We just might see Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat 2 if the sequel ever gets made, and BossLogic's latest artwork has cast Dwayne Johnson. Recently, The Rock told Men's Journal that he's working on developing a movie adaptation for an undisclosed video game. Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon responded to the news by noting that Johnson would "make a great Shao Kahn," inspiring BossLogic to get to work. The result is some interesting fan art imagining The Rock as the Mortal Kombat 2 boss.
Casting Dwayne Johnson in a role like Shao Kahn wouldn't come cheap, given the demand for the popular actor, but his willingness to get involved with video game-based projects means it's not impossible. If The Rock gets the role in the hypothetical sequel, he would be the third actor to play Shao Kahn in a live-action movie in theaters. Frank Welker provided a voiceover for Kahn, referred to at the time as the "Emporer," at the end of the original Mortal Kombat movie in 1996. Brian Thompson played the live-action incarnation of the character in the 1997 sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.
Shao Kahn was originally introduced in the second Mortal Kombat video game, though he has frequently appeared in the series ever since. He was one of a handful of well-known characters not to be included in the Mortal Kombat movie released last year, though he was referenced with a statue along with a mural seen in the film. No one has been cast to play a live-action version of Shao Kahn in this new timeline as of yet because a sequel is not currently in the works.
Mortal Kombat 2 Still Hasn't Been Officially Greenlit, Will It Ever Happen?
In addition to performing well at the box office (considering the pandemic), Mortal Kombat was also last year's most-watched new film on HBO Max. The turnout was great and this would lend itself well toward Warner Bros. greenlighting a sequel, but we are still waiting to hear that Mortal Kombat 2 is officially in development. Reviews were a bit mixed and perhaps there is some concern at the studio that not as many fans will be tuning in if a sequel is developed.
There are, however, rumors of spinoffs happening. Variety reported that the studio is looking to develop "other installments" of the Mortal Kombat universe, and if that's true, it seems probable that a followup to the 2021 film would be a part of those plans. Sub-Zero actor Joe Taslim has also said he'd been contracted to appear in five movies, so the door is open to further explore this world.
Simon McQuoid directed Mortal Kombat using a screenplay by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham. The film stars Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada. You can find the movie streaming on HBO Max while awaiting word to see if Mortal Kombat 2 will come to be.