'Mortal Kombat 2' writer highlights NetherRealm absence as key 'mistake' in first film

'Mortal Kombat 2' writer Jeremy Slater says deeper developer involvement improved the sequel

The writer of Mortal Kombat 2 has said that one of the main changes from the first film was ensuring that the developers of the game franchise were more creatively involved in the sequel.

Speaking in an interview with Forbes, writer Jeremy Slater explained that the team aimed to correct what he described as a key issue from the 2021 Mortal Kombat film.

He said, “One of the mistakes we wanted to rectify from that first movie was not having NetherRealm Studios as creatively involved as they could have been.” He added that for Mortal Kombat 2, the studio was “involved every step of the way.”

NetherRealm Studios, which oversees the Mortal Kombat franchise under Warner Bros Games, was not closely involved in the first film, which was released by Warner Bros Pictures.

While the 2021 adaptation was commercially successful to a degree, it received criticism from some viewers for lacking deeper connection to the game’s lore and character history.

Slater noted that while research can be done through public sources, direct collaboration with the developers offered more detailed insight.

He said, “You can go on Wikipedia and ask, ‘What are the most popular stages? What are the best finishing moves?’ But it’s so different to be able to go directly to the horse’s mouth, the guy who has been interacting with the fan base for 34 years.”

He added that having access to NetherRealm acted as a “sort of cheat sheet” during development when questions about lore and mythology arose.

The approach appears to have aligned with improved reception for the sequel. Mortal Kombat 2 opened to $40 million in the United States over its opening weekend, compared with $23 million for the first film. It also currently holds a 65% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is higher than its predecessor.

Slater also suggested that continued developer involvement should remain part of any future instalments, stating his “dream is that they will be this creatively involved with every installment of Mortal Kombat going forward because they are the lifeblood of what we're doing here.”

Mortal Kombat 2 is currently showing in cinemas.