Washington [US], July 21 (ANI): Australian filmmaker Simon McQuoid has been tapped by New Line Cinema to return as a director for the 'Mortal Kombat' live-action sequel film.

According to Variety, McQuoid, who made his feature directorial debut with the 2021 film adaptation of the beloved fighting video game series, will direct the sequel from a script penned by Jeremy Slater.

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The sequel will be the fourth overall film in the 'Mortal Kombat' film franchise, after the original film in 1995 and its sequel 'Annihilation' in 1997.

The 2021 film was a reboot of the film franchise, focusing on Cole Young (Lewis Tan), an original character in the franchise.

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A washed-up mixed martial arts fighter, Young is suddenly hunted by the assassin Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) and ends up dragged into the world of 'Mortal Kombat', a series of tournaments between champions of the Earthrealm and the chaotic Outworld.

The film did not feature an official Mortal Kombat tournament but ended with a tease for one in the sequel. Apart from Sub-Zero, characters from the video games who were featured included Sonya Blade, Kano, Jax Briggs, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Raiden, Shang Tsung and Scorpion.

'Mortal Kombat' premiered in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, via a simultaneous release in theaters and on HBO Max.

As per Variety, the film was a modest success, opening at number one at the box office and grossing USD 84 million worldwide against a USD 55 million budget. The title was also HBO Max's most-successful film launch at the time. (ANI)

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