By Karl Urban’s portrayal of Johnny Cage is one of the key figures in the forthcoming Mortal Kombat 2 sequel film, but he will be sharing the limelight with Adeline Rudolph’s Kitana, as they both compete for dominance in the film’s significant tournament.
“Especially when I initially reviewed the script, it seemed very much like the melding of two realms. You have Earthrealm and then you have Edenia and Outworld,” Rudolph tells EW. “Kitana’s narrative feels very much intertwined with Johnny Cage’s tale, and they navigate in and out of each other throughout the film.”
According to director Simon McQuoid, this is very intentional as the filmmaker aimed to integrate more of the female characters of Mortal Kombat into the sequel, which ultimately portrays the comprehensive Outworld tournament established by the earlier movie.
The Mortal Kombat tournament is the primary premise of the long-standing fighting game franchise, recognized for its gruesome battles and savage fatalities. Contestants fight to secure the grand prize and to thwart the encroachment of the malevolent domain known as the Outworld.
“That’s clearly going to be Kitana and Jade,” McQuoid elaborates, discussing how he selected the new characters for the sequel. “There are other remarkable female characters, but for the next film, they appeared to be the most sensible choices.”
In the Mortal Kombat games, Kitana is a princess from one of the realms of Outworld, and a rebel.