Producer Todd Garner, writer Greg Russo, and director McQuoid started discussing the franchise's future after Mortal Kombat came out in April 2021. They discussed potential standalone movies starring Johnny Cage and Bi-Han as well as a follow-up to the 2021 movie. Warner Bros. Pictures had approved the sequel by 2022, and Slater would write the screenplay and McQuoid would return as director. The movie was filmed in Australia starting in June 2023, stopped in mid-July because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, restarted in mid-November, and finished in late January 2024.

Warner Bros. Pictures plans to release Mortal Kombat 2 in theaters on October 24, 2025.

1 Cast

Karl Urban as Johnny Cage[1]
Adeline Rudolph as Kitana[2]

Sophia Xu as Young Kitana

Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade[1]
Josh Lawson as Kano[1]
Ludi Lin as Liu Kang[3]
Mehcad Brooks as Jackson "Jax" Briggs[4]
Tati Gabrielle as Jade[1]
Lewis Tan as Cole Young[5]
Damon Herriman as Quan Chi[6]
Chin Han as Shang Tsung[7]
Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden[7]
Joe Taslim as Bi-Han / Noob Saibot[8]
Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi / Scorpion[8]
Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn[6]
Desmond Chiam as King Jerrod[6]
Ana Thu Nguyen as Queen Sindel[6]
Max Huang as Revenant Kung Lao[9]
CJ Bloomfield as Baraka[10]

2 Production

1 Development

Actor Joe Taslim disclosed after Mortal Kombat's April 2021 release that he had a deal for four more Mortal Kombat movies, should Warner Bros. Pictures choose to develop a franchise. [11] "If the story for a sequel is good, I'm open to coming back to direct it," director Simon McQuoid said. [12] In a post-release interview, McQuoid stated that the reason the character Johnny Cage wasn't included in the movie was because he had a "giant personality" who would upset the equilibrium of the movie. He disclosed that the material for characters like Cage and Kitana might be explored in future sequels. In addition, he mentioned that he wanted to add more female characters. [13] According to co-writer Greg Russo, who spoke to Collider, he saw the reboot as a trilogy, with the first movie taking place prior to the tournament, the second taking place during it, and the third taking place after it is over. [14]

Producer Todd Garner teased a sequel on Twitter in November 2021 [15], and it was officially announced in January 2022 that Jeremy Slater was writing the screenplay. [16] After being set up at the end of Mortal Kombat, Slater revealed plans to include Johnny Cage in the movie in May 2022, however he stated that his precise involvement in the plot is yet unknown. [17]

In the same month, Slater stated that he intended the movie to be "unpredictable" and go against what fans expected of it, and that it would "embrace some of [the] weirdness" that is unique to the Mortal Kombat franchise. [18] He said in June 2022 that the follow-up would take into account both the favorable and unfavorable fan responses to the original movie. [19] It was revealed in July 2022 that McQuoid will return to direct the follow-up after New Line had given the movie their blessing. [20]

2 Casting

Karl Urban and Tati Gabrielle were in final discussions to play Cage and Jade, respectively, in the movie in May 2023. [21] Additionally, it was revealed that Josh Lawson and Jessica McNamee would reprise their roles as Kano and Sonya Blade, respectively. [1] Gabrielle was confirmed to play Jade, and later that month, Adeline Rudolph, who had collaborated with Gabrielle on the Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, joined the cast as Kitana. [2] As Shao Kahn, King Jerrod, Queen Sindel, and Quan Chi, respectively, Martyn Ford, Desmond Chiam, Ana Thu Nguyen, and Damon Herriman were cast in June 2023. [6] Kabal was previously voiced by Herriman in the 2021 movie. [6] Max Huang reaffirmed his intention to reprise his role as Kung Lao later that month. [9]

3 Filming

With Stephen F. Windon serving as the cinematographer, Principal photography got underway at Village Roadshow Studios in Gold Coast, Queensland, on June 22, 2023. [22][23] [24] [25] Because of the 2023 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, filming was halted in July and resumed after the strike ended in November 2023. [26] [27] The formal end of filming was in late January 2024. [28]

3 Release

Warner Bros. Pictures plans to release Mortal Kombat 2 in theaters across the United States on October 24, 2025. [29]

4 See also

List of films based on video games

5 References

Borys Kit (May 19th, 2023). "Tati Gabrielle in Final Talks to Play Jade in Mortal Kombat 2 (Exclusive)" . The reporter from Hollywood. taken from May 19, 2023. Borys Kit (25 May 2023). "Adeline Rudolph to Play Kitana in New Line's 'Mortal Kombat 2' (Exclusive)" . The reporter from Hollywood. taken from May 25, 2023. Alex Stedman (June 15, 2023). "Mortal Kombat 2 Rounds Out the Rest of Its Cast" . IGN. On June 17, 2023, the original content was archived. taken from June 18, 2023. Russell Burlingame (October 6, 2022). "Mortal Kombat 2 Star Mehcad Brooks Teases Big Return for Jax" . ComicBook.com. taken from May 23, 2023.

(November 10, 2022). Bentz, Adam. "Mortal Kombat 2 Cole Young Actor Teases Sequel's Bigger Scale" . Retrieved May 23, 2023. Screen Rant. Matt Grobar (June 15, 2023). "'Mortal Kombat 2': Martyn Ford, Desmond Chiam, Ana Thu Nguyen & Damon Herriman Join New Line Sequel" . Deadline. June 15, 2023. Retrieved. Timothy McClelland (May 22, 2023). "Mortal Kombat 2 Gets Major Filming Update As Production Settles On A Location" . Retrieved May 23, 2023. Screen Rant. Brad Curran (21 May 2023). "Mortal Kombat 2's Villain Return Sets Up 3 Big Characters In The Sequel" . Retrieved May 23, 2023. Screen Rant.

Alex Duthie (June 29, 2023). "Kung Lao Is Back! Max Huang declares that "Mortal Kombat 2" is now under production. CoveredGeekly. taken from June 30, 2023. Alex Duthie (June 29, 2023). "Baraka Actor Confirmed For 'Mortal Kombat 2' Movie, First Look Revealed" . CoveredGeekly. taken from July 24, 2023. Marc Malkin (22 April 2021). "'Mortal Kombat's' Sub-Zero Reveals He's Signed On For Four More Movies" . diversity. December 11, 2021. Retrieved. On April 19, 2021, Stone, Sam. "Mortal Kombat Director Didn't Allow Any Sequel Discussions On the Set" . CBR. taken from April 24, 2021.

Jordan Moreau (24 April 2021). "'Mortal Kombat' Director Simon McQuoid on Sequel Plans, Major Deaths and Johnny Cage" . diversity. taken from May 17, 2021. Gregory Lawrence (April 23, 2021). "'Mortal Kombat' Ending Tease, Trilogy Plans, and Alternate Easter Eggs Explained by Writer Greg Russo" . collision. taken from April 24, 2021. Corey Chichizola (December 2, 2021). "Wait, Is Mortal Kombat's Sequel Coming Together After All?" . Cinemablend. December 11, 2021. Retrieved. Mike Jr. Fleming (January 26, 2022). "New Line Moving Forward With Mortal Kombat Sequel; Moon Knight Scribe Jeremy Slater Scripting" . The deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Company.

Paul Shirey, "Mortal Kombat 2 Writer Verifies Johnny Cage's Involvement" (May 12, 2022). ScreenRant. July 11, 2024. Retrieved. Molly Jae Weinstein (May 10, 2022). "Mortal Kombat 2 Script Update Teases MCU Sensibilities" . ScreenRant. July 11, 2024. Retrieved. Eric Thomas (June 23, 2022). "'Moon Knight' Head Writer Jeremy Slater on Comic Inspirations and Scrapped Ideas - Exclusive Interview" . DiscussingFilm. July 11, 2024. Retrieved. Justin Kroll (July 20, 2022). "'Mortal Kombat' Sequel Moving Forward At New Line As Simon McQuoid Returns As Director" . Deadline. taken from July 20, 2022.

"Karl Urban in Final Talks to Play Johnny Cage in 'Mortal Kombat 2' at New Line" Gonzalez, Umberto (May 4, 2023). TheWrap. taken from May 4, 2023. "Stephen Windon Director of Photography Reel" (PDF). Global Production Company. May 2023. On May 23, 2023, the original content was archived in PDF format. taken from May 23, 2023. Patrick Frater (May 23, 2023). "Mortal Kombat Sequel Returns to Australia, Changes State" . diversity. taken from May 23, 2023. Californian Saksena (April 19, 2023). "Mortal Kombat 2 Shooting Date and Location Confirmed" . IGN. May 23, 2023. Retrieved.

"Fight! 'Mortal Kombat 2' Has Begun Filming, Per Producer," Echebiri, Makuochi (June 22, 2023). collision. taken from June 23, 2023. Jesse Whittock (July 14, 2023). "Australian Union Warns" Limited "Number Of" Offshore "Productions Will Stop During SAG Strike As Mortal Kombat 2 & Apples Never Fall Stand Down" . Hollywood Deadline. taken from July 14, 2023. Jasmine Roberts (November 14, 2023). "'Mortal Kombat 2' Begins Filming" . collision. Retrieved 11 July 2024.

Ford and Martyn The account @martynfordofficial (January 20, 2024). Arriving as strangers, we departed as family 🌎🇦🇺❤️. What a journey it has been, a small peek at the amazing Mortal Kombat wrap party … @lewistanofficial @adelinerudo @cj.bloomfield @anathunguyen @thechinhan @thechinhan #family #mortalkombat for more updates. On January 21, 2024, the original content was archived. retrieved through Instagram on January 21, 2024. Anthony D'Alessandro (May 14, 2024). "Warner Bros. Dates 'Mortal Kombat 2' & 'Companion' For 2025; Zach Cregger's 'Weapons' For 2026" . Hollywood Deadline. taken from May 15, 2024.