Karl Urban Shares Mortal Kombat 2 Pic To Celebrate Restart Of Production
Karl Urban is celebrating the start of production on Mortal Kombat 2 following the end of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. In a post on Instagram, the actor who plays Johnny Cage in the upcoming sequel shared a new image from the set.
Karl Urban Is In Mortal Kombat 2
The photo, posted on Instagram, sees Urban with several of his co-stars, smiling for the camera. “We’re back, baby! MK2. Let’s go!! Love this cast,” he wrote in the caption.
Karl Urban is set to make his highly anticipated debut as Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 2, as the character did not appear in the previous installment.
New And Old Faces For Mortal Kombat 2
Newcomers joining the cast include Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, CJ Bloomfield as Baraka, Ana Thu Nguyen as Sindel, Desmond Chiam as King Jerrod, and Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn.
Returning from the first Mortal Kombat film alongside Karl Urban is Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Mehcad Brooks as Jax Briggs, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, and Ludi Lin as Liu Kang.
Plus, there’s Joe Taslim as Bi-Han, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Max Huang as Kung Lao, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, and Josh Lawson as Kano.
Mortal Kombat Sequel
Billed as a martial arts fantasy film, the Karl Urban-led Mortal Kombat 2 is directed by Simon McQuoid from a script by Jeremy Slater.
The movie is inspired by the video game franchise Mortal Kombat, created by John Tobias and Ed Boon. It serves as a sequel to the 2021 Mortal Kombat film and marking the fourth entry in the series.
2021’s Mortal Kombat Movie
The 2021 Mortal Kombat movie revolves around Cole Young, a washed-up mixed martial artist who discovers he has a mystical birthmark that connects him to the otherworldly Mortal Kombat tournament.
As Earthrealm’s champions prepare to defend their realm against the evil forces of Outworld, Cole trains with warriors like Sonya Blade and Jax Briggs to unlock his latent abilities.
Critical And Fan Reaction
Mortal Kombat, which did not feature Karl Urban, received mixed reviews from critics. While some praised the film for its action sequences, visual effects, and loyalty to the source material, criticism was directed at the pacing and character development.
However, the film was appreciated by fans of the Mortal Kombat video game series and performed well at the box office, leading to Mortal Kombat 2.
Mortal Kombat 2 Production
After the April 2021 release of Mortal Kombat, producer Todd Garner, writer Greg Russo, and director Simon McQuoid began discussing the franchise’s future.
This included the prospect of standalone films focusing on Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage and Bi-Han. By 2022, Warner Bros. had given the green light for Mortal Kombat 2, with James Wan producing alongside McQuoid, Todd Garner, Michael Clear, and E. Bennett Walsh.
Production for the sequel began in June 2023 in Australia with the goal of completion by September. Unfortunately, in July, filming came to a halt due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
But things are expected to move quickly due to its prominence at Warner Bros. However, there is still no release date for the Karl Urban-led Mortal Kombat 2 at this time.
