James Wan hypes Mortal Kombat II

Producer James Wan says “Mortal Kombat II” delivers the kind of big-screen spectacle longtime fans of the video game franchise have been waiting for.

“When I watched the first cut, I remember geeking out as a fan, just watching everything up on the screen,” Wan said of the upcoming sequel to the 2021 movie adaptation.

“I remember thinking, ‘We’re actually building out this world, bringing these characters, the story and the world to life in the biggest way.’ I couldn’t be happier, and I think the fans are really, really going to enjoy this one! And it has to be experienced on the biggest screen possible, because everything about this movie is larger-than-life. This film is just so much fun to begin with, and it just takes it to a whole different level seeing it on a huge screen.”

“Mortal Kombat II” arrives only in cinemas and IMAX starting May 6, bringing back the brutal fantasy-action franchise based on the popular video game series.

Producer Todd Garner said the creative team wanted the sequel to push beyond the first film and respond to what audiences wanted after the 2021 release.

“Our north star for ‘Mortal Kombat II’ was to make sure that we outdid the first movie – we learned from the fans and the audiences – and in this, I believe we outdid the first in every respect,” Garner said.

The sequel follows the fan-favorite champions as they are joined by Johnny Cage, played by Karl Urban, in a bloody battle against the dark rule of Shao Kahn, whose threat puts Earthrealm and its defenders at risk.

Simon McQuoid returns to direct the film.

The cast includes Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan and Damon Herriman, with Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han, and Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion.

McQuoid said Urban was the right choice to bring Johnny Cage, one of the game franchise’s most recognizable characters, to the screen.

“I’ve loved everything he’s done throughout his career,” McQuoid said of Urban.

“Johnny is a very broad character and Karl had an innate ability to take the material and put his weight behind it, whilst also understanding the comedy and pushing it out when necessary. But it’s also a very sincere, honest story of this guy who’s fallen from grace and you feel for him. That’s a really nice quality that Karl was able to bring to the role.”

Screenwriter Jeremy Slater said the sequel had to deliver on two key promises from the first movie: the coming tournament and the arrival of Johnny Cage.

“We knew we had to deliver on the two promises that were made at the end of the last movie: the tournament is coming, and Johnny Cage will be one of the new characters joining our roster. Beyond that, I was given an extraordinary amount of creative freedom to design the most exciting and satisfying adventure possible for our fans,” Slater said.

For the sequel, the filmmaking team leaned into what fans responded to in the previous film, “creating an adventure with bigger stakes, crazier fights, and even more comedy and action.”

Video game co-creator Ed Boon, who also serves as an executive producer on the film, said seeing the characters move from arcade and console screens to a large-scale movie production remains surreal.

“From my and the team’s perspective, it’s always surreal seeing these characters that we created so long ago portrayed on the big screen,” Boon said.

“They endured through all the years in video games, and now, seeing them on real sets, with huge crews working. It’s such a big production that every once in a while, I have to just remind myself where this came from.

“The film is just overwhelming in the most positive way. It’s so exciting to see something expanded in every dimension. We absolutely never envisioned that ‘Mortal Kombat’ would get this big. Once upon a time, we were very excited when they made a home version with a television commercial for it. That was about as big as I thought it would ever get. But now, seeing it become a part of pop culture with these big movies… It’s just the greatest.”

“Mortal Kombat II” will be released in cinemas and IMAX starting May 6. (Photo & Video Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)