Artnewspress :
A “Mortal Kombat” sequel is in the works at Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema.
Jeremy Slater, best known for the Disney Plus Marvel series “Moon Knight,” has been tapped to write the screenplay. Warner Bros. and New Line had quietly been looking to develop other installments in its “Mortal Kombat” universe, but plans for a follow-up film had not been official until Slater had been hired to pen the script.
The first “Mortal Kombat,” a martial arts-inspired adaptation of the popular video game, opened in theaters and on HBO Max last April. Despite mixed reviews, the R-rated movie still managed to generate solid ticket sales at a time when most people were largely steering clear of their local cinema. It earned $42 million domestically and $83 million worldwide.
Simon McQuoid, who directed “Mortal Kombat,” previously hinted to Variety that he would be interested in expanding the movie into a gory action franchise. The companies backing “Mortal Kombat II” have not announced whether or not McQuoid will return to direct the sequel.
“None of us used the ‘s-word.’ We’d never talk about it in any depth whatsoever because we feel like we have to put all our energy into this film,” McQuoid said in reference to the release of 2021’s “Mortal Kombat.” “That being said, if the fans want another one, that’s not for us to decide; that’s for the fans to decide. Then, we need a couple of joiner pieces that we know can lead us somewhere because there’s a treasure trove of stuff that’s just sitting there.”
Plot details, as well as returning or newly cast actors, have not been finalized. The first film featured Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano and Mehcad Brooks.
In addition to creating “Moon Knight,” Slater is writing and directing “Thread” for Sony’s Screen Gems. He’s also working on “Uprising,” an upcoming Netflix movie that will be directed by Travis Knight; and Stephen King’s “The Tommyknockers” adaptation for Universal. On the TV side, Slater developed “The Umbrella Academy” for Netflix and created and served as co-showrunner on “The Exorcist” on Fox.
Slater is repped by UTA, Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment and McKuin, Frankel Whitehead LLP.
Deadline Hollywood first reported the news.
