It’s a testament if your career kicks off with Lord of the Rings and only gets dorkier from there. New Zealand actor Karl Urban has stepped into starring gigs in Star Trek, Judge Dredd, The Boys and in short time Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat. But there’s one more feather Urban would like in his cap. It happens to be a video game character whose cap already has a feather in it: John Marston.
In an interview with Square Mile magazine, the actor said if he had his choice of any video game adaptation, it would be as John Marston in Red Dead Redemption. “I’d love to play that character,” said Urban. “Red Dead is a fantastic game. It’s interesting because I didn’t really have too much of an opportunity to get that heavily invested in the gaming culture… when I did get the rare opportunity, Red Dead was certainly one of the games that spoke to me.”
It goes without saying that Urban wanting to star in a Red Dead Redemption film does not mean an adaptation of the 2010 classic is in the pipeline. In fact, Rockstar seems to be one of the few major developers not chasing cross-media expansion (though they may have their hands full with Grand Theft Auto VI). Still, stranger things have happened than making a little wish. Kirsten Dunst was recently added to the cast of Minecraft 2 after telling Town & Country it was her dream role a year prior. Albeit because she wanted to “make a movie where I don’t lose money.”
The final season of The Boys began earlier this week. Urban will also be putting on Johnny Cage’s shades in Mortal Kombat II when it comes out in May. He told Square Mile to expect a slightly more humble rendition of the character, if only because Cage is left baggy a deflated ego. “He is a man that the world has forgotten about,” said Urban. “To me, that was really fertile ground to launch the character into. That gives me somewhere to go as an actor.”