Mortal Kombat III Officially Greenlit at NYCC

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Even before the new *Mortal Kombat II* movie comes out, Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have announced they’re already planning a third film.

At a New York Comic Con panel for the *Mortal Kombat II* movie, writer Jeremy Slater announced that *Mortal Kombat III* is now in the works.

According to Lewis Slater, New Line and Warner Bros. are thrilled with the movie and believe there’s a large, eager audience for it. Because of this, they’ve asked him to begin working on a sequel to *Mortal Kombat*.

Greenlight Before Release

The studio confidently announced plans for a *Mortal Kombat* trilogy, fueled by the incredible excitement for the upcoming *Mortal Kombat II*. The game is still months from release, but a recent trailer gained a huge 107 million views in just one day, and they want to capitalize on that early success.

Slater is writing the script for *MK3*, continuing the story from *Mortal Kombat II*. The new film will again focus on Johnny Cage and Kitana as the Earthrealm fights a growing war against Outworld.

Cast & Crew Speak Out

At the New York Comic Con panel, director Simon McQuoid and cast members Karl Urban (playing Johnny Cage), Adeline Rudolph (Kitana), Martyn Ford (Shao Kahn), and Tati Gabrielle (Jade) joined Slater. McQuoid explained that the release of *Mortal Kombat II* has been moved from October 2025 to May 15, 2026, stating:

We’ve made something really big, like a summer blockbuster movie, and I’m proud to say that *Mortal Kombat II* and the whole series will be launching next year. It’ll be worth the wait – it’s going to be huge when it finally arrives, he explained.

More Fights, Bigger Scope

McQuoid explained that the sequel builds on the dark and intense opening of the first movie, delivering more action-packed fights, raising the emotional tension, and diving deeper into the history and mythology of Mortal Kombat.

The goal was to really push creative limits in every way possible. I wanted the characters to feel more intensely, with bigger emotional swings – really high highs and devastating lows. We aimed to explore all the different worlds and locations within *Mortal Kombat*, spending more time in each one and utilizing the rich history and content built up over the years, as we had so much to draw from.”

Slater pointed out that it was difficult to manage a large cast of over 20 characters while still making sure the story stayed on track.

He playfully pointed out that you can’t realistically make a six-hour *Mortal Kombat* movie. He explained they intentionally avoided the typical structure of fighting tournament films—where a fight is followed by a lull—and instead wanted to keep the story moving. Throughout the tournament, the characters are also pursuing their own separate goals and having adventures, ensuring there’s always something happening.

A Broken Johnny Cage Reborn

Karl Urban shared new insight into where we find Johnny Cage in MK2:

According to Urban, when the story begins, Johnny Cage is at a low point. His career has fallen apart, he’s out of shape, and people have forgotten who he is. He’s essentially a defeated and heartbroken man.

Slater explained the story arc was created to demonstrate Cage’s growth into a genuine champion, moving beyond the confident persona players recognize from the games.

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2025-10-13 07:32