MOVIE NEWS – Fans of Mortal Kombat II thought they were just two months away from seeing Karl Urban step into the fight on October 24, but now it turns out they’ll have to wait much longer. According to Deadline, Warner Bros. has reshuffled its release calendar, pushing Mortal Kombat II all the way back to May 15, 2026, meaning those blood-soaked fatalities won’t hit the big screen anytime soon.

The announcement may not have shocked everyone, as the lack of marketing in recent months had already raised doubts about the film’s status. Many fans on social media had been openly asking whether the sequel was even happening. While it’s understandably frustrating to see the date pushed back so close to the planned release, it could also signal confidence from Warner Bros. that Mortal Kombat II can hold its own in the pre–Memorial Day summer slot.

Ironically, the original October release date would have given the film a relatively clear path at the box office: it would have arrived two weeks after Tron: Ares, facing only Jeremy Allen White’s Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, before enjoying weeks without major competition until Predator: Badlands in early November. Now, however, the movie has just a one-week buffer before Disney unleashes its first new Star Wars film since 2019, The Mandalorian & Grogu, on May 22, 2026. Could this move doom Mortal Kombat II before it even gets a chance to land its first punch?

Mortal Kombat II Looks to Build on the 2021 Reboot’s Foundation

Director Simon McQuoid returns at the helm, working from a screenplay by Jeremy Slater. This time, the sequel promises exactly what fans were hoping for in the first film: the actual tournament, a greater focus on Outworld, and the debut of Johnny Cage, played by Karl Urban. Returning cast members include Hiroyuki Sanada (Scorpion), Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero), Mehcad Brooks (Jax), Jessica McNamee (Sonya), Ludi Lin (Liu Kang), Chin Han (Shang Tsung), and Lewis Tan (Cole Young). New additions are Adeline Rudolph (Kitana), Tati Gabrielle (Jade), Martyn Ford (Shao Kahn), Ana Thu Nguyen (Sindel), and Damon Herriman (Quan Chi).

Like its predecessor, Mortal Kombat II will remain an unapologetically hard-R film, catering directly to the diehard fanbase who’ve been ripping spines and smashing skulls in the games for decades. Production wrapped earlier this year, and the first trailer dropped just a month ago, still promoting the October date. The exact reason for such a late shift remains unclear: it could be that post-production is taking longer than anticipated, or perhaps the studio plans additional reshoots. At present, though, there’s no indication of deeper problems with the film itself. If any arise, we’ll keep you updated.

Source: MovieWeb