Even though Mortal Kombat II is still seven months away, fans of the action movies can already look forward to Mortal Kombat III, as the video game adaptation will officially become a trilogy.
ScreenRant was in attendance at the New York Comic Con panel for Mortal Kombat II when Jeremy Slater, who wrote the script for Mortal Kombat II, announced that Mortal Kombat III has been confirmed and that he will be returning to write the next round. No release window was shared, nor was anyone else confirmed as returning.
Based on the classic fighting video games, 2021’s Mortal Kombat kicked off this franchise reboot as Sonya Blade, Kano, Jax, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and new character Cole Young are recruited by Lord Raiden to fight on behalf of Earth against the enemies of Outworld. The movie also featured the rivalry between Scorpion and Sub Zero.
Simon McQuoid directed Mortal Kombat, while the cast featured Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Mechad Brooks, Tadanobu Asano, Chin Han, Ludi Lin, Max Huang, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion.
McQuoid returned to the director’s chair for Mortal Kombat II, as did just about everyone from that cast to make up the film’s fighters. However, there are notable additions to the cast for the sequel, including Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Garbrielle as Jade, and Marty Ford as Shao Khan.
Mortal Kombat II was expected to come out on October 24, 2025, but it was delayed until May 15, 2026. Reportedly, part of the reason for the move was because of the success of Superman and other Warner Bros. backed movies in 2025, the studio did not need Mortal Kombat to make a profit in 2025, so they added it to their 2026 slate.
However, McQuoid offered another reasoning during NYCC, that Mortal Kombat II is a victim of its own success. “Every time someone’s seen this movie, it’s just gained momentum,” McQuoid said. “We’ve created a massive summer blockbuster.” He promised that while fans will have to wait longer to see the film, it finished product will be worth it.
To confirm a third Mortal Kombat film is a big show of faith from the studios. 2021’s Mortal Kombat box office came out to just $84.42 million, but it was released in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously in the US. Expectations clearly are that Mortal Kombat II will be a significant box office player in 2026.
At the very least, this iteration of the Mortal Kombat franchise has already surpassed the 1990s adaptations, which topped out at two films – 1995’s Mortal Kombat and 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.
- Created by
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Ed Boon, John Tobias
- Cast
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Robin Shou, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Bridgette Wilson, Talisa Soto, Christopher Lambert, Linden Ashby, Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada
- Movie(s)
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Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind, Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match
- Character(s)
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Liu Kang, Thunder God Raiden, Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Kung Lao, Sonya Blade, Jackson “Jax” Briggs, Kitana, Kano, Mileena, Noob Saibot, Elder God Shinnok, Goro, Kabal