‘Mortal Kombat 3’ Is in Development — Here’s Everything We Know About the Threequel

The ‘Mortal Kombat’ franchise has evolved significantly since its reboot began with humble goals. The 2021 film debuted simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max, a victim of pandemic-era distribution strategies, yet it still managed to rake in $84.4 million globally against a $55 million production budget.

This success demonstrated a strong audience demand for this universe, prompting Warner Bros. to take notice. With ‘Mortal Kombat II’ now in theaters and generating considerable buzz, the development of a third installment is moving forward more rapidly than anticipated.

‘Mortal Kombat II’ has made a remarkable impact since its release. The first red-band trailer amassed 107 million views worldwide within just 24 hours of its July launch, setting a new record for red-band trailers. Such significant cultural engagement clearly influenced the studio’s decision-making.

Warner Bros. approached ‘Mortal Kombat II’ as a soft reboot, shifting the spotlight from Lewis Tan’s Cole Young to Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage. The early critical reception has been promising, with the sequel earning a 74% score on Rotten Tomatoes, a notable improvement from the first film’s 55%.

The announcement of ‘Mortal Kombat 3’ came even before fans had the chance to see the sequel. At New York Comic Con, Jeremy Slater, the screenwriter for ‘Mortal Kombat 2,’ was officially named as the writer for ‘Mortal Kombat 3.’ The studio’s confidence stems from exceptionally positive early indicators.

During the NYCC panel, Slater stated, “Our friends at New Line and Warner Bros. are so happy and excited with this movie. They are so convinced that there is a giant fanbase waiting for it that they already hired me to start writing the next installment of ‘Mortal Kombat.’”

With Slater returning as the writer, it is widely anticipated that director Simon McQuoid will also reprise his role for the third installment, having directed both previous ‘Mortal Kombat’ films. The cast looks promising as well, with returning characters expected to include Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, and Tati Gabrielle as Jade.

One of the most surprising developments in the early stages of the threequel came not from an official studio announcement but from a social media post. Producer Todd Garner shared a photo on X showing the bottom half of the film’s script, featuring Slater’s name, a ‘Based on the games from NetherRealm Studios’ credit, and a ‘Draft 1.1’ label. This indicates that the writing phase has already been completed.

Fans were particularly intrigued by what they noticed on the cover page. The cover of Slater’s script showcases the classic logo from the 1995 ‘Mortal Kombat III’ arcade game, a detail that has ignited speculation among fan communities. This is widely interpreted as a deliberate reference to the source material that the third film may draw from. The original game’s narrative involved Shao Kahn utilizing resurrection as a loophole to merge Earthrealm and Outworld, resulting in the loss of billions of souls.

The conclusion of ‘Mortal Kombat II’ set the stage for what’s to come. Earthrealm won the tournament on a technicality, with Kitana switching allegiances from Outworld to Earthrealm and killing Shao Kahn to avenge her family. Raiden then departs Outworld with Shao Kahn’s necromancer, Quan Chi, as their captive, indicating that their next mission will involve resurrecting their fallen allies. This setup, combined with the MK3 logo tease, strongly suggests a narrative focused on resurrection, realm-merging, and an apocalyptic invasion of Earthrealm that the films have yet to explore.

Slater has revealed that he has already completed an early exploratory draft, describing his approach as a throw-everything-at-the-wall strategy to see what resonates, similar to his method for the second film. This creative momentum, along with a finished script, indicates that the time between ‘Mortal Kombat II’ and its sequel could be significantly shorter than the nearly five-year wait fans experienced between the first and second films.

It’s important to recognize how far this reboot has come. The 1990s film adaptations ended with two entries before the franchise went dormant, with 1995’s ‘Mortal Kombat’ followed by 1997’s ‘Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.’ The current series has already surpassed that milestone and is on its way to a trilogy with substantial studio support and a completed script in hand.

The global opening for ‘Mortal Kombat II’ was projected to be between $70 million and $80 million, with at least $30 million expected from international markets. If these figures meet or exceed expectations, Warner Bros. will have every reason to expedite the production of ‘Mortal Kombat 3.’ The kombat, it appears, is far from over.

Let us know in the comments how you envision ‘Mortal Kombat 3’ expanding the universe and which fighters you hope to see step into the arena.