In September, Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema unexpectedly delayed Mortal Kombat 2 until next year. The sequel to the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot had been planned for a release on October 24, and now is expected to drop in Summer 2026. But despite the extra wait, New Line is already moving forward with plans for Mortal Kombat 3.
According to Deadline, Jeremy Slater–the screenwriter of Mortal Kombat 2–has been signed to write the script for Mortal Kombat 3, which was officially announced at New York Comic Con. Slater’s previous credits include Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, The Lazarus Effect, The Umbrella Academy, Marvel’s Moon Knight series, and The Exorcist TV series. There’s currently no word about whether Simon McQuoid will return to direct the third Mortal Kombat film as he did the first two.
There aren’t any story details currently available, but it’s possible there are some hints to be gleaned from the story beats of the video games the movies are based on. In the games, Mortal Kombat 3 brought Outworld to Earth, as villain Shao Kahn attempted to merge the realms and increase his dominion.
Martyn Ford will play Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat 2, which will also feature Karl Urban as fan-favorite character Johnny Cage. Urban was featured in a faux-trailer for Uncaged Fury–an in-universe Johnny Cage movie–before the real trailer for Mortal Kombat 2 appeared online.
Several cast members from the first movie will return for Mortal Kombat 2, including Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, and Mehcad Brooks as Jax. Adeline Rudolph will co-star as Kitana, Shao Kahn’s adoptive daughter and the rightful ruler of Outworld.
Mortal Kombat 2 will hit theaters on May 15, 2026. In the meantime, a Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is coming to consoles and PC on December 12. That compilation will include the first four Mortal Kombat arcade games, as well as Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat Special Forces.