The upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot movie brings plenty of the fighting game franchise's iconic characters to the big screen for a new cinematic adventure, with a few notable absences from the film's roster.

One of the biggest omissions from the movie's cast is fan-favorite fighter Johnny Cage, who is not among the video game characters expected to appear in the film. In a roundtable interview attended by CBR, film producer Todd Garner explained that Johnny's absence avoided him and Kano providing the same personality type among the film's core cast. Instead, Garner hopes to save the character's inclusion for a potential sequel.

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"The reason we held back on Johnny Cage is because he's a very egotistical guy, he's a scoundrel, he's funny, he's bigger-than-life...and so is Kano. So are we going to have two guys competing and trying to [be funnier or more egotistical] or do you hold Johnny Cage because, God willing, we're able to do another one?" Garner explains. "Rain and Reptile? They both cloak and you don't want two cloaking guys; first of all, it's expensive and, second, they do the same thing. You unwind it that way, with people we can see later. There are also characters with such complicated backstories with other characters, you want to give them more service."

Johnny Cage has been a staple in the franchise since its original installment in 1992, appearing in numerous sequels and portrayed by Linden Ashby in the 1995 film adaptation. While there have been no announced plans for a sequel, WWE Superstar The Miz has since expressed interest in portraying the character in a follow-up should the opportunity arise. In the meantime, Johnny's omission fuels fan hopes that the sequel will be produced with the character taking more of a center-stage role.

Directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan, Mortal Kombat stars Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson "Jax" Bridges, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion, Max Huang as Kung Lao, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, Matilda Kimber as Emily Young and Laura Brent as Allison Young. The film arrives in theaters and on HBO Max April 16.

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