From New Line Cinema comes the latest high-stakes installment in the blockbuster video game franchise in all its brutal glory, “Mortal Kombat II.”
Via Warner Bros. Pictures, only in theaters and IMAX across North America on May 8th, and internationally beginning the 6th of May.
This time, the fan favorite champions—now joined by Johnny Cage himself—are pitted against one another in the ultimate, no-holds barred, gory battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders.
Karl Urban stars as Johnny Cage, alongside Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan, Damon Herriman, with Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han, and Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion.
Director Simon McQuoid returns to helm the follow up to his explosive 2021 cinematic adventure, from a screenplay by Jeremy Slater, based on the videogame created by Ed Boon and John Tobias.
The film is produced by Todd Garner, E. Bennett Walsh, James Wan, Toby Emmerich and Simon McQuoid, and executive produced by Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Jeremy Slater, Ed Boon and Lawrence Kasanoff.
Joining McQuoid behind the camera are director of photography Stephen F. Windon, production designer Yohei Taneda, editor Stuart Levy and costume designer Cappi Ireland, with casting by Rich Delia and music by Benjamin Wallfisch.
The Cast & Their Characters!
Karl Urban plays the iconic Johnny Cage: “When we first meet Johnny Cage, he’s a very dispirited character. His career is in the tank, and he’s fallen on hard times. He’s not in a great way at the beginning of our story. The journey for Johnny through this movie is one of how he finds himself, how he finds his inner power.
It was a fantastic script from Jeremy Slater, and it takes Johnny on a big journey, and I was drawn to that. As part of my research, I delved into the culture of martial arts and martial arts tournaments, because that’s where Johnny grew up. And then when I landed at the airport to start filming, they picked me up and drove me straight to a stunt rehearsal, because the stunt choreography was such a massive undertaking.
So, from day one, I was thrown in at the deep end. We had an extraordinary stunt team—one of the best I’ve ever worked with—and I’m very grateful to all of them. I’m super excited for the audience to see what we came up with!”
Adeline Rudolph plays Kitana: “Kitana is a warrior. She is the high princess of Edenia—an extremely strong character who loses her father and is raised by Shao Kahn and his army, in his world. She has spent all these years seeking a way to avenge her father’s death and save her people from Shao Kahn’s rule. She has a great strength, with a lot of poise and grace, but there’s also a certain vulnerability about her and a certain softness. She’s an interesting character.”
Director Simon McQuoid says that Adeline was perfect for the role: “Addie has a real strength to her. Kitana is very sensitive and very caring towards her people, but at the same time, she has a core of steel and if she has to, she will tear your heart out. I’m so pleased with what Addie was able to bring to this role.”
Jessica McNamee plays Sonya Blade: “Sonya Blade finally has her Arcana. Last time, she was fighting like a mere mortal, with her knives and fists. But with her newfound power, she gets to really jump in and partake in the tournament as an equal with the rest of the gang. I once again have some very epic fights, which is always the most fun part of making these films. Sonya is such an iconic character and I am lucky to be bringing her to life. She is strong, fierce and female, and can hold her own among the boys. In saying that, it was amazing to have some big female energy on this set – with Kitana and Jade entering the chat, particularly when dealing with fairly violent content. The addition of the other girls brought a real grounding to the set and the movie as a whole. I think the fans will be very excited to see what’s to come. It is an epic movie.”
Josh Lawson plays Kano: “Originally, I didn’t think I would be right for this role. Never in my wildest dreams! But Simon was looking for something outside the box for this character and persuaded me it was something that I couldn’t see on the page. And that’s the thing that has made it the most enjoyable—the freedom Simon gave me to go off leash a little to create this crazy character. Simon is a great director. He leaves no stone unturned. He has a very clear vision and is able to communicate that well. He also has a very creative mind for the visual aspect and notices every little detail. And yet, even in the most frenetic circumstances, he’s always very calm and composed. I wish all directors were like that!”Comments director Simon McQuoid: “I think all the fans will be pleased to know that Kano comes back. We were forced to bring him back from the dead, because there was no way I was going to leave Josh Lawson on the bench!”
Ludi Lin plays Liu Kang: “When Ed Boon created Mortal Kombat, he obviously thought of some very cool characters. Very realistic, ultra-violent, legendary fighters encapsulated in a video game. He also cemented the word ‘fatalities’ into the pop culture lexicon forever. When you hear ‘fatalities,’ you think Mortal Kombat. My character, Liu Kang, is the heart of Mortal Kombat. He’s the moral compass, the true north. He’s legendary, he’s strong, he’s disciplined and loyal to a fault, sometimes against his own good. All these things combine with his mythical powers, his fire powers. That informs where his passion comes from. His rage is manifested in the fire that he shoots out. He has lost his brother in the first film, and Kitana has lost her father, so their story is woven together in that they are both seeking vengeance. There are so many layers to this film and Simon brings it all together so well. He has a very clear vision of what he needs and I always really enjoy working with him.”
Mehcad Brooks plays Jax: “Jax Briggs is a complicated man. I took him to therapy before we started the first film, so I really know who he is. He’s served six tours in Afghanistan and is really at the end of his career with the special forces, but he still wants to protect the universe as he knows it. Hemingway said that those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter. Jax has hunted long enough that the hunt is in him now, it’s what makes him who he is — and it takes a monster to fight monsters. A monster isn’t good or evil on its face; what makes you glad one’s on your side is the why behind what he does. Jax has chosen to use that part of himself — the pain, the trauma, the anger — to protect people and save Earthrealm from annihilation. That’s what makes him a hero.”
Of his fellow cast members, Mehcad says they were all one big, happy Mortal family: “We had so much fun on set. We were constantly joking. But we also hung out together. At the beach, at zoos, at dinner. Just having a good time. We’re truly a family in every sense of the word.“
Tati Gabrielle plays Jade: “I grew up a Mortal Kombat kid. And the character I’d always play was Jade, so it was incredible to be able to play her out for real in the film. Jade is quite the force to be reckoned with. She’s Shao Kahn’s assassin and Kitana’s bodyguard. She was raised with a lot of brutality. As an orphan, Shao Kahn found her in fighting pits and took her in to save her. He gave her a purpose in life and gave her something to fight for. He even gave her family, as she was able to become so close to Kitana—they end up like sisters. Throughout the story her friendship with Kitana is tested, because Kitana wants to overthrow Shao Kahn and take back Edenia, so Jade has to wrestle with her moral standing and her life’s meaning. I was really drawn to the heart of this story—something that Jeremy and Simon really built into the film. That was something that really intrigued me, to find humanity within a world that is so brutal.”
Lewis Tan plays Cole Young: “Cole is particularly unique to Mortal Kombat, because he’s the only character who wasn’t in the original game, although he’s tied into Scorpion as a descendant. So, there was something fresh and new about trying to play something original, although he’s a challenging character to play. In a way, he was almost the eyes and ears for the audience to be introduced to these different characters in a way that maybepeople who have played the game could get into and see it in a new perspective. The Mortal Kombat universe is such a part of my childhood. I have three younger brothers and we’d all play it, all the time, trying to hide it from my mother. That game made me dream that I could be an actor in a big action movie – and now I am! An actor in a big action movie fighting those characters in real life. So, it’s very surreal in many ways, but it feels just right.”
Damon Herriman plays Quan Chi: “Quan Chi is an incredibly powerful sorcerer in the Netherrealm, and a major villain in the Mortal Kombat series. He’s a necromancer, which means that he’s able to bring pretty much anyone back from the dead. He’s particularly cold and calculating, very menacing and completely self-serving. I was very drawn to the role because it’s unlike anything I’ve done before. I’ve played quite a few villains, but I’ve never played someone who is both not from this world and looks so incredibly different from me. That was very appealing. I also loved getting to play around with the vocal transformation. It also gave me the opportunity to take a deep dive into Mortal Kombat, a game that is beloved by fans all around the planet. On top of that it was just so much fun collaborating with Simon and working with this incredible cast. Plus, it’s a real cracker of a story.”
Martyn Ford plays Shao Kahn: “Shao Kahn is the emperor. He’s the kingpin. He’s evil and he’s deceptive, but he’s also something of a genius! Earthrealm is another trophy for
him. He’s completely driven by his ego and wanting to mark his place in history. The character preparation was very interesting, because he’s half scorpion, half human. So that was a bizarre fantasy, although we absolutely wanted to bring an element of reality into that.”The biggest challenge for Martyn was the prosthetics process he had to undertake each and every day, which took around four hours: “The problem with prosthetics is that the skin can only take so much. The prosthetics team have to use excessive amounts of very strong glue to place the pieces onto your face, onto your neck and onto your body. And then they have to use acetone to take the glue off, so it’s a lot of irritation for the skin. The boredom factor of sitting in a make-up chair for three to four hours isn’t such a problem. I was also awake five hours before anyone else, and didn’t finish until two hours afterwards, by the time everything gets taken off. But I’m not complaining—I loved every minute.
Working with everyone on this film was an absolute joy and I’m very proud to be a part of it.”Max Huang plays Kung Lao: “I feel like I have grown into this role over the years, because I first started playing Kung Lao in 2019. He’s such a cool character. He’s a former Shaolin monk, so he grew up in the Shaolin temple with his beloved brother, Liu Kang. At the age of 14, I also went to the Shaolin temple and trained in a martial arts school nearby. So, I feel very connected to the role. Before the first film, I found a Shaolin master who trained me in certain types of movement that I thought would fit and support Kung Lao. He’s one of the best fighters in Mortal Kombat. What makes him so iconic, of course, is his razor-brimmed hat, with which he cuts people in half and does all those crazy things. Kung Lao is quite a different character in this film, though. He’s changed. There’s a feeling of abandonment and revenge inside him that he holds towards Raiden and Liu Kang, because he feels they left him. It was very interesting this time to dive deep into his character and his journey. And the fight between Kung Lao and Liu Kang is magnificent.”
Chin Han plays Shang Tsung: “Shang Tsung’s role in this story is interesting. He continues in his devious ways, but he’s been tasked by Shao Kahn to find the amulet of Shinnok, one of the most powerful weapons in the Mortal Kombat universe. But you never know what Shang Tsung’s true intentions are. Whether he’s going to zig or zag. And the act of soul stealing is so provocative that I find it quite compelling. It’s almost like being an actor—when you get a script and play all these different characters. Shang has always been quite an enigma. I always enjoyed playing him in the game, so it’s a real privilege to be able to play him in the movie. I mean, Mortal Kombat really harkens back to my time as a college kid in the ‘90s and the video arcade that had the game. I remember how thrilling it was, because as a young person, it felt transgressive to actually play that particular game— because of all of the things associated with it. It’s quite stunning—it’s been around for 30 odd years. I think that’s a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of the game. I find being in this film not only revisits those feelings, but also layers on so many more.”
Tadanobu Asano plays Lord Raiden: “I play Lord Raiden, and he is a very fine character! He has very strong powers, including the ability to move between portals and take
the champions into another realm. Once I put on his hat with its special powers, I feel very powerful on set. I’m Raiden, and I’m ready to fight, even though the hat is actually very heavy! Lord Raiden chooses the champions for Earthrealm. In the last film, he found Cole Young, and in this film, he finds Johnny Cage. Raiden feels that Johnny has great power, even though no one else sees it. He’s a very funny character, but he seeks his power step by step. The production designer, Taneda-San, is wonderful. I worked with him in Japan, and I was so happy to work with him again. One of the sets he designed for this film is Raiden’s Sky Temple. It was so beautiful and made being in character as Raiden very easy. I hope I make my son proud! He loves this game.”Joe Taslim plays Bi-Han: “Bi-Han was born in Hell. In Netherrealm. That bright, bright flame from Scorpion at the end of the first movie cast the darker shadow of Bi-Han. Andhe
goes even deeper into the darkness in this movie. He’s a tortured soul now, an assassin. It’s a big responsibility to play this role, because you really want to do your best for all the fans around the world. Probably just like everybody else, I grew up playing the game. When I even hear ‘Mortal Kombat,’ I immediately think of fatality, friendship, Babality, ‘Get over here,’ ‘Sub-Zero Wins.’ This time, we’re trying to give justice to the fans—it’s a war between the realms. Simon and Jeremy really expanded the world and made it more complex, but still faithful to the game. The script is really strong and includes a lot more characters. But I do think the fight between Bi-Han and Scorpion in Netherrealm is going to be a fight that the fans will remember for another decade!”Hiroyuki Sanada plays Hanzo/Scorpion: “It’s interesting for me to play these two characters again. Hanzo is a leader of his clan, a ninja clan, called the Shirai Ryu. At the beginning the first movie, he dies. He’s spent a long, hard time in Netherrealm, but then he comes back as Scorpion. Hanzo’s still there, but we’re in Netherrealm now, so it’s a different situation. As a Japanese, I’ve played a lot of ninja roles since I was young. The ninja character is very familiar to audiences. It’s very easy for me to find a link with the role. I can use all of my knowledge and experience, and I very much know the fighting style. So, I can play Hanzo very naturally. But Scorpion is different. I love being in that character. When I put my costume on and say that great Scorpion line, ‘Get over here,’ I am just so happy to be back as Scorpion. He’s one of the greatest Mortal Kombat characters.”
Check Out the UB Spotlight with Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee and Tati Gabrielle!
