After the success of last year's Mortal Kombat feature film in theatres and streaming -- it comes as little surprise that a sequel to the franchise reboot is moving forward. New reports have stirred interest, reaffirming Simon McQuoid as returning director. Read on:

Deadline reports the slightly underwhelming news of a sequel moving forward at New Line, with sources informing them Simon McQuoid will again return to helm a follow-up installment. Jeremy Slater (Marvel's Moon Knight) joins as new writer seeking to learn lessons from the first film to deliver a "satisfying" second go around.

[Related Article: Mortal Kombat Aims to Embrace Weird Universe in Movie Sequel]

The Australian commercial director was first publicly attached to the video game series in late 2016, enduring a prolonged five year phase of development with high-profile producer James Wan before making his theatrical directing debut. Wan remarked upon the many creative & business trials of reviving the series, in 2018.

Mortal Kombat has continued to be an internal engagement ratings benchmark for streaming service HBO Max, while also outperforming expectations with a modest theatrical outing during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite significant interest in Mortal Kombat's return to the movies twenty-four years after Mortal Kombat: Annihilation -- and publicly promised aspirations to "do it right" -- the finished product proved controversial with die-hard fans of the franchise who balked at its many deviations from firmly established lore. The reboot drew surprising comparisons to its notorious 1997 predecessor.

The notable absence of Johnny Cage from the pre-tournament plotline has led to several noteworthy submissions from interested actors, while Simon McQuoid himself has discussed potential for a sequel laden with new and returning characters.

[Related Articles: Mortal Kombat Producer on Johnny Cage & Rain Omissions]

Are you excited for the return of Simon McQuoid as director? What do you hope to see from a sequel movie? Share your thoughts in the comments below and go deeper into movies in the Media & Merchandise forum!

Raiden has been an icon of the series since its arcade inception, but fans who discovered Mortal Kombat through home ports to popular gaming consoles, the 1995 feature film, or other licensed media of the nineties, came to know the thunder god by a slightly different name -- and it seems one of his co-creators was not happy with the change!

"Rayden" was the phonetically appropriate alternate spelling adopted by Acclaim Entertainment -- responsible for distributing the games to Sega, Nintendo, and other consoles -- and other multimedia licensors, such as Threshold Entertainment, who produced MK films, live-action television, and cartoons.

The change famously avoided potential conflict with 1990 Tecmo scrolling shoot 'em up Raiden, while also bringing the character's name in line with common pronunciation distinct from its origins in Japanese mythology.

For series co-creator Ed Boon, the alteration was always "overly cautious" and the developer ultimately rejected requests to align arcade versions with the tweak. He described his "hate" for the alternate in a recent tweet responding to MK Online affiliate tabmok99's fan video on the subject (embedded below).

I always (as in ALWAYS) hated seeing Raiden’s name spelled with a Y. I remember arguing with Acclaim about their (overly cautious) decision to change the spelling…. andrefusing to change ours when they asked us to… to be consistent. Such a bad decision. ????????

— Ed Boon (@noobde) July 17, 2022

The multimedia exposure of the "Rayden" spelling meant it far outnumbered its arcade inspiration, but with Mortal Kombat 4 [pictured below] and subsequent installments, the source material has become the dominant example, reinstating the character's name as originally intended and rendering "Rayden" a curiosity of the past.

Its been almost thirty years since Carlos Pesina embodied the thunderer for the original game. Watch how his iconic headwear caused difficulties in archival footage from filming sessions recently unearthed from Ed Boon's personal collection.

Did Raiden's name ever cause any confusion for you? Did you mistake him for Fatal Fury or Metal Gear characters? Share your thoughts in the comments below and go deeper into retro in the 2D Kombat Klassics forum as we count down to the 30th Anniversary of Mortal Kombat!

Voice actor Andrew Bowen has reignited a wildfire of speculation with a video shared to social media from the Warner Bros lot. It's one of a series of posts that imply the Johnny Cage actor is working on something, but exactly what brought the actor there remains unknown. Details:

Bowen shared a similar video tweet in April and a photo last year [pictured in header], wearing sunglasses and a sheepish grin in both, but as IGN reports, the latest clip was deleted as soon as it began to fuel wider speculation. The reason for this is unspecified.

The April tweet included a fist emoji, explosion, and sunglasses smile, which could easily be interpreted as a sly reference to Mortal Kombat, but WB is also working on other projects, such as MultiVersus. CBR reports music from Mortal Kombat II music could be heard in the latest clip, but this could not be verified by MK Online at the time of writing.

Since Mortal Kombat 4 its been a symbol of ultimate power and now you can own your very own authentic replica of the Amulet of Shinnok! The limited edition merchandise is designed by DUST! Collectibles and it might just be good enough to fool Shinnok himself! Take a look:

Sold exclusively through Zavvi; Shinnok's Amulet is solid cast metal with an antique gold finish and replica gemstone. It features a game-inspired design adorned in details symbolizing the four natural elements and is 120mm diameter and 12mm thick. Limited to 500 pieces with a certificate of authenticity - ultimate power will set you back a reasonable $59.99.

The Amulet of Shinnok has passed through many hands since his banishment, granting the fallen Elder God's focused power to its wielder. It was once used by The Dragon King, and came into the possesion of Quan Chi when it was retrived by the elder Sub-Zero during the events of MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero, and duplicated by the sinister necromancer during MK4.

In more recent times, the amulet became a weapon in the struggle of the Outworld civil war during Mortal Kombat X, when it was stolen by Kano, and granted to Mileena, whose untrained hand struggled to control its incredible power. It was last seen in Mortal Kombat 11 under the personal guard of Raiden, who struggled with its corrupting influence.

Shinnok's amulet comes in a 190mm x 190mm x 38mm display box. How will you carry yours? Tell us your thoughts about the replica in the comments below and find & discuss more in the Media & Merchandise forum.

Sonya Blade has been kicking ass since day one of the first MK, and thirty years after her debut; Iron Studios is paying homage with a statue inspired by the lieutenant's klassic likeness in Mortal Kombat 3. Take a closer look:

Sonya takes a walk among the tombstones in the 1/10th scale statue, which brings to life both her "Kiss of Death" fatality, and a portion of the Graveyard arena -- complete with marking stones for Dan Forden and John Vogel. The statue base takes inspiration from the MK3 stage, adding detailed skulls and overgrown vegetation.

This handpainted polystone marvel weighs a meagre 1.5lbs and sits discretely at 8.2" high, 5.1" wide, and 5.1" deep. It can be pre-ordered online for $159.99, to ship sometime in the first quarter of 2023. At the time of writing it is unclear if the date of birth on Vogel's tombstone has been corrected.

The hits keep coming from Iron Studios who've already delievered MK3 final boss Shao Kahn, Goro, Raiden, and Scorpion. Where does Sonya rank in their efforts? Tell us about your thoughts & experiences in the comments below and find & discuss more in the Media & Merchandise forum!