While movies based off of video games historically struggles, some of the best video games movies have arrived in recent years. Chief among them is Simon McQuoid's Mortal Kombat (streaming with a HBO Max subscription), which finally gave the gory franchise an R-rated film adaptation. A sequel is on the way, and star Lewis Tan recently teased way more fatalities and deaths of major characters. Suddenly I'm feeling nervous.
What we know about Mortal Kombat II is limited, but longtime fans are hyped that the upcoming video game movie will finally be focused on the titular tournament. The trailer for Mortal Kombat II introduced Johnny Cage and more fan favorite characters. But maybe we shouldn't get too attached; Tan spoke to ComicBook about the deaths that are coming in the sequel, teasing:
They should be worried for everyone, to be honest. In different versions of the script, different people died. I was like, ‘No way.’ Then, they changed it and switched it. By the end of it, nobody is safe. Anybody could die… and there are a lot of fatalities in the second movie. If your favorite character dies, it’s not the end. Death is only the beginning. Don’t be too upset, but there are a lot of fatalities. Some people are going to be happy and some are going to be really pissed off.
Uh oh. While these comments are likely going to please longtime fans who want to see more blood and death in Mortal Kombat II, I'm just wondering which characters are going to end up biting the bullet. Because if Tan's comments are to be believed, there are some controversial choices that will really piss people off. Is it May yet?
While Mortal Kombat II was recently delayed until 2026, comments like these are sure to help buoy fan excitement about the forthcoming blockbuster. Director W.S. Anderson's 90s movie was PG-13 and lacked the intense gore of the games, but Simon McQuoid's burgeoning franchise isn't shy about brutally killing off fighters. And it certainly seems like no one is safe in the sequel.
The 2021 movie delivered some serious blood and guts, and killed off a number of fan favorite characters including Reptile, Kano, Mileena, Nitara, and Sub-Zero. The latter will transform into Noob Saibot in Mortal Kombat II, so Lewis Tan's comments about death not being the end in the franchise makes sense. So there's hope for fans who find their favorite character brutally murdered throughout either of the two movies. Personally I'm hoping for Mileena to somehow return, especially since Kitana will be featured in the sequel.
Unfortunately for moviegoers, Mortal Kombat II has faced some delays on its way to theaters. While it was originally going to be released in October, it ended up getting pushed back to May. Luckily the marketing has started to pick up, with the first footage breaking the internet and comments like Lewis Tan's inspiring theories about what might be coming.
All will be revealed when Mortal Kombat II hits theaters on May 8th as part of the 2026 movie release list. While Lewis Tan was mostly missing from the movie's trailer, I'm curious to see how he factors into the sequel's story, especially since he's playing an original character.
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