Mortal Kombat fans rejoice. The franchise, which was given the reboot treatment in 2021, has been green-lit for a sequel by New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. The film will follow the characters and storylines established in the previous installment and will be creatively spearheaded by Atomic Monster; the production company run by James Wan.
Wan is enthusiastic about the possibilities that an ongoing Mortal Kombat franchise can explore. The man behind blockbuster franchises like Saw and Aquaman also revealed some crucial details about the production of the new film. While the first Mortal Kombat was shot in Adelaide, South Australia, the sequel will be relocated to Gold Coast, Queensland.
“I’m so proud that Atomic Monster is able to bring the filming of Mortal Kombat 2 to Australia,” Wan said in an official press release. “I’m thrilled that with the help of Screen Australia and Screen Queensland, we can show off the majestic locations of Queensland and work with the top-notch artistic talent based there.”
The people both in front of and behind the camera will largely remain the same. Simon McQuoid will return as director, while Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Ludi Lin, and Joe Taslim will be back to expand on their characters. Tan played Cole Young, who was created specifically for the film, so it’ll be interesting to see where his character goes given his narrative wiggle room. Conversely, Taslim has teased the possibility that he will be playing Noob Saibot, who is a variation on the iconic character he played in the first film: Sub-Zero.
‘Mortal Kombat 2’ will introduce Johnny Cage
While it’ll be nice to have returning cast and crew members, given the success of the first film, there’s also been some exciting news involving newcomers. Jeremy Slater has been tapped to write the screenplay, and will be taking over for the duo of Greg Russo and David Callaham. Tati Gabrielle has been cast to play Jade, a heroine who was introduced in the second Mortal Kombat video game and has since gone on to become one of the franchise’s most popular characters. The character is described as an assassin who is both a friend and bodyguard to Princess Kitana (who has yet to appear in the new films).
The Mortal Kombat sequel is also rumored to be adding Johnny Cage. In the world of the games (and now, the films), Cage is a movie star who enters the eponymous tournament as a means of proving that he’s the real deal. Karl Urban is currently in talks to star as Cage, though nothing has been officially confirmed yet. Urban is no stranger to beloved IP, as evidenced by his impressive filmography, and his ability to deliver the goods in fan-favorite adaptations of Dredd (2012) and The Boys (2019-) makes him an inspired choice.
There was some criticism by fans who wanted to see the character of Johnny Cage appear in the first film, but McQuoid revealed that the decision to withhold him was deliberate, as the director felt his sizable presence would throw the film out of balance. Given that the franchise was able to secure a talent like Urban, we’re confident that the wait is going to be worth it.
Are you excited to see Mortal Kombat 2? Is your favorite character slated to appear?
