He closed his laptop and let the quiet hang for a second—no fans, no reviews, just the draft. The studio had smiled at the idea of a franchise; the public hadn’t yet weighed in. That thin, loud pause is where choices become bets.
I’ve been watching this process up close, and you should know how rare it is when a studio brings a writer back before Part II even opens. Warner Bros. and New Line didn’t wait for box-office receipts; they asked Jeremy Slater to start on Mortal Kombat III because they want momentum—and because they think the series can be more than action set pieces. Slater told io9 he finished an early, “throw-everything-at-the-wall” draft, then narrowed it with a tight creative team: Dave Neustadter at New Line and producer Todd Garner.
At a writers’ table strewn with notes, Slater treated the script like a lab experiment
That observation matters because it explains his process. He writes broadly first, then pares back based on what clicks. I respect a writer who tests wildly, because you can’t predict where the energy will come from until you’ve tried a lot of things.
Slater says he’s now roughly two-thirds of the way through a “finished draft.” You should read that sentence as both progress report and intention: he’s moving from exploration to construction. The pressure is on to make Part III feel necessary—not just bigger.
When is Mortal Kombat II coming out?
Mortal Kombat II opens on May 8. The release is the testing ground Slater needed: until audiences react, some choices are hypotheses. Watch social feeds, Reddit threads, and YouTube breakdowns the week after release—those signals are the raw data writers use to refine character arcs and tone.
In screening rooms and comment threads, fans are already steering creative decisions
That’s a real-world observation you can verify yourself by scrolling any franchise subreddit. Slater admits he developed much of Mortal Kombat III “in a vacuum.” Now the vacuum has air in it—fans have begun to tell creators which characters and beats land.
When you see a studio paying attention to reaction metrics—Twitter/X trends, peak viewership numbers on HBO Max, engagement on YouTube—don’t mistake it for pandering. It’s adjustment. Slater wants to take lessons from Part II and “make three the best one yet.” He’s candid about his role: to give directors and actors the tools they need to build something greater.
Is Mortal Kombat III in development?
Yes. Writing is underway now while Part II is still fresh. That forward motion signals confidence from the studio and the hope that the franchise can become a reliable summer property—studios often chase $100 million (≈€92 million) windows when they see blockbuster potential.
At the studio lot, executives are watching numbers and betting on characters
Executives counting projected openings is something you can almost hear in the halls of Warner Bros. New Line’s brass and producers like Todd Garner are already shaping the roadmap, and Dave Neustadter’s name appears in the creative loop. Those aren’t decorative credits; they’re the people who translate fan enthusiasm into scheduling and marketing strategy.
The script is a pressure cooker—pressure builds flavor and focus, and the heat reveals the parts worth keeping. Slater is using the early reactions to sharpen tone and to figure out which characters the audience wants more of. If the second film cements a breakout star or a surprise emotional beat, Part III will be reorganized around that force.
Who is writing Mortal Kombat III?
Jeremy Slater is. Warner Bros. and New Line retained him after Part II’s locked-draft stage because they trust his stewardship. He’s collaborating closely with Neustadter and Garner and speaking openly about taking lessons from the second film to inform the third.
On call with the creative team, the writer becomes a mapmaker for the franchise
That’s a small observation I noticed in Slater’s phrasing: he doesn’t claim control; he offers options. Slater acts as the franchise cartographer, drawing routes the directors and producers can choose. The job isn’t to force a vision but to present paths that feel inevitable to the audience.
For you—whether you’re a fan or a casual moviegoer—this means Part III may arrive more attuned to what moved viewers in Part II. The question is whether the franchise will trade surprise for refinement or find ways to do both.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Warner Bros. and New Line are already writing the roadmap while the ink is still drying on Part II’s credits, and Jeremy Slater is steering with audience feedback, studio appetite, and a tight creative brain trust—so what would you change about the next fight scene if you had the script in front of you?