In Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, why did this character get killed so quickly?
In Johnny's first fight we see him use a sweet shadow kick, demonstrating MK abilities he didn't have during the first film. And then... he abruptly gets turned into corpse.
What we the reasons for ending the character so soon in the sequel? Was it the actor not wanting to be in it longer? Did they want to keep him but introduce new characters, like JAX, instead? Was there enmity between Cage's original actor Linden Ashby and anyone in production that caused the to axe the character?
Who decided to kill him off so soon, and what were the justifications?
Best Answer
According to the IMDB Trivia, Linden Ashby (Who plays Johnny Cage) no longer wanted to be involved with the franchise after reading the script... which.. makes a lot of sense.
Apparently production of the first movie was gruelling, with a lot of reshooting and recasting; Cameron Diaz was the original Sonya Blade, but broke her wrist whilst training for the part. Brandon Lee was the original Johnny Cage, but when he died they simply recast, despite the writers wanting to remove the part 'in honor' of him. It seems they didn't really want Johnny cage after that.
Ashby was also apparently heavily involved in rewriting parts of the script to make the film 'edgier' and 'cooler', and built up a lot of resentment from the production team in the process. In his words:
There was just a lot to improve. And we sat down and we reworked the script to the point that I think the writer was not really thrilled with us. I remember seeing [screenwriter] Kevin Droney at a Christmas party after the movie had come out. And he introduced me to his date and goes, "This is the guy I told you about. This is the asshole that ruined my script." (Laughs.) I was like, "Oh, hi." It wasn't a script to write home about, and we worked hard on it. We didn't write Hamlet or anything, but we had a lot of fun with it.
Why he wasn't recast as per Raiden is another question, but it seems production didn't see the need for the character to continue...
Pictures about "In Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, why did this character get killed so quickly?"
What went wrong with Mortal Kombat: Annihilation?
For most fans, the most devastating blow "Annihilation" lands is its lackluster presentation. The film makes the mistake of starting off with scenes from its better-shot and nicer-looking predecessor, then immediately puts its actors against one of the worst CGI skies imaginable.Why was Johnny Cage killed in Annihilation?
Ashby did not return for the 1997 sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and was replaced by Chris Conrad. During Shao Kahn's invasion of Earth in the beginning of the film, Cage is killed by the emperor in his attempt to save Sonya when she is taken hostage.Why did the cast change in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation?
Linden Ashby, who played Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat, turned down the chance to reprise his role for Mortal Kombat Annihilation because he was unhappy with his character immediately getting killed off.Why did they change Sonya in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation?
Bridgette Wilson decided to accept a small role in I Know What You Did Last Summer instead of returning as Sonya. Even the actor playing Scorpion preferred to do stunt work on Batman & Robin, the worst Batman in history, instead of starring in Annihilation.Mortal Kombat Annihilation: Worst/Funniest Scenes
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