The recent Mortal Kombat movies have been hailed for adapting the bloody fighting games to the big screen, but will the duology ever become a trilogy? Simon McQuoid–the director of the two movies–isn’t so sure, as he’s currently focused on a very different project.
When quizzed by The Wrap on the topic of Mortal Kombat 3, McQuoid diplomatically replied that he wasn’t sure yet if a threequel would be made, but he was open to the idea. “I think it’s still going through its life cycle. So I don’t know yet. I’m not sure,” McQuoid said. “I feel like there are other stories that I want to tell that aren’t necessarily in Mortal Kombat, and I have multiple things in development, one of which we’re just casting now, and that’s not Mortal Kombat at all–something that is in the real world and very much a deep dive into a singular character and character study. I’m excited about it. But I never want to close doors. I’m just always trying to open doors.”
The 2021 Mortal Kombat movie directed by McQuoid made $84 million at the global box office, but given that theaters were reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic at the time, the low figure is understandable. The 2026 sequel didn’t do much better, bringing in only $129 million during its run. Hollywood movies are typically expected to at least double their production budget when they hit theaters, and with Mortal Kombat 2 reportedly having an $80 million budget, it fell short of that mark. It’s worth noting that Mortal Kombat 2 also had a lengthy delay, as it was originally scheduled to launch on October 24, 2025.
If a third movie does get greenlit and McQuoid returns to direct, he has hinted at telling different stories set in the Mortal Kombat universe. “That’s both overwhelming and really exciting,” he said earlier this year. “There’s always a, ‘What about that character?’ It never really stops.”
While Mortal Kombat 3 looks unlikely for now, you won’t have to wait too much longer to see another live-action fighting game adaptation on the silver screen. Street Fighter will be out on October 16, and judging by the recent teaser featuring Jason Momoa’s Blanka, it looks like it’s going to be wild.
