Jean-Claude Van Damme Is Finally Playing Johnny Cage In Mortal Kombat
Big screen stars shifting to a video game environment isn't new, but seeing an icon drop into a franchise he was the inspiration for is certainly worth a moment for pause. Revealed in a brand new trailer for "Mortal Kombat 1," the upcoming beat-em-up has teased a new skin for its iconic fighter, Johnny Cage, and it's none other than the muscles from Brussels, Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Doing his own voice work for the skin, JCVD is de-aged and de-robed in the new preview and gives the level of smack talk that Johnny Cage usually dishes out himself. It makes sense that the beloved action star is giving as good as he's getting, considering that Van Damme was actually not only the inspiration for Johnny Cage but also was the catalyst for the creation of "Mortal Kombat" and its 31-year franchise.
Making an appearance on the spicy talk show Hot Ones, "Mortal Kombat" co-creator Ed Boon admitted, "When we made the very first game, our original intention was to make 'Van Damme: The Arcade Game,'" the star was in his prime thanks to the likes of "Bloodsport" and "Kickboxer" (which the skin looks to be inspired by) and Boon saw an opportunity Van Damme didn't take up. "I don't know if he declined, or it just never got to him," Boon explained, taking a pixelated trip down memory lane. "But we [Boon and co-creator, John Tobias] were a couple of 20-something-year-old kids who wanted to make a video game." As a result, they had to make a detour, choosing to make "Mortal Kombat." The rest, as they say, is bone-snapping history.
Jean-Claude Van Damme's Mortal Kombat appearance throws a jab at Street Fighter
Looking back, Boon could understand why Jean-Claude Van Damme potentially passed on the project but is glad that after three decades, another call finally paid off. "I could see how Van Damme could go, 'No, no, we're not doing this.' We tried a number of times, going back and forth with him. This time, we hit the lottery, and we got him." The result, so far, certainly looks like an enjoyable one. Dropping into his signature splits, hearing JCVD throwing in pre-match taunts and a grunt with every spin-kick should hit fans right in the nostalgia. Also, hearing him trying to negotiate with an opponent — "It'll be great, I'll be a kickboxer, you a Street Fighter," Van Damme says, referencing his time as the live-action Guile in "Street Fighter: The Movie" — is just awesome.
JCVD's appearance also rounds out a trifecta of classic action heroes that have appeared in the franchise. Prior to Van Damme dropping in, "Mortal Kombat X" gave players the chance to select both Sylvester Stallone's John Rambo and Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator as playable fighters. This time around, though, Van Damme will certainly have some tough competition, with the inclusion of John Cena's Peacemaker, Omni-Man from "Invincible" voiced by J.K. Simmons, and Antony Starr's milk-chugging psychopath Homelander from "The Boys." It was also confirmed that Megan Fox would also be appearing as the classic character Nitara. Fight for your favorite, but our money's on the dudes in the capes.