It’s been months since Warner Bros. revealed Mortal Kombat II was shifting its release from October 2025 to May 2026. At last, the studio released a new trailer that’s got more kombat, some more story, and a few new nifty fatalities that should look good on the big screen.
The big selling point for MKII this time around is the tournament will actually be happening, and it’s bringing in more of the cast from the games. Our lead this time is Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage, a washed-up actor conscripted by Raiden and Sonya Blade into fighting in the titular bloodsport.
Joining them on the good guys’ side are returning and fresh faces like Cole, Kitana, and Jax, while the bad guys are led by Shao Kahn and include Baraka, Sindel, and Quan Chi. Also, Scorpion and Sub-Zero are back, still continuing their long rivalry, and Sub-Zero’s now in his wraith form, Noob Saibot.
During the film’s panel at last year’s New York Comic-Con, director Simon McQuoid discussed making Mortal Kombat II a “full feature-length version” of the tone found in the 2021 reboot’s opening Scorpion/Sub-Zero fight. According to franchise creative director Ed Boon, the sequel’s opening is like that: “Double that intensity; I challenge you not to cry when you watch it.”
During the NYCC panel, McQuoid and writer Jeremy Slater also talked about bringing more to the films: more characters, more of the series’ cosmology, and more fights—double the amount seen in MK ’21, teased Boon. Whenever a fight’s not happening in the tournament, Slater said the characters will have their own “missions and adventures” that’ll shape their journeys throughout the film.
Mortal Kombat II dukes it out on a big screen near you on May 15, 2026. A third film is also in development.
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