Mortal Kombat 2023 cast

Warner Bros' reboot of Mortal Kombat is officially getting a sequel - alongside a potential whole franchise. Already, there's a strong set-up for more in the movie universe, and Mortal Kombat's [2021] sequel is set to bring in at least one missing figure who was controversially excluded from the reboot. Indeed, as the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie's ending reveals, fan-favorite character Johnny Cage will be starring in the Mortal Kombat 2 movie.

Mortal Kombat is the third live-action movie in the beloved franchise, fixing many of the issues of the original — which is nonetheless a cult classic - and the more problematic sequel, Annihilation, from 1997. The 2021 movie delivers on the promised R-rating, sticking to a mostly faithful adaptation model that brings iconic characters to life as well as expanding to the lore with the introduction of new mysterious character Cole Young, whose identity inspired lots of speculation ahead of the movie's release.

There's certainly potential in the lore and story of Mortal Kombat to expand towards multiple sequels — not to mention spin-offs — with the potential franchise certainly not lacking in the source material department. And luckily for fans of the franchise and Simon McQuoid's movie, there is now official confirmation that there will be at least one more new Mortal Kombat movie. Here's everything you need to know about Mortal Kombat 2.

Is Mortal Kombat 2 Happening?

As first reported by Deadline, Mortal Kombat 2 is officially happening as of January 2022. New Line and Warner Bros. are now confirmed to be taking the necessary steps to continue the franchise, with their first action being the hiring of The Umbrella Academy's Jeremy Slater to pen the Mortal Kombat 2 script. The media outlet notes that no other deals are currently in place for the sequel, meaning Mortal Kombat 2021 director Simon McQuoid and the reboot's core cast still need to agree to terms of their own to return for Mortal Kombat 2.

The end of Mortal Kombat sets up further invasions by Shang Tsung as he seeks to use his Outworld allies to prevent a fair Mortal Kombat tournament from happening and his own inevitable defeat. With that in mind, Cole Young and his fellow surviving Earthrealm champions are sent to round up more champions, beginning with series favorite Johnny Cage, who Young tracks to Hollywood. Shang Tsung, meanwhile, will no doubt retire to his own realm to lick his wounds and bolster his own team, possibly looking to revive his most feared warrior, Sub-Zero, somehow. It is, however, confirmed that an actual Mortal Kombat tournament will be shown in a Mortal Kombat 2 movie, surely pleasing lots of fans who were left bemused by its absence.

Mortal Kombat 2 Cast

Though Mortal Kombat kills off several main characters, Lewis Tan's Cole Young will return for the sequel alongside Jessica McNamee's Sonya Blade, Mehcad Brooks' Jax, Tadanobu Asano's Raiden, Ludi Lin's Liu Kang, and possibly Hiroyuki Sanada's Scorpion. If Joe Taslim is back for multiple sequels, Scorpion likely returns too. And then there's Chin Han's Shang Tsung, who will presumably still be the main villain. Meanwhile, WWE star The Miz wants to be the actor to play Johnny Cage in the Mortal Kombat 2 cast. Ryan Reynolds was also briefly rumored to be in the running to play Cage, only to hilariously turn the rumors into an ad for his Mint Mobile cell phone company. Either way, it's confirmed that the Hollywood bad boy will indeed be a featured character in the sequel.

Mortal Kombat 2 Release Date Info

Mortal Kombat took decades to get to the screen and was then delayed by Covid. It's unlikely a sequel would take as long to get to screen. If the production of the original is anything to go by, a reasonable turnover of a couple of years wouldn't be unexpected, even allowing for a lengthier post-production period than McQuoid's initial four-month filming schedule. So perhaps 2023 wouldn't be out of the question. Reports now suggest that multiple Mortal Kombat follow-up movies are in development, including sequels and spinoffs to sit alongside the confirmed Mortal Kombat 2. That's primarily due to the movie's HBO Max launch being one of the biggest in the service's history, meaning it's likely Warner Bros. will make Mortal Kombat 2's production a top priority.

Mortal Kombat 2 Is Learning Its Lessons From The First Movie

The Mortal Kombat 2 movie is the next step in establishing long-term prospects for Warner Bros.' live-action reboot, and updates regarding the sequel suggest that the lessons from the first movie won't be ignored. Although Mortal Kombat 2 writer Jeremy Slater won't say anything about the actual story, he explains that they see the sequel "as a chance to take everything that worked in the first one and do it even better and give the audience even more, and make something that is just incredibly satisfying, and really exciting, and unpredictable." Indeed, Mortal Kombat 2 focusing on Johnny Cage was an unprecedented move, as the character is typically on the sidelines, and it will interesting to see how his role develops moving forward. Furthermore, as the sequel will feature an actual Mortal Kombat tournament, it looks like Warner Bros. will finally be giving long-time fans of the franchise what they want.

More: Mortal Kombat Spin-Offs Would Be Better For Johnny Cage Than A Sequel