Get ready for some brutal and bloody fatalities, asMortal Kombat 2has finally arrived. Set to be directed once again by Simon McQuoid from a script written byMoon Knight’sJeremy Slater,Mortal Kombat 2will pick up with the once washed-up mixed martial arts fighter Cole Young as he and a band of other fighters must battle to defend Earthrealm against Outworld.
AfterMortal Kombat IIunveiled a short teaser featuring Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), they have now releasedthe official redband trailerfor the film, which finally introduces the titular tournament. It appears Cage is the protagonist this time around, as he is recruited to fight to save the world in Mortal Kombat. Other fan-favorite characters make their debut as well, including Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), Bi-Han (Joe Taslim), and many more. Check it out below:
‘Mortal Kombat 2’ Will Fix One of the Biggest Complaints About the First Movie
Despite its success, there were some glaring problems with ‘Mortal Kombat.’
Due to land in theaters on July 18, 2025,Mortal Kombat 2stars Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson “Jax” Briggs, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han/Noob Saibot, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion, Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, and many more.
Karl Urban Joins ‘Mortal Kombat 2’ as Beloved Fighter Johnny Cage
One of the major talking points surroundingMortal Kombat 2is the debut of beloved fighter Johnny Cage. Played byThe Boysstar Karl Urban, fans recently got their first look at the character in costume, and while the casting has gone down well with many, some feel thatUrban is not quite right for the part. Returning star Lewis Tan, however, disagrees with the latter group and previouslyteased Urban’s “really interesting take on Johnny Cage.”
“He’s bringing a really interesting take on Johnny Cage. I can’t talk about too much, but I can say personally that he’s a great guy and we had a lot of fun, a lot of laughs on set, and I like what he’s doing with the character. I think it’s really unique, it’s maybe different from what people are expecting, but I think he’s such good actor. He’s been around for a long time, done a lot of great roles, and a lot of great franchises himself. So yeah, he’s no stranger to this type of thing, so he’s bringing something really special.”
Released back in 2021, the firstMortal Kombatquickly became a huge hit for Warner Bros. Pictures. Despite being released simultaneously in theaters on the streaming service that was once called HBO Max (now just Max),Mortal Kombatearned over $84 million at the box office against its $55 million budget. The video game adaptation also saw big numbers on streaming, becoming the streamer’s most-successful launch.
Mortal Kombatwas met with mixed reviews from critics, landing a divisive score of 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. But, in contrast, audiences loved the fight scenes and gore, awarding the movie a far more impressive 85% on the Popcornmeter.AndMortal Kombat 2is aiming even higher, with Lewis Tan teasing how the sequel is “a little more ramped up. Like I said, it’s hard to tackle and navigate that storyline because they did it with a new character that’s not in the game, right? It’s like, whose story do we tell? How do we tell it? How do we introduce this to the audience of people that maybe don’t know Mortal Kombat as well as some of the fans? We tackled that problem in the first movie, and now it’s just off to the races. We can just go for it. So, the second movie has wild, crazy nonsense and is incredible.”
Mortal Kombat II
