Development

Following the release of Mortal Kombat in April 2021, actor Joe Taslim revealed that he is contracted for four additional Mortal Kombat films, if Warner Bros. Pictures decides to create a franchise.^[13]

Director Simon McQuoid stated that he is open to returning to direct a sequel if the story for it is good.^[14] In an interview after the film's release, McQuoid said that the character Johnny Cage was not introduced in the film because Johnny Cage was a "giant personality" and would throw the film out of balance. He revealed that potential sequels could explore the material for characters like Cage and Kitana. He also expressed that he would like to include more female characters.^[15]

Co-writer Greg Russo told Collider that he sees the reboot as a trilogy with the first film set before the tournament, the second film set during the tournament and the third film set post-tournament.^[16]

In November 2021, producer Todd Garner hinted at a sequel in development on Twitter,^[17] and in January 2022, the film was confirmed to be in development with Jeremy Slater writing the script.^[18] In May 2022, Slater confirmed plans to include Johnny Cage in the film, after being set-up at the end of Mortal Kombat, though he noted his exact role in the story has not been determined.^[19]

The same month, Slater mentioned the film would "embrace some of [the] weirdness" inherent to the Mortal Kombat franchise, and that he wanted the film to be "unpredictable" and defy fan expectations.^[20] In June 2022, he further explained that the sequel would address both positive and negative fan reactions to the first film.^[21] In July 2022, it was announced that the film had been greenlit by New Line and that McQuoid would return to direct the sequel.^[22]

Casting

In May 2023, Tati Gabrielle was in final negotiations to play Jade in the film, with Karl Urban also in final talks to play Cage.^[23] It was also reported that Jessica McNamee and Josh Lawson would return to play Sonya Blade and Kano respectively.^[4] Later that month, Adeline Rudolph joined the cast as Kitana, with Gabrielle confirmed to be playing Jade.^[10] In June 2023, Martyn Ford, Desmond Chiam, Ana Thu Nguyen, and Damon Herriman were cast as Shao Kahn, King Jerrod, Queen Sindel, and Quan Chi.^[11] Herriman previously voiced Kabal in the 2021 film.^[11] Later that same month, Max Huang confirmed he would return as Kung Lao.^[9]

Filming

Principal photography began on June 22, 2023, at Village Roadshow Studios in Gold Coast, Queensland, with Stephen F. Windon as the cinematographer.^{[24][25][26][27]} Filming was suspended in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike and resumed following the end of the strike in November 2023.^[28][29] Filming officially wrapped in late January 2024.^[30]