MORTAL KOMBAT III Officially in the Works With Jeremy Slater Returning to Write the Screenplay
Over the weekend, fans of the Mortal Kombat universe got some news from New York Comic Con that Mortal Kombat III is officially in development. Even though Mortal Kombat II hasn’t hit theaters yet, but Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema are obviously confident that the next round of fatalities, brutalities, and epic fights is worth betting on.
The announcement came during a Mortal Kombat panel that brought together key members of the cast and crew, including Adeline Rudolph, Karl Urban, Martyn Ford, Simon McQuoid, and Tati Gabrielle.
Writer Jeremy Slater revealed that he’s returning to pen the screenplay for the third installment, confirming that the studio is already planning the franchise’s next big fight.
“Our friends at New Line and Warner Bros. are so happy and excited with this movie,” Slater said. “They are so convinced that there is a giant fanbase waiting for it that they already hired me to start writing the next installment of Mortal Kombat.”
That’s a pretty strong vote of confidence from the studio, especially with Mortal Kombat II still months away from its May 15 release. Details about Mortal Kombat III are still under wraps, but given how the series has expanded its lore with each entry, fans can expect even more characters, realms, and savage tournament battles.
Mortal Kombat follows the epic struggle between the champions of Earthrealm and the warriors of Outworld in a deadly tournament to decide the fate of their worlds.
Heroes like Cole Young, Sonya Blade, Jax, Liu Kang, and Kung Lao clash against villains such as Mileena, Nitara, Reiko, Kabal, Goro, and the sinister sorcerer Shang Tsung.
The upcoming sequel brings back many familiar faces including Lewis Tan, Hiroyuki Sanada, Jessica McNamee, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Chin Han, Joe Taslim, and Max Huang.
Joining them are exciting new cast members like Urban as Johnny Cage, Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Damon Herriman as Quan Chi, Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn, Desmond Chiam as Jerrod, Ana Thu Nguyen as Sindel, and CJ Bloomfield as Baraka.
Director Simon McQuoid, who helmed the 2021 reboot, is also back in the director’s chair. That first film was a solid hit for New Line and Warner Bros., especially considering its release during the pandemic.
It opened at number one at the box office and earned $84 million worldwide against a $55 million budget. It also became the most successful film launch ever on HBO Max at the time.
Mortal Kombat was produced by James Wan, Todd Garner, Simon McQuoid, and E. Bennett Walsh, from a screenplay by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham, based on a story by Russo and Oren Uziel.
WB obviously thinks this franchise has plenty of life left, and more than enough brutal battles to come. Fans can start preparing now for another round of spine-ripping, soul-stealing action straight from the realms of Mortal Kombat.
