Jeremy Slater, screenwriter and producer of Mortal Kombat 2, believes the sequel will deliver a knockout punch compared to the 2021 film — which received mixed reviews from critics and fans, in part due to the controversial decision to make Cole Young (played by Lewis Tan), a character not featured in the game’s 30-year history, the main protagonist.
In addition to being “bigger and funnier than the first movie,” Slater stated that fan reactions at Mortal Kombat 2 test screenings were filled with the same awe and excitement he felt when watching Avengers: Endgame for the first time.
Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion/New Line Cinema
“I am so excited for people to see the movie,” Slater told ComicBook.com. “It’s been done for a while. 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.”
When asked about the challenge of seamlessly incorporating more than 20 iconic Mortal Kombat characters from the franchise’s storied history into a single film, Slater explained, “It’s very easy for these things to become three-to-four-hour, sprawling epics, so you always have to be judicious in cutting things down and what’s the emotional story we are telling and what is the story the audience cares about.”
Slater believes that everything from the movie’s humor, fight scenes, surprises and of course, the fatalities were executed effectively.
“Making sure when you get to those moments that matter — the fights, the fatalities, the surprises, the deaths — that they land and they are as satisfying as everyone wants them to be. I think we nailed it. They had the best stunt team in the business working on this thing. The actors are phenomenal. It’s so much funnier and bigger than the first movie.”
In addition to returning characters like Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Jax (Mehcad Brooks) and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Mortal Kombat 2 will see popular characters like Outworld emperor and MK2 main boss Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), Kitana (Adeline Rudolph) and Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) make their reboot MK debuts.
Urban, fresh off his acclaimed run as Billy Butcher in Amazon Prime’s popular and unapologetically violent The Boys, might initially seem like an odd fit for the clean-cut, pompous Johnny Cage—but his experience with brutal, over-the-top action should make him right at home in the equally brutal Mortal Kombat universe.
Adeline Rudolph as Kitana/New Line Cinema
“His integration into the Mortal Kombat story and universe is a big part of what this movie explores,” Mortal Kombat developer and co-creator Ed Boon said. “He’s a washed-up Hollywood guy thrown into this magical, ultra-violent thing. Karl, his depiction of Johnny Cage is different than our games in some ways. He’s adding his own flare to it, but I think it’ll feel fresh. There’s like a novelty factor in there.”
What do you think of the comments made by Jeremy Slater, the Mortal Kombat 2 screenwriter on fan reactions, fatalities and Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage? Let us know in the comments.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login