How Mortal Kombat 2 Is Trying To Deliver For Hardcore Fans, According To The Writer

Tadanobu Asano as Raiden in Mortal Kombat
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Historically, video game movies have had a rotten track record. But the subgenre has had some recent hits lately, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Detective Pikachu, and Mortal Kombat. The latter flick was a streaming hit on HBO Max, and Warner Bros. ordered a sequel. And the movie’s writer recently explained how Mortal Kombat 2 is trying to deliver for hardcore fans.

Mortal Kombat’s sequel is currently in development, and moviegoers and gamers alike are eager to see which fighters ultimately make their way into live-action. The movie is being written by Jeremy Slater, who recently spoke to Discussing Film about crafting the project. The Moon Knight writer opened up, saying:

The Mortal Kombat sequel is awesome. I’m having a ton of fun. I can’t really share any details about it, but we want to make something that the fans really love and I think it’s a really great creative team. They have been listening to the fan reactions and they know what fans loved about the first movie and what they didn’t. Everyone is creatively setting out to really make a sequel that tops the original in every way. We’re still very early in the process, but the fans should be really excited. It’s going to be awesome.

Well, there you have it. Because after the release of Mortal Kombat, the folks involved in crafting the sequel have been listening to the feedback of the fandom. The video game franchise means a great deal to generations of gamers out there, and it sounds like Jeremy Slater and company are truly trying to meet those high expectations.

Jeremy Slater’s comments come as he’s promoting the third season of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, which he created. But audiences are also eager for any updates about the development of Mortal Kombat 2. And who can blame them? The movie did end before we even got to the titular tournament. 

Seeds, there were a number of narrative seeds planted within Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat movie for a possible sequel. Aside from the tournament itself, the movie also ended with Lewis Tan’s Cole leaving to recruit Johnny Cage. Sub-Zero’s “death” also would seemingly make the way for him to be transformed into Noob Saibot. Fans are also eager to see the entrance of Kitana, and are wondering if Mileena might be back in the process.

One way that the first Mortal Kombat definitely delivered for the fans was just how violent the R-rated movie was. Battles were brutal, and the fatalities were delightfully gory, just as they were in the source material. This was a huge improvement on the pair of movies from the 1990’s, which were noticeably pulled back.

It’s currently unclear when Mortal Kombat 2 will be released. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.