Hit martial arts video game adaptation Mortal Kombat 2 has officially secured an HBO Max release date, giving fans a chance to watch all the action on-demand at home.
The grand fantasy sequel is slated to land on the streaming platform on Friday, July 24 after a highly successful theatrical run that saw the film bring in a whopping $129 million at the global box office.
The streaming release marks the return of director Simon McQuoid, who stepped back behind the camera after making his feature-length debut with the first episode in 2021.
This action-packed second chapter follows iconic martial arts actor Johnny Cage as he is recruited by the god of thunder Raiden and military officer Sonya Blade.
Cage is brought in to unite with his fellow Earthrealm champions for an intense, interdimensional tournament against the hostile Outworld warriors.
Together, Earth’s chosen warriors must muster their strength to stop the tyrannical Emperor Shao Kahn, who gets a much-needed boost from the deadly Edenic princess Kitana.
While the original film successfully brought plenty of the franchise’s legendary fighting roster to the big screen, the sequel introduces a new cast of fan-favorite characters.
Overall newcomers are The boys actor Karl Urban as Johnny Cage along with Adeline Rudolph as Kitana and Tati Gabrielle as Jade, Kitana’s close childhood friend.
The villainous Outworld ranks are bolstered by Damon Herriman as the dark wizard Quan Chi, Martyn Ford as the evil Emperor Shao Kahn, Ana Thu Nguyen as Kitana’s mother Queen Sindel, Desmond Chiam as King Jerrod and CJ Bloomfield as the fanged fighter Baraka.
Fans of the first film can also look forward to seeing plenty of familiar faces back in the arena.
The returning cast features Lewis Tan as original protagonist Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade and Ludi Lin as karate master Liu Kang.
They are joined again by Mehcad Brooks, who returns as Jackson “Jax” Briggs with his super-strong, bionic arms, and Josh Lawson as the deadly Australian killer Kano.
Rounding out the stacked cast of returning favorites are Chin Han as the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Hiroyuki Sanada as the legendary Scorpion, Joe Taslim as his bitter arch-nemesis Sub-Zero and Max Huang as the razor-sharp hat-wielding Kung Lao.
