Highlights
- Mortal Kombat fans can rejoice as production of the sequel resumes after the actors’ strike ends.
- The reboot of the Mortal Kombat film franchise was successful, receiving mixed reviews but being appreciated by fans and becoming the most successful movie debut on streamer Max.
- Karl Urban, known for his role in The Boys, will be playing fan-favorite character Johnny Cage in the sequel.
Mortal Kombat 2 resumed filming as the industry returned to life after the actors’ strike finally ended. Now, Karl Urban has shared a treat with fans.
The Mortal Kombat franchise is one of the most popular video game franchises of all time and has come a long way since its controversial start in the ’90s. Most recently, the film series was rebooted after a nearly two-decade break following the commercial failure of Annihilation, a 1997 Mortal Kombat movie that might be the worst sequel ever, according to some. The reboot did well enough at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics but was generally seen as a step in the right direction and a fitting revival of the film franchise, with fan appreciation making the film the most successful movie debut on streamer Max.
A Mortal Kombat sequel was confirmed to be in the works in July of 2022, featuring Karl Urban as fan-favorite character Johnny Cage, and started filming shortly before being stopped by the strikes. With the strikes resolved and production picking back up, Urban took to Instagram to post an image from the set featuring himself and some of his Mortal Kombat 2 cast members. The photo, captioned, “We’re back baby ! MK 2 Let’s go !! Love this cast 🙏🏽 📸 CJ #mortalkombat,” features Mortal Kombat stars Ludi Lin and Mehcad Brooks alongside Urban and his fellow newcomers Adeline Rudolph and selfie-photographer CJ. Bloomfield, who will respectively play Princess Kitana and Baraka.
Fans are happy to see production resumed and are excited by the prospect of these new stars joining the film series. Urban is best known for his role as Billy Butcher in The Boys and is adding Mortal Kombat to a list of franchise appearances that includes Star Trek, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and more. It was inevitable that Johnny Cage would be added to the sequel, with fan expectations high and a Mortal Kombat producer having Cage on his sequel wishlist. While a few fans have passively pointed out that Urban would make a better Kano than Cage, the other two newcomers face no such complaints, as the fanbase uniformly approves of the likenesses.
There are quite a few things the Mortal Kombat sequel can improve on the first, and the addition of three franchise staples in Cage, Kitana, and Baraka is a step in the right direction. With filming now getting back on track, it’s unlikely that there will be any news on a release date anytime soon. However, fans can rest assured that things are now back underway and console themselves with the much shorter wait for Urban’s The Boys rival Homelander to join the main roster of the Mortal Kombat 1 video game.
Mortal Kombat (2021) is currently available for streaming on Max
Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat is a fighting game franchise originally created by Ed Boon and John Tobias for Midway Games in 1992. The franchise has a reputation for its over-the-top violence and finishing moves called fatalities, which result in comically gruesome kills. The series’ immense popularity has helped it evolve into other mediums like comic books, spin-off games, television shows, and multiple film adaptations, both live-action and animated.
Source: Karl Urban/Instagram
