Mortal Kombat II Director Reveals The Challenges Of Adapting Fan Favorite Character

Mortal Kombat II brings one of the video game’s toughest fighters to the big screen.

Mortal Kombat II is a martial arts fantasy movie inspired by the iconic video game franchise created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. Serving as a follow-up to 2021’s Mortal Kombat, the film marks the fourth entry in the live-action film series. Written by Jeremy Slater, the sequel follows Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) as he joins other fighters to defeat Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), a tyrant who is a danger to the future of Earthrealm and its people.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mortal Kombat II director Simon McQuoid already had a ton of characters in mind for a potential sequel after the debut of 2021’s Mortal Kombat film. He revealed that Baraka (CJ Bloomfield) was one of the fighters from the popular video game franchise that he wanted to feature the most.

The director’s decision to add Baraka to his roster was a good move, as the character is considered by many to be one of the standout additions in Mortal Kombat II. His battle with Johnny serves as one of the film’s biggest action scenes. The fight sequence has also been praised for how it combines such an intense scene with comedic elements. The character also makes another appearance during the movie’s closing moments.

From the Great Tournament to the Reboot Era · Eight Questions
How Well Do You Know the Mortal Kombat Movies?
“MORTAL KOMBAT!”

🥊The 1995 OriginalTest your might

🔥AnnihilationThe 1997 sequel

❄️2021 RebootGet over here

💉FatalitiesFinish him!

🎮Mortal Kombat II2025 sequel

FIGHT! →

The 1995 Mortal Kombat film, made for a modest $18 million, opened to $23 million on its first weekend, knocked off Seven from the #1 spot and went on to become a video-game-movie touchstone of the era. The film was helmed by a then-rookie British director who’d later turn the Resident Evil franchise into a global hit. Name him.

APaul W.S. Anderson
BRoland Emmerich
CRenny Harlin
DStephen Sommers

✓ Correct! Paul W.S. Anderson, then 30 and on his second feature after 1994’s Shopping. Mortal Kombat’s box-office success put Anderson on Hollywood’s map — he went on to direct Event Horizon, Soldier and the entire Resident Evil film franchise (six films, 2002–16). To this day Anderson’s 1995 Mortal Kombat is widely regarded as one of the most watchable video-game adaptations ever made.

✗ Wrong. The answer is Paul W.S. Anderson. Roland Emmerich was busy with Independence Day in 1996. Renny Harlin made Cliffhanger and Cutthroat Island around this period. Stephen Sommers later did Deep Rising (1998) and The Mummy (1999). Mortal Kombat (1995) is Paul W.S. Anderson’s breakout.

The 1995 film cast its central hero — the Shaolin monk Liu Kang, fighting in the tournament to avenge his murdered brother — with a Hong Kong-born actor and martial artist who would reprise the role in 1997’s Annihilation. Name him.

ARobin Shou
BCary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
CRussell Wong
DMark Dacascos

✓ Correct! Robin Shou. Born in Hong Kong, Shou had previously appeared in Tiger Cage 2 and as a stunt-double choreographer for Jet Li. He played Liu Kang in both 1995’s Mortal Kombat and 1997’s Annihilation, choreographed his own fight scenes for the original film, and remains the actor most strongly identified with on-screen Liu Kang prior to the 2021 reboot (where Ludi Lin took over the role).

✗ Wrong. The answer is Robin Shou. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa plays Shang Tsung in the 1995 film — the soul-stealing villain. Russell Wong didn’t appear in either 1990s MK film. Mark Dacascos has had similar action-hero roles (Brotherhood of the Wolf, Cradle 2 the Grave, John Wick 3) but isn’t Liu Kang. Robin Shou is the one.

In the 1995 film, the thunder god and protector of Earthrealm Lord Raiden — complete with conical straw hat, electric eyes and a wry, dryly amused delivery — was played by a French actor best known for the cult Highlander films. Name him.

AJean-Claude Van Damme
BChristopher Lambert
CVincent Cassel
DPierce Brosnan

✓ Correct! Christopher Lambert — the New York-born, Geneva-raised French actor best known as Connor MacLeod in the Highlander films. Lambert reportedly took the role for $1 million plus profit participation, and his weirdly amused performance (“You’re very perceptive”) is a fan-favourite. Lambert chose not to return for 1997’s Annihilation, where Raiden was recast with James Remar.

✗ Wrong. The answer is Christopher Lambert. Jean-Claude Van Damme was famously offered Johnny Cage but ultimately wasn’t in the film — though Cage’s splits-and-groin-punch finishing move is a JCVD homage. Vincent Cassel and Pierce Brosnan were never attached. Lambert is the 1995 Raiden.

The franchise’s instantly recognisable theme — a pumping techno bass riff capped with an ecstatic shouted “MORTAL KOMBAT!” — was written by Olivier Adams and Praga Khan under the project name The Immortals for the 1993 single “Mortal Kombat” before being repurposed as the 1995 film’s anthem. What’s the song’s actual track title?

ATechno Syndrome
BTest Your Might
CFinish Him
DFatality

✓ Correct! “Techno Syndrome” — track three on The Immortals’ 1994 album Mortal Kombat: The Album, which Sony commissioned to capitalise on the games. The song’s opening “MORTAL KOMBAT!” shout is sampled directly from in-game digitised audio. The 1995 film’s opening sequence remixed it as “Techno Syndrome 7th Edition,” which is the version everyone remembers — and the version returned for the 2021 reboot.

✗ Wrong. The answer is “Techno Syndrome.” “Test Your Might” is one of the original arcade game’s mini-games, not a song title. “Finish Him” and “Fatality” are in-game catchphrases. The actual title of the legendary “MORTAL KOMBAT!” track is “Techno Syndrome,” written by The Immortals for Sony’s 1994 tie-in album.

Two years after the 1995 hit, the much-maligned sequel rushed into theatres with a slimmer budget, recast Raiden and Sonya, and threw a mountain of fan-service cameos at the screen — Sheeva, Sindel, Motaro, Cyrax, Smoke, Nightwolf, Jade, Mileena. It tanked critically and spent over two decades as a punchline. What was the sequel’s subtitle?

AAnnihilation
BResurrection
CConquest
DDeception

✓ Correct! Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (November 1997). Director John R. Leonetti (the original’s cinematographer) took over from Anderson on a compressed schedule, with most of the original cast either declining to return or recast (James Remar replaced Lambert as Raiden, Sandra Hess replaced Bridgette Wilson as Sonya). It earned $51 million worldwide on a $30 million budget, killed the franchise’s film prospects for decades and is widely cited as one of the worst video-game adaptations ever made.

✗ Wrong. The answer is Annihilation. Mortal Kombat: Conquest is a 1998–99 syndicated TV series. “Deception” is a video game subtitle (Mortal Kombat: Deception, 2004). “Resurrection” isn’t official. The 1997 sequel is Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, directed by John R. Leonetti.

The 2021 reboot, produced by James Wan’s Atomic Monster and directed by Simon McQuoid, introduced an original audience-surrogate protagonist named Cole Young — a struggling Chicago MMA fighter with a dragon-mark birthmark who’s pulled into the tournament. Which English-American actor played him?

ALewis Tan
BMark Dacascos
CIko Uwais
DTony Jaa

✓ Correct! Lewis Tan — the English-American actor and martial artist (Iron Fist, Deadpool 2, Wu Assassins) playing the original-character protagonist Cole Young. Cole was created specifically for the film, isn’t in any of the games, and was a fan-debate flashpoint — the choice to centre an original character ahead of established Liu Kang divided early reactions before the film opened to over $80 million worldwide.

✗ Wrong. The answer is Lewis Tan. Mark Dacascos isn’t in this film. Iko Uwais (The Raid) was rumoured for a role but wasn’t cast. Tony Jaa (Ong-Bak) wasn’t involved either. Lewis Tan plays Cole Young — the original-character lead created specifically for the 2021 film’s reboot continuity.

In the 2021 reboot, Bi-Han / Sub-Zero — the cryomancer Lin Kuei assassin who freezes blood into icicle-blade weapons in some of the film’s standout setpieces — is played by an Indonesian martial-arts star best known for his role as Jaka in The Raid. Name him.

AIko Uwais
BJoe Taslim
CYayan Ruhian
DTony Jaa

✓ Correct! Joe Taslim — the Indonesian Olympic-level judoka turned actor (The Raid, Fast & Furious 6, Star Trek Beyond, The Night Comes for Us). Taslim’s ice-knife fight choreography in the cold-open prologue (Hanzo Hasashi vs Bi-Han in feudal Japan) and his climactic Cole Young rematch are the film’s most-praised sequences. He returned in a different role for Mortal Kombat 2.

✗ Wrong. The answer is Joe Taslim. Iko Uwais — Taslim’s frequent The Raid co-star and the franchise’s breakout name — isn’t in the 2021 film. Yayan Ruhian (Mad Dog from The Raid) isn’t either. Tony Jaa is the Thai Ong-Bak star. Joe Taslim is the 2021 Sub-Zero.

The follow-up to the 2021 reboot was officially announced in early 2022 with director Simon McQuoid returning, much of the original cast back, and the long-awaited big-screen debut of Johnny Cage — played by Karl Urban. The film hits theatres in October 2025. What’s its title?

AMortal Kombat II
BMortal Kombat: Aftermath
CMortal Kombat: Outworld
DMortal Kombat: Reborn

✓ Correct! Mortal Kombat II, releasing October 24, 2025 from New Line / Warner Bros. Karl Urban joins the cast as Johnny Cage — the brash Hollywood action star who never made it into the 2021 film — alongside returning actors Lewis Tan, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada, Jessica McNamee, Mehcad Brooks and others. The film is set up to finally adapt the actual Outworld tournament from the games, which the 2021 reboot famously deferred.

✗ Wrong. The answer is Mortal Kombat II (also styled Mortal Kombat 2). “Aftermath” is a Mortal Kombat 11 game DLC. “Outworld” and “Reborn” aren’t official. The 2025 sequel is simply titled Mortal Kombat II, directed by Simon McQuoid, with Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage as the headline addition.

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McQuoid explained that adapting this Baraka and his scenes took a surprising amount of time and work. He said that he spent months searching for the right actor for the role. He added that he needed someone who is intimidating but could also balance the character’s violent nature with humor and likability. So, when he met Bloomfield, he knew he had found the right person to play Baraka, concluding their search.

Mortal Kombat II’s assistant director, P.J. Voeten, who had recently worked on Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, was actually the one who recommended Bloomfield. The actor, who was featured as a member of Chris Hemsworth’s biker gang in the film, auditioned for the role and immediately impressed the creative team.

Once Bloomfield officially signed on for Mortal Kombat II, McQuoid and his team devoted months to crafting the major fight sequence set in the Tarkatan village, where Johnny repeatedly taunts Baraka during one of the movie’s biggest action scenes. The director wanted the Tarkatan village to feel as realistic and developed as possible instead of just being a generic location for the characters’ brawl. As a result, the production team added details that were specific to the village’s community. They even cast Tarkatan children to make the scene even more authentic.

Mortal Kombat II is playing in theaters now.

Release Date: May 8, 2026
Runtime: 116 Minutes
Director: Simon McQuoid
Writers: Jeremy Slater
Producers: E. Bennett Walsh, James Wan, Simon McQuoid, Toby Emmerich, Todd Garner