MOVIE NEWS – Mortal Kombat 2, the sequel to the 2021 video game adaptation, has been given the green light. Here’s everything we know so far!
Mortal Kombat was originally released as a video game in late 1992 by Midway Games. In the late 1990s, Hollywood adapted the game franchise into a film series. The first instalment, Mortal Kombat, was released in 1995, followed by the sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation in 1997. While the first film did well, the second film’s disastrous reception caused studio executives to scrap the rest of the franchise.
Then in 2021, audiences were treated to a reboot of the original film, which was a huge success. The reboot was so successful that New Line Cinema executives almost immediately greenlit a sequel.
So here’s everything we know about Mortal Kombat 2 so far!
Cast and characters: who has been confirmed?
One of the confirmed characters in the film is Noob Saibot, who will be played by Joe Taslim, who played the role of Sub-Zero in the first film. For those unfamiliar with video game canon, the original Sub-Zero, after being defeated by Sasori, turned into a deadly shadow who took the name Noob Saibot. He is the epitome of evil in the game series. Nevertheless, the transformation from ninja to evil shadow will go down in the record books. The effects used in the first film tell fans that the sequel will be spectacular.
Although many fans were outraged that Johnny Cage was not in the first film, the arrogant fighting champion will be in the sequel. We also expect Cole Young (Lewis Tan), Sasori’s successor, to return. It has been confirmed that Major Jackson “Jax” Briggs (Mehcad Brooks), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) and Shang Tsung (Chin Han) will also return in the second film.
Cast and characters: who will be joining the sequel?
At the end of the first film, the fan audience was shown a couple of hints that Kitana could be seen in the sequel. Also on the fans’ wish list are Nightwolf, Sheeva, Kotal Kahn and Shinnok. The first Mortal Kombat set the perfect stage for Sheeva to appear in the sequel, as Cole killed Goro in the first film. Moreover, there’s no reason to think that Shinnok will be needed in the sequel, as Shang Tsung will once again take on the role of the arch-nemesis. However, this is just icing on the cake.
It is also rumoured that the director has a choice as to who to cast in certain roles. The most interesting casting choice would be Ryan Reynolds as Johnny Cage. The actor has the physical gifts, including a natural arrogance and comic timing, to make the character work to his advantage. However, with Reynolds’ calendar completely full for the next twelve to fifteen months, the chances of this dream coming true are extremely slim. One name that has been circulating the rumour mill as the actor being considered for the role of Johnny Cage is Charlie Hunnam, known for his role in Sons of Anarchy.
Another excellent casting choice for the sequel would be Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Kotal Kahn. Again, just as with the problems of signing Ryan Reynolds for the film, Johnson’s professional calendar is pretty full and would not support him starring in one of the most beloved franchises of all time. Why not wait until the dream cast list is done? Because the film is already on the pre-production cast list. Some minor revisions to the script are in the works and will be completed soon. But then, as we don’t know much about this sequel, the dream cast list could be ready. That’s the beauty of entertainment news; you can never be sure until it happens.
Sindel could be in the sequel. It would only make sense if Kitana is included in the story. Fans know that Sindel was the queen of Edenia and Shao Kahn killed her husband Jared and forced him into marriage. As viewers may recall, the first film ended without showing the tournament. To avenge Mileena’s death, Shang Tsung recruited Sindel to avenge the death of his other daughter. The only person we could think of for the role would be the great Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Plot: what can we expect?
The script for Mortal Kombat 2 will be written by Jeremy Slater, who is also working on Disney+’s upcoming Moon Knight series. While we don’t know much about the premise, Slater said, “We’re building something bigger, better and bloodier that will blow people’s minds.” Speculation around Mortal Kombat 2 is gaining momentum, with the film having a lot to live up to, but support for a sequel is unwavering.
Expected release date
While there is no confirmed date yet, we can expect to see the film in late 2023 or 2024.
Source: Entertainment Weekly, Vox
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