As a rule of thumb, if you are to adapt a video game into an on-screen adaptation, then you must remain faithful to the source material as much as possible. Faithfulness to the original story is what has made adaptations such as HBO’s The Last of Us such an impressive success story. Before the Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey-led series became a hit, Netflix had already brought Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novels and the video game iterations to live action with The Witcher series. However, before these shows came to the fore, there was one mega tournament that held sway.
The Mortal Kombat game franchise is one of the most familiar IPs in the world. The allure of the franchise has since triggered several adaptations over the years, some more successful than others. The original movie adaptation came in 1995 and was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. The 1997 sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, was directed by John R. Leonetti and didn’t perform as well as its predecessor. A cinematic reboot, Mortal Kombat, was released in 2021 and aimed to recapture some of the magic of the video games. Despite not featuring the titular tournament, the movie, which was directed by Simon McQuoid, enjoyed relative success and thus, a sequel was penned.
When Mortal Kombat IIpremiered earlier this year, it saw the return of its terrific cast, including Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada, and a wild Josh Lawson. The sequel went on to add new faces in Karl Urbanand Adeline Rudolph. Following its somewhat mediocre showing at the box office, Mortal Kombat II is hitting digital Video on Demand platforms early. Digital platforms like Fandango at Home and Apple TV are listingthe Urban-led sequel as having a digital release date of June 9, 2026. The sequel, written by Jeremy Slater and featuring fan-favorite characters such as Johnny Cage (Urban), Kitana (Rudolph), and Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn, among many others was still unable to perform at the box office. This is despite having a much better critical reception this time around than its 2021 predecessor.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Personality Quiz Which Sci-Fi Hero Are You Most Like? Paul Atreides · Captain Kirk · Princess Leia · Ellen Ripley · Max Rockatansky
Five iconic heroes. Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🏜️Paul Atreides
🖖Capt. Kirk
✊Princess Leia
🔦Ellen Ripley
🔥Max Rockatansky
01
How do you lead when the stakes couldn’t be higher? The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you.
02
What is your greatest strength in a crisis? The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails.
03
What is the thing you’d sacrifice everything else for? Your deepest motivation is your truest compass.
04
How do you relate to the people around you? Who you are to others under pressure is who you really are.
05
You’re facing a threat that no one else believes is real. What do you do? How you respond when you’re the only one who sees it defines everything.
06
What has your heroism cost you personally? Every hero pays. The question is what — and whether they’d pay it again.
07
How do you feel about the rules of the world you’re in? Every hero has a relationship with the system. What’s yours?
08
When everything is on the line, what keeps you going? The answer is the most honest thing about you.
Your Hero Has Been Identified Your Sci-Fi Hero Is…
Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.
Arrakis · Dune
Paul Atreides
You carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you’re capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become.
You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you.
You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn’t ask for but can’t escape.
Paul Atreides is not simply a hero — he is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway.
That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won’t, is exactly you.
USS Enterprise · Star Trek
Captain Kirk
You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you’ve always believed there’s a third option nobody else has thought of yet.
You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously.
Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you’ve earned it.
Kirk’s genius isn’t tactical — it’s human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction.
That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours.
The Rebellion · Star Wars
Princess Leia
You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you’re fearless, but because giving up simply isn’t something you’re capable of.
You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakeable.
You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you’ve never looked back.
Leia is not a supporting character in her own story — she is the moral centre of the entire rebellion.
That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you.
The Nostromo · Alien
Ellen Ripley
You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone’s hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters.
You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself.
Ripley’s heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn’t have a speech — she has a flamethrower and a plan.
You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn’t there.
When it counts, you don’t flinch. That’s everything.
The Wasteland · Mad Max
Max Rockatansky
You have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril.
You don’t ask for help, don’t need validation, and don’t wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply.
Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute — but it’s earned in silence and tested in action, not in words.
Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting.
That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours.
What Are the Chances of ‘Mortal Kombat III’?
Mortal Kombat II‘s box office release date was initially moved in order to reduce its competition at the box office. Unfortunately, the sequel found itself in conflict with the record-setting biopic Michael, starring Jafaar Jackson as his late uncle, and The Devil Wears Prada 2, which reunites Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. So does Mortal Kombat II‘s dismal box office performance impact the chances of a third movie? For now, that remains to be seen. However, director McQuoid, speaking in May, discussed the prospect of Mortal Kombat III. McQuoid remained humble, noting he doesn’t want to come across as being “overly confident” but, it’s something “you think about it, and you theorize it.”
Mortal Kombat II is now showing in theaters. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
