Are the 2020s better at doing the 90s than the 1990s ever did? Judging by this new Mortal Kombat II trailer, maybe.
Warner Bros. has dropped a new trailer for the upcoming movie, which is due in cinemas this October. It’s currently the number one trending video on YouTube, and racked-up more than six million views within 24 hours.
It tells us a lot of what’s meant to be the lead draw of Mortal Kombat II: Karl Urban, and his ability to do a bit of over-ripe smouldering that mixes real acting chops with a sense of camera-mugging campness.
Karl Urban plays Johnny Cage, an actor who is transported to the, erm, Mortal Kombat realm in order to take part in a fighting tournament.
“You have been chosen to fight,” Raiden tells Cage as he apparently dumps his old movie posters in a car park.
“It’s time to become the hero you were meant to be,” we hear Hiroyuki Sanada’s Hanzo Hasashi (aka Scorpion) say, foregrounding a plot structure in which a reluctant Cage transforms from an unwilling actor into a bad-ass Mortal Kombateer. In other words, it’s a bit like Kung Fu Panda.
Other cast members include Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Damon Herriman as Quan Chi, Tati Gabrielle as Jade and Chin Han as Shang Tsung.
It’s a follow-up to 2021’s Mortal Kombat, which shared its director with this upcoming film — Simon McQuoid.
That earlier film did not feature Johnny Cage or Karl Urban, but much of the rest of the cast returns, including what was possibly the highlight of the 2021 film, Josh Lawson’s take on Kano.
Back in 2021, Mortal Kombat producer Todd Garner explained why series icon was missing from the cast.
“Johnny Cage is obviously the elephant in the room, and there's a number of reasons why Johnny Cage was problematic in this particular movie out of the gate. One, he's a very big personality, right? He needs his own space,” he said, as reported by ScreenRant. And it seems pretty clear Mortal Kombat II is that space.
The 2021 film instead introduced a new protagonist, Cole Young (Lewis Tan). Its Caged-up sequel is due in cinemas on October 24th.
Mortal Kombat II is not the only piece of 90s nostalgia of this ilk in the works either. A Street Fighter movie is also in production, due in cinemas in 2026, and has a much wilder cast than Mortal Kombat II.
Top among the eyebrow-raisers include Jason Momoa as Blanka, 50 Cent as Balrog, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison and Orville Peck as Vega.
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