portray Cage, having starred in multiple films for the "The Marine" franchise. Moreover, considering his natural flair for portraying the persona of a Hollywood A-lister, he seems to be a natural fit in terms of pulling off every nuance of the popular Johnny Cage character.
Here are some of the reactions on Twitter, as fans petitioned for The Miz to officially be cast as Cage in the Mortal Kombat sequel:
What also bodes well for this particular choice of fan-casting is the fact that The Miz seems absolutely on board with the idea of possibly playing Johnny Cage:
In an earlier interview, The Miz had expressed his interest in playing Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat:
"Mortal Kombat blew my mind. People started saying The Miz should be Johnny Cage. To be honest, I don't know what I have to do but I'm putting my name in the hat and I think it would be an honor. I've loved Mortal Kombat since I was a child and to be able to represent and become Johnny Cage would be a dream, I'm already practicing my splits punch, so!"
With The Miz officially interested in playing Johnny Cage, it looks like the ball is now officially in the court of Wan and McQuoid.
