Mortal Kombat 3 Officially Greenlit — Release Pushed to May 16, 2026 as Director Promises a Massive Summer Blockbuster

The director, screenwriter and several cast members confirmed that a follow-up to Mortal Kombat II has already been greenlit, and they explained why the sequel’s release moved to May 16, 2026.

1. Mortal Kombat 3 greenlit and new release date
2. New York Comic Con panel highlights
3. Director’s vision and IMAX notes
4. Cast, characters and preparation
5. Tournament structure and marketing

Mortal Kombat 3 greenlit and new release date

At the end of Mortal Kombat II’s New York Comic Con panel last Saturday, screenwriter Jeremy Slater said that New Line and Warner Bros. have already greenlit the next film. The sequel’s release date moved from October to May 16, 2026.

Director Simon McQuoid described the schedule change as being “a victim of our own success,” and he added that the team had “created a massive summer blockbuster,” saying the wait will make the release feel “massive” when it arrives.

New York Comic Con panel highlights

The panel included director Simon McQuoid, screenwriter Jeremy Slater and cast members Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Tati Gabrielle and Martyn Ford. They discussed the sequel, shared production details, and showed a behind-the-scenes featurette that teased action and signature franchise moments like fatalities and “the flawless victories.”

Below is the behind-the-scenes featurette the panel opened with.

Director’s vision and IMAX notes

McQuoid said he wanted more emotion and to explore multiple realms. He explained that the film pushes boundaries by spending more time in different places, levels and environments from the Mortal Kombat universe. He noted the challenge of choosing from “a movie with 20 main characters” and joked that “You can’t make a six-hour Mortal Kombat movie.”

Additionally, McQuoid mentioned special elements for IMAX screenings and encouraged fans to see the film on the biggest screen possible. He said he wanted to do “a little more with the screen. There are some little bits of joy in there. You won’t see it in regular screenings, and it affects the story a little bit.”

Cast, characters and preparation

The sequel will focus heavily on Johnny Cage and Kitana, according to McQuoid. Karl Urban described Cage’s starting point in the story: “he’s a very dispirited character. His career is completely in the tank. He’s not been keeping up with his training. The world has forgotten who Johnny Cage is… He’s just a broken man.”

Urban said Cage is then drafted to fight and will “transform into a true champion of Earthrealm, a hero involuntarily launched into this insane action adventure.” Slater explained the writing choice for Cage: “The Johnny Cage of the game isn’t necessarily a character you can go on a journey with. He already has everything. It was fun to start him at a lower place and watch him become the Johnny Cage we know and love.”

Tournament structure and marketing

A countdown event led up to the trailer’s debut and revealed fighters through actor posters presented like the classic character selection screen. McQuoid said the tournament was central to the story and that it provided a structure connecting the various character storylines: “The tournament itself allowed us to create a structure that the storylines all went through. All of our characters, their journeys have to go through the tournament. We wanted to do that in a way that was visually massive, interesting, but has the variety that Mortal Kombat always has.”