Mortal Kombat 2 Movie: Release Date And Everything We Know So Far
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It has been a long wait for a sequel to 2021’s Mortal Kombat, but at long last, Earthrealm’s finest are ready to make their grand return. The first film did a solid job in reintroducing Mortal Kombat to movie-watching audiences, as its combination of brutally choreographed fight scenes, subtle nods to the franchise, and sharp banter made for an enjoyable experience. The sequel is promising to be even bigger and bloodier than its predecessor, and while it’ll still be several months before it arrives, it sounds like fans will be in for a thrilling ride. Here’s everything that we know so far about Mortal Kombat 2.
What is the Mortal Kombat 2 movie about?
The 2021 Mortal Kombat movie put a fascinating new spin on the Mortal Kombat mythos, but at its core, it was also incredibly faithful to the video game source material with its violent brawls and glorious fatalities. Now that Shang Tsung’s plot to sabotage Earthrealm has been foiled, it’s time for the real Mortal Kombat tournament to begin. It’s all or nothing, as after nine consecutive defeats, Earthrealm has to win this competition if it wants to avoid being invaded by Outworld.
“They keep score throughout the movie. There’s a visual representation of who is winning,” franchise co-creator Ed Boon explained to Entertainment Weekly recently. “It’s not just a tournament for the sake of a tournament. There are huge consequences, so you really are keeping score.”
Fortunately, Earthrealm has some powerful warriors on its side, including the Hollywood A-lister Johnny Cage, who’ll be joining Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Cole Young, and Jax. Across the realms, we also know that we’ll see characters like Kitana, Baraka, Shao Kahn, and Quan Chi appear in Mortal Kombat 2. Sub-Zero’s actor–more on that in a bit–Joe Taslim is also in the movie and the vengeful specter Scorpion is also present. With such a stacked roster, you can bet that there’s going to be a whole lot more blood shed in this sequel.
When is Mortal Kombat 2 coming out?
Mortal Kombat 2 will hit theaters on October 24, 2025.
Who’s going to be in Mortal Kombat 2?
Mortal Kombat 2’s version of Johnny Cage will be played by The Boys and Dredd actor Karl Urban, while other new roles include Martyn Ford as Outworld emperor Shao Kahn, Adeline Rudolph as his adopted daughter Kitana, and CJ Bloomfield as the toothy brawler Baraka.
“His integration into the Mortal Kombat story and universe is a big part of what this movie explores. He’s a washed-up Hollywood guy thrown into this magical, ultra-violent thing. Karl, his depiction of Johnny Cage is different than our games in some ways,” Boon said of Urban’s take on Johnny Cage. “He’s adding his own flare to it, but I think it’ll feel fresh. There’s like a novelty factor in there.”
You might have noticed that some of the actors in the list below will be playing characters who are quite dead after the events of Mortal Kombat, but as Boon explained, the games did establish methods for resurrection, both scientific and magical. With sinister Netherrealm sorceror Quan Chi appearing in the movie, there’s probably a good chance that we’ll see him use his dark magic to bend several warriors to his will.
This could be especially interesting for the character of Sub-Zero, who met his grisly end at the hands of Cole Young and Scorpion. In the original Mortal Kombat timeline, the first incarnation of Sub-Zero–Bi-Han–was burned to death by Scorpion and his soul was sent to Netherrealm, where it was transformed into a new entity that came to be known as Noob Saibot. Saibot’s younger brother would eventually become the new Sub-Zero in his place.
New
- Baraka (CJ Bloomfield)
- Jade (Tati Gabrielle)
- Jerrod (Desmond Chiam)
- Johnny Cage (Karl Urban)
- Kitana (Adeline Rudolph)
- Quan Chi (Damon Herriman)
- Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford)
- Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen)
Returning
- Cole Young (Lewis Tan)
- Jax (Mehcad Brooks)
- Kano (Josh Lawson)
- Kung Lao (Max Huang)
- Liu Kang (Ludi Lin)
- Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada)
- Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee)
- Joe Taslim in a mystery role
- Raiden (Tadanobu Asano)
- Shang Tsung (Chin Han)
Is there a trailer for Mortal Kombat 2?
Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time as new information on the film has slowly trickled out over the last couple of weeks.
Who’s directing Mortal Kombat 2?
Simon McQuoid returns to helm the sequel, and he’ll be working off a script written by Jeremy Slater. While Mortal Kombat wasn’t a gigantic hit at the box office, Warner Bros. Pictures did give the go-ahead on a sequel in 2022 and filming officially kicked off in June 2023 in Australia. There were delays caused by the SAG-AFTRA strike that saw production halted in July that year, but it resumed in November and principal photography was completed in January 2024.
