New Line is moving ahead with a third Mortal Kombat film, with Jeremy Slater saying onstage at New York Comic Con that he has been hired to write the screenplay while the second installment awaits release next year. Addressing the crowd, the Mortal Kombat II writer described the studio’s confidence in the sequel and said he’d begun work on the next chapter, signaling early momentum for the video game franchise’s continuing run in theaters.
The update arrives as Mortal Kombat II shifts to May 15, 2026, after a late-summer schedule change that moved the film from October 2025. The sequel reunites director Simon McQuoid with returning cast members and adds Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn and CJ Bloomfield as Baraka. The marketing push has already logged heavy interest online with a widely viewed red-band trailer, and the studio is positioning the follow-up for a prime early-summer corridor.
Slater’s remarks came during a New York panel that also featured key talent from the upcoming film. While plot details for a third entry remain under wraps, the decision to engage a writer before the sequel’s release suggests the company is planning a continuous arc for characters introduced across the 2021 reboot and the new installment. The approach mirrors a broader strategy among studios adapting long-running game properties, where casting continuity and rapid development can sustain audience attention between releases.
Mortal Kombat II follows the 2021 film that relaunched the brand for theatrical audiences and streaming viewers, and moves deeper into fan-favorite territory with Johnny Cage and the Edenia/Outworld nexus through Kitana and Jade. With a third script underway, the franchise appears set to build on that foundation, aligning a potential trilogy with an ensemble led by Urban and series regulars. As Slater put it to attendees, the companies backing the films believe a sizable audience is ready for more and have asked him to start writing the next round of Earthrealm-versus-Outworld conflict.
