It's time for another Mortal Kombat! Two years ago, Warner Bros. presented us with a new live-action movie for the popular franchise, which comprises 12 games and has sold over 80 million copies worldwide. With "Mortal Kombat 2", we can soon look forward to the highly anticipated sequel, which is also expected to be extremely brutal. In our new Original episode, we give you all the latest information on the plot, cast and production of the video game adaptation. Enjoy!

The Plot of Mortal Kombat 2

There was one thing in particular that fans of the series found lacking in the predecessor: the eponymous tournament. The objective is to prevent the tenth consecutive victory of Shang Tsung and his henchmen, which would give Outworld control of the Earth. In the first movie, there was talk of this, but ultimately the villains were just trying to prevent another contest from happening at all. Part 1 ended with Shang Tsung admitting defeat in the battle against Cole Young and his allies and now vowing revenge by returning with an entire army.

Is the Mortal Kombat Tournament Finally Coming?

Of course, that doesn't sound as if the classic tournament will finally be featured in "Mortal Kombat 2". However, it was not yet clear at the time whether the movie would be a success at all - so of course they wanted to tease the biggest thing possible. In addition, some of the actors already have contracts for multiple movies. Co-writer of the first movie, Greg Russo, told Collider that he personally sees the reboot as a trilogy: The first movie takes place before the tournament, the second movie during it and "Mortal Kombat 3" after.

So the chances are good that the war between Earth and Outworld as the grand finale will have to wait a little longer - perhaps in favor of the tournament, which will be anything but clear-cut?

The Appearance of Johnny Cage

At the end of Part 1, Cole Young sets off to recruit a number of other champions for the upcoming fight. Much to the delight of fans, it becomes apparent that Johnny Cage is involved in "Mortal Kombat 2"! The Hollywood star is one of the most frequently recurring characters in the entire franchise. At first glance, he is characterized by his big mouth and his selfish and materialistic nature. Over the course of the games, however, he develops into one of the most important fighters on Earth and is considered a faithful and loyal companion. It can therefore be strongly assumed that the fan favorite will play a major role in the sequel.

The Cast

There has been one question above all others since the release of the previous movie: who will play Johnny Cage in "Mortal Kombat 2"? Well, the role of the iconic character will be played by Karl Urban, who should be familiar to most movie and series viewers thanks to the Amazon hit series "The Boys". As a result, fans were very excited when Urban was confirmed for the role of Johnny Cage - for many, he was the perfect fit for the character. At the start of filming, producer Todd Garner posted a photo showing Urban together with the majority of the cast.

Familiar Faces

Actor Lewis Tan - known from "Shadow and Bone" and "Deadpool 2" - was already able to make an impression in part 1 in the role of Cole Young and will thus also return in "Mortal Kombat 2". Also reprising their roles are Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade and Josh Lawson as Kano. Others already confirmed include Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion and "The Raid" star Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero.

New Fighters in Mortal Kombat 2

Besides Johnny Cage, other new additions await us: The cast of the action movie will be joined by Tati Gabrielle as Jade and Adeline Rudolph as Princess Kitana. It was also revealed via Deadline that Martyn Ford will take on the role of the mighty conqueror Shao Kahn. Desmond Chiam will play King Jerrod, Ana Thu Nguyen will be seen as Queen Sindel and Damon Herriman will appear as Quan Chi.

Return of the Dead

Anyone who has listened carefully will have noticed that some characters who actually died in the predecessor will be making an appearance. Director Simon McQuoid said that the game series had already shown various ways in which characters who had already been killed off could return to the story of "Mortal Kombat". We are curious to find out how exactly this will happen in the movie sequel.

The Production

With the first movie, Simon McQuoid celebrated his directing debut and he will also assume this position in "Mortal Kombat 2". The screenwriter is Jeremy Slater, who previously worked on the Disney series "Moon Knight" with Oscar Isaac and also worked on Netflix's quirky superhero series "The Umbrella Academy". He is joined on the script by Ed Boon, the creator of the video games. The movie is being produced in part by James Wan and Michael Clear with their production company Atomic Monster.

When is the Mortal Kombat 2 Movie Coming?

Although filming on "Mortal Kombat 2" started in June 2023, it was then put on hold for a long time due to the actors' and writers' strike, as was the case with many other productions. With the end of the strikes, work can finally resume - but it remains unclear how long production will last and whether the previously envisaged release in 2024 is still realistic. Nevertheless, "Mortal Kombat 2" is expected to hit theaters in 2025 at the latest.

The Future of the "Mortal Kombat" Franchise

So what's next for the film series? In a podcast for Variety magazine, Sub-Zero actor Joe Taslim spoke about having signed on for a total of four more "Mortal Kombat" movies. According to him, the future of the series is of course also dependent on the success of the second part, yet this announcement might give us hope for the time being, as it seems that they still believe in the potential of the franchise.