{"id":75116,"date":"2026-08-09T09:29:42","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T01:29:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=75116"},"modified":"2026-08-09T09:29:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T01:29:42","slug":"mortal-kombat-director-not-sure-about-return-for-third-movie-as-mortal-kombat-3-remains-in-limbo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=75116","title":{"rendered":"Mortal Kombat Director Not Sure About Return for Third Movie as Mortal Kombat 3 Remains in Limbo"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Mortal Kombat movie director Simon McQuoid has cast doubt on his return to the franchise as work on a third movie<\/u> remains in limbo.<\/p>\n

The filmmaker behind both the first and second recent live-action adaptations of NetherRealm Studios’ brutal and beloved fighting game series spoke about why he may not be back to direct Mortal Kombat 3 should the opportunity arise during an interview with The Wrap<\/u>. In fact, he wasn’t even sure how to offer a status update on the third film.<\/p>\n

“I think it’s still going through its life cycle,” McQuoid said when asked for an update on the third movie or if he would come back. “So, I don’t know yet. I’m not sure.”<\/p>\n

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Mortal Kombat 3 may be finished before it can even get a punch in, but that’s not to say the film isn’t in the works at all. Screenwriter Jeremy Slater confirmed he had begun writing a third film<\/u> in the reboot saga at New York Comic Con in 2025, saying at the time that New Line and Warner Bros. were “so happy” with the second film.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, it’s an update that may have arrived a bit prematurely. The first Mortal Kombat reboot movie brought characters like Scorpion and Sub-Zero back to the big screen when it premiered in 2021. The wait for Mortal Kombat 2<\/u> wouldn’t come to an end until May 2026, one full year after Slater had already promised another follow-up.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the five-year downtime between films, and characters like Johnny Cage (Karl Urban) and Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), did little to convince audiences to get over to their nearest theater. Despite promising projections<\/u> ahead of time, Mortal Kombat 2 only managed to thaw out $63 million globally in its opening weekend in theaters. Box Office Mojo<\/u> reported that its final total brought in $129 million, a number that puts it beyond the $80 million budget it was said to have by Variety<\/u>, but with other costs to consider, it’s still not quite something that could be called a success.<\/p>\n