Mortal Kombat 2 (film)
Mortal Kombat 2 is an upcoming American martial arts fantasy film directed by Simon McQuoid and written by Jeremy Slater, based on the video game franchise Mortal Kombat created by John Tobias and Ed Boon. The film serves as the sequel to 2021's Mortal Kombat and as the fourth installment in the Mortal Kombat film series. It stars Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada, with series newcomers, Karl Urban, Tati Gabrielle and Adeline Rudolph joining the cast. Following the release of Mortal Kombat in April 2021, producer Todd Garner, writer Greg Russo, and director Simon McQuoid began conversations about the future of the franchise, including standalone films focused on Johnny Cage 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. Mortal Kombat 2 is scheduled to be theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Cast 
 Lewis Tan as Cole Young
 Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade
 Mehcad Brooks as Jackson "Jax" Briggs
 Tadanobu Asano as Raiden
 Ludi Lin as Liu Kang
 Chin Han as Shang Tsung
 Joe Taslim as Bi-Han / Noob Saibot
 Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi / Scorpion
 Josh Lawson as Kano
 Max Huang as Kung Lao
 Karl Urban as Johnny Cage
 Tati Gabrielle as Jade
 Adeline Rudolph as Kitana
 Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn
 Desmond Chiam as King Jerrod
 Ana Thu Nguyen as Queen Sindel
 Damon Herriman as Quan Chi
 CJ. Bloomfield as Baraka

Production

Development 
Following the release of Mortal Kombat in April 2021, actor Joe Taslim revealed that he is contracted for four additional Mortal Kombat films, if Warner Bros. Pictures decides to create a franchise. Director Simon McQuoid 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 Johnny Cage 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 Kitana. 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 Todd Garner hinted at a sequel in development on Twitter, and in January 2022, the film was confirmed to be in development with Jeremy Slater 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 [the] weirdness" 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, Tati Gabrielle was in final negotiations to play Jade in the film, with Karl Urban also in final talks to play Cage. It was also reported that Jessica McNamee and Josh Lawson would return to play Sonya Blade and Kano respectively. Later that month, Adeline Rudolph joined the cast as Kitana, with Gabrielle confirmed to be playing Jade. In June 2023, Martyn Ford, Desmond Chiam, Ana Thu Nguyen, and Damon Herriman were cast as Shao Kahn, King Jerrod, Queen Sindel, and Quan Chi. Herriman previously voiced Kabal in the 2021 film prior. Later that same month, Max Huang confirmed he would return as Kung Lao. Filming 
Principal photography began on June 22, 2023, at Village Roadshow Studios in Gold Coast, Queensland, with Stephen F. Windon as the cinematographer, and was expected to wrap in September 2023, before filming was suspended in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Release 
Mortal Kombat 2 is scheduled to be theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures. References

External links 
 

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