''Mortal Kombat 2'' is an upcoming American

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...

directed by

Simon McQuoid Simon McQuoid is an Australian filmmaker, best known for directing the 2021 reboot of ''Mortal Kombat''. McQuoid's background was in directing commercials. In May 2022, ''Deadline Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to: * Time limit, a n ...

and written by

Jeremy Slater Jeremy Slater is an American writer and producer of film and television, known for his work on films such as ''Fantastic Four'' and ''Death Note'', and on television series such as ''The Umbrella Academy'' and ''The Exorcist'', which Slater crea ...

, based on the video game franchise ''

Mortal Kombat ''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a v ...

'' created by

John Tobias John Tobias (born August 24, 1969) is an American comic book artist, graphic designer, video game designer and writer. Tobias is best known for creating the ''Mortal Kombat'' series along with Ed Boon, to whom he pitched the game concept. Tobia ...

and

Ed Boon Edward John Boon (born February 22, 1964) is an American video game programmer, voice actor, and director who was employed for over 15 years at Midway Games and since 2011 has worked for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in its daughter c ...

. The film serves as the sequel to 2021's ''

'' and as the fourth installment in the ''Mortal Kombat'' film series. It stars

Lewis Tan Lewis Singwah Tan (born 4 February 1987) is an English actor and martial artist best known for portraying Lu Xin Lee in Netflix's ''Wu Assassins'', Shatterstar in ''Deadpool 2'' (2018), Gaius Chau in AMC's '' Into the Badlands'' and Cole Young ...

Jessica McNamee Jessica McNamee (born 16 June 1988) is an Australian actress. She rose to fame in Australia playing roles in the Seven Network television programs '' Home and Away'' and ''Packed to the Rafters''. From 2014 to 2015, she starred as patrol officer ...

Tadanobu Asano , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor. He is known for his roles as Dragon Eye Morrison in ''Electric Dragon 80.000 V'', Kakihara in ''Ichi the Killer'', Mamoru Arita in '' Bright Future'', Hattori Genosuke in ''Zatoichi'', Kenj ...

Mehcad Brooks Mehcad Jason McKinley Brooks (born October 25, 1980) is an American actor and former fashion model. He is known for his roles as Matthew Applewhite in the second season of ABC's series ''Desperate Housewives'' (2005–2006), Jerome in '' The Gam ...

Ludi Lin Ludi Lin () (born November 11, 1987) is a Canadian actor and model. He is known for playing Zack Taylor in the 2017 ''Power Rangers'' reboot, the underwater warrior Murk in ''Aquaman'' (2018), and Lance in a 2019 episode of the Netflix series ''B ...

, Chin Han,

Joe Taslim Johannes Taslim (born 23 June 1981) is an Indonesian actor and martial artist. He was a member of Indonesia's judo national team from 1997 to 2009. He is known for his roles as Sergeant Jaka in ''The Raid'' (2011), Jah in ''Fast & Furious 6'' ...

Hiroyuki Sanada is a Japanese actor and martial artist. He is best known to international audiences for his roles as Genbu in ''Ninja in the Dragon's Den'' (1982), Ryuji Takayama in ''Ring'' (1998), Seibei Iguchi in ''The Twilight Samurai'' (2002), Ujio in ''T ...

, with series newcomers,

Karl Urban Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. His career began with appearances in New Zealand films and TV series such as '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. His first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film ''Ghost Ship''. Since t ...

Tati Gabrielle Tatiana Gabrielle Hobson (born January 25, 1996) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Gaia on The CW science fiction television series ''The 100'', Prudence on the Netflix original series ''Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'', Mar ...

Adeline Rudolph Adeline Rudolph (born 10 February 1995) is a Hong Kong-born actress. She began her career in modeling before making her debut in the Netflix series ''Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'' (2018–2020). She has since appeared in the CW series '' River ...

Martyn Ford Martyn Ford (born 28 April 1944) is an English musician, best known for his orchestral contributions to rock music albums of the 1970s and 1980s. Born in Rugby, Warwickshire,Lebanon, Ford was originally classically trained; he studied French hor ...

Desmond Chiam Desmond Chiam is an Australian actor best known for his role as Wyatt Cole on '' Reef Break,'' General Riga on '' The Shannara Chronicles'' and Dovich on ''The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.'' Early life and education Chiam was born to parents ...

and

Damon Herriman Damon Herriman is an Australian actor. He is known for his film and television work in Australia and the United States. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Dewey Crowe in ''Justified (TV series), Justified''. In 2019, he portrayed the c ...

joining the cast. Following the release of ''Mortal Kombat'' in April 2021, producer

Todd Garner Todd Garner is an American film producer and is the founder and head of ''Broken Road Productions''. Biography Garner is a former Disney executive, and was formerly co-president of production at Disney. Other films produced by Garner are ''Ange ...

, writer Greg Russo, and director Simon McQuoid began conversations about the future of the franchise, including standalone films focused on

Johnny Cage Johnny Cage is a fictional character in the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games/NetherRealm Studios. Introduced in the original 1992 game, he is an action movie star with an extensive martial arts background. The series de ...

and Bi-Han, and a sequel to the 2021 film. Some cast members and crew expressed interest in returning to a sequel and in 2021, news outlets reported the studio was planning to develop other installments in the ''Mortal Kombat'' franchise. By 2022, Warner Bros. had green-lit the sequel, with Slater set to pen the screenplay and McQuoid returned to direct the project. Filming began in June 2023 in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, was paused in mid-July due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, resumed in mid-November, and wrapped in late January 2024. ''Mortal Kombat 2'' is scheduled to be theatrically released by

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of liv ...

Cast

as Cole Young *

Sonya Blade Sonya Blade is a fictional character in the '' Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. She debuted in the original 1992 game as the roster's sole female fighter. Inspired by martial artist Cynthia Roth ...

as Jackson "Jax" Briggs *

as Raiden *

Liu Kang Liu Kang is a character (arts), fictional player character, character in the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game series by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Depicted as Earthrealm's greatest warrior and champion, he is generally the main hero of ...

* Chin Han as

Shang Tsung The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and f ...

as Bi-Han / Noob Saibot *

as Hanzo Hasashi / Scorpion *

Josh Lawson Joshua Lawson (born 22 July 1981) is an Australian actor and filmmaker best known for his role as Doug Gugghenheim in ''House of Lies'', Tate in '' Superstore'' and as Kano in the 2021 film ''Mortal Kombat''. Early life Lawson was born and rais ...

Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria * Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State **Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries **Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between ...

Max Huang Max Huang (born September 22, 1988) is a German actor, martial artist, stunt performer, songwriter and singer. He is known for his role of Kung Lao in the 2021 ''Mortal Kombat'' reboot, and for being a member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team. Person ...

Kung Lao Kung Lao ( or ) is a fictional character in the '' Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. A Shaolin monk, he debuted in ''Mortal Kombat II'' (1993). He is depicted as a primary hero in the series, inc ...

Jade Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of ...

Kitana Kitana is a fictional character in the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Debuting in ''Mortal Kombat II'' (1993), she is a royal from the fictional realm of Edenia. Her primary weapon is a pair o ...

Shao Kahn Shao Kahn is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Depicted as emperor of the fictional realm Outworld, he is one of the franchise's primary villains. Feared for his immense st ...

as King Jerrod * Ana Thu Nguyen as Queen Sindel *

Quan Chi Quan Chi is a fictional character in the '' Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games/NetherRealm Studios. He first appeared in the main series with ''Mortal Kombat 4'' (1997) following appearances in the non-canonical animated ...

* CJ. Bloomfield as

Baraka Baraka or Barakah may refer to: * Berakhah or Baraka, in Judaism, a blessing usually recited during a ceremony * Barakah or Baraka, in Islam, the beneficent force from God that flows through the physical and spiritual spheres * Baraka, full ''ḥ ...

Production

Development

Following the release of ''Mortal Kombat'' in April 2021, actor

revealed that he is contracted for four additional ''Mortal Kombat'' films, if

decides to create a franchise. Director

stated that he is open to returning to direct a sequel if the story for it is good. In an interview after the film's release, McQuoid said that the character

was not introduced in the film because Johnny Cage was a "giant personality" and would throw the film out of balance. He revealed that potential sequels could explore the material for characters like Cage and

. He also expressed that he would like to include more female characters. Co-writer Greg Russo told Collider that he sees the reboot as a trilogy with the first film set before the tournament, the second film set during the tournament and the third film set post-tournament. In November 2021, producer

hinted at a sequel in development on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, and in January 2022, the film was confirmed to be in development with

writing the script. In May 2022, Slater confirmed plans to include Johnny Cage in the film, after being set-up at the end of ''Mortal Kombat'', though he noted his exact role in the story has not been determined. The same month, Slater mentioned the film would "embrace some of heweirdness" inherent to the ''Mortal Kombat'' franchise, and that he wanted the film to be "unpredictable" and defy fan expectations. In June 2022, he further explained that the sequel would address both positive and negative fan reactions to the first film. In July 2022, it was announced that the film had been greenlit by New Line and that McQuoid would return to direct the sequel.

Casting

In May 2023,

was in final negotiations to play

in the film, with

also in final talks to play Cage. It was also reported that

and

would return to play

and

respectively. Later that month, Adeline Rudolph joined the cast as Kitana, with Gabrielle confirmed to be playing Jade. In June 2023,

, Ana Thu Nguyen, and

were cast as

, King Jerrod, Queen Sindel, and

. Herriman previously voiced

Kabal Kabal may refer to: * Kabal (earthworks), a desert fortification found in northern Kuwait used to house American military and coalition forces * Kabal Tehsil, a town in Pakistan * Kabal (Mortal Kombat), a character from the ''Mortal Kombat'' series ...

in the 2021 film prior. Later that same month,

confirmed he would return as

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began on June 22, 2023, at

Village Roadshow Studios Village Roadshow Studios are a set of film studios located in Oxenford, Queensland, Oxenford, Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The studios are owned by Village Roadshow and consist of nine sound stages as well as a rang ...

Gold Coast, Queensland The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the state of Queensland, Australia, approximately south-southeast of the centre of the state capital Brisbane. With a population over 600,000, the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, the nati ...

, with

Stephen F. Windon Stephen F. Windon (born 28 January 1959) is an Australian cinematographer. He is a frequent collaborator of film director Justin Lin. He did most of his cinematography, except for the first two and fourth installments, of the ''Fast & Furious ...

as the cinematographer. Filming was suspended in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike and resumed following the end of the strike in November 2023. Filming officially wrapped in late January 2024.

Release

''Mortal Kombat 2'' is scheduled to be theatrically released by

References

External links

* {{Mortal Kombat American fantasy action films American martial arts films American sequel films 2020s English-language films Films affected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike Films with screenplays by Jeremy Slater Live-action films based on video games Martial arts fantasy films Martial arts tournament films Mortal Kombat films Warner Bros. films Upcoming sequel films 2020s American films New Line Cinema films Ninja films