Flawless Victory! Mortal Kombat is heading back to Australia this summer. The next chapter in the reboot franchise from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures will film in Queensland. Lured by Screen Queensland’s production attraction strategy, the Atomic Monster/Broken Road Productions film is launching production at the Gold Coast’s Village Roadshow Studios from June to September of this year. “With an estimated local spend of more than $68 million, Mortal Kombat 2 is a heavy hitter for the state’s economy, creating at least 560 jobs for Queensland cast and crew,” said Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
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Based on the iconic ‘90s video game by Ed Boon and John Tobias, Mortal Kombat was released simultaneously in theatres and on the streaming platform Max in 2021. Despite a pandemic, the film opened at number one at the box office and went on to gross over USD$84 million worldwide. The follow-up Mortal Kombat 2 is written by Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight), and will once again be helmed by Australian director Simon McQuoid. James Wan’s Atomic Monster and Todd Garner’s Broken Road Productions will produce.
“On behalf of New Line, Warner Bros., our filmmakers and the entire cast and crew, we are proud to be returning to Australia and now, specifically Queensland,” said producer Todd Garner. “The state is proving to be a premier destination for filmmaking with state-of-the-art production facilities, stunning locations, and a highly skilled local workforce, making it the perfect location for this film.”
Producer James Wan added, “Filming the first film in Australia was such a great experience, I’m thrilled that with the help of Screen Australia and Screen Queensland, we can show off the majestic locations of Queensland and work with the top-notch artistic talent based there.”
New Line has rounded up an arse-kicking cast for Mortal Kombat 2, with Lewis Tan returning as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han/Sub-Zero, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion, and Max Huang as Kung Lao.
There are also tons of new characters and talent coming to the sequel, including Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn, Desmond Chiam as Edenian King Jerrod, Ana Thu Nguyen as Queen Sindel, and Damon Herriman as Netherrealm demon Quan Chi.
If that wasn’t exciting enough, last month Warner Bros. Games also announced Mortal Kombat 1, the twelfth main video game instalment in the Mortal Kombat series. Developed by NetherRealm Studios, the upcoming game introduces a reborn Mortal Kombat Universe created by the Fire God Liu Kang, featuring reimagined versions of iconic characters as they’ve never been seen before.
NetherRealm’s story mode returns with an immersive cinematic narrative full of twists on classic rivalries and the original backstories of legendary fighters like Liu Kang, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Kung Lao, Kitana, Mileena, Shang Tsung, and Johnny Cage, just to name a few. Mortal Kombat 1 is scheduled to release on September 19th, 2023, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. FINISH HIM !!
