Mortal Kombat 2 is set to be “bigger and funnier” than the first film – and, according to the sequel’s writer, the reactions have been comparable to Avengers: Endgame.
The first Mortal Kombat had fights, fatalities, plenty of gore, and great Easter eggs for those who’ve played the games. It also had a big problem: it didn’t feature the titular tournament.
That’s going to change in Warner Bros’ highly anticipated follow-up to the video game movie. As the sequel was being developed, screenwriter Jeremy Slater was “adamant” that it would include the tournament, rather than making viewers “wait another movie and then be like, ‘Come back for the finale.'”
It’s the best lesson the film could have learned from its predecessor, and going by the response in test screenings, their hard work has already paid off.
Mortal Kombat 2 writer is “so excited” for fans to see it
Speaking to Comic Book, Slater said it’s a “tremendous honor and incredibly cool” to be involved in the project, especially as a lifelong fan of Mortal Kombat.
“It was genuinely surreal… look through my phone and there’s pictures of me next to Raiden, Kitana, and Baraka,” he said.
“I am so excited for people to see the movie. It’s been done for a while. We’ve been waiting for the right release date and waiting for the right window.
“I have been to those test screenings, which are full of Mortal Kombat fans, and watching them react to it the way I reacted to Avengers: Endgame. They were cheering and jumping out of their seats. Every joke is landing and they are loving it. It’s one of the greatest moments of my life. That’s why you get into this business.”
The first film had a big roster, but Mortal Kombat 2 is taking it even further: Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), Jade (Tati Gabrielle), Quan Chi (Damon Herriman), Shao Khan (Martyn Ford), Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen), and Baraka (CJ Bloomfield) will all appear alongside the sequel’s returning cast.
That made it exciting and incredibly challenging for Slater. “It was finding a structure to make the tournament as satisfying as you want it to be because this had years of build-up,” he explained.
“It’s figuring out who the individual matches are going to be, which characters do you pair off for maximum emotional impact, but also for the most dynamic fights. Then, also, what is the larger story you are telling between the tournament?
“Then, making sure when you get to those moments that matter — the fights, the fatalities, the surprises, the deaths — that they land and they are as satisfying as everyone wants them to be. I think we nailed it. They had the best stunt team in the business working on this thing. The actors are phenomenal. It’s so much funnier and bigger than the first movie.”
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