Mortal Kombat director Simon McQuoid revealed that the fans will determine if there should be a sequel to the video game adaption. While the martial arts blockbuster received mixed reviews from critics, it secured the second-highest opening weekend debut during the pandemic by earning $22.5 million.
McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat reboot was produced by James Wan (Insidious, Saw) and is based on the popular fighting video game franchise with the same name. There have been two other Mortal Kombat films made to date. The 1995 original grossed over $120 million worldwide and is one of the most successful video game adaptions of all time, with fans often citing it as the 'best video game film' to date. On the other hand, its sequel, 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, was a commercial and critical flop.
Greg Russo and Dave Callaham wrote the newest version of Mortal Kombat for Warner Bros. The film sees former MMA fighter Cole Young take on the enemies of Outworld in the battle for the universe. Mortal Kombat stars Lewis Tan as Cole Young (the only original character in the film), Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, and Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero. The film ends with Cole heading to Los Angeles in search of one of the most iconic characters in the video game franchise, Johnny Cage. In the video games, Cage was an action movie star and martial artist who entered the Mortal Kombat tournament.
In a recent interview with Variety, McQuoid revealed that he never spoke of a Mortal Kombat sequel on set but didn’t ignore the idea of it completely. “Sequels are a bit tricky because you can’t totally ignore them, because that wouldn’t be a smart move, but none of us used the s-word,” said the first-time director. He noted that ultimately, the fans will decide if there should be a second film or not. “That being said, if the fans want another one, that’s not for us to decide; that’s for the fans to decide.”
McQuoid also revealed that Cage wasn’t featured in the first Mortal Kombat film because his giant personality garners “his own gravitational field.” The filmmaker stressed that there are a lot of fascinating characters and material to work with in the future. If provided the opportunity, McQuoid would like to explore the “fantastic” female characters in the video game franchise. “If we do get to that, and I’m not saying we will, I’m just saying if — big “if” — then we’ll go down that path.”
A Mortal Kombat franchise seems likely, as Joe Taslim has signed on for four more films. Meanwhile, Mortal Kombat's co-writer Greg Russo has asserted that the reboot was written as the first entry of a trilogy. Russo stated that the second entry would introduce more characters and focus on the tournament as well as Cage. As of right now, Warner Bros. has yet to greenlight a sequel.
Mortal Kombat can be currently seen in theatres.
Source: Variety