The Miz comments on not landing the role of Johnny Cage in the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie.
At the end of the Mortal Kombat movie that was released in 2021, fans were teased about the arrival of one of the franchise's most iconic characters, Johnny Cage. By the time a sequel to the first movie was green lit by Warner Brothers Discovery in 2022, many fans had already started campaigning for The Miz to be cast in the role of Johnny Cage.
In May 2023, multiple reports surfaced noting that Karl Urban was cast in the role of Cage. The news came as a disappointment to many fans of wrestling, who wanted to see Miz get the role.
In a new interview with Comic Book Nation, Miz recalled seeing the first Mortal Kombat movie in 2021 and liking it quite a bit.
“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.”
Miz then talked about how his name was trending alongside Johnny Cage, and how he had called his agent to express interest in playing the character.
“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.'"
Miz then noted that despite being disappointed that he didn't get the role, he thinks that Karl Urban will do an amazing job as Johnny Cage. Miz also noted that somehow he will eventually get parts in movies that he wants to do and that he thinks are meaningful.
"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 former WWE Champion then closed out the interview by noting that he his focus remains on WWE at the moment.
"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.”
Filming for 'Mortal Kombat 2' began on June 22, 2023, but was stopped in July due to 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Members of SAG and AFTRA are currently on strike due to low pay and unfair working conditions.
Miz recently said that NBA star Draymond Green would make a great wrestler. Fans can learn more by clicking here.
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