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Mortal Kombat 2 release date speculation, plot, cast, and news

Amid all the buzz on Karl Urban reportedly accepting the role of Johnny Cage, here's what we know about the Mortal Kombat 2 release date.

Mortal Kombat 2 release date: Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat

What is the Mortal Kombat 2 movie release date? Turning one of the biggest gaming IPs into a blockbuster is a challenge in and of itself, but director Simon McQuoid proved he was up to the challenge with 2021’s Mortal Kombat.

After years of development hell, 2019’s Mortal Kombat served as a reboot of the ’90s film series of the same name. Fans couldn’t get enough of seeing beloved Mortal Kombat characters like Raiden, Scorpion, and Sub-Zero on the big screen, and though it had its flaws, it was one of the best action movies of the year. Now, Mortal Kombat 2 is moving full steam ahead, and the new movie has even found its Johnny Cage. Here’s what we know…

Mortal Kombat 2 release date speculation

Mortal Kombat 2 is expected to be released in the summer of 2025 following an official announcement in January 2022. 

Carrying on the good news, filming on Mortal Kombat 2 began in June 2023, though production on the film stopped in July 2023 after the Actors Strike began. However, the actors strike is now over as of November 2023, and we know that filming has already resumed. (That was fast!)

The news came following an Instagram post from Karl Urban, who showed the cast back on set. It’s not clear how much more filming is needed, but since they’d only done just a month before the strikes, we think it’s safe to assume that production will go well into 2024. Give or take several months for extensive post-production, and a mid-2025 release date sounds perfectly possible.

Mortal Kombat 2 release date: Karl Urban's Instagram post

Who’s in the Mortal Kombat 2 cast?

Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, and Tadanobu Asano are all set to return for Mortal Kombat 2, reprising their roles from the first movie. 

They’ll be joined by newcomers Karl Urban, Tati Gabrielle, and Adeline Rudolph, with The Boys, MCU, and Dredd star Urban supposedly coming on board as Johnny Cage. That might be the most exciting news yet.

Here’s the Mortal Kombat 2 cast list:

  • Lewis Tan as Cole Young
  • Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade
  • Mehcad Brooks as Jackson “Jax” Briggs
  • Tadanobu Asano as Raiden
  • Ludi Lin as Liu Kang
  • Chin Han as Shang Tsung
  • Joe Taslim as Bi-Han / Noob Saibot
  • Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi / Scorpion
  • Karl Urban as Johnny Cage (rumored)
  • Tati Gabrielle as Jade
  • Adeline Rudolph as Kitana
  • Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn
  • Desmond Chiam as King Jerrod
  • Ana Thu Nguyen as Queen Sindel
  • Damon Herriman as Quan Chi
  • Max Huang as Kung Lao

mortal kombat 2 release date: sonya blade in mortal kombat

What will happen in Mortal Kombat 2?

Mortal Kombat 2 will show an actual Mortal Kombat tournament — and Johnny Cage will most likely be part of it.

We know this because, at the end of the first movie, Cole Young and the rest of the surviving Earthrealm champions are tasked with rounding up more competitors for the Mortal Kombat tournament.

The post-credit scene shows Young finally tracking down Johnny Cage, who is a legendary character in the video game. Consequently, it can be assumed that the sequel will center around Young and others trying to get Cage to join them.

Presumably, this will all lead up to the Mortal Kombat tournament, which will see the Earthrealm face off against Shang Tsung and his Outworld allies. Although Sub-Zero, his most powerful fighter, was defeated in the first movie, he’s expected to return as Noob Saibot.

In the Mortal Kombat videogames, Noob Saibot is the undead/revived version of Sub-Zero, which appears after the character is killed by Scorpion. So, as the Earthrealm and Outworld battle it out, we wouldn’t be too surprised to see Noob Saibot swoop in with a fatality or two.

mortal kombat 2 release date: raiden in mortal kombat

Is there a Mortal Kombat 2 trailer?

Because it’s so early in production, there isn’t a Mortal Kombat 2 trailer yet.

You can expect the first images to drop toward the end of filming, and a trailer toward the end of 2024. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out, so come back to find out more when the time comes.

In the meantime, revisit the first movie by checking out the trailer below, just to remind yourself of what we’ll be in for when the new movie rolls around.

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Where can I watch Mortal Kombat 2?

Mortal Kombat 2 will likely have a theatrical run before becoming available on the streaming service Max. 

With the video game having a formidable fanbase and Warner Bros making it clear that they’re focused on theatrical releases moving forward, we can expect the sequel to come to cinemas first and foremost.

For fans outside of the US, the Mortal Kombat movie will likely become available on digital release a couple of months after its theatrical run. This means that you’ll be able to buy or rent it on platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV Plus. If you want to revisit the first movie, you can find it on Max or Amazon Prime Video.

That’s it on Mortal Kombat 2. We’ve also ranked the best video game movies and 102 best movies of all time. We also have guides on The Last of Us cast, the Knuckles TV series release date, the Arcane season 2 release date, and the Super Mario movie 2 release date.

If you’re looking for more info on the Mortal Kombat video games, check out The Loadout’s guides to the Mortal Kombat 1 Kameo tier list, and their picks for the best fighting games ever. Or, see PCGamesN’s breakdown of all the Mortal Kombat 1 characters, and the Mortal Kombat 1 release date.