Hot on the heels of a very on-brand, ingenious marketing effort featuring Johnny Cage on a poster and in a faux trailer, Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have re-entered the ring with its first trailer for the highly anticipated Mortal Kombat II – and it packs plenty of punch.
With the focus turning to Johnny Cage, played by Karl Urban (The Boys), instead of Lewis Tan’s (Cobra Kai) original character Cole Young, who barely showed up, the sequel is set to follow his tale as a washed-up B-movie star, who gets invited to the titular tournament to protect Earth from destruction, only to find out that he’s in over his head as he faces off against super-powered adversaries.
The two-and-a-half-minute clip is chock-full of cameos from faces familiar to fans of the games, including Kitana, Jade, Sindel, Baraka, and even a brief appearance by Noob Saibot, who gets swiftly split in half (unintentionally this time) by Scorpion. The latter’s iconic catchphrase, “Get over here!”, now with a more game-accurate tone compared to the first film, can also be heard, alongside a rendition of the franchise’s signature soundtrack. In true Mortal Kombat fashion, a host of Fatalities – the game’s infamously gory finishing moves – were teased as well, such as Kitana’s Fan-Nado and a nod to Scorpion’s Chain Reaction finisher.
Returning to helm the sequel to 2021’s adaptation is director Simon McQuoid, who also serves as producer alongside James Wan, Michael Clear, Todd Garner, and E. Bennett Walsh. Joining Tan in reprising their roles are Jessica McNamee (The Loved Ones) as Sonya Blade, Tadanobu Asano (Shōgun) as Raiden, Mehcad Brooks (Supergirl) as Jax, Ludi Lin (Power Rangers) as Liu Kang, Chin Han (Skyscraper) as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim (The Raid) as Bi-Han / Sub-Zero, and Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun) as Scorpion.
As for fresh additions, Urban’s Johnny Cage isn’t the only fan favourite on the roster. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Adeline Rudolph will bring the live-action counterpart of Kitana to life, with bodybuilder Marytn Ford, Desmond Chiam (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Ana Thu Nguyen (The Spy Who Never Dies), and Damon Herriman (Justified) portraying Shao Kahn, King Jerrod, Sindel, and Quan Chi, respectively.
Mortal Kombat II is due out in theatres on 24 October 2025.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
