Scriptwriter confirms Mortal Kombat III is already in the works: "They already hired me to write the next one"

Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have greenlit a third installment in the rebooted franchise, even before the release of the highly anticipated Mortal Kombat II movie, with screenwriter Jeremy Slater already hard at work on Mortal Kombat III’s script.

This somewhat unexpected announcement came during a lively panel at New York Comic Con on October 11, where Slater joined director Simon McQuoid and cast members including The Boys’ Karl Urban, who will play Johnny Cage, Adeline Rudolph as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle as Jade, and Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn, to tease the sequel and reveal plans for Mortal Kombat III.

Slater addressed the enthusiastic crowd and said, “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.”

Warner Bros. is pretty confident in the Mortal Kombat franchise, drawing from the video game series’ success, which has sold over 100 million copies since its debut in 1992, making it one of the best-selling game franchises of all time.

To put things into perspective, Mortal Kombat X, which wowed crowds with its overhauled visuals, sold a staggering 12 million copies, followed by 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11, which sold 15 million copies, and last but not least, Mortal Kombat 1, which released in 2023, has sold 5 million copies so far.

Slater, who has penned the screenplay for Mortal Kombat II and serves as an executive producer, is no stranger to high-profile adaptations.

The American writer and producer has a diverse portfolio of movies under his belt, including 2015’s Fantastic Four reboot, 2017 Netflix adaptation of Death Note, and contributions to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Furthermore, he also served as the head writer for the Disney+ miniseries Moon Knight.

Mortal Kombat II, set for release on May 15, 2026, features returning cast members and new actors like Urban’s Johnny Cage, Desmond Chiam as King Jerrod, Damon Herriman as Quan Chi, Ana Thu Nguyen as Queen Sindel, and CJ Bloomfield as Baraka.

While no plot details have been revealed for the third installment, the early announcement promises a robust future for the franchise. The original 1995 Mortal Kombat film grossed $122.1 million worldwide on a $20 million budget, followed by 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, which earned $51.3 million on $30 million. Combined with the 2021 reboot, the theatrical adaptations have netted $257 million globally.

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