Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam is the latest name rumored to be in the running for the fan-favorite role of Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 2. Hunnam joins the likes of Ryan Reynolds, James Marsden, and wrestler The Miz mentioned as potential actors to portray the Mortal Kombat action movie star and martial artist. According to the latest rumor however, the studio have ignored these suggestions and are instead courting Hunnam for the part.

Charlie Hunnam is best known for his central role as Jackson "Jax" Teller in Sons of Anarchy, as well as his prominent roles in movies such as Pacific Rim, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, The Lost City of Z and The Gentlemen. Johnny Cage is one of the seven original characters, debuting in the first Mortal Kombat arcade game, and remains one of the most popular characters in the franchise to date, meaning he needs to be cast with the perfect actor to avoid irritating fans.

Cage's fighting styles include Jeet Kune Do and Karate, with the character also trained in the use of firearms and military equipment ranging from pistols to armored tanks. Hunnam certainly looks the part and based on his filmography he could surely handle the physical aspects, which would hopefully result in a captivating live action take of Johnny Cage that would appease the Mortal Kombat fanbase.

Released back in April, Mortal Kombat is directed by Simon McQuoid and stars Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, and Lewis Tan as new character Cole Young, Mortal Kombat follows a washed-up MMA fighter is unaware of his hidden lineage or why he is being hunted down by Sub-Zero of the Lin-Kuei clan of assassins. Concerned for the safety of him and his family, he seeks out a team of fighters who were chosen to defend the Earthrealm in a high stakes battle against the forces of the Outworld.

While the first movie in Warner Bros.' planned franchise features a whole host of familiar faces from Mortal Kombat lore, the absence of Johnny Cage was noted by many. The character however was teased in an easter egg, with the end of the moving hinting that Cole will head to Los Angeles in search of Cage.

A poster at the end of the movie teases Cage's arrival, with co-writer Greg Russo recently revealing that an effort was made to make the teaser a suitably big deal for the audience. "Johnny's tease at the end, the button, it changed different ways," Russo explained. "I remember there were different versions of it. That poster was something that the design team did, which I love. I picked 'Citizen Cage' 'cause I just thought that was hilarious. 'Fight For Your Rights.' So I picked that and put it in the script and then they designed an amazing poster. And then it had lived in other places, so it actually wasn't the button for awhile, it was earlier in the story, like they were walking and you just see it in the background. And we felt like that just wasn't enough, 'cause you wanted to really hit on it."

Mortal Kombat has been a huge hit for Warner Bros. and particularly HBO Max, making it increasingly likely that the franchise will continue, and Johnny Cage will make his debut. But is Charlie Hunnam the right choice? This comes to us courtesy of industry insider and known scooper Daniel Richtman.