Mortal Kombat 2 Will Feature a Tournament if it Happens

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Mortal Kombat II will involve a martial arts tournament should the sequel happen, says Mortal Kombat writer Greg Russo. The recent release of the Simon McQuoid film marks the first installment of what is intended to be a trilogy, but whether or not the video game to film adaptation will grow into something beyond a single installment remains to be seen.

By all accounts, things are looking good for Mortal Kombat so far. Already the highest-grossing R-rated film released during the COVID-19 pandemic, the film has managed to impress fans, despite not quite being a critical hit. And while Mortal Kombat’s reviews certainly haven’t all been disappointing, the bottom line is that the gaming franchise’s extensive history and following mean this is a film that is first and foremost for its fans. After nearly thirty years of waiting for a big screen adaptation that does the games justice, McQuoid’s take on the series captures much of what was never seen onscreen before. But unlike the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie's attempt to adapt the games into one solid narrative, the 2021 take on Mortal Kombat doesn’t involve the iconic martial arts tournament that the original games were based around.

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The omission of the tournament won’t continue in the sequel, however – that is, should a Mortal Kombat II actually happen. While speaking with Collider recently, Russo explained that he has a plan for the film series and that plan includes a second film in which the famed Mortal Kombat tournament is a part of the plot. Laying the trajectory of what is meant to be a trilogy out in its most basic terms, Russo explained how the first film is meant to be the pre-tournament entry, the second film is the tournament and the third film will focus on the aftermath of the tournament:

"Movie one, we were always kind of setting this up as — well I was setting it up, it's basically in my head — I always saw [movie one] as pre-tournament, then [movie two is] hopefully tournament, then [movie three is] post-tournament. So the idea was that this was going to be a pre-tournament movie that would hopefully sow the seeds for the tournament, the final."

That’s definitely great news for fans who felt that the lack of a tournament held the new film back. At this point, it’s still unclear whether or not Mortal Kombat 2 will see the light of day, but given the general fan response to Mortal Kombat so far, it’s hard to imagine what could prevent a sequel from being made. As previously stated, the film was made for fans, not critics, and if it continues to score big financial gains, there’s really no reason not to follow it up. News of Sub-Zero actor Joe Taslim having signed a five film contract as the character only gives further credence to Warner Bros.’ high hopes for Mortal Kombat’s cinematic future.

From a fan perspective, Mortal Kombat’s history as a game franchise provides it with a wide range of characters, in-jokes, cheats and more. This practically endless supply of material is a veritable goldmine of opportunity should sequels begin to materialize. But before any of that turns up in future installments, arguably the most pressing inclusion is the tournament. To do it correctly will be a challenge, but simply knowing that its inclusion is a very real possibility is enough to excite fans.