Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema’s Mortal Kombat reboot released to polarizing reviews last year, but thanks to a successful launch on HBO Max and a lucrative run at the box office, the companies have warmed up to another sequel based on Netherrealm Studios’ long-running fighting game franchise.
Mortal Kombat 2 was confirmed today in a new report shared by Deadline, which revealed that the sequel would be written by Jeremy Slater, the scribe behind one of Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney+ shows, Moon Knight. It’s unclear whether Simon McQuoid, who directed the 2021 film, will be returning for the sequel, however.
“[…] Mortal Kombat was released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in April 2021 during the pandemic, opening at No. 1 at the box office and ranking among the top feature titles on HBO Max since the platform launched,” Deadline noted its coverage.
“The film was directed by Simon McQuoid, who produced with Todd Garner, E. Bennett Walsh and Wan. In last year’s action-fest, an MMA fighter sought out Earth’s greatest champions in order to stand against the enemies of Outworld. It was a battle for the universe.”
There doesn’t seem to be a lot of Mortal Kombat fans who prefer the 2021 film to Paul W.S. Anderson’s 1995 original, which remains one of the better video game adaptations out there, but Slater has a good chance of outdoing its sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, which has been ranked as one of the worst films of all time. Released in 1997, the movie has a 4% Tomatometer score and 25% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is also number 81 on iMDB’s list of lowest-rated movies.
Source: Deadline