The new Mortal Kombat reboot creates a base, a skeleton that can be worked upon, for what could be a gory action-packed movie franchise. There are definitely hopes of there being a possible sequel, but what do we know about it so far?
A sequel probably bound to happen, although no legitimate sources have confirmed the news yet. The film is being fairly well received by fans, even though the makers took a seemingly big risk skipping the main tournament altogether as well as omitting Johnny Cage, an important character in MK’s gaming world.
The film is a delight for the original game fans, especially because of the gory fatalities that stay true to the game. It also introduces a new character, Cole Young, a descendant of Hanzo Hasashi aka Scorpion.
Cole is clueless about how the world of Mortal Kombat works and as he gets the answers to his questions, the audience is introduced to the basic concepts. Cole’s character is a clean slate, which enabled the makers to give him whatever history they deemed fit without disrupting the original characters of the gaming universe.
Producer Todd Garner told Inverse in March that Cole Young was specifically asked for by the studio.
“That’s the problem with Mortal Kombat, It’s so goddamn complicated. Cole asks the questions, ‘Who? What’s happening?’ and he gets the answers.”
Todd Garner
Will we get to see Johnny Cage in the sequel?
Garner said that they wanted to avoid the white saviour complex and to make a movie with a diverse cast, it felt weird to have a white actor, Johnny Cage, be the hero of the story. This, however, does not mean that we won’t be seeing the beloved character at all.
In fact, the ending of Mortal Kombat teased the debut Johnny Cage, who will probably play an important role in the sequel. Cole Young heads to Hollywood to recruit more fighters for the upcoming tournament, and we expect him to team up with Cage in the sequel.
There are rumours of Ryan Reynolds being approached for the role of Johnny Cage, but nothing has been confirmed as of now.
Will Sub-Zero make a comeback?
As Scorpion burns Sub-Zero to crisp in the end of the film, Shang Tsung retrieves Sub-Zero’s corpse and vanishes in a puff of black smoke. Director Simon McQuoid told Variety, “I don’t want death to be something that is inconsequential, certainly Sub-Zero has some opportunities.”
In the games, Sub-Zero dies and is resurrected as the undead ninja Noob Saibot (a reference to Mortal Kombat’s two creators – Ed Boon and John Tobias). Sub-Zero actor Joe Taslim, talked to The Hollywood Reporter about his character’s fate.
“Yes, that’s the next transformation of the character, if the fans want this franchise to continue, then there’s a strong chance that the next step for Bi-Han is to play Noob Saibot. Fingers crossed, but I hope it happens because I definitely want to play that character.”
Joe Taslim
If the makers were to follow the video game storyline and Bi-Han becomes Noob Saibot, then his brother, Kuai Liang, would presumably take on the mantle of Sub-Zero.
Which new characters are expected to be introduced in the sequel?
Besides Johnny Cage, McQuoid said that he wanted to “shift it to be a little more female.” There are some fantastic female characters in Mortal Kombat and he wants to add a better balance in that aspect as well.
Having introduced Sonya Blade already, some potential female characters from the MK games that the sequel could introduce are Kitana, Cassie Cage, Jade, to name a few.
Will the sequel include a Mortal Kombat Tournament?
In the reboot, the characters don’t actually have an ‘official’ fight in a Mortal Kombat tournament, which leaves it as a possibility for future films in the franchise.
“The story came out of this idea that we didn’t just want to redo the first film. If you look at Mortal Kombat’s evolution over the decades, that has evolved and grown beyond the idea of the tournament.”
Simon McQuoid in his interview with Variety
By centering characters like Cole Young, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Sub-Zero and Scorpion, the new Mortal Kombat gives us a proper introduction and makes it easier to follow, especially for an audience who might be unfamiliar with the game and its characters. This will also help set up the sequel and build a better pace if a sequel were to happen.
With the Mortal Kombat reboot having introduced all the characters and their ‘Arcana’s, hopefully the sequel will be able to flow more effortlessly and deliver the ultimate Mortal Kombat Tournament that the video game fans have been longing for.
Cast & Staff
| Character | Cast |
| Lewis Tan | Cole Young |
| Jessica McNamee | Sonya Blade |
| Josh Lawson | Kano |
| Joe Taslim | Bi-Han / Sub-Zero |
| Mehcad Brooks | Jax |
| Matilda Kimber | Emily |
| Laura Brent | Allison |
| Tadanobu Asano | Lord Raiden |
| Hiroyuki Sanada | Hanzo Hasashi / Scorpion |
| Chin Han | Shang Tsung |
| Ludi Lin | Liu Kang |
| Max Huang | Kung Lao |
| Sisi Stringer | Mileena |
| Mel Jarnson | Nitara |
| Nathan Jones | Reiko |
| Daniel Nelson | Kabal |
| Angus Sampson | Goro (voice) |
About Mortal Kombat (2021)
Mortal Kombat (2021) is an American martial arts action fantasy film directed by Simon McQuoid. It is based on the video game franchise of the same name and serves as a reboot.
Hunted by the fearsome warrior Sub-Zero, MMA fighter Cole Young finds sanctuary at the temple of Lord Raiden. Training with experienced fighters Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and the rogue mercenary Kano, Cole prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions to take on the enemies from Outworld in a high-stakes battle for the universe.
The film stars actors like Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada in various roles. It was released on HBO Max on April 23, 2021. A sequel is currently in development.
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