‘Mortal Kombat 2’ Adds Damon Herriman, Martyn Ford, More – Deadline

Keith Higgott; Melly Lee; Nicole Schumacher; Getty Images

New Line has rounded out its cast for Mortal Kombat 2, with Martyn Ford (Red Sonja), Desmond Chiam (Joy Ride), Ana Thu Nguyen (Suka) and Damon Herriman (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) coming aboard for roles.

Ford will play villainous Outworld emperor Shao Kahn, with Chiam as Edenian King Jerrod, Nguyen as Queen Sindel and Herriman as Netherrealm demon Quan Chi.

New Line’s latest follows up its hit 2021 action adventure Mortal Kombat, based on the blockbuster video game franchise created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, which was released simultaneously in theaters and on the platform now known as Max in April 2021. Amidst an industry hit hard by Covid, the original opened at number one at the box office and went on to gross over $84M worldwide theatrically, also coming in as one of the most-watched titles in Max’s history.

While Mortal Kombat followed MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan) as he faced off against Outworld enemies in a high-stakes battle for the universe, details as to the sequel’s plot are under wraps. In addition to Tan, returning cast includes Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion, and Max Huang as Kung Lao. Other newcomers set to appear alongside today’s group, as previously announced, include Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Tati Gabrielle as Jade and Adeline Rudolph as Kitana.

Simon McQuoid has returned to direct from a script by Jeremy Slater. Producers are Atomic Monster’s James Wan and Michael Clear, Broken Road Productions’ Todd Garner, McQuoid, and E. Bennett Walsh.

Ford is a bodybuilder and actor currently appearing in Sony’s The Machine who has also been seen in films like F9: The Fast Saga and Kingsman: The Golden Circle, along with such series as Netflix’s The Sandman and HBO’s The Nevers. He’s next set to star in Millennium Films’ Red Sonja opposite Rhona Mitra.

Chiam stars opposite Stephanie Hsu and Ashley Park in the SXSW comedy Joy Ride, due for release in theaters by Lionsgate on July 7th, and will also soon be seen reprising his role as Nick Zhao in the second season of Prime Video’s With Love. The actor known for his portrayal of Dovich in the Marvel series The Falcon and Winter Soldier also counts amongst his credits Netflix’s Partner Track and CBS’s So Help Me Todd, among other projects.

Next to be seen in the Australian actioner Suka, Nguyen’s past feature credits include Get Free and The Spy Who Never Dies, where she starred as the assassin Lollypop. 

Herriman famously played Charles Manson in both Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and Netflix’s Mindhunter, and has also been seen in films like The Lone Ranger and J. Edgar. Recent series credits include Disney+’s The Artful Dodger, Netflix’s Thai Cave Rescue and HBO Max’s The Tourist, to name but a few.

Ford is repped by The BWH Agency in the UK; Chiam by Gersh, Active Artists Management in Australia, The Rosenzweig Group and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols; Nguyen by The X Division in Australia and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman; and Herriman by APA, Lisa Mann Creative Management  in Australia and Art/Work Management.