Mortal Kombat fans are likely expecting a lot of gore from the upcoming sequel to 2021's Mortal Kombat movie, but what they might not be anticipating is it being "so much funnier" than its predecessor.
And yet, that's what writer Jeremy Slater is promising, while claiming that the follow-up's test screenings have been earning Avengers: Endgame-style reactions.
"I am so excited for people to see the movie. It's been done for a while," he recently told Comic Book.com. "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."
Based on the video game series created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, Mortal Kombat follows Cole Young (Lewis Tan), an MMA fighter who is unaware of his relation to legendary 17th Century ninja Hanzo Hasashi – or the significance of the dragon-shaped mark he was born with. He soon learns, though, when Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, attacks him and exposes Cole to a world of other realms, superpowered champions, and blood-soaked tournaments.
While the plot of the second movie, which Slater says was "genuinely surreal" to be a part of, remains under wraps, the filmmaker says it'll definitely bring some of the source material's most iconic face-offs to life, as it properly introduces Karl Urban's Johnny Cage into the mix.
"I wasn't there for the filming, but I managed to go down to Australia last year. They did a couple of days of reshoots and, luckily, almost the whole cast was there in costume," he recalled. "Look through my phone and there's pictures of me next to Raiden, Kitana, and Baraka. If I could go back in time to that 13-year-old me, who is standing in that Pizza Hut with his roll of quarters, waiting to put his quarter down for the next game and be like, 'Someday you are going to be taking pictures with the real-life versions of these characters and be a small part in bringing them to life…'"
Directed by Simon McQuoid, Mortal Kombat 2 is slated for a October 24 release. For more, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming video game movies.
