The 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot successfully reignited the fan-favorite video game franchise on the big screen, delivering the R-rated action and faithful character depictions that audiences had craved for decades. Now, the sequel is aiming to capitalize on that momentum by not only continuing the story but also directly addressing the biggest criticisms of the first movie: the lack of an actual Mortal Kombat tournament. The follow-up will see the champions of Earthrealm, now joined by action star Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), officially enter the high-stakes tournament to defend their world from the invading forces of Outworld, led by the tyrannical Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford). The roster is expanding significantly, with fan-favorites like Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), Jade (Tati Gabrielle), and Quan Chi (Damon Herriman) joining returning fighters. However, fans shouldn’t get too attached to their favorite Kombatants, as many of them will not survive to see the credits roll.
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“They should be worried for everyone, to be honest,” Lewis Tan, who plays Cole Young, exclusively told ComicBook during an interview promoting recently released thriller Safe House. “In different versions of the script, different people died. I was like, ‘No way.’ Then, they changed it and switched it. By the end of it, nobody is safe. Anybody could die… and there are a lot of fatalities in the second movie. If your favorite character dies, it’s not the end. Death is only the beginning. Don’t be too upset, but there are a lot of fatalities. Some people are going to be happy and some are going to be really p-ssed off.”
Cole Young Has One of the Best Fights In Mortal Kombat II
The first film introduced Cole Young as a new character to the Mortal Kombat universe, an MMA fighter and descendant of the legendary Hanzo Hasashi, aka Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), who unlocks his own latent powers just in time to help defend Earthrealm. His journey of self-discovery served as the audience’s entry point into the world of interdimensional warriors and ancient prophecies. Cole is confirmed to return for the sequel, and while the addition of Johnny Cage might shift some of the focus, Tan confirms his character is at the center of one of the sequel’s most significant and brutal action sequences.
“I do have an epic fight in Mortal Kombat II. I can’t tell you who it is with, but when you know who it is with, you will know why it’s so epic,” Tan told us. “It is in one of my favorite video game locations. I was super-grateful to get that location because it’s such a cool design. That one took about three weeks to film, which is a long time. The style of the fight is very unique. You’ll get to see some moves you didn’t see in the first one, some character special moves. When the first movie ends, Cole had just discovered these new powers. You will see some new stuff that is very cool. It’s a fan-favorite fight, for sure. We shot that baby over three weeks.”
The fight’s brutality is also being elevated, with Tan promising a truly visceral encounter. “I think it is one of the bloodiest, bone-crunching fights out of all of them,” he said. “It’s definitely top three.” This commitment to delivering more intense and elaborate fight sequences, grounded in iconic game locations, is a clear sign that the sequel is determined to give fans the faithful adaptation they have been waiting for.
Mortal Kombat II is scheduled to be released in theaters on May 8, 2026, and Safe House is out now.
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