‘Mortal Kombat II’ Writer Talks Johnny Cage, Major Deaths, And Franchise Recalibration

BusinessHollywood & Entertainment‘Mortal Kombat II’ Writer Talks Johnny Cage, Major Deaths, And Franchise RecalibrationByJosh Weiss,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Josh Weiss is a writer covering the nexus of pop culture and Judaism.Follow AuthorMay 11, 2026, 10:00am EDT(L-R) Ludi Lin as “Liu Kang”, Mehcad Brooks as “Jackson ‘Jax’ Briggs”, Jessica McNamee as “Sonya Blade”, and Karl Urban as “Johnny Cage” in New Line Cinema’s “Mortal Kombat II,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.Courtesy of Warner Bros. PictureThe 2021 release of Simon McQuoid’s long-awaited Mortal Kombat adaptation wasn’t exactly a failure, but it was no flawless victory either. For one thing, the film saw a muted gross ($84 million worldwide) as a result of Warner Bros.’ controversial day-and-date release strategy amidst the uncertainty of Covid-19. For another, longtime fans of the video game franchise known for its ostentatious roster of fighters and their ultra-violent finishing moves were not thrilled with the introduction of protagonist Cole Young (Lewis Tan), a character created specifically for the movie. There was also that minor detail of the titular tournament not even taking place throughout the nearly 2-hour runtime. The sequel (green-lit in early 2022, with McQuoid signing on to return as director) would need to avoid those pitfalls if the burgeoning series wanted to inflict any kind of box office fatality. Enter Jeremy Slater, known for his time as head writer on Marvel’s Moon Knight TV show, who pitched the studio on a sophomore installment sure to pull in viewers with the force of Scorpion wrenching an opponent with his kunai spear.“A Mortal Kombat movie should never be boring,” he recently told me over Zoom. “It should never have any downtime. It should be a blast from start to finish.”What really landed him the job was his proposal of “a tonal recalibration,” Slater explained. “It was saying, ‘Let’s look at what the first movie d...