Mortal Kombat II is heading to streaming following its global cinema run, with New Line Cinema’s video game sequel arriving exclusively on HBO Max on Friday 24 July. The film will also make its US television debut on HBO the following evening at 8pm ET.
The sequel earned approximately $129 million worldwide after opening in cinemas in May, giving audiences another chapter in the rebooted franchise that began with 2021’s Mortal Kombat.
Karl Urban joins the franchise as Johnny Cage, the martial arts actor recruited by Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) to fight alongside Earthrealm’s champions. Their latest battle sees the fighters face Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), whose rule threatens Earthrealm and those defending it.
Adeline Rudolph stars as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade and Damon Herriman as Quan Chi. The sequel also introduces Ana Thu Nguyen as Queen Sindel, Desmond Chiam as King Jerrod and CJ Bloomfield as Baraka.
Returning cast members include Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jax and Josh Lawson as Kano. Chin Han returns as Shang Tsung, with Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, and Max Huang as Kung Lao.
The first film introduced Cole Young and several of the video game series’ best-known fighters, while the sequel moves closer to the long-awaited inter-dimensional tournament. Johnny Cage and Earthrealm’s remaining champions must come together as Shao Kahn and the warriors of Outworld threaten their survival.
Simon McQuoid returned to direct after making his feature debut with the 2021 film. Jeremy Slater wrote the screenplay, based on the video game created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. Todd Garner, E. Bennett Walsh, James Wan, Toby Emmerich and McQuoid produced the film. Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Slater, Boon and Lawrence Kasanoff served as executive producers.
An American Sign Language version will also begin streaming on HBO Max on 24 July. The version is performed by ASL dubber Justin Perez and directed by Rosa Lee Timm, whose credits include Sinners with BASL and Minecraft with ASL. The interpretation incorporates Visual Vernacular, a form of visual storytelling that combines sign language with mime, facial expressions and physical movement. It has been designed to communicate the film’s action and highly visual world for Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences.
For CultureCues, Karl Urban is a great choice for Johnny Cage, and the tournament gives fans more of what they have been waiting to see since the reboot began. Anyone who missed the cinema run will soon have another chance to enter the arena. Finish him, from the comfort of your sofa.
Mortal Kombat II begins streaming exclusively on HBO Max on Friday 24 July.
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