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Mortal Kombat II<\/em> was supposed to come out last year. Then, at a certain point, Warner Bros. looked at the film and realized two things. One, the film had the potential to be a big summer blockbuster, and two, they wanted to start working on another one. Yes, the studio was so happy with Mortal Kombat II<\/em> that it brought back the film\u2019s writer, Jeremy Slater, to write Mortal Kombat III<\/em> long before Part II\u2019s<\/em> release, and work is well underway.<\/p>\n \u201cI finished a really early draft that was kind of a throw-everything-at-the-wall draft and see what sticks, which is kind of what my process was on part two as well,\u201d Slater told io9 over video chat this week. \u201cAnd then we have a great creative brain trust between me, Dave Neustadter at New Line, and producer Todd Garner, and the three of us really kind of put our heads together and kind of look at like, \u2018Okay, well, what\u2019s good about this?’\u201d<\/p>\n But, Slater explained, all of that was happening as Mortal Kombat II<\/em> was still awaiting release. Now, fans are starting to see the film, react to it, and that has allowed him and the producers to make the next installment even better.<\/p>\n \u201cFor a very long time, I\u2019ve been writing and developing Mortal Kombat III<\/em> sort of in a vacuum. And now that fans are seeing it and responding to it, we can see tonally what\u2019s working. We can see, in terms of the characters, who are they responding to, [and] who are they going to want to see more of in a part three,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Armed with that knowledge, Slater is currently \u201cabout two-thirds of the way\u201d through a \u201cfinished draft\u201d and is using the positive response from Part II<\/em> in making Part III<\/em> even better. \u201cIn the same way that we took the lessons from one to make two even better, I want to take the lessons from two and make three the best one yet,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is the ultimate goal. But, you know, all of these decisions are ultimately out of my hands. My job isn\u2019t to make a good movie. It\u2019s to give the filmmakers all the tools they need to make an incredible movie. So I am happy to be a part of this universe for as long as they will have me.\u201d<\/p>\n Mortal Kombat II<\/em> opens on May 8. We\u2019ll have a review and more from Slater next week.<\/p>\n Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n